Letter to NRI by Rajesh Jain (www.emergic.org)

TECH TALK: Dear NRI: India Rising
Dear Non-Resident Indian,
I have a simple message for you: Now is the time to consider returning to India – both for a better personal life and for helping build the New India. India is changing, at least one part of India that constitutes urban India. There is an optimism in the air. Opportunities abound. India is Rising. The time to think about a return to India is Now.
For many like you who left India for the prospects of better opportunities abroad, the image of India remains frozen at the time that they departed. Subsequent short, annual visits have probably only given fleeting glimpses of the changes that are taking place. So, the status quo of the image persists. Landing at one of the airports does little to erase the impression of an arrival at a third-world country. Pollution, traffic jams, poverty may be visibly all there. So what really has changed about India?
In one word: Attitude. The last few years have seen Indian self-confidence rise. It is a mix of various factors. The growth of the Indian software services industry in the face of a worldwide slowdown, the boom in business process outsourcing (rarely a day goes by without a new announcement of another global major deciding to shift some of its services to India), the rising incomes in urban India, a stable government at the centre for the past 4 years, Vajpayee and Kalam at the helm, smart performances by Indian sportsmen (and not just in cricket), the malls and multiplexes, the expressways starting to link cities, Indian companies fighting back the MNCs and the Chinese onslaught, the USD 82 billion forex reserves. Or maybe it is just the pessimism in the rest of the world. Whatever it is, there is a growing feeling in India that the game is ours to win – or lose.
For the first time, I sense a feeling among Indians that tomorrow will be better than today. For a long time, there was a feeling of resigned acceptance – that what is will be. This is changing. There is a growing feeling that what we make of tomorrow is in our hands, that the opportunities are there. What tomorrow brings is more in our hands than divined by destiny. Optimism in the people is not an easy thing to inculcate – it is something which one sees all around, and mirrors it back.
There is a long way to go. But one cannot help feeling that the Indian train is finally moving after decades of standing at the station. There is a sense of purpose and determination – a drive to reach the destination. It is said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. India and Indians have begun that journey. Perhaps, it is time for you to begin yours.

As the New India emerges, there are plenty of opportunities – not just in the information technology sector (which I am a part of and more familiar with) but also in the other areas. Opportunities are what we make of them. True, there will plenty of ups and downs, but that does not deter from the fact that there is a lot of catching up and leapfrogging that India, its consumers and enterprises have to do. I will talk about the IT space. (I am sure if you speak to people in other sectors you will get a similar sense of the opportunities that lie ahead.)
So far, India has been known for its software services – quality programming and support for a fraction of the cost. Led by Bangalore and followed by other cities, India has carved a niche for itself in developing software for the world’s leading organisations. The Indian software companies, led by TCS, Infosys, Wipro and Satyam, have become part of many technology supply chains. Even as that continues, the new buzz is about extending the Indian advantage to everything service-oriented. Business process outsourcing (or IT-enabled services) is the new talk of the town everywhere. The legacy of English left by the British and our vast numbers are finally being put to good use!
In the telecom sector, companies like Bharti, Orange (and Hutchinson), Idea Cellular (jointly owned by Birla, Tatas and BPL) and Reliance Infocomm are finally bringing connectivity to the masses at affordable prices. The most recent offer from Reliance calls for an invtsment of just Rs 501 (about USD 11) for a cellphone. Smart businessmen are using two cellphones – the second one is a Reliance phone so they can talk long-distance to their branch offices and associates (also on Reliance) for 40 paise (less than 1 cent) a minute. Imagine that. Just a few years, a peak hour Mumbai-Delhi call cost 100 times as much.
There are two large untapped opportunities that lie ahead in India: SMEs and the rurals markets. Both are very similar in the sense that there has been a co-ordination failure among the various solution providers, with the result that the small and medium enterprises and the people of rural India find themselves in a low-equilibrium situation. They are “invisible markets”, underserved by the existing solution providers. New technology and a co-ordinated effort by multiple players has the potential to carve open two large markets: there are estimated to be 3 million SMEs in India, and 700 million in rural India.
What they need are innovative solutions built using the newest technologies – the ones that you know and understand well. From eBusiness software suites to WiFi, from mobile applications to alternative sources of energy – there is plenty of scope for “disruptive innovations” to tap into these markets in India, and then take the solutions to the other emerging markets of the world.
Opportunities also exist in every sector – if one is willing to think entrepreneurially. What is needed is Will and Vision to make a difference. Yes, there will be failures, but the New India is willing to take these in its stride. After all, Silicon Valley was built not just on the successes of a few, but the failures of many. It is for us – Indians and NRIs – to help build the New India.

The next time you are in Mumbai, take a drive down Senapati Bapat Marg (Tulsi Pipe Road). Two decades ago, it housed many of Mumbai’s mills. It was an area of poverty and squalour. Some of that still exists. But in the past decade, this area has begun a transformation which would have been unthinkable. A few chimneys still remind onlookers of its heritage.
Today, Phoenix Mills is better known as the home of Big Bazaar (a Wal-mart clone). The crowds on weekend evenings need to be seen to be believed. It is not just the Indian middle-class shopping there; the affordability theme in Big Bazaar’s prices has cut across income levels. In the vicinity, there is a Planet M (a music store), Barista (a Starbucks clone), McDonalds (with an Indianised menu), a bowling alley, two restaurants serving everything from North Indian to Mexican to Lebanese to Chinese cuisine. Coming up soon: a multiplex. In the same mills compound are plenty of offices and two tall residential towers.
A little walk down, there is Morarjee Mills, which is transmogrifying into Peninsula Corporate Part. The glass buildings have a “shock-and-awe” effect on visitors. The complex now houses the Mumbai headquarters for Orange, Airtel (Bharti’s cellular band), J Walter Thompson (India’s leading ad agency), an insurance venture from the Kotak Mahindra group, along with ICICI’s BPO business (ICICI One Source). Two more buildings are coming up, with parking for a thousand cars to be available in the basements. Go a little further down and there is Kamala Mills, now Kamala City. It is a huge sprawling complex, which has more big names.
The scene is being repeated across India – Whitefield in Bangalore, Gurgaon in Delhi, and an equivalent in every other city. The New India is emerging even as the old India co-exists side-by-side. A Barista selling coffee for Rs 50 shares walls with an Udipi restaurant selling filter coffee for a tenth of the price. In fact, on the other extreme, Bangalore pubs would even lead some to re-evaluate the meaning of “Western culture”! One can argue about the impact and the merits, but urban India is globalising – rapidly, and irreversibly.
Restaurants are sprouting up everywhere offerings all varieties of cuisine, as incomes rise. International-quality schools are coming up. Dozens of car models are available to choose from. Indian ads are getting acclaim worldwide. Television channels are aplenty and real cheap too (a hundred channels for less than Rs 300). Indian fashion is going global even as international brands are coming into India.
The New India is rising. The elephant is finally stirring. And the emergent effect is such that no government, no politicians can stymie this revolution. More than five decades after Independence, Indian entrepreneurs are showing the face of what India can do. It is for us – the New Generation – to help build the New India with our ideas and innovations, our energy and determination, so that the Next Generation can grow up in a Developed India.

I meet and speak with many NRIs – in India and during my travels abroad. One of the most common reasons given for not returning to India is “the family” – how will the kids adjust, schools in India are tough to get into and overload the children with so much homework, there is so much pollution, and so on. To me, this is an excuse for not upsetting the status quo, to stay in the comfort zone. Life for most of you is nicely compartmentalised into 48-50 working weeks, with 2-4 weeks of an obligatory vacation in India so “the kids can get a sense of Indian culture.”
What we forget is that we too are products of India’s education system – the same one we tend to criticise now. Yes, the Indian education system focuses less on the creative skills than on memorisation. Yes, Indian school kids have plenty of homework thrust upon them everyday. But that is what is making us what we are – smart, diligent, intelligent, ready to adapt to any kind of situation. The lack of creative outlets at school have not prevented Indians from excelling in other walks of life. What matters is the academic discipline the Indian education system instills in us. We have gone through it, and there is no reason why the next generation should not go in for it.
So, the family argument is one which holds little water. It is an excuse to not make tough decisions. After all, when life is going along reasonably comfortably, why disrupt it? And so life goes on, and another year passes. The India visits serve little purpose because you come as tourists. The India you know is the India you left behind when you went abroad. And that India, unknown to you, has changed beyond recognition.
I lived abroad for four years, and returned to India a decade ago. For me, India is home. Whenever I travel abroad, there is always a feeling of temporariness, a lack of one’s roots. One can always look at the negatives, but there are plenty of positives now to look forward to. And those are the ones you should focus on – after eliminating the option of returning back to where you came from.
Family – along with personal opportunities – is in fact one of the primary reasons for returning back to India. There is a support system in India with the extended family, which is always there – no questions asked, no obligations expected. For the kids, there is a love from doting grandparents, and uncles and aunts, and many other siblings. In India, skin colour is not used to discriminate. We are all one – Indians.

It is time for you to ask themselves a basic question: what do I do with my life? The answer to that can help guide the decision to return to India – or not.
Much of the world is stuck in a no-growth or slow-growth zone. History and the excesses of the recent past have caught up with the US, Canada, Western Europe, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. Contrast that with the growth opportunities that are being seen for India and China. Where would you be rather be for the next decade? That is the fundamental question NRIs need to ask themselves. It is in this context that a return to India needs to viewed. Simply put, life in these developed markets is going to be more of the same for the most part of the next few years. Life in India is going to be a roller-coaster ride, but one which seeks out higher-levels with each curve. Take your pick.
There is a need to think through the alternatives that are there. The easiest decision is to not make one – and let things go along as they are. The N+1 Syndrome – “just one more year” – will ensure the decision never gets made. The tougher decision is to pack one’s bags and return back. It is a very difficult decision to make because now, India is the foreign land! When you left India, there were few cares and commitments. Now there are many. The decision is not an easy one.
Consider the alternatives carefully. You know your business and the industry you are working in. How will life be in the next 3-5 years? What are the opportunities? On the personal front, what does your family want to do? Are you willing to accept a “disruptive innovation” in your life – or would you prefer maintaining the status quo and hoping for the best?
If you do decide to consider a return to India, here are a few suggestions. Take time off from work for 4-6 weeks and come and visit India first. Travel around, meet people, meet prospective employers. If you are becoming an entrepreneur, then meet others in the same space. See your yourself the change that is happening around India. Think about where you want to live. Take a flight on Jet Airways and see the difference. Book a train ticket online – yes, the largest eCommerce site in Asia is now the Indian Railways! Travel on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. Talk to others who have come back. The decision to move is a game of mental chess – only, you are playing against yourself.
I am not trying to give a rosy picture – just one which is realistic, or maybe more optimistic (because I am one). One can of course talk about the things that are wrong in India – and there are plenty. Water shortages, poor infrastructure, periodic power cuts, and so on. If that is the attitude, then India is not for you. However, if you are willing to inject a “disruptive innovation” in your own life and tear up the green card (or the equivalent permanent residency certificate of another country), then India will more when welcome you with open arms.