Tuesday, August 1, 2000
In Praise of the Nehruvian Era
I am a senior manager from India who has met the challenges and commitments in a so-called non-enterprising Indian environment from the 1960s. I am retired and settled in the US and am trying to be active in the new economy by learning new things.
I wish the idea and the project of V.S. Arunachalam (the Sankhya Vahini) success. We need it even though we are probably late. As Arunachalam rightly points out, the seeds of our glory today were sown in the Nehru era to which I belong. Our generation might have made mistakes and created slower growth but we still built the infrastructure. Nuclear science, space research, establishment of top-class IITs and engineering and medical colleges were all done in that era. The fruits are visible now.
Growth, technology and a nation's priorities are functions of time and need. One has to view a country's progress in the light of these to understand why India adopted a slower growth model and not any other.
I am aggrieved that the achievement of the country in the past 50 years is not being conveyed to the people here. After all, we can't forget the past to grow now.
- Ram Venkatesan
Dream, and Nightmare, Too
I have long been proud to be an Indian as our fellow Indians are making a name for themselves in the information technology industry the world over. What has been bothering me is that none of the world's giant software companies (Microsoft, Oracle, Lotus, IBM, Macromedia, Sun etc.) belongs to Indians. Besides the fact that many senior executives and directors in these companies are Indians, there is nothing to be proud of.
Behind every powerful software and IT product there is an Indian. My real dream is to bring these very talented engineers and make some powerful software in India. My worst nightmare is of India losing out to China, now the fastest growing economy in Asia.
- Velu Raj
More Coverage
I have been an avid reader of siliconindia since 1998. I was impressed by the new look of the magazine when you revamped it early this year adding glossy pages. However, the quality of editorial in your recent issues has not reached the same heights as the print quality. Your round-up section covers only some of the cities. I would like to see Madras (Chennai) included in it.
In one of the recent issues, you had published an article (The funny things that FOBs do). I being a FOB, it did not make much of a difference but the number of letters that you have received in your editorial till today definitely shows that you disappointed many of your readers. In fact, I was extremely surprised that you would publish this article that would span three pages of your magazine. This space could have been used judiciously for an article that would provide your avid readers more insight into the industry.
I hope that you would refrain from publishing these articles in near future.
- Manish Jacketia
FOB? So What?
Some remarks about newcomer software engineers by the author of the article, "The Funny Things that FOBs Do," were particularly shocking and I personally would not feel comfortable working with him.
Newcomers to the US are somewhat different than those who have lived here for a few years, but so what? They will take their own time in learning new ways to adapt to a new country and its cultures. - Abhay Joshi
Wireless Opportunities
Your cover story "Wired to Wireless" made interesting reading. It is obviously the "new" thing and companies that foray into this area now will be rewarded later. The United States has already been left behind in the wireless race, with the lead been taken by the European nations. It is time the US snatched the lead and who can do it better than the Indian entrepreneurs who have already proved their competencies in the world of technology?
- Pawan Mehra
Web Sites to Aid India
This is in response to a Letter to the Editor by Raj Mohanka (siliconindia, July) regarding Web sites to help people in India.
I know of two such Web sites: http://www.causeanaffect.org (originally set up to raise funds for victims of the Orissa cyclones); and http://www.hssworld.com (set up to aid people affected by the droughts in Gujarat and Rajasthan). Every click on the latter's site adds a donation of Rs.1. - Madhulika Singh
