10 Events / Decisions that decelerated India

If Maulana Azad had become Congress president for a third term, partition could have been avoided.

If Gandhi had gone with the majority view that Sardar Patel be made the first Prime Minister of India.

Voting should have been made compulsory in our constitution.

India should have implemented the common civil code, where the same law applies irrespective of religion.

The motivation for family planning, incentive schemes, were implemented  day 1 of independence. We would have had 500 million less mouths to feed

Lal Bahadur Shahstri had lived and governed India for 10 years. Non Nehru/ Gandhi  family PMs, for eg: Rao and Vajpayee,  have  have taken  decisions, that changed the course of history.

If India had chosen domestic free enterprise over the license Raj.

If Sanjay Gandhi and not Rajiv Gandhi had become PM of India.

The golden quadrilateral was not 2 lane, but 6 lanes of road + 4  railway tracks.

To win an election you needed at least 51% of votes polled, not simple majority of votes polled.

Please add your own and let me know.

Portfolio In the News 22-Jan-2012

Town Essentials goes Consumer.  Founded by Amar Murty and supported by yours truly, Town was primarily a B2B service, servicing 400 restaurants, caterers, institutional canteens, in and around Bangalore, on the lines of Sysco.   In serendipity, we discovered,  about 30 families around Bangalore were using our service. We investigated “Why?” these customers were buying from us, to our pleasant surprise it was the quality of Town groceries. This highlighted the fact, that the street corner kirana store and food departmental stores like Spencers, Food Bazaar, Reliance, etc were driven by attributes other than quality. The corner kirana  store scores on gratification via good service and organized retail by optimizing price via higher volumes. Town delivers on many fronts, the best quality in its class, environmental friendly packing, personally selected fresh veggies and delivery at your doorstep anywhere in Bangalore. If you are not satisfied with the quality of your current supplier, ” Checkin To  Town”  >>>>

Livemint  in an article, “The Long and Shot of it”, covers DesmondJi, India’s first agave-based beverage.  DesmondJi will provide a number of drinking options via neat shots or in cocktail form.  A  750ml bottle of 51% agave from DesmondJi costs Rs495, while the 100% comes for Rs750 in Goa. Very soon, DesmondJi will be available across India after signing a national sales and distribution agreement with Nashik Vintners Pvt. Ltd, the company that owns Sula Vineyards. Eight months and about 3,000 cases (12 bottles each) later, Desmond founder of DesmondJi, says he is yet to meet someone who has complained of a hangover after a night of pure DesmondJi-bingeing. Some consumers have claimed it’s given them second wind, particularly after the first yawn of a late evening…… >>>>

Clover Greens launches villas around their Golf course on the Sarjapur – Attibelle link road. The villas will be developed by Assetz Homes, a Singapore based company.   Put your life on course by discovering “The Beautiful Life” at Clover Greens >>>>

Educational Initiatives(EI)  has a brand new website, check it out,  trust me it is world class!  >>>>

Thomas Jefferson, His Life and some Quotable Quotes

Some facts of Thomas Jefferson’s life  from a forwarded email.  Strongly felt these facts and some quotable quotes need to be captured for future reference.

Thomas Jefferson was a very remarkable man who started learning very early in life and never stopped.

At 5, began studying under his cousin’s tutor.

At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.

At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.

At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.

At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wyth.

At 23, started his own law practice.

At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.

At 31, wrote the widely circulated “Summary View of the Rights of British America ” and retired from his law practice.

At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.

At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence.

At 33, took three years to revise Virginia’s legal code and wrote a Public education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.

At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia succeeding Patrick Henry.

At 40, served in Congress for two years.

At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.

At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.

At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.

At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions which became the basis of ‘States Rights’

At 57, was elected the third president of the United States.

At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase doubling the nation’s size.

At 61, was elected to a second term as President.

At 65, retired to Monticello.

At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.

At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia and served as its first president.

At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence along with John Adams.

Thomas Jefferson knew because he himself studied the previous failed attempts at government. He understood actual history, the nature of God, his laws, and the nature of man. That happens to be way more than what most understand today.Jefferson really knew his stuff. A voice from the past to lead us in the future:

John F. Kennedy held a dinner in the white House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement: “This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”

“When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.” – ThomasJefferson

“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.” – Thomas Jefferson

“It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.” – Thomas Jefferson

“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labours of the people under the pretence of taking care of them.” – ThomasJefferson

“My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.” – Thomas Jefferson

“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” – ThomasJefferson

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” – Thomas Jefferson

“To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.”– Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:

“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.

If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property – until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”

Introducing Clover Greens

Once in a while, I have decided to write about my portfolio companies. I would like to start with Clover Greens, adjacent to Clover Fields, off Sarjapur Attibelle link road, Bangalore.

“A passion became an obsession. It drove 6 men who loved to play the game also build one. A course few know about, no tee times, no tailing, no waiting and  you can freely try that hesitant “give me another ball shot” “. For some it is the best kept secret in Bangalore.

Clover Greens Golf Course opened for play on March 1st 2009, six years after six technology professionals dreamed of building one and embarked on a journey with no previous experience. The outcome was a 18-hole, 6000+ yards, par 70 course designed by Phil Ryan of Pacific Coast Design, Melbourne, Australia. Phil ensured the natural character of the land was enhanced and at the same time maximized its environment potential. Combined with the design principles of the game of golf, this careful environmental balance has resulted in a challenging course to play in all conditions – it offers risks, rewards and opportunities while adopting a fair line of play for the pleasure of enjoying a good round in a relaxed environment.

Clover Greens has been designed to be eco friendly. The fairway grass is all native, carefully selected from areas around the golf course. This local grass is weed, pest and drought resistant, demands water that is a fraction of  conventional golf courses. There is no compromise on the turf look and feel or the playing experience. We hope all golf courses across the country realize that using localgrass is a better proposition than imported grass. Only organic fertilizer is used, this fertilizer is made from a patented technology that cures and sterilizes poultry droppings and converts them to afine powder.

For all those who would like to work on the finer aspects of their game, the just launched Clover Greens Golf Academy is the place to be. Supported by a team of pro-golfers led by Sujay Ghorpade the academy has a 2 storey driving range with 10 bays on each floor, a swing analysis room, a gymnasium, a conference room and a small snack bar.

There is more to come at Clover Greens: 165 luxury villas, a full fledged clubhouse with 40 rooms, a resort and a full fledged sports complex. Each villa will be built on quarter of an acre and compelling views of the golf course. The promoters want to keep the place quiet, they are not in a hurry to add members and the current plan is to not add more than 500 members.

Clover Greens was designed and is a golfer friendly course. The opening short Par 4 at 333 yards gives a gentle introduction to the course, with ample landing area for those golfers still warming up. It is not until the third hole, the Par 5 at 540 yards, that golfers start to feel a bit of intimidation creeping in with a mostly dry water body just after the tee box, bunkering to the left and a green
not in line of sight..

Golfers often breathe a sigh of relief as they leave green No 12 and look at the card showing the next hole, number 13, as a short Par 4 of 349 yards. They predict that it will be far easier –until they reach the tee. Sitting amongst established silver oaks (which create a ‘chute’ effect reminiscent of Augusta National), the 4th hole allows little room for error and is one of the most picturesque golf holes in India. The landing zone features a lake to the right, and the green is again surrounded by bunkers and established trees. If your drive is well-positioned, you can score well, but this little beauty can easily rattle your confidence.

The massive rock outcrop running from the north to the south across the site provides a backdrop to eleven holes, and is intimidating in its own right. Holes 1, 4 and 16 on the eastern side use the rock as a visual addition, while holes 17 and 18 to the north feature the rock as an integral part of the hole – especially hole 18, where the green sits between two of the largest rocks along the range.

On the western side of the ridge, holes 6 and 8 use the rock as a backdrop to the tees, giving both elevation and visual impact. But it is longest hole on the golf course – the Par 5, hole 7 at 586 yards – where the green sits within the rock ridge; this makes it one of the hardest holes on the card. Unlike many of the new golf courses in India, Clover has no golf cart paths – just paths from green to tee, so most of the golfers love to walk the fairways. The course was designed to feature trees and mounding between fairways, so a lot of the time golfers feel as if they are playing on their very own private golf course!

At the end of a round, sitting in the club, Belly Bunker, at Clover, you feel like part of a family – it is a club run by golfers, who want you to have a worthwhile time in this very special part of India. They cannot guarantee a great score – that is up to you – but they can guarantee a great round of golf.

For more information you cant visit the  Clover Greens website >>>>

Steve Job’s Advice to Obama on Fixing American Education System

 

Just finished Steve Jobs Biography by Walter Isaacson. On page 544, last para, he advises Obama in his typical no hold back mode.

Jobs attacked America’s education system, saying that it was hopelessly antiquated and crippled by union work rules. Until the teachers’ unions were broken, there was utmost no hope for education reform. Teachers should be treated as professionals, he said, not as industrial assembly line workers. Principals should be able to hire and fire them based on how good they were. Schools should  be open until at least 6pm and be in session eleven months of the year. It was absurd, he added, that American classrooms were still based on teachers standing at a board and using textbooks. All books, learning materials, and assessments should be digital and interactive, tailored to each student and providing feedback in real time.

Please note, all of the above, relevant to India and India’s education system. The question is do we have some like Jobs to get the government to listen and execute.

Lant Pritchett: India’s battle to educate the country

I bumped into Lant Pritchett’s interaction with Indian Express this week. Lant is the Faculty co-chair of the Master’s in Public Administration / International Development Program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He discusses various issues with the Indian education system. His insight and observations are astute, profound and the heuristic for what needs to be fixed.  We can fix if there is a will to fix it. Some of his observations are ->

We churn out millions with zero skills

The same system also produces 100,000 students a year in the global top 10%

We have an over ambitious curriculum, more equipped to teach the elite rather than the masses

To educate all of India we need scale down the learning and focus on learning

RTE is one of the most ill-conceived programs, instead of focussing on learning we have just enshrined additional legislation

India does not have any semi-skilled labour, people with basic lieracy, basic numeracy but no advanced skills

Any systems that gives control of hiring and allocation of teachers to parents produces much better results

SSA is popular because it allows politicians to hire more teachers with government air-cover and promote political patronage.

This interaction basically highlights the various issues with India’s primary education system. We pay education cess, the whole country is contributing, but the model is wrong. The structure, the incentives, the process of teaching and learning need to change, if we have to educate India that will contribute to convert the demographic dividend into a long term assets. However most indicators are pointing the other way.

 

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

Steve Jobs

I am a great admirer, fan and disciple of Steve Jobs. In 2003,  Thanks to Intel, I had the opportunity to see him present in person. He was not once in a life time, but a rare, one of a kind individual, mankind has ever produced.  It was not intelligence or knowledge, but his perception and intuition that set him a class apart.

I had just started blogging, a blogpost, “Generation Gap in Media Consumption” , was  motivated by Steve’s speech at the Intel Sales Conferece. This was before Ipod, Itunes, etc. He did give hints about upcoming iTunes, since Napster was dying because of lawsuits. Still remember a comment from our then country manager, our execs needs a team to do a speech, demos etc this guy does it all all by himself. InAug 2005,  a month after leaving Intel, I did buy my first Apple, until then, my allegiance to Intel, a 15 year career,  never gave me the opportunity to buy one. 15 days after I left Intel, Apple announced they were moving to use Intel  processor to drive  their computers.  A lesser known fact,  Steve  squeezed nearly a billion dollars in goodies from the Intel board,  for the switch. I did buy my first Apple computer after the announcement, even though it was on the IBM processor.  Apple was the only Intel customer that showed it’s middle finger to the Intel Inside program. Jobs always lived life his way and on his own terms.  Some of his great quotes, speeches and articles inspired by him are all listed below.

Stanford Commencement Speech 2005  >>>

Quotes from WSJ >>>

Quotes from Huffington Post >>>

Interview that highlighted Values and not sell outs, at the height of the dot-com frenzy >>>

Remembering Steve Jobs and a Life Lived on His Terms >>>

The Steve Jobs I knew by Walt Mossbery >>>

The Tao of Steve >>>

The Real Genius of Steve Jobs by  Malcolm Gladwell >>>

More links as I find and like them.

11 learnings from the Anna Movement

(via Osho Shiva and rediff)  great article on learnings and mantras from the Anna movement.  He talks about 11 mantras that one can take away from the movement. The article is in slide form, mantra by mantra, would like to index into each of them.

Help consumers become free from corporate exploitation by providing them value-based alternates  >>>>

When value-creation reaches a critical mass, it keeps manifesting in most mysterious ways  >>>>

Humble and authentic entrepreneurs have the potential to emerge victorious over resourceful but egoistic business tycoons  >>>>

Develop organic leadership to sail through chaotic times   >>>>

Outside idea pool can provide breakthroughs when momentum comes to a halt    >>>>

Resources are in abundance, if your vision is harmonised with reality   >>>>

Authentic communication is far more potent than decorated intellectual jargon  >>>>

‘Being in the moment’ is the source of courageous responses that can turn crises into opportunities   >>>>

Intense focus on the current project is bound to evolve towards mega opportunities  >>>>

Show total commitment to your operative practices, even in the face of acute crisis   >>>>

and finally

Value-based symbolism can help you to expand your eco system  >>>>

there are many more that I will cover in another article.

 

Attributes for Innovation

(via Schumpeter Column  in Economist) Everyone wants to be associated with innovation. Innovation remains the competitive advantage for countries, social movements, companies and individuals. Rich-world governments see it as a way of staving off stagnation. Poor governments see it as a way of speeding up growth. And businesspeople everywhere see it as the key to survival.

Inside the mind of successful innovators we find the following, innovators keep associating, questioning, observing, networking and experimenting. IDEO, an innovation consultancy, argues that the best innovators are “T-shaped”—they need to have depth in one area as well as breadth in lots.    read more >>>>

Portfolio in the News, Sept 2011

Clover Greens Hosts First Pro Tour:  The blustery conditions may have played havoc with the scores on the opening day but most pros found a way to tackle the wind, which was far worse in the second round, to return low scores in the third leg of the Hero Moto Corp- Women’s Professional Golf Championships at the newest and most picturesque venue on the pro tour, Clover Greens, on Wednesday. >>>

Sridhar Rajagopalan, CEO of EI interviewed in Huffington Post.  “The goal would be to have an educational system that allows people to reach their full academic potential. This will enable India to compete globally and to have a domestic society where people are engaging meaningfully and are able to solve the problems faced by their society. The system would need to focus on academic excellence and research, and also on developing compassionate and caring individuals.”   read more >>>

(via Entrepreneur India) Town Essentials was covered in Entrepreneur magazine.  Farm Fresh!  Town Essentials has organized a one window grocery supplier to the B2B segment in Karnataka. This has made life easy for restaurants, industrial canteens, fine dining that can now focus on running their business and engaging customer,s rather than getting up early in the morning to purchase groceries.  >>>

(via economictimes) Microbreweries, the newest addition to India’s expanding alcohol market.  Both Kingfisher and Doolally slug it out to attract the young. Doolally, a British slang for going mad, sells nearly 4,000 litres (7,000 pints) of beer at the pub each month, tapping in to a growing thirst for new tastes and experiences.  “It’s fresh, has no preservatives and I know what’s gone into it,” Dakshindas, a 33-year-old professional, told AFP as he decided on a wheat beer. “And you don’t get a hangover.”    read more >>>