Future India - lessons from Flies & Bees.

Behavioural scientists had conducted an experiment wherein a dozen bees were introduced into an empty jam bottle placed horizontally and without the lid. They then placed a bright light outside but near the closed (bottom) end of the jar. Being logical creatures they attempted to go direct to the light in a logical manner eventually dying from exhaustion and starvation.

However houseflies when introduced into the jar escaped within a few minutes. An analogy can be drawn when referring to people and cultures. 

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Bees build complex and productive colonies whereas flies do not.

History reveals that colonialists like the Europeans, and North Americans  are logical, extremely systematic and highly disciplined  much like the bees. The conquered and colonised nations such as India which are like the flies, apparently illogical, unsystematic and highly undisciplined. Even today organisations within these countries also behave in very much the same manner.

The bees come together, surrender much of their individual freedoms in favour of a larger good of the colony and attempt to leverage each other’s strengths to  build for the betterment of all. There is more meaningful social and work collaboration. They are often proactive and take the long term view.

The flies are individualistic and concerned only with themselves. They hustle for their survival. They live in the present and are reactive in nature. They are street smart and know how to ignore or break rules, take shortcuts and somehow using ‘jugad’ (meaning fixes) to get what they want. They may not achieve a lot but it will enough to see them get by.

In any group endeavour structured and systematic work is essential.  That is why the developed economies all were able to industrialise and colonise the world.

Initially they ruled by their industrial-military might  and  nowadays increasingly by their technological,  military,  financial and political might. They have leveraged individual strengths multiplying them manifold to produce powerful juggernauts.

Organisations and governments within countries like India may have high intelligence, rich culture and history are individualistic and self centred like the flies. Energy and efforts are dissipated and rarely able to achieve critical levels where they can become sustainable world leaders. 

The underdeveloped nations who have been mainly nomadic or agrarian countries / regions merely exited, managing  somehow to survive.  They surrendered before the organised force of the bees, the might of the organised armies of the industrially advanced nations. Eventually  Indians permitted their  own aspirations, needs and necessities to be made subservient to their colonial and industrial masters.

 Is it any wonder why the world’s largest and most powerful corporations are in the Industrially developed world? A majority of the people there work for a large corporation or the government. They collaborate to develop innovate products and services, and hence succeed in conquering new markets and social space.

Similarly this could explain why there are so few Indian organisations of world class calibre and domination. Here majority work for themselves or in their own family business. The flies are happy with themselves.  Many bees do exist in India but the general pattern is that the vast majority of Indians are fly like in their conduct.

The future now hinges increasingly on knowledge, but applied in innovative ways and often involving a multi disciplinary approach.  One can observe  interesting developments that are unfolding in the world and in India.  

Nations and organisations  in the developed countries are struggling to become more innovative flexible and fly like. However they are unable to shrug off many of the bee like behaviour and characteristics which are cramping innovation.  The Japanese and the Europeans in particular appear deeply frustrated because they find their social DNA difficult to change as a result of their obsession with maintaining their so called ‘purity’.  

The most powerful approach is the flexibility and nimbleness of the fly, coupled with the discipline, structure and team commitment of the bees. This is evident from the fact that  America, Canada, Australia and the UK achieved higher growth rates and prosperity because of the open door policy which encourages constant and continuous influx of flies and new bees.

This cultural cross pollination often produce super-flies and super-bees, drawing on the stability and power of the bee colony with a fly like individuality to soon achieve remarkable success.

Flies will be flies but they can become super-flies with a blending of fly nature and bee discipline. Sadly instead of understanding and appreciating their individuality and fly strength, Indian political, business and educational leaders blindly copy and try to make flies behave like bees with frustrating results. Our education system based on memorising data and parroting them continue to produce  people who are good only at answering questions rather than asking them.  As a result Indians  have generally been unable to leverage their inherent fly like skill by adopting the organising capabilities and many strength characteristics of the bees.  The result may be of high growth but it lacks depth and sustainability.

The industrially developed nations are deconstructing large parts of their massive industrial infrastructure because they are neither environmentally or economically sustainable. The smart ones are not merely focussing on end results, they have understood thoroughly the processes involved in conduct of their business and governance. Many companies are shifting their design  and also manufacturing centres to Asia and in a significant manner to India.  This massive shift is happening in spite of the frustrations especially for the Japanese and the Europeans who find fly behaviour quite alien.

Many smart bees adapted and are conquering the Indian economic landscape. Ripples are turning into  waves.  Companies and institutions within the Indian economy are increasingly owned by entities from the developed world with an Indian face and merely have Indians working for them. Strong organisations owned by Indians will become increasingly  rare with many Indian businessmen shifting their wealth to investments into secondary and passive areas such as real estate, commodities, and stock markets and distribution services etc.

Take a Look at the insurance and financial sector, where ICICI Bank & HDFC Bank which are 66% and 74% respectively are foreign owned. The cement sector is predominantly owned by the French and Europeans. The wave has already started in takeover of the automotive, Automotive components, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure and soon it will be retailing, medical and hospitality sectors, defence etc. The stock exchanges and commodity exchanges are increasingly coming under the control of foreigners. Even benefits from bumper crops and yields will not pass on to the common Indian but to the commodity traders. 

The developed countries will have the queen bee and her core loyal assistants headquartered in their home countries but they will colonise the developing world.

This may not be necessarily bad for the Indian economy and the average Indian, who will receive better products and services. However this trend will thwart the development of a strong Indian political and economical leadership. While at home the industrial economies that have failed to shift to knowledge based work are facing increasing wrath of the deindustrialised citizens.

How can Indians can transform into super flies/bees incorporating the best of both organisms? 

For this to happen Indians have to;

1.       Take the initiative and evolve solutions by themselves or in collaboration with other like-minded entities.  They have to stop expecting the government to find the solutions. After all governments by their very nature are overbearing,  inept and often disconnected from reality.

2.       Invest significantly in developing knowledge and skills of their people, and further build capacity to impart that knowledge that they impart to their people.  Unfortunately too much attention is paid only to hardware as this is the visible part of investment, whereas the focus has to be on building good systems by focussing on the business processes. ( This does not mean merely ‘ERP’or Enterprise Resource Planning  systems)

3.       Overhaul the approach to education and dramatically change curriculum and learning to make it more relevant to the present and the future needs. They have to invest in the design and implementation of the education of their children, employees and associates in their homes and at their workplaces

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The reader will inevitably ask about; "what about China?"

That interesting question my friends will have to be taken up separately in another follow up article.

Do not want to curse God.

Optimism, education, reasonable intelligence and hard work does not mean that problems do not come calling. A time came with disastrous consequences for me, when I lost almost everything. 

I took stock of my situation and concluded that I was financially broke but I was not poor. I was wealthy, for I had knowledge, experience, a friend in my loving wife, and a deep faith in God.  
Well there is only one thing to do, start rebuilding life afresh so I left India for Dubai. Almost everyone in Dubai has a story of problems, challenges, and sorrow behind them. It is a land of opportunity, like a beautiful woman but with a stone for a heart. 

I am a happy-go lucky type of person, therefore it's relatively easy for me to get along with people, at least for a while.  My extrovert nature helped me meet and interact with a lot of people and I was soon busy, though not always productively or profitably.

My bank manager Kannan and I soon became friends. I sought Kannan's advice on many things and he was more than ready to lend me his ear and offer advice and suggestions whenever he could spare the time.
Once Kannan introduced me to another client of the bank, believing that there were good business opportunities between both of his clients.
As things turned out the opportunity existed and we did do some business together. The volume of business was not much, but it was fairly profitable for the time and money involved.

I was living all by myself at that time and I longed to share my joy with someone. In addition I was happy and grateful, and I so wanted to show my appreciation to Kannan.
After much thought I decided to give him cash. So I put some cash (10% of the profit) in an envelope and I went to the bank.

Kannan and we chatted over tea for some time in his cabin. After I had finished my cup of tea, I placed the envelope in front of him.
Kannan raised his eyebrow and without touching the package asked me "What is this?"

I said, 'Thanks to your introduction I made some money and I wanted to share a little something with you."
He picked up the packet peeked into the contents and pushed it back to me; " I am sorry I can't take it. I only did my duty to assist my customers. I have grown fond of you, I wanted this to be an act of friendship. Do not spoil it by giving me anything especially money."

Kannan said, 
"Let me share something with you. Every day I pray.  
"God, do not deprive me and give me so little, that I curse you. I also beg you not to give me so much that I forget you."

He said that God seemed to hear and answer his prayers. He wished for nothing more.
Back and forth we pushed the envelope with the money. Finally he relented and put the envelope in his drawer.

A few days later I went to the bank for some work. As usual I went to meet Kannan. We chatted for a few minutes and then he asked me, "Have you checked your bank statement?"
"No" I replied.

Kannan said, "You insisted on giving me the money and I was unable to convince you, so I took the money you gave me and I deposited the money back into your account."
"Please do not do anything silly and come around with another packet, now or ever. My joy comes from doing good for you"

I felt blessed to meet so noble and wonderful man.

He was soon thereafter transferred to another branch rather far away and we lost touch. I tried to contact him for a long time, but learnt that he had taken up a job somewhere else. I pray that I meet him again sometime soon.

Driving in India is expensive

My friend Sudhir turned 59 today. After we finished our brisk walk, we gorged ourselves on various unhealthy foods. For his age he looked good and in great shape. Indeed his recent medical tests gave him a thumbs up except for his high blood pressure. It appeared that he was joking when he said that his hypertension was not caused by hereditary reasons but attributed to only one thing, that is driving his car.

Yes driving in India can be an adventure sport all by itself. I realised that not only was it the leading cause of stress in drivers, but also for co-passengers and pedestrians. Driving conditions amongst other factors, results in India achieving the distinction of becoming the nation with the fastest growth in stress related diseases.
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My colourful friend Yagnesh provides the following advisory note to his visiting foreign friends on driving in India.

1. Do we drive on the left or right of the road? The answer is both. Basically you start on the left of the road, unless it is occupied. In that case, go to the right, unless that is also occupied. Then proceed by occupying the next available gap, as in chess. Just trust your instincts, ascertain the direction, and proceed.
2. It appears that adherence to road rules leads to much misery and occasional fatality. Most drivers don't drive, but just aim their vehicles in the intended direction.
3. Don't you get discouraged or underestimate yourself except for a belief in reincarnation, the other drivers are not in any better position.
4. Don't stop at pedestrian crossings just because some fool wants to across the road. You may do so only if you enjoy being honked at , cursed at or bumped in the back. Pedestrians have been strictly instructed to cross only when traffic is moving relatively slowly or their own skills at manoeuvring between slow moving vehicles is greater than the vehicles or the vehicles had come to a dead stop because some minister is in town. Still some idiot may try to wade across, but then, let us not talk ill of the dead.
5. Blowing your horn is not a sign of protest as in some countries. We blow the horn to express joy, resentment, frustration, romance and bare lust (two brisk blasts), or, as is the case in India, just to mobilize a slow moving animal in the middle of the road.
6. Keep informative books in the glove compartment. You may read them during traffic jams, while awaiting the chief minister's motorcade, or waiting for the rain waters to recede when over ground traffic meets underground drainage.
7. Night driving on Indian roads can be an exhilarating experience (for those with the mental makeup of Genghis Khan). In a way, it is like playing Russian roulette, because you do not know who amongst the drivers is loaded on the local brew. What looks like the premature dawn on the horizon turns out to be a truck, attempting a land speed record. On encountering it, just pull partly into the field adjoining the road until the phenomenon passes.
8. Often the roads here do not have shoulders, but the occasional boulder is a good possibility.
9. Do not dim your head lights expecting reciprocation. The only dim thing in the vehicle is the driver, often charged with alcohol if he is a truck driver. The noveau rich will also give you the glare so that you do not fail to notice their snazzy new car.
10. Motorists are the James Bonds of India, and are licensed to kill.
11. Often you may encounter a single powerful beam of light about five feet above the ground. This is not a motorbike, but a truck approaching you with a single light on, usually the left one. It could be the right one, but never get too close to investigate. You may prove your point posthumously.
12. Of course, all this occurs at night, on trunk roads. During the daytime, trucks are more visible, except that the drivers never signal. You will often observe that the attendant that sits next to the driver, will stick his hand out of the window and wave frantically. Do not construe this as a left turn signal. The waving is just an expression of physical relief on a hot day, or a gesture to a fellow trucker.
13. Occasionally you might see what looks like a UFO with blinking coloured lights and sounds of cymbals and singing emanating from within. This is an illuminated bus, full of happy pilgrims singing holy songs. These pilgrims go at breakneck speed, seeking contact with the Almighty, often meeting with success.
14. One-way Street - These boards are put up by traffic people to add jest in their otherwise drab lives. Don't stick to the literal meaning and proceed in one direction. In metaphysical terms, it means that you cannot proceed in two directions at once.
15. On a positive note, rash and fast driving in residential areas has been prevented by providing a speed breaker, a minimum of two for each street. This mound, incidentally, covers the water and drainage pipes for that residential area and is left un-tarred for easy identification by the authorities, should they want to review the pipes for year-end accounting.
16. If, after all this, you still want to drive in India, have your lessons between 8 pm and 11am - when the police have gone home. The citizens then are free to enjoy the 'FREEDOM OF SPEED' enshrined in their constitution.

This interesting and seemingly funny yet cynical advisory serves to sugar coat a bitter reality.


Loss of a life or getting maimed cannot be measured in monetary terms. Leaving aside the trauma on human lives and not even considering the loss of property and vehicles the cold facts appear to show that ;

An estimated fifth of India’s US$ 80 Billion ( Rs 336 000 Cr ) health care annual expenditure is directed towards treating victims of road related accidents to cost India a whopping US$ 16 Billion (Rs 67,000 Cr ) each year. In addition the lost investment in human capital is another US$ 24 Billion (108,000 Cr). The cost to the Indian nation is a staggering US$ 40 Billion (Rs 175,000 Cr). To add perspective, this is half the size of the automotive industry’s US$ 90 Billion (Rs 396,000 Cr) sales.
It will be interesting to receive feedback from readers on this subject. In the meantime here are some suggestions on what can we do as individuals?

• Act responsibly, drive safely and courteously, set an example for our children and fellow citizens.
• Do not tolerate bad drivers, or poorly maintained vehicles. Express your displeasure and push your right as a citizen to the optimum.
• Help people that need assistance, provide them first aid if necessary. (If victim is conscious seek consent from them before administering first aid.)
• Arm yourself and others by getting yourself trained in first aid. An NGO with branches all over India called Rashtriya Life Saving Society (India), www.lifesavingindia.org Tel: +91 97664 92288 imparts life saving skills for a nominal charge and also issues an internationally recognised certificate.
  
  If you do the above there is good chance that you should be able to return home to your family and friends each day, happier and with more respect for yourself and of course healthier.
  May God bless and protect you and your loved ones.

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A survey has revealed that every fifth patent at a medical centre/ facility or clinic is associated with a road accident.
350,000 death victims of road accidents are aged between 15 to 45 years. Assuming an annual expenditure of Rs 100,000 per person per year the associated cost of a person aged 30 years is Rs 3,000,000 i.e. Rs 105,000 Cr or US$ 24 Billion pe year.
The average cost for treatment of each seriously injured victim ( total of 3 Million victims) is Rs 20,000 or Rs 5,980 Cr (US$ 1.36 Billion)
The cost of each permanently disabled person ( total 450,000 permanently disabled per year) is approx Rs 100,000 per year with a residual life expectancy of 15 years is Rs 67, 800 Cr (US$ 15.43 Billion)