This is the definitive story of the IT sector’s magical transformation, says SHANTANU GUHA RAY
Tehelka, July 18 2009
AS THE Indian government embarks on the unique identity card scheme, the fact that it’s chosen former Infosys co-chairman Nandan Nilekani to head the project shows its realisation that to implement such an ambitious project (Rs 120 crore have been allocated for it in Budget 2009-10 by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee), it needs to harness one of the best brains in the information technology (IT) industry. It’s both a tribute to Indian IT and a challenge for its A-team to deliver.
The miracle of the Indian IT revolution has been tracked for a long time by science journalist Dinesh C Sharma: he was one of the few reporters whose incisive coverage of the sector — not many hacks followed it because of the technicalities involved — even impressed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the man responsible for allowing the sector to take off in India by calling in Satyen Ghanshyam (Sam) Pitroda.
In his latest book, Sharma calls the IT revolution a miracle of the new millennium because, thanks to changed communication systems, Indians could now break the stranglehold of companies such as IBM and transform pygmy software companies into multi-million dollar enterprises. That, in turn, helped the knowledge economy expand.
In The Long Revolution, Sharma not only tells the story of how a country that was known for its export of gems, handicrafts, silk and spices became a major software exporter, but he does so in great detail, with meticulous research. And he states, with confidence, that the miracle can and will be sustained. Global economic slowdown or not, Sharma remains convinced that outsourcing will continue to mean Bangalore! Or Gurgaon, or Pune! How about another one on brilliant Indian minds shaping the second round of IT boom in faraway Silicon Valley, Dinesh
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