Opportunity for Engineers is Rapidly Shifting Towards East

Dear Prof Shyam,

I am indeed touched by your noble gesture first as a fellow human and next as compatriot of an ancient civilization.

Yes! I heartily agree with your philosophy that people to people contact will go very long to shatter the stereotyping which has become such a bane of the current civil society. Inter-ethnic, inter-religious, inter-linguistic and inter- cultural marriages, contacts and exchanges among a multitude of various peoples, ethnic groups, religious denominations, and cultural - behavioural attitudes and systems, as well as interactions of all sorts will go a tremendous length towards great peace and prosperity of the human race.

I wish you all best in your noble endeavor to project glorious Indic civilization.

Dear krishnan.ng:

All it needs an open mind and policy declaration by the Government and creation of infrastructure and friendly atmosphere. Rest will automatically follow when people see an opportunity and move into an opportunity they see in open. World is watching all the time and it is only the closed doors need to become wide open.

There are talented, venture loving and hard working people with great ideas are all over the world. Inviting them is something worth doing.

People are often ignorant of the potential of the speciality they have that can change the economy of the country into very fortunate one. I tasted a drink from Latin America called Mate, which is tea like nice drink. We never hear such thing in east. Imagine if this is brought to this part of the world then it is worth billions of dollars in trade. There are lots of different fruits and vegetables that are not here can move in and what we have can move out. Exchange is always two ways to have any meaning.

East need to learn to become friendly and need to provide better hospitality. Locan great food and local culture is something very valuable and not coke and burgers that you can order anywhere and become a great junk food eater.

Dear Prof. Dr. Shyam,

It is a very good initiative . I wish you all the best. I am ready to offer all possible support to your effort. My e mail id is mrswamy@omantel.net.om

Regards,

Dr.M.Ramaswamy

Perhaps we can plan a conference on such opportunity and expose active people by creating planned awareness. Unless we get together, we have little chance of sharing information. I did arrange few meeting in the past in which more than 500 participants came from all over the world. We can try all this again and on regular bases. Someone have to do it so why not me? Let others also do it in their own way. Mass communication and interaction of different talents having new ideas is something I feel is required.

Isn't Sri Lanka in the middle of a long term rebellion between terrorist rebels from one ethnic group killing people for independence from another ethic group. Isn't Bangladesh and eastern Indian in middle of war against Maoist terrorist bombing and killing people rampantly. Isn't the rest of Indian figting islamic extremist terrorist who definitely target foreigners? China seems like a much safer investment, they seem to generally handle terrorism fairly effectively.

Do you think death of few people in billion matter much and can change the trend set by the rest? East has learnt to get rid of problems and economic growth will sure drive to enjoy the fruits of prosperity rather than killing others and living in fear of death.

All Governments have to take care of the people of the zone. However, they can never satisfy each and every one. That is why there is Police and there are Jails in every Country and it does not matter how well you manage your Country, some people will remain criminals by statistics.

Good part is that prosperity is contagious and people prefer to live civilized as they have family to care for. Only when there is no way to care for one's family people weight life differently to somehow find ways to get quick money or end up in revenge.

Political differences often trigger ethnic violences and any nation differentiating its people on whatever bases they may choose, it will end up in trouble sometime or other. Whatever may be the current status of problems, this region of earth going to modify its structure and will prosper. Country like India and China will inject huge funds in coming years in the neighbour Countries.

The point i was making was that there isn't a one to one risk benefit basis to the "opportunities" in India. Just because the work exist there would not justify moving there for any competent engineers who would understand risk benefit analysis. Opportunities really abound in Afghanistan, but most american and european Engineers can also see the huge risk, and the benefits for most do not outweigh the risk. If you could earn $1 a month more by moving to northern Pakistan under the same working conditions and security your office currently incurs, would you? If not why? What expectations might you have to offset the risk?

The opportunities definitely exist in China without the substantial risk.

Having spent all 7 decades of my life in India and seen the country coming to age through civilized means with open democratic society I feel your comparison of India with Afghanistan is insulting, ignorant and laughable! Fortunately infinitesimal few world wide will agree with your "risk benefit" assessment with respect to India, considering leading global companies setting up their works here, having been convinced of the lack of risk and total benefits!

Agreed China's achievements are stupendous. But India's is no less but may not be glittering and glamorous. After many years of colonial scorched earth policies the country bounced back and is show case of progress through humane democratic process. China follows the " end will justify the means", Marxist theory of history justifying the means, if few millions were to be killed (cultural revolution) so be it for greater good of the country, where as Indians always believe in nobility of means to achieve an end.

Again I take this opportunity to applaud a perfect "non zero sum game" proposal.

My point with afghanistan was not that India is like afghanistan. LOl. It weas that if only opportunities, without consideration for risk, were the impetus, Afghanistan actually has more opportunity for engineers. Having worked for two huge multinational engineering firms, I know that the DOD related division get paid very well and pay very well for american and european engineers to go to that area and support the defense departments needs (more than they pay to work in america and far more than an Indian firm would pay to come to india). However, when balanced agaisnt the risk, these companies find that most people aren't willing to go even if the pay is a little higher. I agree that India has made strides and it is different in asia in that it is a true parlimentary democracy (unlike the many dictatorships, communist regimes, and theocracies there). But like many very young democracies the rapid development has lead to many areas of conflict and strife in the country, and to be a democracy they have to balance the rights of their citizens and against security (in truth the rights of foreigner should be a secondary consdieration). However, that means that you have issues like islamic extremists attacking places like mumbai on the west, and the marxist bombing on the east. The US had similar types of terrorist issues in its early stages, and lawlessness, and violence. We called it the old west, which at one point extended from the appalachians to the western end of the country.

In India pockets of zone are more troubled and most of the country is free from problems. Some risk exists at all places including the flight one takes to reach home. Come and see yourself, how free India is for people who wish to do something here.

Afghanistan is the Americas next national priority to shuck out resources after Iraq and countries weight risk to few to benefit to the country so they will still move in there. Perhaps they will move in any where and mount of risk really does not matter as you can not run the country without taking risk. It is only at individual level people think risk factor differently. It is more an attitude than just risk that counts.

World is for venture loving people who make history and whatever you do one never will last forever. You live what you want to live without fearing much. I think risk perception is highly subjective. Did you join defense team of your country anytime? They are just one of you who think they are doing right thing being there.

Shyam:

Very good gesture, but how is the infrastructure (Road, sewer, water, electricity, communications, garbage disposal, ect...) going to be paid for while not collecting taxes for 10 years, would that be a surcharge (i.e. a tax)?

p911