Hmm. Time for a change?

Hi all. Been a busy time. Graduated with a Masters!(Whew.. at last). Now that I have a graduate degree at hand, I am finding a lot of excuses to think about nothing in particular.(Hurray!)This morning, I found a chance to visit the Hindu online website and tune in on to what is going on TN.

Mostly this blog was inspired by a small news column and my Chinese lab mate remarked, "Your(Indian) English is far better than us. But we beat you to it soon(Overtake us)." He is right of course! He also referred deprecatingly to the two industries India seems to have made the most of : IT, and BPO. I think we are very good in terms of medicine. But..

Actually it's been a long time since I received any news from outside of my apartment in Lexington. There was a small section that talked about career enhancing skills being imparted to youths from centers faraway from the cities..(I have become so attuned to the insensitivities in speech that I cannot even use backward areas without wincing slightly!!)

It spoke about BPO, photo shop, DTP skills which are being taught and later employed. Actually considering the present scenario of jobs in India and the business that these skills generate, I am not really surprised and am happy to an extent that the government capitalizes on it. But is it what we are really headed to? Lead the BPO and Outsourcing industry?

Thinking about it, I guess I would rather by business generators than business supporters. First thing the economy takes a hit in the parent company, the outsourcing is going to be laid off. Which would be rather hard hit if we focus too much on outsourcing.

Also every one of my friends in the finance/art side of the spectrum have taken up with one of the BPOs for a job. Easy to get jobs, accent training to speak like foreigners, pomp and show that goes with the rest are I guess what is luring them. But once into the job, I feel that the bad working conditions, the stress levels due to abusive foreign clients and the not too bright chance of progress in career lead to breaking illusions and resignation.

But once into it, I guess there is no out. You are not fit for any other job that does not apply interpersonal communications! And if this industry turns out to be the biggest : Indians speak so much better English than any other non English speaking nation: lures us into it than anything else.

They do generate one of the highest revenues in the industry today(with the amount of outsourcing!!!). But it is not a stable/indispensable commodity. China is also making its foray into BPO and we better be ware. The sheer numbers and cost are against us.

If interpersonal skills are to be exploited, they could be used in world class restaurants/food/tourism development. Currently there are avenues in these three industries which IMO have been tapped to a very little extent.

English language is an asset to us. One of the few very good things left to us by the British. Unwittingly, they brought India, a land fit only to be ruled and not self- governed as they thought, to the spotlight. We have brilliant personages :" writers, poets, scientists,academicians, Nobel prize laureates opened to us by the bridge called English.

Today much of our business revolves around the word. We must capitalize on this skill to establish our own businesses and take them to the world more than to borrow only certain business sets.

It would be good for the government to realize and act upon it before the entire population is converted into three sections : 1) Old people 2)BPO personnel 3)Those lured abroad for technical skills