Prakash Advani's Blog

After announcing the number of billionaires from India.

Forbes recently did a vote count and found that 53 percent believe that India will have most billionaires by 2017 than any other country.

Over 13,000 people voted and more people are voting.

Go ahead and cast your vote or see the list. I just did mine 🙂

As pre recent study published by Forbes, 4 Indians were among the top billionaires in the world, more than any other country in the world!

1. Lakshmi Mittal -  World Rank 4
2. Mukesh Ambani – World Rank 5
3. Anil Ambani -      World Rank 6
4. Kushal Pal Singh – World Rank 8

If only the Ambani brothers hadn’t split, they would have been the richest in the world.

Read the complete article.

India is soon going to be the second largest mobile market in the world ahead of the United States.

Currently India has 250 million mobile subscribers as per last count and will be 300 million by end of April 2008.

US has 260 million and China is at 550 million.

Way to go!

Read More.

“If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions, I should point to India.”

Max Mueller, German scholar.

“India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.”

Hu Shih, former Ambassador of China to USA

Tata has gone where no other car company has gone before. They have release the cheapest car in the World.

This car has huge potential to provide basic automobile to the 3rd world countries at an affordable cost.

Vital Stats:

Engine: The three cylinder 624 cc four stroke petrol to develop 33 bhp.

Mileage: 50 miles to the gallon or 20 kilometres to the litre.

Some pics..

See more.

Related articles:

Hyundai i10

Hyundai Verna – First Look

Maruti Suzuki Swift Vs. Hyundai Getz

Honda Jazz coming to India

Hyundai Santro Vs. Maruti Suzuki Wagon-R

The company’s plan to have senior vice presidents, vice presidents,
and directors, cutting across all corporate functions, in India is not
aimed at cutting costs, but at nurturing talent in India, said Wim
Elfrink, chief globalization officer for Cisco, who also heads the new
center.

This is really interesting. While some companies are cutting staff or just using India as a way to reduce cost, Cisco is investing in India big time and they understand the talent pool.

Read more.

“India was the motherland of our race, and Sanskrit the mother of Europe’s languages: she was the mother of our philosophy; mother, through the Arabs, of much of our mathematics; mother, through the Buddha, of the ideals embodied in Christianity; mother, through the village community, of self-government and democracy. Mother India is in many ways the mother of us all”.

Will Durant, American historian.

“India has two million gods, and worships them all. In religion all other countries are paupers; India is the only millionaire.”

– Mark Twain

“India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.”

– Mark Twain

See earlier posts

Mark Twain on India

Mark Twain’s Quote on reading

Mark Twain’s quote

“There are some parts of the world that, once visited, get into your heart and won’t go.

For me, India is such a place. When I first visited, I was stunned by the richness of the land, by its lush beauty and exotic architecture, by its ability to overload the senses with the pure, concentrated intensity of its colors, smells, tastes, and sounds… I had been seeing the world in black & white and, when brought face-to-face with India, experienced everything re-rendered in brilliant technicolor.”

Keith Bellows, VP – National Geographic Society

From a Rough Guide to India:

“It is impossible not to be astonished by India. Nowhere on Earth does humanity present itself in such a dizzying, creative burst of cultures and religions, races and tongues. Enriched by successive waves of migration and marauders from distant lands, every one of them left an indelible imprint which was absorbed into the Indian way of life. Every aspect of the country presents itself on a massive, exaggerated scale, worthy in comparison only to the superlative mountains that overshadow it. It is this variety which provides a breathtaking ensemble for experiences that is uniquely Indian. Perhaps the only thing more difficult than to be indifferent to India would be to describe or understand India completely. There are perhaps very few nations in the world with the enormous variety that India has to offer. Modern day India represents the largest democracy in the world with a seamless picture of unity in diversity unparalleled anywhere else.”

“We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.”

– Albert Einstein

The more I read Mark Twain’s Quotes, the more I like him.. here another one of his on India.

“So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by
man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the
sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten,
nothing overlooked.”

–Mark Twain

Mark Twain on India

Mark Twain’s Quote on reading

Mark Twain’s quote

This is the most impressive resume I have seen.

EDUCATION /Qualification:

Stood first in BA (Hons), Economics, Panjab University, Chandigarh,
1952; Stood first in MA (Economics), Panjab University, Chandigarh,
1954; Wright’s Prize for distinguished performance at St John’s
College, Cambridge, 1955 and 1957; Wrenbury scholar, University of
Cambridge, 1957; DPhil (Oxford), DLitt (Honoris Causa); PhD thesis on
India’s export competitiveness

OCCUPATION /Teaching Experience:

Professor (Senior lecturer, Economics, 1957-59; Reader, Economics,
1959-63; Professor, Economics, Panjab University, Chandigarh ,
1963-65;

Professor, International Trade, Delhi School of Economics,University of Delhi,
1969-71; Honorary professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University,New Delhi,
1976 and Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi,1996 and Civil Servant

Working Experience/ POSITIONS:

1971-72: Economic advisor, ministry of foreign trade

1972-76: Chief economic advisor, ministry of finance

1976-80: Director, Reserve Bank of India ; Director, Industrial
Development Bank of India ; Alternate governor for India , Board of
governors, Asian Development Bank; Alternate governor for India, Board
of governors, IBRD

November 1976 – April 1980: Secretary, ministry of finance (Department
of economic affairs); Member, finance, Atomic Energy Commission;
Member, finance, Space Commission

April 1980 – September 15, 1982 : Member-secretary, Planning Commission

1980-83: Chairman , India Committee of the Indo-Japan joint study
committee September 16, 1982 – January 14, 1985: Governor, Reserve
Bank of India

1982-85: Alternate Governor for India , Board of governors,
International Monetary Fund

1983-84: Member, economic advisory council to the Prime Minister

1985: President, Indian Economic Association

January 15, 1985 – July 31, 1987: Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission

August 1, 1987 – November 10, 1990: Secretary-general and
commissioner, south commission, Geneva

December 10, 1990 – March 14, 1991: Advisor to the Prime Minister on
economic affairs

March 15, 1991 – June 20, 1991: Chairman, UGC

June 21, 1991 – May 15, 1996: Union finance minister

October 1991: Elected to Rajya Sabha from Assam on Congress ticket

June 1995: Re-elected to Rajya Sabha

1996 onwards: Member, Consultative Committee for the ministry of finance

August 1, 1996 – December 4, 1997: Chairman, Parliamentary standing
committee on commerce

March 21, 1998 onwards: Leader of the Opposition, Rajya Sabha

June 5, 1998 onwards: Member, committee on finance

August 13, 1998 onwards: Member, committee on rules

Aug 1998-2001: Member, committee of privileges 2000 onwards: Member,
executive committee, Indian parliamentary group

June 2001: Re-elected to Rajya Sabha

Aug 2001 onwards: Member, general purposes committee

BOOKS:

India’s Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth
-Clarendon Press, Oxford University, 1964; also published a large
number of articles in various economic journals.

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Adam Smith Prize, University of Cambridge , 1956

Padma Vibhushan, 1987

Euro money Award, Finance Minister of the Year, 1993;

Asia money Award, Finance Minister of the Year for Asia, 1993 and 1994

INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS:

1966: Economic Affairs Officer

1966-69: Chief, financing for trade section, UNCTAD

1972-74: Deputy for India in IMF Committee of Twenty on International
Monetary Reform

1977-79: Indian delegation to Aid-India Consortium Meetings

1980-82: Indo-Soviet joint planning group meeting

1982: Indo-Soviet monitoring group meeting

1993: Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Cyprus 1993: Human
Rights World Conference, Vienna

RECREATION:

Gymkhana Club, New Delhi ; Life Member, India International Centre, New Delhi

Name: Dr Manmohan Singh

DOB: September 26, 1932

Place of Birth: Gah (West Punjab )

Father: S. Gurmukh Singh

Mother: Mrs Amrit Kaur

Married on: September 14, 1958

Wife: Mrs Gursharan Kaur

Children: Three daughters

The Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh seems to be the most qualified PM all over the world. Can’t imagine a politician being so qualified!

A friend from the US once asked me what’s India Like?

It actually a very interesting question cause unlike many other countries India is actually very different in different parts of the country, due to the various cultures, invasions and the rich history. Also the climate varies significantly from place to place.

In the North part of India (eg. Delhi) is extreme climates.. very hot in summer, cold in winter.

Further up North (Leh) is perpetually cold.. and snows as well. In the nearby areas, can also go to the highest motorable road in the world!

South there are lots of beaches.. and climate is tropical.. we have some beautiful islands as well namely Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep.

West cost (Goa) has very good beach and popular holiday place. Also Kerala on the south west side has lovely beaches and famous for Ayurvedic massages!

Bombay, where I live, the climate is much like California, not too hot, cold but it rains a lot during June-September. Its also very busy place like New York.. and every one is running all the time 🙂

There are other interesting places as well, on the east, there are places like Cherrapunji which has the highest rainfall in the world..

India has a choice of hilly regions (know as Hill stations in India), beaches and many places of historic importance. Its like a buffet, you can pick the place based on what you are looking for.

Hope that gives you an idea of the diversity:) and BTW thats not all. All these different regions have completely different people, language, food !

Today governments in India are building software export zone and special economic zones to encourage trade and exports. The Biggest problem with these is even if to does manage to attract foreign companies to setup up shops, it does nothing to encourage them to move their people.

When organisations setup shops in India, the primarily objective is to reduce cost. They manage to reduce costs but are just not able to entirely replicate their businesses here. Organisations is about people and when the organisation setup shops, the most difficult thing for them is to displace their key people from their home country. Even if the people are willing to move, they find it difficult to adjust to the culture and lifestyle as they are used to a certain way of living and any change is painful. The end result is that the key person may get de-motivated and would want to return back orr you may not always get the best people to move. This results in Limited success and limits the growth of their business in India.

A solution to this is to build theme cities in collaboration with respective countries. For example a mega city can be build in India in collaboration with USA. India can offer land (which is in abundance), and freedom to build it the way they want it. The land can be offered in places where there is no development at all or is underdeveloped. If the US can convert a barren desert to beautiful city Las Vegas (a popular tourist destination and a huge economy in itsef) I am sure they can do the same to an undeveloped region in India.

Imagine a US like city being setup in India. This would borrow it name from a US region. Example Silicon Valley 2.0! It would have the Wallmarts, McDonalds, Pizza Huts and even the Hard Rock Cafe. It would have the roads and all the infrastructure such an airport similar to the ones in the US. It would have an international airport too so that a flight from the US can directly fly in here. It would have the apartments and perhaps its own little Disney land.

It would offer the partner country to have its own laws, rules and regulations. For example US companies may like their own labor laws. So even if they hire Indians, they may want to get their own managers easily (without having too much hassle for work permits) and may want a capitalist friendly labour laws.

This should be looked upon not only to attract investments but also as a tourist destination. Once this is successful, we can have other theme cities. How about collaborating with Japan, Germany, UK, France and even China? It would be interesting as Indians can experience other countries without even visiting them!

From an Infoworld article.

If Indian developers get more involved in open-source projects, they could do wonders for the country and the open-source community at large, according to Advani, of IndLinux.org. For now, however, the Indian developer is concerned with earning his “bread and butter,” he said.

“They can only start thinking of making free contributions to the open-source community and society at large after they ensure that their basic material requirements are met,” Advani said.

Read the full article.

Larry Augustin is the founder of VA Linux, one of the early Linux companies.. Here is his view on India’s contribution to Open Source.

From the Article

Perhaps his most interesting statements concerned the “threat” of competition from India and China. If they want traction in the software market they, too, need to give a little bit.

“I still don’t see many people from India and China contributing to open source. It’s when the people in those countries get into the process that you’ll see things. It’s not going to happen until you see the contribution level increase.

Constitution of India says: Of the People, By the People and For the People. Since public money is used, the work done should be given back to the public. Other then sensitive defense projects, all other software projects supported by the government should be made Open Source. Students doing projects in schools and colleges where fees are subsidised by the government should also be release under Open Source.

Reuse of Code

Suppose a Municipal Corporation decides to create a software, if the software is released under Open Source, then a Municipal Corporation in another city or town could reuse most or all of that code. They can also improve upon it and send it back to the original developers. This way code can be reused, there by reducing the cost of further development. Lot of government projects work on the similar projects and each one is re-inventing the wheel. If the code of all the project is available, they can collaborate and avoid duplication of work.

Transparency

Showing the code also bring about transparency in the way the government functions since citizens can view the code and verify the quality of work done as well judge weather the money was rightly spent.

Code Never Dies

Quite often it happens that a government funded project dies over time due to various reasons. What happens to the code that they developed? The code also dies with the project. Sometimes the project may be active but code may be lost or unable after a few years. If the source code of all government funded project is released as Open Source, the code will never die even if the project is discontinued. Any one who wishes to continue can just download the code and continue where someone else left off.

Reduce Costs

Open Source and Linux helps in reducing the Total Cost of Ownership drastically of the entire system. India being a developing country, should use such technologies so as to reduce the over all cost. The money saved can be used to provide computers where there aren’t any currently or can be utilised for other projects.

Outflow of foreign exchange

More than 90 percent of software that Indian purchase are not produced by Indian companies, valuable foreign exchange is used to purchase them. By using Open Source software, there is no outflow of foreign exchange since the basic software is free. You may have to pay for services, but the services revenues goes to Indian companies or Indian subsides of foreign companies which employ Indian to provide local support.

Opportunities for local vendors

When proprietary/close source software is used, there is very little revenue opportunity for local vendors. With Open Source, since the source code is available, local vendors can do value additions and customisation as required by the customer and thereby earn extra revenues.

Open Standards

Since Open Source follows Open Standards, government must encourage the use of Open Standards document formats. For example if the government tender documents are in Microsoft Word documents which is a proprietary format, then citizens are forced to buy Microsoft Word to read/write those documents. On the other hand if the government standadises on the use of open standard document format, then the citizen can use any software to create them.

Make Software a Cottage Industry

To develop software there is an investment required in the PC + Operating System + Development tools. The cost of proprietary development tools alone would come to a lakh of rupees. The cost of Open Source development tools is zero and there are a huge family of development tools available as well as a huge collection of development libraries are available for free. Also since the source code is available, the developer can study the source code of some of the best applications.

If the government encourages the Open Source model of development, the software industry can become a cottage industry. The Open Source development model is also decentralised, which means a student, sitting in a small village can easily contribute code to a large Open Source project. Where as if he had to contribute code to a close source project, he would be required to be physically present at the premises of the software company and be employed by them.

Also Open Source makes it easy for anyone to contribute code, even if the person is fresh out of college, he could still write some application and put it out as Open Source. Linux started by Linus Torvalds as Hobby when he was a student at University of Helsinki in Finland. We would like the next Linus Torvalds to be from India.

No Dependence on a Particular Vendor

With Open Source you are not dependent on a single vendor, so if one vendor fails to support you, you can get any one else to support you since code is available. This creates a healthy competition and companies cannot hold the government at ransom.

Last but not the least

If China Mexico, Brazil, Germany, UK, US and South Korea have done it, why not we? These countries are promoting the use of Linux and Open Source in a big way, so why should India be left behind?

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License” on the GNU website.