The one barrier to India’s coming Golden Era

P Rajagopal Tampi

What are the stakes involved for India?

Since the end of the seventeenth century, India’s position amongst the leading global powers has deteriorated due to conquests and colonialization by England. Today, after many centuries, the Indian economy is growing fast and becoming globally relevant again. We stand on the cusp of entering a possible 300-year golden era and poised to become one of the top 3 global economies soon. We are also blessed with a supportive demographic dividend.

What is the one factor which can destroy the chances of India reaching the highest peak and then staying there for the longest period of time?

I am prepared to bet on the low levels of integrity of our citizens as that single “Damocles sword” factor.

Our lackadaisical attitude, poor respect and obedience of the law, poor respect for fellow humans, corruption, lack of quest for excellence and quality, poor sense of accountability all are pointers to the single- most dangerous trap of “lack of integrity”.  The “Jugaad” and “Indian crab” cultures are actually our very own curse.

Integrity means being true to one’s Self in all the things we think and do. It means that we will not treat others any differently than we treat ourselves.

It is the high quality of human capital that has enabled small countries such as Netherlands and England become global empires in the past.

To emerge as a Superpower, India needs to build world-class brands, world-class products, and services to boost trade, innovation and technology, military superiority and education amongst many other factors. None of these are achievable if we do not raise our levels of integrity. If there is one hurdle to overcome, it is the indisputable fact that India can never reach its true and deserving pinnacle of glory with the integrity of its citizens leaking like a sieve.

Experiences

In 2001, I was being driven to my workplace in Mumbai. My driver committed a traffic offence and my car was stopped by the traffic constable. The traffic constable confiscated his driving license, giving him a temporary slip and asked him to come to the court a few days later to pay the fine and collect the driving license. On that date, I was being driven by the same driver to my office when I suddenly remembered that he was to go to court to collect his license. I had also asked him to take the morning off. To my query as to why he did not go to the court, he said “Sir why waste time? I paid Rs 100 bribe and got a duplicate license the very next day.”

A few years later, when I was living in England, I happened to mention this incident in some relevant context to an Englishman friend of mine. He looked at me incredulously. He was clearly offended by what he had heard. This sort of corruption was unbelievable in England. I felt ashamed.

In 1992, I had built a house in Trivandrum, my home town. My father was unable to get a Corporation number allotted to my new house. In spite of everything being in order, this seemed a Herculean task. When I came to Trivandrum on leave some time later, I took it upon myself to go to the Corporation office for getting the number allotted. I asked the concerned official what the problem was. He said the file could not be located and they were short staffed. I offered to help him locate the file. We searched the cupboard for two hours unsuccessfully. This continued every day for 4 days. By then, my leave was running out and I was getting impatient and suspected something was very wrong. I walked into the Mayor’s office, and introduced myself. I was holding a high appointment in the Government and I had decided to wield the stick. He gave me a seat and asked me when I was departing which was the next day in the afternoon. He then called the same clerk with whom I had been searching for my file for the past 4 days and told him to get my file in 5 minutes. He told me that the TC number certificate will be delivered in my house at 11 am the next day. After thanking him, I left the office. As I was leaving the clerk asked me why I had gone to the Mayor. I ignored him. The original certificate was delivered to my house before 11 am the next day. The office staff was expecting a bribe from me. The thought had not entered my mind.

I used to invest in Indian Pharma companies which produce generics. Realized quickly enough that these companies could not get their quality act together. Time and again, repeatedly, the US FDA struck down their applications for selling new medicines in the US due to leaking processes on the factory floor. Do you think the processes cannot be fixed? Of course, they can, it is the people who run the processes that are very difficult to fix. I have since pulled out my money from that sector.

The TV is full of people not willing to accept the truth; Political leaders are wallowing in a cesspool of lies. Everywhere in India, people in official public positions see nothing wrong in turning a blind eye to wrong doings and many routinely expect their wheels to be greased.

Characteristics of Leading Economies

Germany produces the best automobiles. Japan produces very high-quality cars. The US produces the largest aircraft carriers and the most advanced military equipment. The USS Gerald R Ford, CVN78, a 100,000-ton nuclear powered aircraft carrier, is a marvel of the complexity of engineering. Two Bechtel A1B reactors generate 600 MW of electricity enough to power 260,000 homes. Innovation of EMALS for launching aircraft from the ship’s deck. Chip design tools companies needed for designing Integrated circuit chips are at the heart of economic growth and espionage of the superpowers. Qualcomm, Nvidia, Broadcom are the top three chip designers globally and all are US companies.

Only the truth engenders dedication and hard work, which leads to pride in one’s work which again leads to creating high quality products and brands. Like the eponymous “Rolex” watch, symbol of excellence, probably the most beautiful tribute to human’s quest for excellence in the mechanical field, the Swiss symbol of commitment to excellence. Everything revolves around excellence. The beauty, price, distributorships, service quality, spares availability, technical competence. It is not the factory floor process which produces excellence, but the people who execute the process.

Clearly the US has not got to where it is without R&D and capital investments to support its intent and quest to be No 1 superpower. Yet behind all the tangibles, it is the intangibles such as much high level of integrity that holds it all together and generates the desired output.

What can we do for improving Integrity?

Culture of a nation changes over time based on the cyclicality of the fortunes of a nation in a global context. Perhaps the disunity of the Princely states of India against the British colonialization precipitated a down turn in Indian cultural aspects of which integrity forms a core part. Perhaps the existence of a large number of Princely states engendered fewer commonalities among people. The oft-quoted excuses of India’s high population, linguistic diversity, caste system and large number of states must not be used to justify our lack of integrity. High population is after all our demographic dividend and we need to leverage it instead, to achieve our goals.

The higher levels of integrity in leading nations, prevent investments from leaking, focus the nations work on higher worthy goals to be achieved, fostering unity of purpose, a common identity, pride and honour for contributing to the growth of the nation. The realization that individual and family expectations are prioritized after the nation’s goals engenders a powerful unique identity of the nation, a sense of playing in a winning, world-beating team. Humility, unselfishness and sacrifice are called for. This realization must resonate in the hearts of all citizens, not just in the country’s Armed and Security Forces.

Integrity is a mentality to be imbibed. Nothing comes from nothing; everything is earned and there are no short cuts. That it pays to do your work in the best possible manner. There is no replacement for sincerity and hard work. That we are all in this together, we need to succeed together, selfishness destroys our collective success. That is the only way of achieving excellence for a nation.

Integrity starts at home. When I was seven years old, my mother caught me writing a cheat sheet for the upcoming dictation exam. I got a beating with a cane which pains me even now. From that day, I have never cheated in any exam. I never studied in a group, I took on the responsibility of studying on my own and being accountable for the grades I got.

Integrity cannot be enforced by writ. It has to be inspired, nurtured and imbibed. Inspiration happens by Leaders setting personal examples. Leaders with integrity will have millions of followers. The young can be taught the great benefits of integrity for themselves and the nation in Schools. It must be practiced in companies and encouraged by promoting employees with high integrity and performance.

The Government must bring out new laws governing the performance of their employees in the public sector to raise the quality of service delivered to its citizens. Lack of integrity must be an acceptable reason for employment termination. Judges play a very important role. They must pronounce landmark judgements such as political leaders must not have criminal cases and must be at least High School pass. Our Election Commission must act fearlessly on the lack of integrity issues of political parties and leaders Suo-moto.

The seeds of integrity must be sown by parents at home, in our schools, by leaders and Institutions whether private, quasi-public or public. The seeds will take root and in time grow like shrubs, plants and trees in a forest. There will be weeds but they will be overcome by the overarching vitality of the forest.

Conclusion

In the last fifty and more years, it is Indians who have made major contributions to the growth of the US as a Superpower. Whether it is R&D, intellectual property, IT, Indians have excelled. Britain is now run by an Indian origin person as the Prime Minister. Some of the largest global companies are run by CEOs of Indian origin. So, it is not as if we do not have the requisite talent. If Indians can lead other countries to excellence, can Indians not do it for India? The answer is a resounding yes, provided we can raise the integrity of Indians living in India. That is what we must set out to do.

Well educated and capable people from my generation shunned politics calling it “the last resort of a scoundrel”.

That mentality must change with the millennials in India if we hope to become a Superpower this time around, or else we stand to lose the next 500 years in mediocrity, poverty and strife. After all the millennials stand to benefit the most from such a profound change!

Copyright 2022 Commander P Rajagopal Tampi (R)