Reflections of India – Course 14

“the reconciliation tour of the sub continent”

In September Course 14 set off on their international session - a tour of India - full of excitement, and in trepidation, to learn more about this emerging powerhouse of a nation, and seek to understand and improve bilateral relations after the controversial Australian summer cricket series last year. We were warned that the poverty, disorganisation and hygiene would be extremely confronting. A few members of Course 14 had previously visited India before, most had not.

On arrival Rob Patrick told us that “India is a land of many contrasts”, it absolutely was, which only added to our fascination.

A land of extremes, with the very wealthy surrounded by huge numbers of very poor people. A walk in the streets of any city or village filled your senses with exotic, enticing aromas and vivid colours, yet seconds later this would change to putrid smells and soul destroying sights.

A deeply spiritual nation with deep respect for different religions, traditions and pride in their ancient history. In Delhi, within a short walking distance from our hotel, there were Sikh, Hindu, Christian and Buddhist places of worship. During our visit the festivities of Ramadan and Ganesh overlapped, with celebrations often occurring right next to each other. Respect appeared to exist between all, in contrast to the often-publicised actions of radical groups we see in the media here.

We were consistently confronted with incredible statistics driven largely by India’s population. For example the yearly birth rate is equivalent to the population of Australia, India is home to 1.1 billion people. A country where 60% of people live in rural areas and the average farm size is now 1.25 Ha, a reduction from 4 Ha in 1955. Some 50% of the population live below the poverty line (based on an average income of $1-2 /day), living without the basic services of sanitation, fresh water and electricity. Yet the Indian economy is the second fastest growing economy in the world (7-8%). India is only behind China in economic growth and population and one can’t help but draw comparisons between the two, however, there are vast differences. For one India represents the world’s largest single democracy and it was highlighted to us on more than one occasion - perhaps too democratic.

One highlight of the tour (there were too many to mention them all) was the visit to ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics), an agricultural research institute focused on crop improvement to help feed the poor; their motto was “Science with a human face”. This institute was established on land granted by Indira Ghandi after her disappointment that rice research had gone off shore, even though India is the major producer of the world’s rice. The number one benefactor these days is the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. Predominant crops studied at ICRISAT included Sorghum; Pigeon Pea; Pearl Millet; Groundnut and Chickpeas, i.e. the emphasis on food crops not cash crops. An interesting perspective was the way the productivity of land was measured – # people/ha that could be fed! The impact of climate change has the potential to seriously increase the number of people living in starvation, making the work of these scientists even more noble and profound with an ever-increasing urgency. Another visit to TERI (an Energy Research Institute) filled us with hope that there is a large internal ground swell for green alternatives to the power shortage crisis, particularly providing local solutions in areas with no infrastructure, again this is in stark contrast to the media we see In Australia about nuclear energy.

The empowerment of women and establishment of micro-finance networks was a major theme of our tour, with the opportunity to observe the establishment of initially small groups, up to village networks, right through to a regional level (equivalent to local government). The privilege to visit and talk with the women and some of the men who are benefiting from these schemes was truly humbling. The warm welcome from smiling and colourful sari clad women, full of pride and generosity explaining their examples and the positive impact on the lives of them and their families’ was inspirational. The schemes allowed families to get through hard times when a little money was needed for food or fuel to tie them over, or provisions to establish small businesses and generate more stable income. This might include equipment to make preserves to sell at local markets, or the establishment of a business making clothes. As a collective the savings generated by the women placed them as an enviable guarantor for loans, with 98% of all micro finance loans repaid. The villages we visited all demonstrated the power of strong leadership from above and within, the women involved actively on the ground were every bit as critical as people of the calibre of Kiran Bedi.

What is holding India back?

Lack of or poor and degraded infrastructure; rapid population increase; too much focus on democracy – there are four levels of elected officials; exposure to corruption; rising energy demands; political volatility of neighbouring countries; expanding poverty; water and soil degradation; the impact of climate change on many of the above.

Strengths in India’s favour - (Tips from Course 14 for anyone seeking to do business in India)

The first step is to “talk to Austrade”, they have people on the ground doing the first steps of building relationships, you don’t want to undo their years of good work by boldly coming in and potentially causing untold damage, you might also find them incredibly useful.

We would urge you to be tolerant of adjusting time schedules, other than the trains many things run late in India, it appears (and is) totally chaotic but somehow it all eventually gets done.

It is true that cricket is the one religion all Indians agree on and they know more about Australian cricketers than we often do, but there can be a tendency for Australians to overplay the cricket card and not recognise the deep spirituality of this nation and the significance of religion and associated festivities. It is nothing to alter meeting dates or times around one of the many religious festivals, but do not under estimate their savvy and professionalism when it comes to doing business. They are very well educated (commonly two degrees), ambitious and work hard to guarantee positive business outcomes. However, it may take many visits to build a trusting relationship before you feel that you are seeing progress . They would rather talk business first then socialise over cricket later.

India has a large emerging population of young, highly motivated and well educated professionals that are ambitious and willing to work extremely hard. This is both a potential source of ‘intellectual capital’ for Australia and an enterprise opportunity for universities. It is also a challenge for Australia’s youth competing against this emerging market of professional employees with strong spiritual philosophies. This is a reminder for all Australians that we too have a rich history that is ancient with deep spirituality; maybe increased understanding and connection with this might help us go forward with increased pride and commitment

The opportunity we have had to spend time in India as a group with a vast range of interests and expertise allowed us to get the most out of this experience. We met and talked with people ranging from rural women struggling to remove their families from poverty to Austrade and the Australian High Commissioner working to assist Australian companies gain competitive advantages and capitalise on the growth economy of India. We were enriched by the knowledge, respect and humility shared with us.

Of course what happens on tour stays on tour but to gain a full understanding of the politics and society we had to play a bit of cricket, in villages, at a school, on the roadside, in a hotel lobby, any old car park, the Hyderabad International cricket ground etc.… we visited many temples, forts and monuments, we travelled by car, plane, train, bus, tuk tuk, rickshaw and foot. We played music, sang songs, won a few hearts, indulged in Indian food and hospitality, many of us got sick, some bore scars and injury but all of us would agree:

“For us, India is and was an amazing place for a delegation of Australian rural leaders to gain some perspective”

We would like to acknowledge the efforts of Rob Patrick and Karim Hadad in putting together an action packed but insightful program that none of us will forget, with so many “only in India” moments that pop into your mind when you least expect. We are very saddened by the recent attacks of terrorism in Mumbai and hope the impact is less than the media is talking up. Our observation is that Indians are incredibly resilient and just get on with the job as they have many more basic things to worry about.