Rosy Vohra
Several centuries ago on 31st December 1600 a group of enterprising British merchants were accorded 21 year exclusive monopoly privileges to conduct all trade in the East Indies by the English royal Charter by Elizabeth 1. These merchants incorporated these rights under the East India Company and set afloat for the Indian shores to establish their first factory at Surat. This was undertaken following the grant of permission by then Mughal Emperor Jahangir in 1615 to Sir Thomas Roe, the emissary of King James 1. The corporation was of paramount significance for it laid the humble fountains of the British Raj in India beginning as traders to the hatchers of administrative and military functions of India in 1858 and was brought under the direct governance of the Crown. This went on till 1947 when India gained her independence from the colonial rule contributing much to her foreign masters at the expense of her financial abuse, racism and famine leaving her native population impoverished and mental slaves of her old masters’ culture and society.
India picked up her threads from the start and by sole determination; intellect and hard work of every sector of her population raised to a place where it could at least stand to face the face the world. Today the world equations have changed and are tilting in favor of India. Indians who were compelled to leave their motherland for greener pastures post 1947 are now desperate to come back. It is not just emotional connections but also let’s face the fact that India is the most happening global destination. India is also benefiting from the expertise of these foreign returned geeks adding to her momentum in every sector of her economy ranging from research and development in the IT sector to manufacturing to biotechnology, pharma and several others and getting high value work for world’s best corporations.
Here again we are fast falling in the same vicious tidal bore as four hundred years ago. The knowledge and patents that result from these R & D labs are unfortunately going to its owners in the West. The only good thing for Indians is that it is creating many well paid jobs for the locals of course besides the infrastructure that it is laying down. The need of the hour whether in India or overseas is however for the original, creative and innovative thinkers who are self motivated for the sake of that idea and of course the investors and smart mangers that are capable of translating these ideas into practice effectively.
Interesting in this trend of reverse to the East and rediscovery of otherwise nondescript destinations is the eagerness of the young Westerners to come and work in India. They reason that makes them come here it is the excitement and the work content offered that motivates the expatriates. And this they say is not forever but only till the thrill, excitement and a situation in which they can leverage work experience gained in India to their advantage of begetting coveted positions back home is available that they intend to stay.
With many more business graduates from the overseas anxious to add ‘India tag’ to their CV one is left wondering is world actually shaping up on the ‘global perspective’ visualized a few decades ago. With the young and the sassy in the West dying to go to the East and the reverse being eternally true, the young are enterprising and thirsty for maximum exposure that this part of the world is currently offering. The expatriate young are fast filling the slot in every possible avenue in Indian market be it airlines, IT, real estate, tourism, healthcare, banking, engineering, media and many other. The monetary gains and the standard of living may be not up to the standards of their home countries but then the varied experience and job enrichment to work in an enthralling and adventurous destination called India presently the most happening place on the planet, the deal is not bad.
