No poor In India’s malls ?

No poor In India’s malls ?
As a member of the IT community in India , I (like a million others) am forever striving to save a few million dollars for our (mainly western) clients. TO do this we often tweak processes and formulae to the 4th decimal place. It was while I was doing this some months back that I realized that educated India has banished the Indian poor to statistics.

There are often “heated” debates on TV and in parliament on what exactly is poor and how many people are below the poverty line in India. It suits the government of the day to put a low figure for a “survival” income. Some months back Montek Singh Ahluwalia drew a lot of flak when he suggested the threshold of poverty to be Rs 32 per per person per day in urban India and a lower figure of 26 for rural areas. Even with this appallingly low figure, the poor in India have been estimated to be 407 million. The opposition parties felt that the figure is too low.. meaning that the number of poor people is significantly higher. While estimates and opinions vary, I have not seen ANY source quoting a figure below 25%.. which in terms of current population means about 275 million ! Now that’s avry large number of people.. nearly equal to the population of the United States.

Interestingly, while we probably have the world’s largest population of the poor (China is a strong contender), they are rarely present in the public consciousness. There was a time (till the 70’s I think) when Indian film makers produced films involving the poor but none are produced now. Bollywood has (and why blame them) gone the “market forces” way. It would take exceptional creativity to make money out of a story on the poor.. and Bollywood is not high on creativity. And the middle class market is anyway large enough to buy escapist fare.. so why dirty your hands ?

And what is true of Bollywood is true or books, newspapers and TV… one rarely sees any coverage on poverty. Now here is the catch.. On the international scene , in the last few years there was 1 film (Slumdog Millionaire) and 1 book (Arvind Adiga’s White Tiger) which focused on the poor in India and were both successful and critically acclaimed.

Finally, an example closer home. Most Indian large cities have at least a coupe of malls. These are usually expensively-constructed, well-maintained and air-conditioned buildings. There is no entry fee. Yet have you ever seen any poor people there ?… although the mall may be a stones’ throw away from a slum ? It is as if the poor have given up on the rest of us and decided to stay away.

A 1000 year slumber

A 1000 year slumber
 
Ginger . Its been a depressing few months : scam after scam, social strife, political bungling.. the early morning newspaper has hardly brought any cheer. … so let me start with something that’s not so sad. Do you know that the English word Ginger (the cooking thing) has an Indian origin ? It is derived from the south Indian (tamil/ mallu) word Inji (The English name ginger comes from French: gingembre, Old English: gingifere, Medieval Latin: ginginer, Greek: zingiberis (ζιγγίβερις). Ultimately the origin is from Tamil:inji ver (இஞ்சி வேர்). The botanical term for root in Tamil is ver (வேர்), hence inji root or inji ver.[3]) from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger )

And this brings me to Zero, a major concept of humankind developed in India. Now while it is widely acknowledged that the Zero originated in India, what is NOT widely acknowledged is that so did the rest of the numbers. For some reason they are referred to as Arabic numerals. Now think for a moment. A culture that came up with Zero, would they not have come up much earlier with the other numerals ? In fact sometime back this set me thinking and I googled a bit. On the net I DID find mention that the Arabic numerals were indeed of Indian origin. So why are the called Arabic ? Because they were presented to the western world through the Arabs, much like Ginger. (ref http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_numerals )

Now , having invented the zero, Indians went on to do a lot more.. ayurveda, mathematics, literature, philosophy, magnificient temples, astronomy… so many things which form our heritage today. Then curiously about a 1000 years back it all stopped.. In the last 1000 years India saw the building of forts and palaces and mosques, but hardly anything else. It is as if the Indian spirit of enquiry, quest for knowledge and discussion had died. In fact contact with foreigners was forbidden. Gandhi faced resistance when he had to travel to UK to study, because traveling overseas was considered taboo.

There are probably theories why this death of the spirit of enquiry came about. A probable theory could be that knowledge advances only in times of peace and from the 9th century onwards, Northwest India saw continuous invasions from Arabs, Afghans, Perisans and Turks. But can this full explain the death ? Even before the Islamic invasions, the Indian kings were fighting amongst themselves and through much of this time, the South remained free of Islamic invasions… I really have no answer , nor have I researched it. But what I do see is that we have yet to revive the spirit of enquiry. Of the half dozen or so Nobel prizes that Indians have won, only one was an Indian citizen and that too pre-indepenence.. Tagore. In Science, economics , peace and literature , “Indian” winners have been all NRI’s.

..to be continued

Quality tales

Quality tales

Have you ever wondered what this word Quality signifies ? The whole world wants a quality product .. but what IS quality ?

Let me start with an example. I used to have a junior colleague who did not understand quality. So I called him to my office. I took a tea cup and let it drop from about 3 feet to a concrete floor. As expected it broke. I then asked him what he thought about the quality of the cup.. and he said it was poor. I told him, no, it is not poor. . The quality is poor only if the cup is explicitly or implicitly expected to withstand a 3 foot fall to a concrete surface.

So whenever we speak of quality or good quality, an expectation is always available in the background, although in some cases it may not be explicit. In technical/ engineering language this expectation is called specifications , which may cover dimensions/ strength, durability, performance etc. In a technical situation, one can always be assured of good quality by comparing (or testing) the product with the specifications.

Logically speaking , specifications are drawn up by the user/ buyer of the product/ service , or at least ratified by the buyer/ user. But matters get complicated when there are no specifications or when specifications exist but are not known to the buyer. Consider 2 examples:

A. Soap/ Tea / Toothpaste: These are mass market products and the buyer is so diffused that the seller has to guess what the specification is. The seller may use market research etc, but the nature of the buyer-seller equation is such that while the seller may have specifications, they can never be ratified by the buyer. (There is very little difference between most bars of soap except the colour and fragrance. Sellers, in order to generate brand loyalty, try and create “perceived” differences through advertising. An interesting example is AXE deodorant , In their advertisements, and in many similar me-too brands, the basic function of the deodorant is never mentioned at all. Instead it s advertised as a woman-attractant ). So how does one define what is “good” quality in such cases ?

B. Automobiles. Again the buyer is very diffused. But the additional problem is that a lot of money is required to launch a new product. A miscalculation in customer tastes (or expectations ) can be disastrous and has happened dozen of times in the auto industry sometimes forcing companies to close down. I must ad that as the industry has matured, expectations on the more “tangible” stuff are well known: fuel economy, safety, emission control, etc

So, to sum up, quality is a measure of performance against expectations (of the buyer) and sometimes the seller (or even the buyer) may not know fully what the expectations are.

Any ideas how one could define the “quality” of a nuclear bomb ? most people killed per dollar ? and who would define it ? the people who drop the bomb or the people who die when it is dropped ?

What does the Marathi Mutalik have in common with then Bengali Sikdar or a Mukadam ?

What does the Marathi Mutalik have in common with then Bengali Sikdar or a Mukadam ?

Unlikely as it may seem, both are designations/ titles used in the administration during the Afghan/ Mughal era…something like our present day Governor/ Rajyapal , Commisioner of Police etc.

To fully undertand this : In the afghan/ mughal era the basic unit of administration was the village. Several villages made a pargana (district) and several parganas made a shiqq (a dvision) , and several shiqqs made a suba (state) .

So accordingly, the officers who worked in these areas were designated as Shiqqdaar and Subadar which in modern times are called Sikdar (from Bengal mainly) and Subedar. A more exhaustive list is:

A. Bakshi: Keeper of the royal/ military stables
B. Mutalik : Governor
C. Diwan/ Deewan : Finance Manager
D. Majumdaar : Accountant (now mostly seen in Bengal and sometimes in Gujarat
E. Sarkar: Head of a Shiqq / Division (Mughal). Main responsibility was revenue collection.
F. Sikdar: Head of a Shiqq/ Division (Afghan). Same as Sarkar.
G. Quanungo/ Kanungo: Incharge of land measurements/ land records. Also known as Amin in some places.
H. Munsif : Assisted the Quanungo
I. Fotadar : In charge of the treasury/ cash.
J. Kotwal: Head of city security. From “KOT”= city walls
K. Subadar/ Subedar : governor of a state.
L. Patwari ; Village record keeper
M. Fadnavis: yet to find out
N. Karkhanis: In charge of supplies and factories (karkhaana)
O. Muqaddam/ Mukadam: Village headman
P> Daftari: Clerk.

So there you are ! Some of the names have survived only in a few regions (like Sikdar is not seen outside Bengal) , but many are seen in many places (Bakshi, which I think in turn originated from then word Baksh ..to give as in Bakshish) . And some cut across Religions, regions and Caste.

Coming soon.. ELECTIONS !

Coming soon ELECTIONS !
Its that time of the year again. Elections !! Coming up in several states in the next few months and for the parliament in 2014. The newspapers/ magazines and TV channels are already working overtime churning out analysis and predictions. So why should I be left out. Here is my take on the 2014 parliament election.

We can look forward to another coalition government. The 3 possibilities are

• Congress let UPA
• BJP led NDA
• Third front..led by SP/ Mulayam Singh,

The million (or billion dollar scam) question of course is which one… I could make an anaylsis or a guess, but personally I wish it to be the BJP. Now I am no BJP-lover..quite the contrary in fact. My simple reason is that a change in government is good for India, and the NDA is best suited to replace the UPA. Also I am fed up (an understatement) with the Nehru-Gnadhi dynasty and the chamchagiri culture of Congress.

Here is what I think will be important in winning the elections:

• • Corruption is NOT an election issue. The BJP might stall parliament over it, but the bulk of voters are not interested. The Anna Hazare movement with all the initial media coverage and rallies, and even the government paying heed to it, was basically an urban middle-class thing. We are 110 crore people in India, barely 10 lac were involved.
• • Religion, Caste and community will continue to dominate voter choice for more than 80% of the electorate.
• • Smart pre-election alliances will win votes and seats. Unfortunately I do not see any serious effort in this direction by either the BJP or the Congress.
• • Clarity of leadership at the state level will help win seats. The BJP is ahead of the Congress in this.
• • Antagonising the Muslims can cost BJP dear…and this may probably be BJPs biggest hurdle, in the form of Narendra Modi.

Now the big issue within BJP is whether Narendra Modi can be the PM. Personally I think he is a dangerous man to have as PM. But even if by some divine intervention Modi were to become less fascist, his anti-Muslim image will not go away, and that means Nitish Kumar/ Bihar, Naveen Patnaik/ Odisha Chandra Babu Naidu/ AP, YSR Congress/ AP, Jayalalitha/ TN, Mamta Banerji/ WB (all are also potential 3rd front constituents) will not support BJP if Modi is projected as PM. The Akali Dal and Shiv Sena are the only parties which might find Modi acceptable. The communists of course will never join the BJP. So with Modi as the BJPs official PM candidate , the NDA will lose the race before it starts.

My message to the BJP… ditch Modi (and Hidnutva hardliners), get cracking with electoral alliances and send out a secular message. Mr Gadkari, are you listening ?

Us, Peace loving Indians

Us, Peace loving Indians

In May 1998 India carried out its 2nd Nuclear test in Pokhran. There were the usual diplomatic noises. USA suspended aid to India and so on. A few years later I was in Chicago. One of my business colleagues (an immigrant from Poland) said something interesting. He said, he would not have been surprised if China had done a nuclear test, but he always thought India was such a peace loving / pacifist country and was therefore very surprised when Pokhran 2 happened. Bill Clinton said something very similar. And this despite the fact that a nuclear weapons program was a part of the Vajpayi/ NDA election manifesto and hence public knowledge.

Then when Agni IV was recently launched, we saw similar responses from the western world. India was seen as “a responsible nation”, a label Pakistan has not been able to acquire.

Rightly or wrongly, India (and I suppose by extension Indians) have been historically seen as peace loving. It could be because after the 9th century AD, no Indian kingdom expanded beyond the sub-continental boundaries. Invaders from the west met with little resistance. The British ruled us for 150 plus years without major rebellion. Even earlier in the times of Ashoka the great, he formed his empire without major wars.

All these have helped give India a pacifist image. But the question is, are we really a peace loving people ? Consider for instance

• The massacre during partition in 1947
• The killing of Sikhs in Delhi after the assassination of Indira Gandhi
• The Godhra incident
• Assam violence over the last 25 years.
• Caste based violence and killings in UP/ Bihar in the 70s and 80’s
• Increasing murders for commercial gain and sex related crimes.

So what does this mean ? That as a nation we are peace loving but as a people we are not ? Or that while we are not aggressive towards other nations, we do not occasionally mind killing our own people.. that nationhood is not as strong as caste / religious feelings ?

Endpiece: Following the recent Assam violence there was panic among the North East people in Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. Politicians of all colours ( Manmohan Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Karnataka CM and Home Minister) made loud proclamations that NE people should not fear anything and that they were part of India. Sonia Gandhi is on record saying that action will be taken against the culprits.

Now something similar happened a few years back in Mumbai . Shiv Sena members publicly thrashed Biharis who had come for some Railway recruitment to Mumbai. The media showed video clippings of the incident. Curiously, I do not recall any major politician except Lalu Prasad Yadav making any statement in favour of the victims . Any answers ?

SAP Certification: Is it useful in India for Functional Consultants

How to start a career as an SAP Functional Consultant in India

(I wrote this piece in early March 2012. In t 10 days that have followed I have received feedback from dozens of SAP Certified people in India that the training institutes do NOT offer any placement help. )

I will try and answer a few frequently asked questions on making an entry (and a Career) in SAP as a Functional Consultant in India . The answers are based on my observations of the Indian SAP scene over the last 8 years, and not backed by any research. This is a personal opinion and not necessarily shared or endorsed by my employer.

Question: I am a professional with X years (from Nil to 15 or more) years of industry experience and want to make a career as an SAP Consultant. Will an SAP certification guarantee me a position as an SAP consultant in a company ?

Answer: The simple answer is NO. An SAP Certification will NOT guarantee a job. While the agencies ( SAP and its authorized education partners) selling the Certification training often make tall claims of “placement assistance” and 100 % placement, this is merely sales talk. Once you have enrolled and paid the fees, they do no more than act as a post office. If you are lucky there might be some company looking for SAP certified freshers around the time you complete Certification and the company might contact the training agency, who will then refer you. My estimate is that less than 20% Certified freshers get placed through the training agency, and this tells me that the training agencies are really NOT doing any great deal of concept selling to prospective / potential employers of Certified SAP Consultants.

(If anyone from SAP or an Authorised training agency is reading this and would like to dispute my estimate, I would only be too happy to be corrected)

Question: So is certification of any use?

Answer: This one is not so simple to answer. First, please bear in mind that while there is strong demand for SAP Consultants, very few IT large companies (in fact not more than 2 or 3) take Freshers, Certified or non-certified. The problem is that while IT companies have large programs for Graduate / Entry level hiring of BE/ BTech/ MCA, when it comes to SAP Functional consultants, everyone wants consultants with experience. So how do you get experienced consultants if there are no openings for freshers ? It’s a classic chicken and egg story, to which the IT companies by and large have either not found a proper answer or do not want to find an answer. The current solution seems to be to take experienced people from other companies and sometimes through the contact hire route. I will write more about the contract hire issue later in this note.

So the Certification has a very limited utility. In cases where companies take freshers, SAP Certification might carry some weight, but is, as I said before, not a guarantee for a job. A certification may sometimes be specified as minimum eligibility criteria in selection of freshers, but this is extremely rare. I am not aware of any large scale recruitment where certification was used as the only screening criteria. At best, with a certification , you have a slightly better chance of being short-listed/ selected than another person with an identical profile but no certification.

Typically, companies look for

• for industry experience AND
• some minimum SAP experience (usually 1 to 2 yrs) OR SAP Certification (with or without SAP experience)

Also keep in mind, that once a person has acquired some experience as an SAP consultant (say 3 plus years) , the value of certification becomes almost NIL. There was a time (say 2007 or before) when some clients insisted that Consultants should be certified, but those days are over.

Question: So if the industry is looking for experienced consultants and not taking freshers, how is the total pool of SAP consultants growing?

Answer: There are several streams from where the IT industry gets consultants to add to the total pool

• From Indian companies that implement SAP. Core team members, once they have acquired some experience in their company (say 2 to 3 years) have a good chance to move on to IT companies as SAP consultants. Please note that while IT companies usually do take Core team members, they will not take end-users/ super users
• As mentioned above some hiring of freshers does happen.
• Contract hire route. Companies take SAP Consultants on contract from various sources. Later, depending on demand and individual capability they are absorbed as employees. The logical questions here is .. where do the contract resources get their initial experience ? The catch here is that many of the contract hires have fake experience on their CVs. These are people who take training from unauthorized institutes. The institute then helps them “manufacture” suitable experience. Some of them get absorbed by smaller SAP outfits and get real experience. After getting an year or so of real experience , they “clean up” the CV and may then get a contract position with a larger company. In my estimate, this is also the largest channel for addition to the SAP talent pool. It is not an ethical practice, but it is happening because the IT industry has not really taken the trouble to find a better solution. This is a very sad situation, because I have often noticed that while the fake CV resources may finally get real experience, their communication skills are usually poor. Not only I totally disapprove of this fake CV practice, I also want to add that this route is very risky as IT companies have found methods to spot fake experience and if an employee is caught he can be sent to jail in addition to losing his job.

Question: So keeping in mind all the above, should I do a Certification ?

Answer : My advice would be NO. Unless of course if you have Rs 3.50 lacs to spare and take a risk, go ahead.

Question: I am thinking quitting my job and doing SAP training. Should I quit.

Answer: ABSOLUTELY NO !!!! Find a method to get training while continuing in the job.

Question: So how do I make a career as an SAP consultant?

Answer: As I pointed out earlier there are multiple streams.

• If you are working for a company which is implementing or has implemented SAP, try and get into the Core team or the Support Team. The crucial thing is that you should be doing (at least as a significant part of your total work) an SAP role and not just be an SAP end-user.
• If you are not working in such a company, join a company where you might get this opportunity.
• Keep a look-out for IT companies running Fresher hiring. Now the problem is that while the number of positions IT companies have may be 400 per year, the number of applicants is at least 10 times more. So IT companies often do an “employee referral hire only” recruitment drive. Therefore keep in touch with friends/ relatives who work for large IT companies.
• Keep abreast of the industry requirements through sites such as Linked in
• Join an training program… the cost is usually one tenth of the authorised one. Then try and get into a small SAP company, but DO NOT repeat DO NOT use fake experience. Firstly because it is unethical, and secondly because giving fake experience is a criminal offence and you could be sent to jail.

As I said at the beginning, this is my personal opinion based on observation. No research has gone into it. I would welcome comments, corrections and criticism.

Finally a bit of advice to aspirants. Please improve your English communication skills. Even if you have certification you will get rejected if communication skills are poor. My observation is that 50 % of certified candidates do not have adequate communication skills. You have spent or are planning to send money on SAP training …at best SAP knowledge has a shelf life of 10 years. So consider spending money on communication skills, they last a lifetime.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Author profile: I am an engineer / MBA with 20 plus years of industry experience and now working as an SAP Consultant for the last 8 years. I also have an SAP Certification in SCM (Purchasing)