It Happens only in India!

A yesteryear forgettable and otherwise appalling bollywood number had a very apt line – ‘It happens only in India’. Some incidents in the last few days reminds me of this line.


It can only happen in India that a super specialty hospital in Kolkata, having an annual turnover of over Rs. 180 Crore could flout every possible fire safety norm and 89 patients could perish in a hell-fire that broke-out last Friday. But for the extraordinary callousness on the part of hospital authorities, facilitated by administrative neglect, one of the worst disasters in recent memory could have been easily averted. ‘That all the deaths were due to suffocation points to the absolute unpreparedness of the hospital staff. There were no evacuation plans, no alternative exits in the seven-storey building, no proper arrangement to provide access to fire tenders, fire alarms and smoke detectors malfunctioned and water hydrants simply didn't work. Worse still, the hospital had another fire in 2008, but failed to learn its lessons. Even more despicable is that the fire department only in July had given the hospital three months to clear out its basement, which it used to dump inflammable and radioactive material, and from where Friday's fire emanated. But there was no follow-up. Amazingly, the state government has a 1.99% stake in AMRI and two nominees on the hospital board with the director of medical education as its chairperson.’ (source: TOI)

A country’s political medley that preaches economic reforms becomes cold feet every time the issue of FDI in retail comes-up! The government puts the announcement in abeyance because it wants to avert mid-term polls! How funny!!! A quote from an article ‘Selling the wrong idea’ from The Times of India describes the situation very aptly – ‘Adam Smith, writing in The Wealth of Nations, was probably the first to call England a nation of shopkeepers. But few remember that Smith used the phrase to argue that England was a "nation whose government is influenced by shopkeepers". And that influence was malign. Thus, he blamed the founding of the British Empire on the desire of shopkeepers to secure monopoly of trade in colonial commodities. India's shopkeepers today invite a similar, if different, opprobrium. By opposing retail sector reform, they and their political supporters in the BJP, Trianmool Congress and the communists, are not merely sabotaging this important reform.’ We are perhaps the only nation among the developing contries to oppose FDI in retail. We are too then a nation of shopkeepers, after all this economic- reform drama. True, it happens only in India.

Amongst all this depression there was some ray of hope and brightness from our very own Virendra Sewhag. His blistering and record-breaking 149-ball 219-run knock against the West Indies in the fourth ODI in Indore, lit-up the faces of many Indians badly searching for some news to cheer. India the current world champion in this format of cricket won the series against West Indies 4-1. Do you think it is a matter of just coincidence that the sport in which India has undoubtedly excelled most has a administrative controlling body - the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI), that has perhaps the least governmental interference, among all the other sporting bodies? Well, I leave that for you to answer…All I can say is – it happens only in India!

All three incidents if looked closely have some linkage – the AMRI fire disaster, the retail-FDI blockade and Viru’s superfluous innings, all are reminder of the same fact that a free market is the key to true victory of the people. Why can’t you and I decide what to buy, where to buy from (be it the health services or the retail store!)or how to run an organization (the sporting bodies or the business set-ups)? Can you start a hospital tomorrow if you want? No, because you have to get 10 permits, 20 clearances for which you shall need innumerable contacts and lots of ways to please the signatory which in all cases is someone called the government. In most cases, those who can ‘fix’ the same can flout any norm (AMRI), can block the competition (FDI) and you and I haplessly suffer. But wherever that happens in much ‘lesser’ proportion we come out winners (Viru’s knock personifying Indian cricket today).

The key to free markets is true empowerment and a belief that market (people) are the best regulators.

Organizations must also take a lesson from the larger eco-system. Empowerment and de-centralization is the only way you can let your employees (people) to be ‘engaged’ to their jobs and to their contributions. The more the interference from the ‘top’, the lesser are your chances to win. Controls create a need to align, group for gaining more and more illegitimate power. Only a handful can turn the things to their advantage, in this case. On the other hand, a belief that your employees shall behave best when empowered and de-controlled always has larger paybacks.

Create that sense of ownership in people (citizens or employees) and they shall be the best guardians!
(My 100th post of the year is dedicated to the memory of those who perished in the AMRI fire disaster.)