Hey All,
Laughter is the best medicine...so go get some... Coz this one is downright
hilarious.... :0)
________________________________
>From an INFOSCIAN to a POLITICIAN - Nandan's Chronicles - 2
Continuing my tryst with capturing the life and times of Nandan Nilekani in his
new avatar as a Cabinet Minister, here is what he had penned after his first
day in the Parliament. The last entry stopped when the House was just about to
begin. Let's see what happened thereafter....
The House was in pin drop silence. I was brimming with anticipation and
excitement!!!! Manmohan had informed me that my introduction was one of the
important points of the agenda. I hoped that I will be able to make my speech
properly. After so many interviews and conferences, I was nervous today!!!!
After the Speaker indicated that the proceedings of the House could begin,
Manmohan formally introduced me to the entire House. He mentioned that as the
head of the Unique Identification Authority of India, I was responsible to
ensure that each and every Indian had a digital smart card as a proof of his
existence.
Manmohan spoke about why I was selected and also some references to the various
projects executed by me in Infosys were mentioned. The House listened with rapt
attention. I was asked to say a few words and I did exactly the same!!! I
thanked the Government of India for having given me this opportunity and I
assured the House that I would strive to successfully deliver this project. The
Speaker then formally inducted me into the House and before the proceedings
could move any forward, there was a small commotion on the other side of the
hall.
It was Minister of Textiles who had a comment to make before the next point on
the agenda. He made a request that I should be attired in a more austere way
instead of a flashy suit. It did not go well with the image of a minister who
should live to serve the common man and should be less ostentatious in his
habits. I stood up to reply. I offered my apologies to the Honourable Minister
and assured that I shall be in a more acceptable dress next time. I felt that
he was right. We also used to have corporate dress code in Infosys. So it's
here as well!!!!
I sat down and felt somebody nudging me. I turned around and to my surprise; it
was the former Indian skipper and one of my favourite batsman Mohd. Azharuddin.
I remembered that he had recently won the elections. I smiled at him and
mentioned to him that I used to like his game very much, shaking his hand. No
Rolex, I noticed. Azhar told me that he would "fix" me an appointment with an
Italian designer who had designed his dapper Kurta suit. An Italian designer in
Milan doing Kurtas!!!!! I made a note of this and reminded myself to give this
example to Friedman for his next book," The World Markets are flattened".
Since there was no doubt about the "Fixational" capacities of Azhar, I told him
to give me the details and I would consider. The proceedings of the House went
on with numerous bills being debated and passed as I sat as a passive audience
waiting for my project's turn to come up. After the lunch break, it was the
moment for me!!!!
MY PROJECT"S FIRST REVIEW CAME UP FOR PRESENTATION.
I was at sea. My laptop did not have any reserve power. I went to Manmohan and
apprised him of the situation. I was sweating. He calmly replied that this
would not be a cause of concern. I was flummoxed!!!! The Speaker asked me to
explain to the House on what were my plans for the Unique Identity Project. I
replied that I have a plan prepared for 30-60-90-120 days' milestones and I
have presentation to make for which I need a power socket, a projector and a
screen. I had no idea what was going to happen after this.
The next couple of minutes were a complete jolt for me. I was completely in a
tizzy. Let me just summarize what happened. A Joint Cabinet Secretary Committee
was set up to judge the feasibility of my request. The Under Secretaries for
the Ministries of Power, IT and Broadcasting will prepare a Viability Report
after scrutinizing National Security threats to my request. This was because
the power socket comes under Power, laptop comes under IT and projector comes
under Broadcasting. I have also been told to reconsider my timelines of
30-60-90 days and start thinking in terms of years. Probably, they are right. I
did not have the foresight in this matter.
The summary of the issue is that I need to come up with a more inclusive,
democratic, comprehensive long term plan for this project to be executed over
the next five years. I have also been given a presentation slot 3 months from
now (by which the issues related to the power cord etc will also be resolved).
I am filled with mixed reactions. I was planning for a quick resolution; the
management wants a strategic solution. I come out of the House and text Murthy.
"You won't believe it but these guys work just like us. I am on a NATIONAL
BENCH for the next three months!!!!!!!!"
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