American pipe dream…
I was the Regional Secretary of Indo-American Chamber of Commerce at Chennai. When I took over, the bi-national Chamber was in a very bad shape, house in 73, TTK Road, in an old dilapidated house. In the same road at Door no 70, there was a cassette lending store, where a tall slim man used to stand among two or three of his friends. That man was none other than Prabhudeva, the Indian version of Michel Jackson.
I tried to revive the Organization, slowly. I created a Kerala branch. I can proudly say that in Kerala, Indo American Chamber of Commerce was the first bi-national Chamber that was set up here. It had around 80 members at the start. In around a period of lustrum, I added around 800 members who became members of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, and this Chamber, became one of the most respected Chambers of Commerce representing the interest of the bi-national trade. Trade delegations were in plenty. Top officials from the United States administration were often visitors. Mr Ron Brown, Commerce Secretary (equivalent to Indian Commerce Minister) came with a delegation of around 110 CEOs to Bangalore. Most of the software companies, or companies which went for service agreements with the software companies in the United States, hard ware companies which entered into collaborations, were in that Trade delegation. I co-ordinated with the team. Subsequently, a delegation of 80 CEOs representing Overseas Private Investment Corporation also came to South India. The Secretary of Board of Trade, who was the author of the best selling book on marketing, also came and met me, and tragically he died in the World Trade Centre collapse, ten years later.
People from the Export Import bank of India also visited Chennai. All these arrivals visited in a positive gain for the Industry. The Chairman of Stanley Tools, world leaders in the Too; segment accounting for 40% of world trade, failed to get an appointment with the highest bureaucracy of the Government, though his Company was looking out for an appropriate opening in India. The Governor of Massuchettus, who was the Republican nominee to oppose President Clinton in 1995, did lot of investments to Bangalore/Hyderabad.
The bilateral trade between India and the United States went up by leaps and bounds. During my tenure with the IACC, I could boast of compiling two mammoth Directories, over-seeing many trade delegations, hosting many speakers on behalf of USIS, and through public donation built a huge mansion as office for Indo American in the heart of the City.
Once a senior level officer from the Secretary of State office came to South India. Primarily, he wanted to visit Kochi-Trivandrum-Bangalore-Hyderabad-Chennai and meet exporters, importers, machinery buyers, government bureaucrats, bank representatives, etc. Sight seeing also was arranged synchronizing with these visits. We visited Srirangapattana at the outskirts of Mysore. The top dignitary, Chief Visa Counsel, USIS representative, was part of the American team. A cenotaph indicated the place where the Mysore Tiger was shot in 1799. Very near to that spot, there was a big screen in which Lord Cornwallis, the Viceroy of India, being gifted with two boys of Tipu as hostages, was picturised. This high diplomat was a Master in History, he had told me. I just asked him, whether he was aware of the resemblance of Lord Cornwallis in Indian as well as American histories. The diplomat was unable to guess. I finally told him that Lord Cornwallis was the captain of the English army which was defeated by George Washington in the Battle of York. The same Lord Cornwallis, succeeded in India by defeating the mighty tiger, and he laid a policy known as ‘temporary settlement’. He failed in the American soil, while in India, he succeeded. The diplomat was very happy with my revelation, that subsequently, he sent me a medallion made of 24 carat gold.
When I demitted my office as Regional Secretary, the Counsel General came personally to attend my farewell function and gave me a gold coin.
The Americans were very friendly, treated me with high esteem, and were generous. It was largely due to their assistance, that the Silicon City emerged in Bangalore, and subsequently in Hyderabad. The second Consulate in southern India was set up in Hyderabad, and inaugurated by President Bush Jr. From South India, the highest number of ethnic population in America came from Andhra Pradesh.
I was the Regional Secretary of Indo-American Chamber of Commerce at Chennai. When I took over, the bi-national Chamber was in a very bad shape, house in 73, TTK Road, in an old dilapidated house. In the same road at Door no 70, there was a cassette lending store, where a tall slim man used to stand among two or three of his friends. That man was none other than Prabhudeva, the Indian version of Michel Jackson.
I tried to revive the Organization, slowly. I created a Kerala branch. I can proudly say that in Kerala, Indo American Chamber of Commerce was the first bi-national Chamber that was set up here. It had around 80 members at the start. In around a period of lustrum, I added around 800 members who became members of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, and this Chamber, became one of the most respected Chambers of Commerce representing the interest of the bi-national trade. Trade delegations were in plenty. Top officials from the United States administration were often visitors. Mr Ron Brown, Commerce Secretary (equivalent to Indian Commerce Minister) came with a delegation of around 110 CEOs to Bangalore. Most of the software companies, or companies which went for service agreements with the software companies in the United States, hard ware companies which entered into collaborations, were in that Trade delegation. I co-ordinated with the team. Subsequently, a delegation of 80 CEOs representing Overseas Private Investment Corporation also came to South India. The Secretary of Board of Trade, who was the author of the best selling book on marketing, also came and met me, and tragically he died in the World Trade Centre collapse, ten years later.
People from the Export Import bank of India also visited Chennai. All these arrivals visited in a positive gain for the Industry. The Chairman of Stanley Tools, world leaders in the Too; segment accounting for 40% of world trade, failed to get an appointment with the highest bureaucracy of the Government, though his Company was looking out for an appropriate opening in India. The Governor of Massuchettus, who was the Republican nominee to oppose President Clinton in 1995, did lot of investments to Bangalore/Hyderabad.
The bilateral trade between India and the United States went up by leaps and bounds. During my tenure with the IACC, I could boast of compiling two mammoth Directories, over-seeing many trade delegations, hosting many speakers on behalf of USIS, and through public donation built a huge mansion as office for Indo American in the heart of the City.
Once a senior level officer from the Secretary of State office came to South India. Primarily, he wanted to visit Kochi-Trivandrum-Bangalore-Hyderabad-Chennai and meet exporters, importers, machinery buyers, government bureaucrats, bank representatives, etc. Sight seeing also was arranged synchronizing with these visits. We visited Srirangapattana at the outskirts of Mysore. The top dignitary, Chief Visa Counsel, USIS representative, was part of the American team. A cenotaph indicated the place where the Mysore Tiger was shot in 1799. Very near to that spot, there was a big screen in which Lord Cornwallis, the Viceroy of India, being gifted with two boys of Tipu as hostages, was picturised. This high diplomat was a Master in History, he had told me. I just asked him, whether he was aware of the resemblance of Lord Cornwallis in Indian as well as American histories. The diplomat was unable to guess. I finally told him that Lord Cornwallis was the captain of the English army which was defeated by George Washington in the Battle of York. The same Lord Cornwallis, succeeded in India by defeating the mighty tiger, and he laid a policy known as ‘temporary settlement’. He failed in the American soil, while in India, he succeeded. The diplomat was very happy with my revelation, that subsequently, he sent me a medallion made of 24 carat gold.
When I demitted my office as Regional Secretary, the Counsel General came personally to attend my farewell function and gave me a gold coin.
The Americans were very friendly, treated me with high esteem, and were generous. It was largely due to their assistance, that the Silicon City emerged in Bangalore, and subsequently in Hyderabad. The second Consulate in southern India was set up in Hyderabad, and inaugurated by President Bush Jr. From South India, the highest number of ethnic population in America came from Andhra Pradesh.
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