A sense of the Past with American Policymakers and Businessmen- A tale of the Nineties
America was a distinct dream for many. The land of opportunities. Opportunities to grab. Formidable chances to come up in Life. A country of chance and luck. Many wanted to go, many succeeded and many had a try. In the 90s of the 2nd millennium, you had people in queue, up the whole night, Monday to Friday, standing in rain or shine, just to get a Visa in front of the high walled structure which had a wicked gate near the Gemini square, opposite to Safire threatre, where Malayalam and English pictures were screened. The scene is in front of the Visa gate at the Madras consulate. The splendor of opportunities in America’s wonderland dawned with the Computer software industry’s growth in the late 90s. Narayanamurthy, Aziz Premji, and many czars of the software companies were unknown entities. Bangalore was still a pensioners paradise. The crowd of people, with papers and certificates, were mostly from Andhra and Karnataka. A few from Kerala, and a substantial of the Mylapore boys were there, standing in queue, and taking a token and waiting to be called. I was visibly moved and surprised at man’s decision to suffer if there were odds for him to go to Paradise. That is man, wanting to create opportunity. If not here, anywhere where he can. Every year, the Americam embassy announces one lakh H1 visas have been allotted to India. Every year, a few more thousands will be added. The Consul General is happy so long as he sees the long winding queues outside his visa gate. Be damned with what papers print about America, and what Government’s perception to American opinion is. B1, F1 visas are well known. There are business visas for the Business people. The validity of the visa is Ten Years.
Today, the scene is somewhat sober. There is chair seating inside the visa counters. You are given token on First-cum-first based number in the queue, two decades ago. Now, computers have taken over. You can ask for the appointment date. You do not have to stay in a queue. There are water cans to provide you water. Fans to cool the heat of Chennai which has hot, hotter and hottest climate.
I had opportunity to express my views and concerns to the American officers on behalf of the intending prospective visitors as Regional Secretary of Indo American Chamber of Commerce. I accosted the visitors from America involved in Policy making, understanding India, trying to make MoUs with their counterpart Indian Businessmen, etc. There were Political scholars, men of letters, academicians, politicians, Senators,etc.
Mr Ron Brown , Commerce Secretary under President Clinton, came to Bangalore by a special Boeing carrying planeload of American businessmen who wanted to do business with Indian Companies. The Fortuine 500 companies were there. They were in Bangalore for 2 days in 1992, and the trip and local itenarary was organized by our Chamber and I had a distinct role in it. It was sad to read subsequently that Mr Ron Brown died in an air crash when his plane and entourage perished. He was a jolly good man who wanted to boost Indo American dialogue. In the next year, a plane load of Chief Executive Officers of well known American companies came by a special place hosted by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, America. They did talk and made business with their inter counterparts. Mr William Weld, who was to be Republican Presidential candidate against Clinton’s 2nd term, and Governor of Massachusetts, brought all his charm to the garden city of India. Ms O’Leary, Energy Secretary, brought a team of people, and a business delegation of Insurance players came to India to discuss opening up of the Insurance Sector in India. It was after a tough competition, Ford set up their motor car manufacturing unit in Tamilnadu. Our Chamber had played a very important part in the deal. Today, when you hear American companies or bi-lateral trade between India and US of A were worth several billions of Dollars. As the Head of the Regional body of Indo American Chamber of Commerce, we had played a very important role, have taken the delegations to almost all the southern India state capitals. As the trade developed, more and more people started planning their higher education in America.
Many of the prospective candidates who stood in the huge queue in the 90s, used to come and narrate their experience. They always explained that they were disappointed, for they could not understand the English spoken by the American officer, he asked about the Toffel marks, or questioned about their decision to undertake higher education in America and so on. Confidence levels of the student fraternity were very low, and they went inside the Consulate with an inferior complex built anxiety. I used to tell most of them, that it was necessary to be positive, and honest. Every body cannot know everything; there are areas of subjects we know nothing about. But why not admit it, which our boys seldom do. Today, many of them, who would have met me, are sitting in envious positions, top desks of Fortune 500 companies, Multi nationals.
I had a queer experience about a top diplomat who came from America, and I was to accompany him to Trivandrum, Bangalore and Hyderabad. While in Bangalore, we had planned a trip to Mysore for this top diplomatic person. We went to the outskirts of Srirangapatna, and stood at a place where I showed them the River cauveri in spate. Just across the Road, there was a closed barricaded compound wall where a Board stood which read: Tipu died here. I explained to them the little of History, Tipu’s reign coming to an end with the Battle of Mangalore in 1799, with Tipu Sultan’s death at the hands of British soldiers. The diplomat was well aware of the British intrigues as he was a Master in History from some well-known University of America. There was a big Board showing Lord Cornwallis receiving two of Tipu Sultan’s kids as hostages at the end of the War. I asked my famous visitor and the American officer who had accompanied him from Delhi, as to whether they could draw a parallel of Lord Cornwallis, the then Governor General with American History. They could not. Cornwallis was the Commander of the British forces who was defeated by George Washington at the Battle of York in the American War of Independence. Lord Cornwallis, who was deputed to India, won a big battle which saw a large part of South India coming under the British reign. He was hero in India according to British history scholars. With a heavy laughter, the American diplomats shook my head. Back dated knowledge- tales of History, forgotten History.
I left the Chamber in 1996, after a decade of association, and I had the privilege of meeting some of the top most people in American judiciary, State office, Commerce wing, academics, and businessmen, Politicians, who were always cheerful and most cordial to all of us. On their return, they have written mails to thank us as well.
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