Incredible Indians

The dabbawalas of Mumbai have become a case study for the management schools on a global level. They have made live presentations in many prominent B schools across the globe. They have even caught the eye of the British royalty and their leaders have visited the palace. Now they are being taught English to meet the expectations of their upmarket clients. But the multitasking ability of the incredible Indians has gone totally unnoticed by the management gurus. When I read their case studies on the subject, I immediately trash them for I know that they have missed the Indian story.

Where else but in India, I challenge you, will you find a person driving a two-wheeler with sacks of grain loaded on the backseat, with plastic containers full of condiments on footrests on both sides, with the helmet hanging on the right elbow (to be worn on the first sighting of a traffic policeman) and a mobile resting on his left shoulder and the neck bent in that direction to make conversation. He drives, talks, brakes, and negotiates the crazy traffic on a rainy day on a potholed road. Now that is multitasking for me. You have surely seen a family of five on Hamara Bajaj that led to the concept of Nano in Ratan Tata’s mind.

This may not be the best example but is unique in some way and merits a mention. And Indian women have been rated the best multi-tasking people of the world.

There are two friends who come regularly  for a walk in a park, each having one ear plugged to the iPod listening to their respective favourite music and conversing with each other through the unplugged ears and solving India’s problems. They talk, they walk, they listen and they solve and manage to wave greetings when you pass them by.

Or take the example of our leaders. Where else but in India, our political bosses can do a protest march across the state, interact with the media, do poojas on the way, get their heads shaven, manage the dengue fever crisis through remote control, abuse their opponents with gusto, plan a trip on the government expenses to the USA for a cultural gathering and still find time to count notes to keep their account of their unaccounted money.

I believe that it is the incredible masons, the electricians, the carpenters and the welders who will somehow get things ready for the Commonwealth Games. Our country’s campaign poster should be Incredible Indians and not Incredible India as it currently is.