Author: Vishwanathan Anand
Publication: The Times of India
Date: February 12, 2006
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1411009.cms
In 1987, I remember someone asking me if I
played chess to escape from the abysmal conditions in my country. I was so
shocked by the question that even now I grapple with a witty retort. To them,
India was a kitchidi of mysticism with a liberal dose of poverty and every
imaginable social evil.
Cut to 2006, and most often when you say Indian,
you can hear grey suited CEOs perk up their ears in your direction. The talk
is about 10% growth, superpower status and the Indian brainpower. As a chess
player, one is always assured Indians are a smart lot. And I'm glad to prove
them right.
So, what did Indians do so differently in
the past few years? We realised that we can't make up for lost time but we
moved ahead and foresaw what the world would be like in 2020.
Our brainpower has given us the competitive
edge. For example, if you go to Iceland, you'll see Indians tweaking major
projects and while they are at it, they are also sourcing fresh drumsticks
for their sambar.
That they are doing it in a country that required
a population explosion to reach 300,000 deserves special applause.
Now that we have stumbled upon the knowledge
revolution, the first few years will be easy. You have no expectations and
others expect you to do your work without a murmur.
But the trouble will begin only when we become
good at our work. People will expect us to do even better. In fact, Indian
companies too will not be content with just being global manufacturers, they
will want to be the name or brand in their field.
As of now, Indians are making it big everywhere
from Germany to the US. An Indian can threaten a German at his workplace even
without being physically present there.
No wonder, the Germans have coined a political
phrase for us"Inder statt kinder!" (Let's teach our children rather
than get Indians!)
To draw a parallel with chess. In 1987, when
I became a Grandmaster, I played many events. Anything I did, it was the first
time ever for me. I had no historical baggage and every achievement seemed
a new summit.
But when one becomes good at something, becoming
better is always difficult. So, after becoming a Grandmaster, I was not sure
what my next goal was.
In fact, my performance dipped for a while.
I was actually trying to adapt my game to a new set of rivals. And as always,
change is rarely charitable at first. But in a few years, I was able to change
and the initial dip was useful for it helped me to move ahead.
As India emerges as the number one knowledge
process destination of the world, to remain a leader, we have to constantly
better ourselves.
By delivering quality, we can change cheap
for excellence. In a book on India, I came across a phrase which struck me
a lot. It said:"Indians are like a chest of drawers. Each drawer is an
exclusive set of beliefs and does not interfere with the rest. We can fit
in most workstyles without rubbing off the Indianness in us."
In every field, the idea is not to think local
but Glocal. Take chess for example. In the 80's, Indian players were only
keen on beating each other.
They set their sights low for they thought
the world title was a mirage. But in the 90's they saw that becoming a Grandmaster
was not so difficult.
Now we have Grandmasters even at 13. Baptism
by fire is sometimes the surest way to move into the big league. It's a lesson
that one never stops learning. Both in business and sports. You have to work
very hard to stay ahead.
Sometimes you may play a move which may not
look like a winning one at that point of time, but knowing you have seen more
than your opponent means you have a winner on your hands. And that is what
matters most.
The author is a chess Grandmaster.
