Day 6: Delhi

January 2nd… day after New Years Day… everyone is still… tired. Technically, as I write this right now, it’s day seven of our trip and my brain is still warming up, so I’m going to just jump right into a quick overview of the meetings we had. The theme for the day’s meetings was the Indian bureaucratic system and those that have been able to successfully navigate it.

First was the CEO of TV 18, which is one of the premier broadcasting networks in India, also the CNN and CNBC franchisee in this country. They also are diving into the internet space, and see themselves as becoming more of a content provider and developer as opposed to serving a role solely as a broadcaster. I found that one of the more interesting perspectives he shared was on the fact that the reported internet penetration numbers of around 5% are actually somewhat misleading, because you have a population that is actually very technology savvy (especially the more than half of the population that is under the age of 25 and the more than 150 million users of mobile telephony). He believes that the main factor holding this back in India is infrastructure, and that once the country is equipped with more broadband access, penetration will skyrocket in the same way that mobile telephony did.

CEO of TV 18

Our second meeting of the day was with Dr. Kiran Bedi, one of the more well known and influential women in India today. Not only has she served as a huge role model for a great many Indian women, but also for a particular member of our group. Chiatra was practically giddy over meeting this woman who she spent much of her life looking up to. Dr. Bedi is most well known for her work in reforming the brutally overcrowded and corrupt Tihar prison, focusing on rehabilitation rather than discipline within. She struck us all as a very powerful, very confident woman, certain of both herself and her path in life.

Walking with Dr. Kiran Bedi (4th from left)

Drs Mo and Bedi

Day six concluded with a meeting with a Mr. E. Sreedharan. Mr. Sreedharan, currently leading the Delhi Metro initiative, was an incredible example of a thoughtful and experienced project administrator who, both because of his philosophy and because of his incredible reputation, seems uniquely able to cut through the miles of red tape which hinders the Indian public sector. Amazingly, he has been able to deliver all of his projects, from the Konkan Railway (a modern technological marvel) to the Delhi Metro itself, on time and on budget. Though he has tried to retire three times already, the Indian government continues to beg service of him, and he has, so far, continued to respond to his country’s need, making him not only an incredible leader and project manager, but an incredible civil servant as well.

Introducing the group to Mr. E. Sreedharan

The evening of our sixth day was a celebration indeed, for our dear and fearless leader “Old Man” Prashant Tandon turned a staggering 27 years old. Well, technically he doesn’t turn 27 until around 4 in the morning on day 7, but with a flight to Bangalore scheduled for the following evening, it seemed the best time to celebrate such an auspicious occasion was the preceding evening. The whole group had dinner at a hookah lounge (where the wait staff aggressively tried to take advantage of our good spirits with a somewhat loose adherence to the menu prices) and was joined by Prashant’s parents and a few other family members, as well as Nishant Mittal’s family as well.

Celebrating Prashant's 27th birthday

Later the evening led to a club where the celebration continued, mostly in the form of impressive displays of dancing, set to a mix of loud electronic music.