A Case Of Reverse Imperialism from India – by Forbes

Beware India’s manifest destiny.

 Though still labeled an emerging market, one could argue that the Indian economy has already emerged. According to Forbes’ list of international billionaires, four of the top 10 are Indian. And with an annualized five-year total return of 42.2%, Forbes ranked India second after Brazil in its assessment of the growth of the world’s largest public companies. The U.K., with a growth percentage of 17.1%, and the U.S., with 11.1%, occupy two of the last three spots on that list. The balance of power is starting to shift.

 This discrepancy is understandable given the context; it is more difficult for established companies in the U.S. and U.K. to grow as quickly as those expanding from nothing, as is the case for start-up companies in India. Nevertheless, these figures highlight an important trend. As the Indian economy continues to spread its wings, its companies are turning to new international markets.

 Could this be the beginning of a reverse imperialism?

 During the 18th century, the British first annexed and then colonized India, seeking to exploit the subcontinent’s vast natural resources and to expand trade. Tea became an important commodity and came to symbolize British colonial rule.

 How times have changed.

 In 2000, Tata Tea–a member of India’s Tata Group conglomerate of 27 publicly listed companies–bought Tetley, the U.K.’s largest tea company. Tata Tea now represents the second largest tea manufacturer in the world by volume, surpassed only by London- and Rotterdam-based Unilever.

 What is driving India’s expansion? “Unlike China where companies are state- and government-led, in India, it is people’s own money,” says Tarun Khanna, a professor at Harvard Business School and author of Billions of Entrepreneurs: How China and India Are Reshaping Their Futures and Yours.

 In March, another subsidiary of the Tata Group, Tata Motors (nyse: TTM – news – people ), acquired Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford Motor (nyse: F – news – people ) for $2.3 billion. It’s another example of originally-British brands being scooped up by an old colonial friend. While the two brands will continue to follow their own business plans, Tata Motors hopes they will boost the company’s ability to be a “meaningful player in the global market,” says Debasis Ray, head of corporate communications at Tata Motors.

 The company recently unveiled its Nano model in New Delhi. Touted as “the people’s car,” the small four-seater with a price tag of $2,500 is said to be the least expensive car in the world.

 The monetary muscle behind the quest for new horizons is fuelled by a cheap domestic labor market and Indian companies’ high price-to-earnings ratios, according to Khanna. Smaller Indian companies can more easily collaborate with bigger counterparts in other markets–even those in other former colonies.

 Last week India’s biggest telecom, Bharti Airtel, called off merger talks with South Africa’s largest provider of cellphone service, MTN Group, citing disagreements over the terms of the deal. Reliance Communications, India’s second-largest telecom, subsequently announced it was entering talks with the South African company. A resulting MTN-Reliance merger would result in over 100 million customers, a larger network than AT&T.

 The shared colonial past, actually, is an advantage. The British Empire, Khanna believes, created a legacy whose repercussions are felt in India and in Africa’s eastern and southern regions. “Imperialism is laying the seeds of global chess, with Indian companies naturally capitalizing on their shared history,” he says.

 Perhaps other nations should prepare for a new breed of imperialism. This time, we will be pouring the tea.

 Courtesy:- Forbes

Why kids in families from India doing well in Spelling Bee

In 1993, a group of influential Indian-Americans noticed that children of immigrants from India were doing very well in the math section of the SAT, but finishing only average in the verbal category. They wanted to fix that. And one came up with this idea: Hold spelling bees.

“Spelling is the foundation of the language,” said Ratnam Chitturi, founder and president of what’s called, the North South Foundation.

The organization, which was created to give scholarships to poor Indians, soon began sponsoring spelling bees for Indian children. It began doing so all over the United States.

And lo and behold…

This year, the top four finishers in the Scripps National Spelling Bee were youths of Indian descent, including Anurag Kashyap of Poway, the winner.

While Anurag apparently did not take part in North South Foundation spelling contests, it’s clear that the organization has made spelling a focus for children who have roots in India and that the results have been nothing short of stunning.

This year’s second-place finisher, Samir Patel, took part in North South Foundation’s spelling bees.

The 2003 winner, Sai Gunturi, also participated in the organization’s contests.

Youths who have ties to India have won the national spelling bee three times in the past four years.

And the North South Foundation, which also holds vocabulary and math contests for these children, normally can claim one of its own as a top finisher.

“For years, we’ve had a kid going pretty high,” said Chitturi, who lives in Chicago.

The idea for the bees came from Murali Gavini, a longtime member of the North South Foundation, who wanted to give children of Indian descent a better chance to get into top schools. Even if they tested well in math, they could lose out if their verbal skills were weak.

Within a few years, early participants were making their mark in the national spelling contest.

But this success by Indian children in spelling bees has other factors, too.

Education is a big part of the Indian culture. It comes first, said many local Indians who were interviewed yesterday at San Diego’s Little India in Mira Mesa.

Secondly, the Indians who come to America are among the best and brightest in academics. They’re smart. They’re focused. And that rubs off on their children.

“The people who come here are well-educated,” said Anand Ramadurai, 33, a computer-chip designer.

Indeed, a random number of folks from India interviewed yesterday included a software engineer, two pharmacists and a computer programmer. Many noted they came to this country for its education resources.

“Parents place so much importance on education,” said Prajakt Kulkar, 28, an engineer.

“They don’t allow for other things.”

Another factor may be the way India children have been schooled over the generations. According to an article in Language in India - a monthly online journal – memorization and recitation are big components in the education process.