| BOOK REVIEW | | | | economies reshaping and casting trade relations in a |
| | | | | new mould. |
| RISING ELEPHANT - The Growing Clash With India | | | | |
| Over White-Collar Jobs And Its Challenge To America | | | | An inescapable result of this relocation, according |
| And The World | | | | to the author, can be the leveling down of vast |
| By Ashutosh Sheshabalaya, Macmillan India Ltd , | | | | global differences in incomes and living standards. |
| 2005, Rs. 275 | | | | There could be reduction of differences in wages and |
| | | | | costs of living accompanied with structural changes in |
| This book is not for the doubting Thomases who | | | | trade flows, terms of trade and currency values. He |
| habitually disbelieve ‘India Shining' prognosis and | | | | believes that the 250-300 million strong Indian middle |
| hesitate to accept its steady rise to super power | | | | class of today is bound to act as the driver of India's |
| status in future. It is a book for those who repose | | | | giant technological leap as also the social and political |
| faith in India's destiny and who agree with British | | | | empowerment of its people through improved living |
| Viceroy Lord Curzon's remark that India, like China, | | | | standards and modern lifestyles. |
| has over 5000-year old long history and has left a | | | | |
| deeper mark upon the history, the philosophy and | | | | |
| the religion of mankind than any other terrestrial unit | | | | Eulogizing India's rapid take off from a |
| in the universe. | | | | developing economy to a transforming |
| | | | | economystage, the author marshals an array of |
| Even though India in the past remained in | | | | achievements like positioning of remote |
| historical eclipse for many centuries due to external | | | | sensingsatellites for accelerating the communications |
| aggression and political subjugation, it succeeded in | | | | revolution, expanding high speed broadbandnetwork |
| preserving its undying spirit of adventure and search | | | | giving real time linkage to thousands of administrative |
| for knowledge in diverse fields; and it can now take | | | | centers, the introduction ofe-governance services, |
| pride not only in its past glory but also in the present | | | | the launching of world's first dedicated telemedicine |
| day challenge posed by it to America and the World | | | | satellite, theinternet enabled touch screen kiosks in |
| over the exodus and relocation of I. T. related | | | | rural heartlands, and the global model for |
| white-collar jobs.. Globalization has increasingly | | | | prisonreform for women inmates of Tihar Jail. India is |
| benefited India as a recipient of outsourced jobs and | | | | certainly shining and the effects of boomare |
| China too which saw a relocation of manufacturing | | | | permeating deep into the economy. The author |
| jobs from USA to its territory. | | | | quotes a reporter who says, |
| | | | | "Indian consumers, irrespective of their |
| According to the author, displacement of jobs | | | | socio-economic origin, are suddenlyon a |
| from one country to another as a result of | | | | self-appeasement mission, where greed is good and |
| globalization is a welcome portend. For India, it | | | | hence so is consumption". |
| signifies a move towards restoration of its national | | | | The Indian middle class is really undergoing a surge in |
| identity and its historical status as a cradle of great | | | | conspicuous consumption. |
| civilization. It had an outstanding educational system | | | | |
| exemplified by Nalanda and Taxshila. It made an | | | | India can become a possible model for |
| original contribution to mathematics and astronomy | | | | beneficial globalization. Its experience with technology |
| symbolized by Aryabhatta and Brahmagupta, to | | | | led empowerment and the tested tools of |
| grammar as epitomized by Panini who compiled 4000 | | | | implementation can prove helpful to many developing |
| rules and metarules of Sanskrit to become the | | | | countries. "Indeed, such uniquely new social /high |
| forerunner of modern theory of computer | | | | technology paradigms may very well mean that the |
| languages, and to diverse fields like medicine, | | | | elephant is sitting on a New Third World Thing". |
| architecture, agriculture and fashion among others. | | | | |
| | | | | The book contains eight chapters; the last one |
| The author underlines the great significance of | | | | entitled, ‘Preparing America for the New Age of |
| relocation of while collar technology jobs out of the | | | | Globalization' is devoted to suggestions to contain the |
| west as a powerful undercurrent in the present day | | | | effects of relocation process. According to the |
| globalizing world by quoting an American consulting | | | | author, think global and act futuristically should be the |
| firm's forecast that continuation of this process may | | | | guiding principle. |
| lead to a transfer of 3.3 million American jobs | | | | |
| overseas by 2015. What should be of great concern | | | | Rising Elephant is an immensely readable book, |
| to the Western economies is that the shifts will be | | | | replete with a deluge of references and notes |
| taking place at the higher ends of the skill spectrum. | | | | (pp.275-310) and an exhaustive index. The author's |
| Offshore outsourcing of jobs in engineering, | | | | powerful diction and an uncanny caliber to highlight |
| value-added manufacturing and information | | | | the essentials back of events are really laudable. He |
| technology may lead to a downturn in employment | | | | hugely succeeds in removing many out of date |
| levels in West and also an erosion of capacities in | | | | perceptions about our country and strengthens our |
| leading edge technologies. It may concurrently cause | | | | pride in India's compulsive role in a world which it has |
| a great upswing in the Indian and the Chinese | | | | begun to reshape. |