The Hindu Business Line : Italian lessons for India on how to grow cluster-power

CAN India become an economic powerhouse of the twenty-first century? This is the question that George B. Assaf seeks to answer in Too Many with Too Little", published by Konark Publishers P Ltd (konarkpublishers@hotmail.com).

The book discusses how our industry can increase productivity, what needs to be done to remove poverty and why small-scale sector is important. A chapter titled `Can India match China?' says that Kerala can take a cue from China and tap investments from non-resident Keralites (NRKs). A caveat, however, is that the State has to "shake off its ideological baggage." Another chapter is on clusters and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Tirupur is a hosiery cluster, similar to the surgical instruments cluster of Sialkot in Pakistan and the footwear cluster of the Sinos Valley in Brazil. Interestingly, "positive growth in over-achiever clusters has been led by the private sector. Government assistance to them came much later."

Don't underestimate clusters. "The township of Panipat, in Haryana, produces 75 per cent of the total blankets produced in the country. Agra produces 1,50,000 shoes daily. Ludhiana produces 95 per cent of the country's woollen knitwear and 85 per cent of the country's bicycles and bicycle parts." To get people to cluster, take them on a tour to Italy, Assaf would suggest. No jokes, because in Italy, SMEs account for over 40 per cent of GDP and are called the `spine' of the economy.

A book that economists may ignore at their peril.

Dead at 20 and buried at 80!

IN Discover Your Destiny with the Monk who sold his Ferrari, published by Jaico Books (www.jaicobooks.com), Robin Sharma talks about a presentation where the speaker had said something that changed the course of the author's life: "Most people don't discover how to live until it's time to die — and that's a shame. Most people spend the best years of their lives watching television in a subdivision. Most people die at twenty and are buried at eighty. Please, don't let that happen to you."

Elsewhere in the book, you'd read: "There are lots of blanks we have the power to fill in and lots of dots to connect." See if you can connect to this: "Most people live as if they have all the time in the world. They wish they had more time in their days and yet they waste the time they have... Some of the people on the planet who will wake up today will be dead by the time the sun sets. Most of them will not imagine that such a thing is about to happen to them. They had all these great plans for when the time was right. No one ever plans to die." A book to be discovered.

Move from dream to reason to dream

RAJESH Jain FCA runs a monthly magazine `Roots `n Wings' that is read by `top business families and senior executives', announces the back cover of his new book Gods are Meeting & You are invited, published by Janus Advisory Services (info@fambizindia.com).

It's about thinking like a winner, so I am curious as to what an accountant has to say on the subject. The book has inspiring quotes, tips and discussions on a variety of topics. "To succeed, we need to be both rational and emotional," Jain writes. "Dreams are not a product of rationality, but rationality is the tool to test the validity of dreams." So, move from passion to logic after waking up from a dream.

Don't stay too long in the rational state, because that's again a problem giving rise to too many doubts. "Once a dream has been logically validated, move back to the emotional state," to add the fuel of passion to your work. Else, you can't preserve your dreams and persist with them. I wish the ICAI invited Jain for its meeting!

Interview is a meeting of equals

FACE-TO-FACE is inevitable in most job hunts. To succeed, here is Winning at Interviews by Edgar and Showick Thorpe, published by Pearson Education (www.pearsoned.co.in). The book "allows you to learn how to masterfully handle the panic-attack provoking interviews and make you understand how to dramatically increase your odds of winning at the interviews." Also, it describes the interview procedure adopted by exam bodies such as the UPSC, SSC, MBA institutes and so on. Here are some don'ts on the day of the interview: Don't oversleep and get up late; nor study late in the night before the interview. "A full night's sleep is a must to be fit and fresh." Don't eat an exceptionally heavy breakfast on the day of your interview. Now, some dos for the i-day: Read the day's newspapers and note important headlines. Catch up with the latest news bulletin. Get ready a little before time and try reaching the venue at least half an hour early. Read company materials while you wait. Let your handshake be firm. Listen; use body language to show interest. During the interview, remember to be comfortable and relaxed. "You have no reason to suffer from an inferiority complex. You want to be selected and the interviewers before you have the task of finding a suitable candidate. Therefore, you must meet as equals." A book you can read on the job too, to prepare for the next interview.

Enjoy interacting with the media

AFRAID of journalists? Face the Media, Judith Byrne advises in the book published by UBSPD (www.ubspd.com). It is `the complete guide to getting publicity and handling media opportunities,' so that you can make media appearance as part of your competence. If you're on an interview for a live or recorded programme don't drone at length. "Don't fidget with pens or hands, or in your seat." Use all the Es, exhorts Byrne: "Earlier the better — to get in the important points. Essential information only. Educate your audience: they may not be specialist. Economise with words — short and pithy please. Easy relaxed manner makes people listen. And, most important, enjoy it — not many people get the same opportunity!"

Tailpiece

"I think CA exams are like the Olympics."

"Because they give medals?"

"No, because participation is more important than winning."

ReadingRoom@TheHindu.co.in

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