Finding NaMo

Today, we embarked on our first and only full day in Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat.  Our day was packed with four meetings with politicians, an academic, and a boutique hotel owner. 

After another tasty complimentary buffet breakfast, we headed out on our new coach bus, complete with a new business associate/tour guide.  He attempted to give us (but mostly Rachel) a description of the city around us, which was often incomprehensible through the muffled microphone and language barrier.  We did see some gorgeous temples and government buildings of all styles.

The journey to our first meeting provided a stark contrast to our time in Mumbai.  The roads were smooth and wide, were lined with beautiful trees and gardens, and were largely litter-free.  As Ayushi observed, “I can rest my head on the bus window without getting a concussion.”

We quickly (!) arrived at the state government building for our first meeting.  Here, we were ushered into a “VIP Waiting Room” (making us feel far too important) to wait for Balvantsinh Rajput, the Congress Party Whip and MLA of Sidhpur.  Like a true politician, he arrived 30 minutes late but was patient with our questions.  As we discussed issues surrounding taxes, infrastructure, and corruption, his answers clearly had socialist undertones (as expected from the Congress Party).  His policy priorities focused primarily on wealth redistribution and welfare programs, which differed sharply from the pleas of the business community back in Mumbai.  When asked whether Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat and potential Prime Minister in 2014, was responsible in Gujarat’s success, Rajput gave a firm “no,”; the disagreement between Congress and BJP was evident.

After the meeting, we were sent to the “VIP Dining Room” for a private buffet lunch (thank you Indian tax payers – all 20 million of you).  The cuisine was slightly different, and far spicier, than that found back in Mumbai; we all appreciated the change of flavor.  After eating, we spotted some monkeys on a roof across the street, much to everyone’s enjoyment.  And most importantly, we discovered that we had been invited to Rajput’s son’s wedding reception tomorrow night, which was taking place on the field out behind the government building.  Much to our dismay, we had to pass due to travel constraints.

From there, we headed to our next meeting with Errol D’souza, an economics professor at the acclaimed India Institute of Management.  This served to be one of the more helpful meetings of our trip, as the professor thoughtfully outlined the major problems facing India today.  In his view, our reform should focus on four major areas:  power generation, education reform, tax reform, and judicial reform.  Since judicial cases take an average of 7 to 8 years to complete, D’souza quipped, “You should never get in the hands of two things in India.  You should never get in the hands of a heart surgeon or the judicial system.  In both cases, your chance of living is very low.”

After, we met with a former member of Modi’s cabinet, who served as the Minister of Sewage and Water and the Minister of Health and Drug Administration, among other public roles.  While we didn’t garner much information on the policy front, we did learn that Gujarat has some of the highest blood and organ donations per capita in the entire world! 

Finally, we sped off to meet Abhay Mangaldas, the CEO of The House of Mangaldas Girdhardas, for our last meeting.  The discussion ended up being more social than informative, but was a nice break from the busy day.  The biggest takeaway was the fact that Abhay started the hotel business almost without a hitch, which was far different than Greg’s corruption-filled brew pub experience back in Mumbai.  Gujarat has truly tackled its red tape issues, and Modi’s best accomplishment is that he has simply gotten out of the way.

The meeting was at the House of MG itself, which a stunning, refurbished manor home.  The House of MG is a “heritage hotel” and is entirely decorated and furnished with items from local artisans.  We also spent some time on the rooftop garden, featuring real, green grass and views of the city.  Some of us also found some quaint Christmas gifts at the artisan shop in the lobby. 

We all retired early after the busy day.  Tomorrow, we’re meeting with the Self Employed Women’s Association in the morning, will play tourist at Gandhi’s Ashram in the afternoon, and will then head off to the overnight train in the evening.