Charlie Rose Science Series
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Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America
by Thomas L. Friedman
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by Thomas L. Friedman
Buy it
05/17/2007
Azim Premji
A conversation with Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro
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A conversation with Azim Premji, the chairman of Wipro, one of India's larest technology companies.
DVD
Charlie Rose DVDs on Amazon.
Charlie Rose DVDs on Amazon.
Audio
Audio available through Audible.com.
Audio available through Audible.com.
Transcripts
Transcripts available through Voxant.
Transcripts available through Voxant.
Charlie, great interview. Very informative and the questions were right on the dot! 2 thumbs up!!
Without question a good interview, good questions & good responses. India is going places - but as an Indian (and in response also to some of the comments here), we ABSOLUTELY understand where we stand in terms of society & infrastructure, and realize we have a ways to go there. America & the West can teach India a lot of things, and I can tell you they are, and we are learning fast. Doing so without leaving the 'Indianness' is the challenge!
Azim Premji is a genius.
The interviewer is appearing ill informed and very rude. not to take cover as an 'American Attitude'. Overall Azim Premji handled the interview well. Questions on job displacement is being asked for the second time in 2 years.
Certainly, India is on the threshold of becoming a super power. Their investments on good primary education not only maths but also english is paying off.
I found your guest (the British journalist whose name I have forgotten) very arrogant and not very well informed. For instance,when you expressed your doubts about the possibility that the young English prince would go to Iraq, your guest was absolutely certain that he would be going in spite of the possible danger to himself and to others. Shortly after I watched your program, the announcement was made that the prince would not go.
I lived in India for six months doing non-business activities but i got to know botth modern and classical indian society quite well so i have the knowledge to give advice to anybody who has business interests at India or just a job there. Vered Lieb is correct - connections are important in India - the main thing and the modus operandi for all society as it stands right now. Along with it Corruption, booze and so worth are everywhere on state level, on the banking level and so forth but there is also a very strong way to avoid corruption. Instead of standing on connections one makes profesionaly and are to be made anyhow without any effort - one can establish what I call a "good lineage". Good lineage is a network of honest profesional people who you meet there and there and to combine these contacts with awareness. The fact is that these kind of people are rare in the darkness. It is easy to get by these days in India if you have just on your mobile/cell phone a list of up to 21 various people you personally trust on your contact list and go from there - knowing that whenever in trouble that there is somebody local and reliable to help you out. Why do you need this? Because you will never in all probablity have the time to figure out the local culture and the way to do things on the srteets and inside the office. A second good filter is to avoid anyone with all to fundamentalist hindu beliefs - or hindutvas - they are soooo corrupt it is beyond belief. Kind a like a recently passed semi-religious figure in america. In fact the second advice is better than the first, but they both are effective. Take care
After working for one of the largest companies in India for over a year, I was somewhat disapointed by this interview. India is indeed advancing on many technical fronts, however, the society and infrastructure lag considerably behind. Some might say" What infrastructure." There are many difficulties in carrying on business in India as Americans and Westerners. The indian business community functions on hand shakes, and there is a lack of understanding in what we call " Best Practises." Some of this is a vestige of the colonialism that haunts the Indian persona, on one hand friendly yet quick to take umbrage. There is reason for concern as to how to do business with India and how to monitor the quality of products, escpecially in regards to pharmaceuticals and biologics. You asked what India has to teach America, but neglected what we have to teach them. So often you seem "star struck" and forget that in some areas we still lead the world and have nothing to be ashamed about in doing so.
I'm glad that he mentioned the forcing of math learning in the school. I certainly remember those days and nights where we were forced to learn irrevalant math formulas without knowing what are they for! However I got to learn them after I came here to study engineering and I flunked and switched to liberal arts when I figured out finally what is the point of learing math and other things...
Excellent example of globalization's face.