Thomas Friedman and Nandan Nilekani bring wisdom and humour to the table as they discuss the ideas that inspired their books
Thomas Friedman and Nandan Nilekani bring wisdom and humour to the table as they discuss the ideas that inspired their books
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Beyond imagination: Thomas Friedman and Nandan Nilekani |
Thomas Friedman, the American writer who believes globalisation has made the world flat, has a teenage daughter who learns Bollywood dance in New York.
That revelation was among the many the New York Times columnist offered as he addressed a 250-strong audience at the Taj on Monday. Another was that the more the oil in a country, the less its intellectual energy.
"People in countries without oil reserves dig into themselves for energy, and that energy is inexhaustible," he said.
Friedman suggested local ideas could go global faster in a world where opportunities had become equal. He mentioned his daughter's fondness for Bollywood dance in that context. In his view, economic liberalisation and broadband Internet are among the main factors driving globalisation.
Called 'Imagining India in a Hot, Flat, Crowded World,' the event was an exchange of ideas between Friedman and Nandan Nilekani, Infosys chairman and author of a just-released book on India. Nilekani's debut book is called 'Imagining India', while Friedman's latest is called 'Hot, Flat and Crowded'.
Barkha Dutt of NDTV moderated the discussion, which had its moments of inspiration, humour and repartee.
"They failed because of real estate," said Nilekani, when she asked if the Satyam scam represented the decline of the new economy.
He said scams such as Satyam were events, and not trends. Overall, he said, he was optimistic for India, which would, in 30 years, have the world's largest population of young people, and an opportunity to swing things in the country's favour. "And in any case, India does not have a monopoly on scams," he joked.
Friedman argued the case for a green world, and said it was important for nations such as America and India to combat global warming.
He said people attributed his optimism to his short stature. "You can only see the glass till it is half full," he was told by a distinguished general he was once interviewing.
When someone in the audience asked Nilekani why he was reluctant to get into politics, he remarked, "I'll win an election if it's held at the Taj." The audience laughed at the appropriate places, as the tongue-in-cheek host had requested them to before the event began, but the laughter was genuine.
Together, the two authors had the audience engrossed in a debate about the future of their two countries, and the world. They autographed copies of their books after the event.
