Why Bangalore hates the IT culture

The last publication that i expected to come up with such a one-sided story on Bangalore's "IT Culture" was Outlook. I guess they figured that the cover pic of two smart looking women with cigarettes in hand and the word "IT " and "hate" would help them sell a few thousand copies more. Or did their marketing department figure out that they needed to reach out to "Males aged 45+ in Bangalore" to add a few hundreds more to their circulation in Bangalore? Or was it pandering to the invertibrae family in Karnataka's politics who could be expected to spout the same language in their political speeches to the impoverished rural cousins?

Since when did the government start expecting the private sector to build roads, maintain law and order andin general expect to provide basic infrastructure apart from obviously providing employment to a few hundred thousands and making profits? The very nature of the private sector is to generate profits. A few organisations fulfil their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in ways that they deem fit. It is fair that an organisation be judged not only by the profits that it generates but also by its contribution to society. Some perform better than the others in this weighted measure. The role of the private sector is to generate employment, create and share wealth, earn revenues, pay taxes and raise theoverall standard of living. The much reviled IT companies in Bangalore (or elsewhere) do all this and much more.

It is the responsibility of the government to provide basic infrastructure, facilitate the industry ( public sector or private) and provide good governance. Governments in the recent past have abdicated these basic responsibilities and this reflects in the abysmal quality of living in urban India. Since most of us do not experience living in rural India real-time, I am not even venturing into commenting on the quality of living there. As a citizen who pays taxes month on month, am I not entitled to motorable roads, getting from Point A to Point B with minimum of fuss? Am i not entitled to a decent public transport system instead of being at the mercy of auto-rickshaws? Am i not entitled to a steady supply of power rather than being treated to frequent power cuts? Am i not entitled to clean drinking water? Am i not entitled to being treated with respect when i visit Government offices? Am i not entitled to get my driver's license without waiting for a whole day in unsheltered RTOs? Am i not entitled to bus shelters, rather than being left at the mercy of nature? Wake up, my Government, wake up! Do your job and see how Corporate India responds.

Prominent denizens of the IT industry have attempted to participate in improvong civic conditions in Bangalore City. Remember the Nirmala Bangalore and its swank public toilets? Remember Janaagraha and the citizen's involvement in local municipality affairs and accounts? Remember one Mr. Narayana Moorthy's who participated in the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) project and how he was unceremoniously forced to resign? Interestingly the project is set to be completed on schedule (such a rarity!). But the Government has obviously been caught napping and did not expect the project to be completed without at least a year's delay like all other projects. So we now dont have roads to reach the airport! The icing on the cake is the plan to run a chopper service from the old airport to the new airport! This will probably create history of sorts. My government, do you similarly expect me to fly on a chopper from my home to office?

It is unfair on the majority of the population if the cost of living shoots up because a few thousands bring home dollars or earn in millions. Its good when you are a part of the party and not so great when you have to watch from outside. Visible disparities in income lead to uneven standards of living and can emotionally wreck the people outside the growth path and even lead to law and order problems ( as is evident by the rise of the mob culture). It is the equal responsibility of the employees of the IT industry to spend responsibly with due respect to those who are not as economically gifted as they are and the government that has to provide for the less priviliged.

This is also a clarion call for IT companies & its employees to fulfil their social responsibilities in a far more visible manner. Schools, maintenance of public spaces, start foundations like the Rockfeller foundation or the Bill Gates & Melinda Gates foundation, build museums & libraries. Our head is held high because of the IT industry. We will appreciate your work far more if we see visible and tangible proof of your CSR efforts.