VT’s blog

Guptaji is my friendly neighbourhood property dealer.  I had told you earlier too, he passed his matriculation Examination with much difficulty- in three attempts.

Lately, his business is not going exactly great guns and he blames it on the increase in the home loan rates. Housing is a distant dream for most of us. Now it is official, the hoi polloi will soon become pavement dwellers. (Oh Pavement Freud, my friend, I always knew you had arrived.)

Coming back to Guptaji, poor chap, what business does a property dealer have if no one can afford any goddamn property? You know, the supply and the demand and all that.

The other day, Guptaji invited me for discussing some serious business plans. He said he needed a literate man to discuss his plans. I love it when Guptaji uses the word literate as a synonym to the word educated. I assume he means the latter when he calls me literate.

Guptaji informed me about his plans to diversify his business.

He said, "VTji, I have acquired half an acre of land near Jaipur Highway and I am thinking of getting into the Education Business."

I said, "Yes, Guptaji, that's a bloody great idea. There is a hell lot of money to be made in two fields in India- Education and Healthcare. The more expensive and exclusive, the better! Every Tom, Dick and Guptaji who has a couple of acres to spare is opening a School or a Hospital these days."

"Yes, VTji, that is why I want to talk to literate people like you. I know there is great money to be made in the business of education. It will make me happy to think that I am doing some social service." He sounded a bit smug as he said that.

He continued, "I talked to some other highly literate people, even they tell me that I should start a School. I will call it GIS: Guptaji International School."

"Wow. Guptaji International School, what a name! Sounds too cool, man. But why do you add that 'International' to the name?"

"I don't know VTji. Now everyone in our colony goes to an International school isn't it? I think it is the next big thing."

"I guess so. I have no idea what a real International school is supposed to be." I confessed.

He carried on, "I will invest a couple of crores and make a few class rooms and make sure they are all the class rooms are Air Conditioned. I will need help from literate people like you to write advertisements about my great school. I will print those ads in newspaper supplements and also ask the cable guy to flash those ads on TV"

"Oh yes, Guptaji.  Ads do work wonders in such matters. Make sure you mention that the school provides 'Modern Education based on traditional Indian values', it has 'state of the art' computer stuff and yoga classes too. Do mention that the school building is Vaastu compliant ' those are good points to attract customers."

Guptaji was really excited by this time and I loved those twinkling eyes, "Customers? You mean students, right? I will not make any playgrounds. It is harmful to children if they move out of AC rooms. Instead of playgrounds, we will have PlayStations along with the computers. Good schools do not have playgrounds."

"You are right." I agreed.

"I know." Now, Guptaji was beginning to get real dreamy eyed and went on to describe his grand vision. "You know VTji, I have great dreams of becoming a some kind of a pioneer in the Education Business. My ultimate dream is to open GIT: Guptaji Institute of Technology, GIMS: Guptaji Institute of Management Sciences and ultimately a GU: Guptaji University."

"Wow!!!! This is what I call a goddamn vision, Guptaji."

"Yes! But first things first, I need to get ahead with the GIS. I am starting with a play school or something. Later I could make it full fledged school. All my plans are in place."  

"Great, Guptaji! One minor question, what about the quality of teaching and the teachers?"

"Oh that. That's a minor problem, really. I will find some real needy ones. They should not cost me more than 4 thousand rupees a month- that is not even the amount I will collect as monthly tuition fees from each student."

Two holy cows of yesteryears have been experiencing a free fall from grace in the recent past.

Teachers and Doctors. 
 

These two hallowed professions are losing their respect faster than one would like to believe. 

I am all for privatization and entrepreneurship, but these are two possible (probably the only two) areas where we need strong control - strict government control.  Rest of the industry should be left to take care of itself (as long as they pay their taxes and don't meddle with the environment).

Industry - that's what education and healthcare must not become and that is what it has become.

Greedy doctors in private clinics and nursing homes perform operations at the drop of a hat. It's been really long I heard any of the women I know having a "normal" child delivery. Most newborns land up in incubators, when they should be in their mother's laps. Medical Tourism is the only thing that seems to interest medicos now.

More and more (private) schools and colleges spring up all the time. Education has become a service industry. Customer satisfaction is what cater to. What you get in return? AC class rooms? AC school buses? Schools with 10 X 10 feet "play grounds". Children who get to play soccer only on computer screens?

Semi educated, bored housewives (the MA, B.Ed types) are the easy prey to be caught and made into teachers. Poor things, their salary never crosses the ten thousand mark. (I know, I know all housewives are not Semi educated and bored).

Monthly fees from 3 kids = salary of one teacher. Throw pea nuts, get monkeys.

Running a school or a hospital is big business.

"Greed is good" for the industry, except these two. They are not supposed to be Industry to begin with.