A few years ago the rules were different. If you could do something, you did it. If you couldn’t, you shut up. The game changed somewhat later and the mantra changed from ‘do it if you can’ to ‘outsource if you can’t’.

Ever since the Ramalinga Rajus of the world convinced their US Clients that if they could work from across the street, they could work from across the continents…the whole employment scenario changed. The clock dictated the rules and the dollar rate kept the clock ticking.

Simultaneously the statesmen of the world took off from where the International Arbitrators had left after the Second World War and started appointing ‘foreigners’ to solve ‘domestic’ problems. This was done to cash in on Management Bandwidth and also to bring a sense of fair play and unbiased behavior into the whole equation.

Not to be left behind the Cricket Administration of the World introduced the concept of the Neutral Umpire. And teams began to hire opposing team veterans to train them to take the other countries or teams on. So you had Australian coaches for the Indian team and Indian coaches for Srilanka and so on.

Obviously Football had showed them all the way, as had Basketball.

In the world of business too, where for long the family tree had ruled, more and more companies began to look for outside talent to steer the companies they ran into better, even if uncharted paths.

The Coke/Pepsi wars, the US/Japan automobile chapters, the Apple/Windows imbroglio…all had outsiders playing pivotal roles and we saw for the first time Founders of companies not floundering when it came to handing over the reigns of their companies to rank outsiders.

Yes. Outsourcing has worked. There is no doubt about that.

This brings me to a peculiar situation in the Indian Political Scenario just now. The Ruling Party has run out of steam and run out of leaders. Their mute Puppet on a String is on his last lap.

The Opposition who also has an octogenarian frontline dug deep into its pockets but could only come up with a loud mouthed bit of loose change.

The Regional Parties are so busy designing their own statues or building up an offspring driven Pension Fund that they are of no relevance at the Centre except when it comes to the sale of votes.

So what do we do in such a situation? Do we let the dumb masses be driven into giving a teddy bear a chance to ruin the nation instead of running it? Or do we blind ourselves to the pyromaniac who let a generation burn?

I think, the answer my friend, is blowing in the wind…

Dear India, have you considered outsourcing the Prime Minister’s job to a foreigner? Someone who has the strength of character and the depth of wealth to be corruption proof? Someone who has a management background…someone say like Warren Buffet?

What did you think? That I was building up a case for Sonia Gandhi?

Seriously…think about it. It may not be as bad as an idea as it looks at first glance. Remember, we had tried this a few years back when we allowed the Queen of England to rule our country…

and from all accounts, things were much better then than now!!!