It’s been five days since I’ve arrived in the state of Tamilnadu in this Indian federation. Four days and not a single article on the Pentablog. Amazing isn’t it? I will simply say, for convenience, that our schedule does not leave me much time. But I would not be totally honest! No, this India of so many savors and flavors, with such violent contrasts, the constant monsoons, this India is giving me no respite, and spreads before me so many pitfalls that I am having a difficult time to form a clear picture.

Is there only one India which regroups all these universities, which, like the one in Chennai, that Alexandra and I visited which is sending its own satellite into space, the same one which is defining an ambitious nuclear program to meet the needs of its population in electricity? This country which has all the features of a third world country that should be considered unacceptable; people huddled by the dozens in a sheltered corners, to sleep, or the garlands of garbage that stretch endlessly along the streets.

When it comes to emerging countries, the term “a two-tiered society” always comes back to haunt us. It seems more applicable than ever in India and we go directly from first gear to fifth. Between these two, nothing. Nothing? Probably not, because IT employees are here, bank employees and telecom operators as well. But what exactly do they represent in this population of one billion Indians? Will they become, as in so many other emerging countries, a political force, a middle class?

It’s Sunday today, I spent a very pleasant time with Jean Michel, a consultant in Pondicherry for French companies, with Cyril, Tamara and their daughters Natasha and Cloe I thank them for their warm reception and the informative conversation that we had. I will also try, in the coming days to explain further the activities of Cyril.

What we have seen confirms that India is multifaceted. No, it is downright plural. The potential of the local market is incredible to the Western mind because 10% of India acceding to this middle class represent the combined population of France and Germany.

For offshore … I do not know yet when I can publish this article because of the WIFI of our resort, beside the Indian Ocean does not work, but how lucky we are and we have yet to see Bangalore! But you must know my Indian friends, who welcomed us with such kindness and openness what the companies that we visited had to say about you. I am not here to denounce anyone; On the contrary I am simply here to develop our relationship. From the largest to the smallest, they do not hesitate to criticize your level of productivity; they talk of “3 French people for one Indian”. The quality of the technical training was often, also questioned. You must understand this, to further improve your services.

And my fellow compatriots, do you invest enough in your strategies to reduce costs? Invest in reducing costs?? Isn’t this, after all, the whole history of industry? Reduce costs, increase quality, by investing in machinery, in methodology and organization? How can it be otherwise when you speak so often of the industrialization of your services? I see here so few investing “really” in training and coaching. Few amongst you are investing in language training, coaching, or transferring qualified personnel, already qualified for offshore operations; when you talk about India, like everyone, and you are the first to acknowledge the complexity of the situation. All those who do not recognize themselves here please forgive me, because I have yet to meet you.

Jean-Michel, coming from a different profession, spoke in counterpoint, of the case of Louis Vuitton, which has invested heavily in training and today is reaping the fruits of their efforts. Their success is not a question of luck!

The more a country is complex; more it is difficult to understand, more it should be approached with a certain pragmatism. I believe that to succeed in India, in a relationship with France, we must begin by admitting that in general, Indian employees will not face those who speak the best English in the world, but Indians themselves do not necessarily speak good English. We must also learn, perhaps, from what we see everywhere in the country. A beautiful and finished product does not exist. I have experienced this elsewhere in another country that I love and where Pentalog is on the national podium for outsourcing and IT consulting. It is up to the Indians and their Western partners to seize these perpetual questions of quality, tangible and understandable, and put them in perspective with the incomprehension and dismay that I find myself today, in order to perhaps begin to understand and articulate the challenges together.

If, while reading this note you did understand, then I really must not have articulated myself well enough.

Pondicherry, November 9 at 6 a.m.