“I have seen flowers come in stony places,
And kind things done by men with ugly faces…”
These lines from a masterpiece by poet-novelist John Masefield tell us that there’s absolute merit in being optimistic. That the toughest of goals are – most of the time – within the reach if there’s will and your actions are well directed.
As I key in a few words amidst my female colleagues discussing their colored umbrellas, things are still far from being abnormal. But the past few days have been punctuated with drizzles and intermittent downpour reminding us yet again that only in the calendar year 2005 rains had wreaked havoc in Mumbai. Similarly, in 2006 IT business was at low ebb in the neighboring township of Surat in Gujarat where life was virtually in knee-deep waters.
The resellers’ fraternity suffered the most. The deluge brought in extensive physical damage, throwing logistics and the supply system into disarray.
According to estimates, the unprecedented deluge had left Surat, otherwise a trader’s paradise, a marooned city with the IT industry having suffered losses of crores of rupees. The damage to IT products, even in other cities in western India, was immeasurable mainly in godowns and shops on the ground floor and the first floor of multi-storied buildings.
One look at the chaos and business losses is sufficient to remind us of our national failure in effectively coping with natural calamities. It is fashionable in a democracy to blame government or political masters for the “system failure”. But look at our past records, the situation is no better at the supposedly tech-savvy corporate houses; though lately things are improving.
The channels are undoubtedly not as well equipped as corporate houses to tackle disasters. But ask yourself, what have you done in your organization other than simply discuss about rains, late running of Mumbai locals or simply paying lip service in the name of putting in place technology and processes to brave these calamities?
Rains are an annual feature but what logistic arrangements have the various channel associations made in cities like Bhavnagar or Jalgaon to ensure smooth – not to talk about unhindered – supply and services? My channel manager friends are of the opinion that the resellers’ community has not taken keen interest in responding to vendors’ initiatives to discuss issues regarding disaster management. Instead most of the time you shift blame on the vendors and want the ‘big brothers’ to handle these mundane issues and ensure that the exciting part like the cream of profitability is left for the channels. Is it justified? Or let me ask an even simpler question; is something like that feasible?
Which vendor will be keen to ensure your safety net?
The disasters can be natural or man made but it is a naked display of an unscientific bent of mind that we want either nature to handle our disasters or someone else to bell the cat. Townships like Bhuj or Thane are in quake-prone belt; similarly monsoon leaves partners in havoc in most parts of the country. We ought to appreciate the need for applying cutting edge disaster management and communications to help us sail through.