I was inflicted upon with two astounding events around this month – VARIndia IT Forum –2007 and Computex –Taipei 2007. Though there was no similarity between the two, both were packed with eye-openers.
First, the VARIndia IT Forum – 2007, which brought out some mind-boggling thoughts as to how the government can be transparent and responsive to citizens. A couple of things emerged from the discussions. One is that the state governments have to keep up their pace to implement e-Governance in their states and, secondly, in order to sustain the momentum there has to be capacity building so that the people who are feeling isolated can actually join the mainstream. The whole activity has to be process driven so that despite any change in the portfolio, the plan and action remain unchanged.
According to the vendors, the technology is ready for taking up any challenges, but due to the lack of adequate policy and process the projects are not succeeding.
The second event was Computex – Taipei 2007. Known to be the Maha Kumbh of IT products, Computex offered many things to learn. A small Island state – even smaller than some of our states – can control the worldwide IT market. You can just imagine about an IT products they can make available within the stipulated period and at an affordable price. Starting from peripherals to components, from power management to complete PC or laptop, you can see everything under one roof. There were more than 1,333 manufacturers in 2,926 booths across four air-conditioned gigantic halls.
The fervour of the event could be seen everywhere starting from the international airport to the event halls. Everywhere one could see gigantic banners welcoming the visitors and even the local government had provided the visitors one day free pass for sightseeing. The enthusiasm was visible with each person of the state as if it was a national fair. The visitors were picked up and dropped from their hotel to the venue of the fair free of cost. Even special fleet of bus services were plying from the international airport to the venue in Taipei, which was also free of cost for the overseas visitors.
I am not glorifying the Taiwanese creativity and hospitality, but the attitude of the whole nation to make something happen. We need to imbibe that spirit and attitude to realize our dreams.
Sanjay Mohapatra
Editor
