When DLF's K P Singh fulfilled Rajiv Gandhi's wish of bringing GE to India

When Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister, he was determined to bring General Electric into India and his wish was fulfilled by DLF's K P Singh, who helped catalyse the American giant's presence in this country, says a new book.

Singh talks about his journey through India's transforming landscapes and his indelible contributions to the industry in "Why the Heck Not", published by Penguin Random House India.

Co-authored with Aparna Jain, Singh also writes about the bold risks and visionary decisions that shaped his career, as well as the challenges he overcame.

Delving into the GE story, the book says in the mid to late '80s, Gandhi revered GE chairman and CEO Jack Welch as a business icon.

 

Determined to bring him to India, he dispatched the Indian envoy in Washington, Ambassador P K Kaul, to extend a formal invitation, it says.

"At the time, India was not globally known for business prospects and was not a priority on the lists of investors and entrepreneurs. Jack refused Kaul, bluntly stating that he would not waste his time visiting India," it says.

Singh then recalls an evening in 1988 when Gandhi's secretary, Sarla Grewal, met at a formal dinner and urged him to fulfil the prime minister's wish, regardless of obstacles.

Singh knew it was a difficult task but still said he would "meet Welch, gauge his pulse and see if I can convince him for an India visit".

Welch had then just married and Singh proposed that the couple should come and see the "romantic Taj Mahal".

Soon, Jack was scheduled for a four-day visit. "I don't want to meet any fuddy-duddies. The youth are the ones with promise. I want to meet young leaders and businesspeople," he told Singh.

Singh unfurled the red carpet for Welch and his wife, Jane Beasley, with flair.

"From the moment Welch stepped onto Indian soil, it was a whirlwind of business meetings and back-to-back mornings with leaders, bureaucrats and industry titans," the book says.

"Breakfast was with the Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's dynamic team, including Sam Pitroda, the chief technology advisor, Jairam Ramesh from the Planning Commission and Montek Singh Ahluwalia, special secretary to Rajiv Gandhi.

"Sam made a critical presentation to Welch, demonstrating how India was perhaps one of the best countries for GE to begin a business processing office (BPO) - a term not even heard of in those days. Welch was impressed, sensing the pulse of India's ambition," it says.

"Sam, ever the gracious host, then chauffeured Jack to visit Manmohan Singh, who had been the former head of the RBI and was then head of the Planning Commission. Manmohan Singh was calmly sitting on his rocking chair, and their thoughtful conversation left Jack excited about India's future," it adds.

From Delhi, Welch and his wife went to Jaipur and then Agra.

"In Agra, the serene and glistening Taj Mahal, framed against the pink sky at sunset, worked its magic on Jack and Jane. They were delighted with the trip," Singh writes.

"Jack left India, hungover from the sights, sounds and colours but incredibly excited about the prospects for GE in India," the book says.

The authors write that what GE eventually brought to India, however, would change the landscape of Gurgaon and accelerate growth.

In 1997, when the head of GE Capital India, Pramod Bhasin, set up their new offices on eight floors of a modern commercial building-DLF Corporate Park in Gurgaon he wanted to pilot a new idea that had been mulling in his head.

"So he converted one floor into a Business Processing Office (BPO) to handle GE's back office operations. The 6000 square feet floor was filled with large white computers and four people at a desk," the book says.

"That single floor in DLF Corporate Park took on special significance, because with its resounding success began the boom of India's large scale BPO industry," it adds.