I reread this wonderful book by Thomas Friedman in this diwali vaction.This was book about “Ageless Globalization from Its Infancy to adulthood........".
This is first world book and I happened read the same from third world environment.
Why I am saying this is that the place where i stayed had only one vista opened to the outside world was- Radio and erratic power supply in a remote village in Mahabubnagar of AP Province in INDIA.
Reading from such a place where farmer’s suicides are common and abject poverty is just stone throw away. Where people believe that "Cow foot disease" can be cured with "Mantras"(chants) and Medicine made out of Leaves" Not with " English Medicine(Allopathic)" (My own cattle suffering from this disease with their bleeding legs -they always welcome me to the village with their affection- nodding heads. I always repay their affection with "Bananas" -that I customarily buy before heading to my village).To my surprise they (villagers) healed the disease with "Country Medicine".
Given the backdrop I was sitting in, this is most unlikely place to read this book. I believe never anybody talked this book- "World is Flat" sitting in the typical third world. The reason I was giving much importance to describe the place I happened to read was to drive home the point that-with globalization you can really narrow down the differences between the "Third world" and "First World" .It is the only force on the earth which can make the cast, creed barriers out of fashion.
Let me tell you how my personal account of how globalization make the "Third World" worry about "First World" .I have a brother who works in Chicago, USA. It was in 2003.I was doing my masters in engineering from IIT Roorkee- is 1700Kms away from my village that is not connected telephonically. There was a power shut down in "New York City" -complete black down. My father who happened to read the same in next day vernacular daily,travelled to nearby town to call me up to enquire about "If brother is safe?" .
Read it carefully to understand this -If something happens in USA that is hurting somebody who sits in remote village with third world amenties.This only can happen in the places that are connected by "Globalization”. This also saying one more thing USA, INDIA relations are so intertwined that what hurts USA hurts India as well.
And when it comes to the book:
This is an excellent book starts with who are all inspired "Tom" to write this book-many of them are Indians. He went on say what are the major events that propelled the globalization to take shape that it is in today-Berlin wall fall,Netscape,Apache many more. How outsourcing helps Americans and Non- Americans? And the survival tactics that one need employ to stay first in the "Global Competition".
There is chapter on "Supply chain management" it was very dear to my heart -, he talks about so many latest technologies involved in the "Supply chain" such as "Voice Picking" and many more. It is we (the company i work for-Manhattan Associates) from India that supports all these across the world including the one he talks about in the book.
He also talks about how we should scale up and down ourselves to stay competitive in the "Globalization". Each and everybody have got something or the other to learn from this great book. Particularly the guys in IT industry must read this book because they are more vulnerable to "Global Competition".
I wish this book should be there in everybody's personal library. This is one such book -more and more perspectives you get more and more times you read this book like Dennis Ritchie’s "C" book. I personally read this twice.
If you want to understand the "Globalization” this is must read for you
