No nano gesture..

Corporate India did it again. In one of the biggest contributions by an Indian business house to the cause of elite education, Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata has donated a whopping $50 million to Harvard Business School. The Ivy League, known for its academic excellence and selective admissions, will return the expensive gesture by getting Mr Tata’s surname embossed on an academic and residential building that is scheduled to be completed for the fall of 2013 and naming it Tata Hall.
Mr Tata’s words after bestowing the wealthiest gift to the business school’s 102-year history: “It is a privilege and pleasure to give back to Harvard a little bit of what it gave to me.”
“A little bit” is just so humble, sir. “This little bit” is aimed at “supporting the school’s educational mission to mould the next generation of global business leaders”.
That is indeed a “little bit” sir towards moulding the business leaders of tomorrow who will faithfully carry out the global corporate strategy of wringing dry the planet’s resources and pushing the agenda of corporate colonisation. Indeed a little bit, considering that they will be getting back very rich returns by impoverishing the planet, its land, water, and resources. So investing $50 million is indeed a lucrative business tactic.
Mr Tata’s “little” gift surpasses the $10 million donated by Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra to Harvard for its Humanities Centre made a few years ago.
I just wondered why these corporate super powers run to these exotic business schools and make such “humble” contributions. What if they could look inwards, turn towards our primary school education or any level of education of their choice and help build a foundation strong enough for nation building. After all, they made their fortunes using this land, labour, power and water.
The Indian education system is falling abysmally behind other nations. A plethora of government initiatives to provide accesses to primary education notwithstanding, there are glaring gaps in the system owing to lack of committed teachers, textbooks, teaching materials, and drop-out rates. Free and compulsory education to all children up to the age of 14 is a constitutional commitment in India, with the Right to Education Act. But we still see children bringing us tea and wiping tables in dhabas.
If such corporate giants could come forward and extend even their little finger in this direction, we could probably achieve a lot more.
Mr Tata created a middle class dream car and named it Nano. Nano means something very small. It comes from a Greek word nanos which means dwarf. If Mr Tata had understood the meaning well enough and extended his nano gesture towards our country’s education, it would have been morally more valuable than his Rs 1 lakh car. Instead of pouring $50 million into the ocean, it would have been appreciated had Mr Tata sprinkled a few drops into the parched education system in India, especially in the rural reaches.