S.M. Krishna, the flamboyant former Chief Minister of Karnataka credited with sowing the seeds of the tech boom, recalls the initial years when Bengaluru was evolving from a ‘pensioners’ paradise’ into the ‘Silicon Valley of India’.
In an interview with The Hindu, the 91-year-old talks about those initial years of tech growth that involved a lot of challenges as getting everyone concerned to work together was a tough proposition, especially when no one, at that point, could foresee that Karnataka would once emerge as the tech flag-bearer for the entire county and shine in the global tech arena.
In an exclusive conversation, he also spoke about his passion for reading The Hindu, a ‘Madras newspaper’ his father bought daily to his village home in Somanahalli, how he was glued to its sports pages with elaborate coverage of tennis, and how he became a big fan of tennis stars such as Frank Sedgman, Roy Emerson, Dick Savitt (Richard Savitt) and others, way back in early and mid-1940s.
Y2K (the millennium bug) and SMK happened to Karnataka concurrently in 1999. What role did the two play in unleashing the growth of IT in the State?
It so happened that when I became the CM in 1999, there was vigorous activity in the IT and BT sector. Fortunately, we were right there to catch the benefit of the beginning of the tech revolution that was taking place. We went all out to explore the opportunity, and we did not look back. Wipro’s Azim Premji and Infosys’ Narayana Murthy, and other leaders, came and worked in cohesion with the government. Bengaluru slowly started getting some recognition, although until the early 2000s, the city faced stiff competition from Andhra Pradesh. Thanks to Y2K, Bengaluru started getting global recognition in early 2000 itself.
Being the CM, how tough was it for you to convince MNCs to invest in Karnataka and set up shop here, during those initial years?
I had a big passion for IT because I had many friends working in IT in the U.S those days. A tech churn was happening, and some of them had relocated to Bengaluru. I sought help from my friends, and the existing industry, to make Bengaluru the Silicon hub of India. We formed the Chief Minister’s Consultative Committee. I still remember I telephoned Premji to invite him to be a part of it. He stayed on Sarjapur Road and asked me — Do you know how badly this area is maintained? Have you ever visited this area? If you want me to come to Vidhana Soudha, it would take at least three hours. Immediately, I asked the Chief Engineer of PWD to go to Sarjapur, and prepare a plan for the rejuvenation of the commuting system, roads and overall infrastructure there. Premji came to Vidhana Soudha, and became part of the CM’s Committee. I think, all these provided a tremendous boost for our claims, and these were the defining moments for Bengaluru and Karnataka. I am happy that it has, by and large, maintained that growth trajectory.
IT, software, hi-tech, etc, were not familiar words those days. What were the biggest challenges you faced to get the political administration, bureaucracy and industry to work together?
For our officers, it was a new idea, not yet exposed to, and not known. I got Balki Krishnamurthy from IISc. to work with us. Our officers went to IISc. to get themselves oriented. It was overall a co-operative effort, between the administrative missionary of Karnataka government, IISc., IIMB, and many other R&D institutions. Together, we were able to make big strides, laying a solid foundation to support waves of growth that came later.
What exactly made it happen for Bengaluru, especially when the city was under the heat of competition from Hyderabad and Chandrababu Naidu (the then CM of Andhra Pradesh) in those days?
Bengaluru always had the infrastructural advantage. We have the IISc., several research, defence and scientific establishments. We have Central PSUs such as ITI, HAL, BEL, and others. With IT and BT, we were adding another dimension of growth, inviting a huge new wave. And we have always been able to sustain our claim, even globally, despite all kinds of competition. The beginning happened post-liberalisation, thanks to Dr. Manmohan Singh, P.V. Narasinmha Rao, and others who ushered in an era of economic renaissance. It is true that some politicians were quickly drawn to these changes, and actively started inviting private players to come over and join in corporate endeavours. Let me tell you, I am extremely happy with the support my government then received from people and the entrepreneur community.
In retrospect, is there anything that you could do differently then, given a second chance?
Well, I don’t think that there could be any other way, other than to go the way I did. That was the only way to absorb the model of technological initiative and bring that into practice. We had an enormous advantage by virtue of having a scientific and research background, as I told you, that gave us required logistical support that eventually fuelled our efforts to fruition. Our science heritage mattered so much for us, while Hyderabad didn’t have that.
Today, Karnataka is the country’s tech flag-bearer and Bengaluru has top-of-the-mind recall for the global tech industry. How do you view this dominance? Can we sustain this momentum?
Bengaluru today is the knowledge capital of the world, a quality resource pool with millions of young tech, engineering, science and math graduates. We wanted to take forward the intrinsic value that Bengaluru provided and quickly capitalise on its legacy. But in 2004, when I did not get a mandate again, I was sent to Maharashtra as governor, and that was the end of it. I would have expected the succeeding government to continue the good work that we had done. But unfortunately, that government was totally hostile to development, as a result of which, we suffered a serious setback between 2004 to 2008. I have no hesitation in saying that nobody bothered about developing the tech industry during this period, but were busy dealing with non-issues.
Did you anticipate an avalanche of growth hitting us some time soon then?
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had made a remark at a function in Bengaluru. I quote him, “There was a time when statesmen, presidents, and prime ministers went to New Delhi, and visited other State capitals. But now, the role has reversed, and they all come to Bengaluru first, and then visit New Delhi and other places.’‘ This was one of the biggest tributes that Bengaluru received.
When I was still the governor, Dr. Manmohan Singh, while participating in an Asiatic conference, said, I quote again, “The world started looking at India through the prism of Bangalore.’‘ Today, whatever IT activities we see across the country is the outcome of the effort put in by Bengaluru. Well, to answer your question, I would have loved to visualise such a growth, but I wasn’t perhaps mentally ready. But when it started happening, I started believing that it could be. Our government’s proactive approach, incentives, tax holidays, ease of doing business and handholding, all helped in a big way for the industry to take shape and take off.
But wasn’t IT a big trade off. Many say the city lost its soul and basic character.
The city once known as pensioner’s paradise suddenly wakes up and becomes all active. True, the comparison is steep. Yet, the city still has certain remnants of old Bengaluru in pockets. Yes, you paid a price to find Bengaluru as the tech hub of the country. I think efforts were made to preserve what we had, the old, to develop the new areas, but we have not fully succeeded. Preserving the intrinsic worth of the city is critical, and succeeding government could have focused on these aspects on a priority basis. Many may have attempted, but none succeeded. Having said that, as an administrator, I knew the enormous benefits that would accrue to the State by utilising the scientific infrastructure we have.
The IT boom triggered an explosive growth in real estate. The city’s skylines and landscapes changed drastically, lakes started being encroached upon, disappearing over time and floods became a regular feature. What do you have to say on this?
Yes… We had unprecedented rains, and floods playing havoc and putting people in unfathomable difficulties in the last two, three years especially. These are lessons to be learnt, that all that we look at is not so glossy. Also, the administrative wing of the government should take note of it. We should build solid infrastructure that is ready to handle these periodic occurrences, such as torrential rains and flooding. Currently, one downpour puts our infrastructure under huge stress. In 2022, I was hoping that the floods and overflowing rajakaluves (storm water drains) would provide an opportunity for us to clear all encroachments. But unfortunately, the local administration did not go after the encroachers. We lost a wonderful opportunity in identifying illegal occupants and cleaning up the system. The administration made only a pretence, but stopped midway. The floods in 2022 could have been taken as a trigger to act.