After a llooooooooooooooooooooogggggggggggggg wait one of my dreams did come true... I finally got to work with the Government of India... but there was a twist in the tail... I was working against the Government of India rather than for the Government.... so there I was facing the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Finance in his chambers at North Block sitting on a very very green cushion ..... While I have always seen the North Block (sometimes called the economic nerve centre) from outside I have never seen it from inside... as soon as you enter, the guard stops you to ask what you are doing here... you put up all your professional shield and try to mutter the name of Amarchand in the hope that they will let you in happily... nope that does not happen.. you have to take a pass from the reception ... and then the ministry has to confirm the appointment and then you are given a pass... and then you are called into the office of the Joint Sec.... his PA first comes and opens the door and then says "Saab will come right now"....all well so far... I look around and see files... a very plush office I must say... there are folders marked India - Germany, India - Frane, statistics etc... and i thot to myself that this is actual data that goes into economic policy making in this country....

soon enough the Jt Sec walks in .... wearing the typical Indian waist coat.... at first I could not think that this guy was actually the Jt Sec.... he did look like a professor from one of the movies.... I would put his age as somewhere in the 40s...

and then the actual game started.....

for the first time I saw how a beaurocrat behaves.... the Jt Secretary was at his best... he put his arm up on the sofa... looked at us straight and said... I have very high regard for your firm.... you guys are all bright.... and then went on to deconstruct my comments on the documents..... at one point he turned to me asked me "this is the government of India.. not a lala company you are lending to".... ouch... in my head I was saying, Sir I know that only too well but I only was doing my job... and then at another time he turned and said "do you know that India is one of the biggest lenders in teh world now?? that we lend billions to Africa?? and then you question us?" I cowered in my seat - almost doing a Sita asking for mother earth to eat me up alive....

In short I felt like I had committed treason and walked out of the office with that shameful feeling of having questioned my own government....oh woe is me... is this how I meet my dream client I wondered..... and walked out of North Block feeling a strange mix of pride and grief....pride that Indian Government was so concious of how India was changing the game in the world.... grief because I had to, in the name of professional ethics, question my own government...