Gopal Srinivasan, CMD, TVS Capital speaks about the need for Tamil Nadu to focus on attracting talent from across the world to come and work here at the Turbocharged Tamil Nadu seminar organised by Industrial Economist.
B Santhanam, CEO at Saint-Gobain Asia Pacific & India exemplifies the vision for TN. I want to start with the statement he made in 2006. He said, “Tamil Nadu is a state of mind.” I think it means two things. One is the way you feel, the ethos, ambiance and gestalt of the place. Equally I think, he meant the mind or the intellectual capability that powers Tamil Nadu. The state has announced the i-Tamil Nadu Technology (iTNT) hub in the budget which is nearly Rs 55 crore of funding. This hub will co-ordinate the use of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning and block chain in solving complex challenges. I think the T there stands for Talent and talent defines this state.
The future is calling us through the symphony of the start-up world. Start-ups exemplify the same things, like in 1950s and 1960s, the groups like amalgamations, TVS, Murugappa did to establish basic beach head for industrialisation in Chennai, and other groups across the state. Today the equivalent movement is in the area of start-ups.
I can look at data and say we raised only 5 per cent of the total VC funding last year. We have only two or three unicorns, and 30 per cent of Bangalore’s talent comes from Tamil Nadu. But I prefer the positive side. We have the talent. We have to make the talent feel welcome to stay here. We need to think in the lines of, how do we make TN the most attractive place for diverse talent, regardless of origin, to come, stay and work. If Ukrainians have to choose a place after the war, they should choose us. We need to make people feel welcome and fully integrate with the Indian ethos and national fabric. This will make us main stream in attracting talent. We can focus on places like Coimbatore, Hosur and Madurai for this to happen.
Unless the start-up economy is fired up, we will not get the FDI of the VC. If we can make the “Yadhum oore yaavarum kelir,” we will be able to attract the best talent. We need to put this into actual reality through our social policy, infrastructure… In next two-three years when India has Rs 150 billion dollars of VCP inflow I hope the at least Rs 20 – 25 billion dollars is attracted by Tamil Nadu.
Watch the entire video of Gopal Srinivasan speak at the session here.
