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North or South, AP is the best, hold IT crowd

Amberish K Diwanji in Hyderabad

When United States President William Jefferson Clinton showered appreciation on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, he wasn't alone. In the huge crowd of 1,700 or so, which had driven kilometres out of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad to the third city of Cyberabad, were present some software professionals who raised a toast to that statement.

These were IT professionals who had recently moved to the Andhra Pradesh capital or chosen Hyderabad over other Indian cities. And for good reasons.

"We chose Hyderabad because it moved the fastest of all," explained Sanjeev Kapur, who came down from Sydney, Australia, four months ago.

Kapur is the director and India manager of Lumley Technology. Earlier he was based in Sydney with Lumley Technology, which decided to set up an India unit.

"When we started, believe me, we had no prejudices. And as an Indian, I had an image of India in the '60s and '70s when bureaucrats tripped you at every corner," he said.

He was in for a pleasant surprise. He emailed inquiries for a possible location in Madras, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Incidentally, all the three governments of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have homepages on the Web and solicit inquiries through emails.

"Within 24 hours, I received a reply from the Andhra Pradesh government. And so far, there has still been no reply from the governments of Tamil Nadu or Karnataka," he said.

There was more. Kapur was all set to make a preliminary trip to Hyderabad to meet officials, and then another trip to check out sites and so on. Nothing of that sort was needed.

"From my first email onwards, all problems and questions were answered via emails. Even to choose a possible office site, there was a Web site giving details such as location, area, cost, etc. Everything was done via the Internet," he said.

Here is even more boggling news. Email number one was sent in the first week of September last year. By October 12, he flew down to make the physical inspection and choose an office space, something that was done on October 16.

"In six short weeks, our office was selected and we were ready to finalise all deals and start our recruitment and work. We inaugurated our office on March 15, 2000," he said.

That is, within six months, he had gone from first inquiry to starting work. "I really could not believe it!" gushes Kapur.

Kapur chose his office in the upcoming Cyberabad, a village called Madhapur 20 kilometres out of Hyderabad where the government has acquired land with the intention of setting up a massive IT park. Up in Cyberabad is the Cyber Towers, within which is housed Lumley Technology India.

Kapur admits that the rent at Cyber Towers is more than in other parts of Hyderabad city. But the facilities make up for it.

"We have dedicated power and water, so it is really worth paying a bit more. And anyway, office space in Hyderabad is a lot cheaper than in the other metro cities of India, so we are still paying less than if we had been located in another city," he explains.

Kapur is not alone in his praise. Kedarnath Udiyavar, who heads the Citicorp Overseas Software Limited, moved from Bombay eight months ago. Though not housed in Cyberabad, he is all praise for Naidu and Hyderabad.

"It is really the best place for us," he said.

Udiyavar added that no doubt Bangalore and other cities too offered facilities, but he was impressed by the fact that this government actually listened to the IT people.

"Let me give you an example. When Cyber Towers first came up, the government only wanted to sell property there. But when we told them that IT firms are only interest in leasing the property, it quickly agreed and changed its policy," he said.

The COSL chief pointed out that IT professionals were regularly asked for suggestions and ideas. "Unlike other governments, these guys take heed about what we say," he said.

Cyberabad is certainly impressive. Opposite Cyber Towers, Wipro has acquired about 2,000 square feet. Infosys is also acquiring property and other IT giants of India and the world (Microsoft, Sun) are already present in Hyderabad. More buildings are coming up, the road is being widened, and hectic activity is evident all over the place.

Gaurav Suri is another supporter of Naidu. He is the vice president in the software division of D E Shaw & Co, an American firm. Till last year, Suri was based in New York. Asked to compare Hyderabad with the Big Apple, he laughed.

"I don't think that would be fair, but I must say that things here have been great. There is infrastructure, the bureaucracy is extremely smooth and there is very little of it. Sure it is not New York, but complaints are few and one must give credit to Naidu," he said.

Udiyavar gives another reason for preferring Hyderabad. "You know, my wife and I keep talking about going back to India, but we are getting so comfortable here, I wonder whether we will finally do it. Life here is so comfortable. In Bombay, life is hectic and houses cramped, in Bangalore infrastructure leaves a lot to be desired, whereas Hyderabad offers a higher quality of life in all these respects. These factors also attract IT professionals, not just Cyberabad," he pointed out.

In his speech, Naidu had remarked that Bill Clinton was the first US president to visit Hyderabad. One thing is for sure, if Hyderabad continues to be a magnet to the IT world, he won't be the last.

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