http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2855747,prtpage-1.cms
extract from the article: ----------------------------------- In the midst of such a galaxy of the good and the great, perhaps it’s appropriate that I should share a story that I heard from a distinguished alumnus of IIT Bombay-- one of the successful politicians I just referred to--Manohar Parrikar, who, at the time, was the Chief Minister of Goa. I remember the setting well. It was at a leadership conference in Goa that I had convened during my tenure as President of the Confederation of Indian Industries. Parrikar was sharing the dais with other political luminaries far better know than him, and frankly we had invited him since he headed the state that was hosting us. But through his quiet and substantial eloquence, he stole the thunder from everyone else. He told the story of a village, but in hindsight, it is also the story of what the IITs were created to accomplish. Parrikar comes from a little Goan village called Parra. When he was a young boy, Parra was famous for the quality of its watermelons. People would come from miles away, to buy this very special and luscious fruit. But the very best watermelons of each crop never found their way to market. These prize fruits were reserved for the village children. Every harvest, the children would be allowed to gorge on the best watermelons of the crop, subject only to one condition. (Pause) They could not throw away the seeds. All the seeds had to be carefully collected in a basket, and kept to be used for the next crop – which, needless to say was as superlative as the last one. There was a second half to the story: Parrikar said that something happened to those superlative seeds. Circumstances changed. Watermelon prices rose, and one day, the focus changed from nurturing local excellence to maximizing returns for the growers. The best watermelons went straight to the market. The children’s watermelon feasts came to an end. The profits were great. But as the demand went up, Parra’s reputation went down. Parrikar paused and quietly ended his story by saying: “Today, no watermelons can be found in Parra.” There was pindrop silence in the room, and I could feel the chill run down the spines of everyone in the audience.
