At an award functioning yesterday #SMKrishna, in the presence of #SudhaMurthy of Infosys, has been hailed as the man who made Bangalore a IT hub. This myth has been debunked in the past but the power of propaganda has perpetuated it. In fact, in my book #FurrowsInAField /2
I write about how #SMK built a cosy network with Bangalore’s tech elite and the English language media to construct this falsehood. It was a public relations trick. I also mention how starting with RKHegde, who promoted tech education, and VMoily who gave access to tech /3
education through the CET system to ordinary families, many leaders have contributed to the tech status of the city. Between 1994 and 1997, it was @H_D_Devegowda as CM and PM who shaped IT policy and infrastructure development for the city. Gowda, besides thinking of tech /4
parks and physical infrastructure to connect them (including a new intl airport), gave tax holidays to the IT sector and the telecommunications sector in the 1997 union budget. He also gave full exemption to the import of computer software. The 1997 budget also took a hard /5
look at IT policy and recognised it as the ‘science that will dominate the 21st century.’ It was on the personal invite of @H_D_Devegowda in Davos that Bill Gates came to India. People who speak glibly in English and wear fashionable clothes often unconscionably corner credit. /6
The other instance is, when the #DelhiMetro happened people gave credit to Sheila Dixit and Vajpayee, but nobody remembered that it was @H_D_Devegowda who had fought his finance minister and half his cabinet to give it financial closure. The project had been languishing since /7
the mid-80s. Most times those who cut the ribbon walk away with all credit. People and the media forget who opened the file in the first place and diligently planned things. H_D_Devegowda was not just a farmer PM but also an engineer PM. Btw, #SMK has still not told us /8
convincingly as to why he crossed over to the BJP at the fag end of his life.
*award function
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