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The birth of a rivalry
It is March 13, 2001. I am in Manila, where they love credit cards, Coke, San Miguel, basketball, boxing .. and most things American for that matter. My Filipino colleagues don’t get cricket, like 80% of the world — and so even though there is a reasonable-sized Indian origin population in the Philippines, there is no cricket on television.

I am married for two months but fairly occupied keeping up with the scores of the 3rd day’s play of the second test between India and Australia at the Eden Gardens, Calcutta on the Internet. Rediff.com, to be precise. The Indian team is trying to resurrect itself after the match-fixing scandal of 2000 under a relatively new but aggressive and abrasive captain. India are up against it, having been asked to follow-on and stare at another crushing defeat in the 3-match series after being decimated in Mumbai earlier. Steve Waugh and the mighty Aussies who are on a 16-match winning streak are about to fulfil their aim of “conquering the Final Frontier” — a series win in India- in the City of Joy.

That evening, well-known journalist and sports writer Prem Panicker writes in his daily report on Rediff.com: “India are still 20 short, with the last recognised pair at the crease between the Aussies and the Indian tail. It is possible for India to wipe out that deficit, then put another 250 on the board, and really push the Aussies against the wall, in the fourth innings. It is also possible for me to walk on water, and then convert a jugful of that same water into sparkling champagne. But that is not the point, really. The point is that there is a nation out there, waiting for this team to show spirit for a fight. Regardless of the outcome, I suspect the fans will settle for a good fighting display here.” Anything to cling on to in a seemingly hopeless situation.

And suddenly, the next day- March 14, 2001– things change inexplicably. Two men find the resolve, strength and skills to stand up and fight. VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid bat the entire day and run the Aussies ragged. The momentum shifts and India pull off one of the biggest comebacks in the history of the game. Vivid images of that gallant fightback get etched in my head through the words I read in distant Manila.

Steve Waugh fails in his mission to conquer the Final Frontier. But a new, intense and often ugly rivalry is born. Not that there haven’t been epic battles between these two countries- Melbourne 1981 and Chennai 1986 are two that happened during my childhood, but Calcutta 2001 is the pivotal moment that shaped anticipation and expectations of future encounters.
Nearly 20 years on, Steve’s junior twin, Mark Waugh, doesn’t give the Indians any chance to survive, let alone win the final match at the Gabba. His prediction for a 4-0 series sweep for the Aussies has already been proved wrong, but he just doesn’t see India leave Brisbane without losing.

“The typical, incorrigible arrogance of an Aussie cricketer”, I tell myself with some anger and contempt.

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The journey to the date with destiny
Great sport stories defy expectations (even as they fulfill intense desire, at least for some) and they get to the climax taking one through a pulsating ride of extreme emotions. As each chapter unfolds, you wonder if there is another twist to the tale, a final sting in the tail, a knockout punch from the blindside. The irresistible allure of sport is this all-consuming battle between hope of a grand surprise and the fear of a heartbreak. Before the battle succeeds in separating the victor from the vanquished, it presents us — the passionate, passive participants living those intense moments vicariously- glimpses of the past, raising hopes or fueling doubt depending on one’s unique vantage point.

Just a week ago, India had made the “Great Escape” at the pretty Sydney Cricket Ground. As the shadows lengthened and two guys battled intense physical pain, the enormous mental strain of fighting for survival, and that ultimate master, Time, I worried if there would be a repeat of the last 10 minutes of Sydney 2008. With the finish line of a hard-fought draw within touching distance, India had faltered losing three wickets in an over. An unexpected villainous character named Michael Clarke had emerged from nowhere to snuff out the Indian resistance and give that rather dark script its final twist. Surely, history won’t repeat itself again?

Now, the two pain-slayers perform their final act of the series to perfection and accept both- the threatening invitation to the Gabba and the resigned handshake of the Aussie captain- with the pride and fulfillment of anyone who has pulled off the seemingly impossible.

The shadow of the 2008 series cast a spell on my thoughts again. “Come to the fast and bouncy WACA in Perth next to be blown away,” was the general Aussie sentiment after the tragic sudden-death in Sydney. The Aussies touted their tearaway quick Shaun Tait, reputed to hurl leather at over 150km/hr. They envisioned their fiery pace attack to scare the Indians into submission. They miscalculated, terribly. Indian swing beat Aussie pace; Shaun Tait walked away from Test cricket after the game.

Surely, history can repeat itself, again, at the Gabba in 2021?

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The escape to victory
So, here we are – the final day of a captivating series that has ebbed and flowed, thanks in some measure to the flaws and follies of the two protagonists, their imperfections delivering perfect theatre. The day starts playing to script and Australia seize the initiative early in the morning.

I am back to my desk to get some work done. Like a part-time stock trader trying to make a quick buck during his full-time day job, my eyes keep turning to the browser tab that has the live score. I get the picture — and it’s not one I like. Cheteshwar Pujara is blocking everything that the Aussies hurl at him but he is not scoring runs. Defence is his way of attack. He is killing time and the possibility of a win. Or so I thought, until I catch the highlights of the game later in the day and saw the blows he took on his body. “Over my body,” he seems to be telling the Aussies without any words, just the icy gaze. A couple of lines read ages ago come to mind.

“Never admit the pain, Bury it deep; Silence is still a crown, Courage a grace.”
– Mary Gilmore

At the other end, a 21-year old whose talent has already marked him out for great glory, is stamping his authority on the outcome of the match. Just before the end of the first session of the day, there are signs of a momentum shift with a spike in the flow of runs. Maybe, attack is a better form of defence…..The reality being played out as we realize later: a “bear, blunt and beat” strategy founded on the belief that if you survive long enough, you’ve got a chance to thrive. After all, when that game-changing moment arrives, you invariably find Lady Luck smiling benevolently at you.

It’s beyond me to recreate the last couple of hours — the impossible had been made possible. The pundits believed that India couldn’t bounce back after the humiliating defeat in Adelaide. Not only did they bounce back, they bounced forward. They expected India to play to survive, but didn’t account for their willingness to risk failure to win.

Mark Howard could hardly have yelled it out any better on commentary, as the ball trickled past the boundary line for one last time in the series to seal India’s win. “India win the match, they win the series and they win the hearts and minds of cricket fans all around the world.”

Of course, there were many heroes who played their part. But what made them heroes was a combination and varying degrees of grit, resilience, resolve, courage, belief, sacrifice, selflessness— old-fashioned values, they are called. Timeless, I say, as they never fail to win our hearts and minds — in any walk of life.

[Image Courtesy: Patrick Hamilton, Getty Images]

There are no two ways about the fact that an entrepreneurial India is an essential requirement for the country to achieve the benefits of the demographic dividend that it enjoys. There is a pressing need for the creation of sustainable, employment-generating enterprises at significantly higher rates than they are now.

While as a country we have been touting the size of our large and growing middle class, the truth is that economically, India is still quite poor. In fact a recent study by the Pew Research Centre shows that while India has made significant strides in moving people out of poverty, it has a very long way to go to move people into the true “middle class” (according to global standards). This article by Rohan Venkataramakrishnan debunks the myths around our ‘booming middle class’.

I bring up the above because I believe that successful start-ups have a very important role to play in addressing India’s enormous challenge: of moving large numbers of our people from just above the poor line to as close as possible to the middle class line. So, this push to encourage more start-ups excites me. Will it succeed? Time will tell; in the meantime let’s have a look at three key success factors for start-ups to flourish.

Problems to solve
As anyone involved in business will tell you, sustainable businesses are founded on their ability to solve a large problem or fulfill a huge need. On that basis, India presents a very fertile ground for start-ups as there are innumerable problems to solve- each one an opportunity for the entrepreneur willing to take on that challenge.

People & mindset
While we do not have a shortage of people in numbers, we might certainly have a few challenges when it comes to competence readiness and more importantly, the mindset. Among the many attributes that entrepreneurship requires, I believe that one of the most important is the willingness to fail and accept failure as a part of the game. It takes a completely different mindset to be prepared to be ridiculed, but that is precisely what globally-recognised venture capitalist Ben Horowitz advocates for founders of start-ups. I am not sure if our society is ready with such a mindset. No doubt, we are a lot more accepting of failure than we were a few years ago; yet we do have some way to go before we whole-heartedly embrace a culture of acceptance of failure. To a great extent, this can happen only if we inculcate that spirit of calculated risk-taking from a very early age. I hope we do so quickly.

The entrepreneurship eco-system
Lastly, an eco-system that nurtures entrepreneurs is critical. This includes government support with entrepreneurship-friendly policies and regulations as well as access to funding and other resources. Despite all the progress we have made since the economic liberalization of the 1990s, India still ranks very low when it comes to ease of doing business. The maze of regulations and complex tax policies present a host of challenges that often drive many away from setting up their own businesses or in several cases, resort to short cuts and unethical means of doing business. Either way, I think the country stands to lose.

By coining the slogan and goading wannabe entrepreneurs to start up, the government seems to be adopting a top-down approach to fuel entrepreneurship in the country. That is good; now I hope it will take the necessary steps to create an environment that will truly light this flame and keep it going.

Education has been at the core of the push to create a meritocratic Singapore. Over the years, the emphasis of education has evolved in tune with the ever changing demands of a rapidly-evolving global and regional economy.

What has remained intact though is the sharp focus on creating an educated population and a highly-skilled workforce that can compete in an increasingly competitive world, the results of which are visible in the country’s standing for talent competitiveness.

Ranking high on Global Talent Competitiveness, Education & Skills Development
Singapore is placed 2nd in the 2014 Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) released by leading business school INSEAD. The study was prepared in collaboration with the Human Capital Leadership Institute of Singapore (HCLI) and Adecco Group. Only two Asian countries, Singapore (rank:2) and Japan (rank: 20) figured in the top 20 countries in the GTCI. The report highlighted the importance of vocational education and the need for vocational education to be integrated into secondary education.

“Countries have to take vocational learning- that is, employability- much more seriously,” says Paul Evans, a co-editor of the report. Two of the six factors that the study mentions as being critical in maintaining talent competitiveness of countries of different GDP per capita and development levels are related to education and skills development. These are excerpted below:

• Countries must consider employability or risk high unemployment: ‘talent for growth’ means meeting the actual needs of a national economy. Switzerland, Singapore and the Nordic countries customise their education systems towards appropriate levels of ‘employable skills’.
• Education systems need to reconsider traditional learning: talent development in the 21st century must go beyond traditional formal education and develop vocational skills.

Singapore’s education system is well-positioned to continue to meet the above-mentioned criteria as the system is being retuned for the future. But before we look into the direction for the future, it is useful to get a snapshot of how it is today.

The education eco-system
The primary and secondary school system creates multiple pathways for students to embark on their higher education and professional careers through an eco-system comprising 6 autonomous local Universities; five polytechnics; Institute of Technical Education (ITE) with three schools, two private institutions providing education in the arts, other government-affiliated educational institutions such as the BCA academy, and a whole plethora of private educational institutions (PEIs).

Singapore universities are well recognised and have a stellar reputation among academics worldwide. According to the latest Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings, released in March 2015, the National University of Singapore was ranked among the top 25 universities in the world and the 2nd among Asian universities, second only to the University of Tokyo. The Nanyang Technical University (NTU) also figures among the top 100 universities in the world. The curriculum of the Singapore Management University (SMU) is modelled after the world-renowned Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

The polytechnics are an important source for the technically-competent and knowledge workforce that Singapore needs. The ITE, which also provides highly skilled graduates in multiple disciplines, is now the national authority for establishing requisite skills standards and providing the certification of skills.

Both the Polytechnics and the ITE play a vital role in the direction towards continuous learning for Singaporeans with numerous options for the existing workforce to add, complement or enhance their skillsets. In fact, from this year, the ITE is embarking on its fifth five-year strategic roadmap, named ITE Trailblazer (2015-2019).

‘ITE Trailblazer’ is the institutions’ response to meet the manpower needs for the country’s next phase of development as an advanced economy and society. The focus is very much on students to be “career-ready and world-ready”. The new strategic roadmap is aligned with the government’s SkillsFuture initiative- a movement to develop an economy and society where everyone can develop to their fullest- and aims to empower students with more career pathways as well as greater opportunities for mastering in-demand skills.

Private educational institutions and Singapore as a regional education hub
According to the government agency SPRING, the private education sector is a growing industry in Singapore. Moreover, with Asia expected to account for 70% of global demand for international higher education and sizeable chunk of the estimated US$2.2 trillion global education market, opportunities abound for SMEs in the education space.

These include the entire gamut, from early-stage/ pre-school education to continuing education for working professionals. Leading providers in this space such as Kaplan, PSB Academy, FTMS Global Academy and East Asia Institute of Management- to name a few- not only provide specialist courses but also enable local students to get degrees and diplomas from Universities around the world including the UK, US and Australia.

Not surprisingly, the local education industry includes over 5,000 companies with revenues of over S$3.7 billion, value-added of S$2.1 billion and contributing 0.7% of GDP.

“Education has always been of great importance in Singapore and the city is perceived as the ‘Educational hub for South East Asia’ ,”says Dr.Easwaramoorthy Rangaswamy, Principal of Amity Global Business School in Singapore. “The lively country has a great instructive framework, giving numerous opportunities to internationals students who wish to study here. Another incredible thing that makes Singapore an advanced education hub are the solid connections with industry; as a student you will have the opportunity to gain useful experience and find ease of employability here.”

While degrees and diplomas from a foreign university seem to be alluring, it seems that their popularity is more due to the practicality and flexibility that they accord students rather than improved employability. “It doesn’t matter whether a student is from a local or overseas university as far as job prospects are concerned, says Julie Wong, HR Manager at Global Sources, a Nasdaq-listed B2B media company that has operations in Singapore. “Employability really depends on the individual. During the recruitment process, we aren’t concerned whether the candidate has graduated from a local institution or from overseas.”

Business/ management education in Singapore
Considering Singapore’s standing as a first-world city that serves as a regional financial services and management hub for several multi-national corporations, it is not surprising that the city is home to some leading business/ management institutions in the world.

According to The Financial Times (FT) Global MBA Ranking 2015, Singapore’s National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School and the Nanyang Business School were ranked 31 and 40, respectively. NUS Business Schools also ranks in the Top 10 amongst international business schools (excluding those in the US) in the Forbes Top International Business Schools rankings.

Several top-notch international business schools have also set up campuses in Singapore. These include INSEAD, ranked 5th in the world by the FT rankings; University of Singapore Booth School of Business, James Cook University, S.P.Jain School of Global Management and Amity Global Business School, to name a few. What is more, some of these business schools are expanding rapidly.

In January 2015, INSEAD opened a 10,000m2 S$55 million Leadership Development Centre in Singapore with the support of the Singapore Economic Development Board to serve as a “premier business innovation and education hub” for the region. Expected to significantly increase the number of students, executives, top scholars and practitioners on-site, the new centre is aimed at meeting the growing demand for management and leadership education in Asia.

The Amity Global Business School in Singapore has also grown rapidly with over 1100 students graduating since starting with around 50 students in 2010. The school has attracted students from over 30 nationalities besides Singapore.
“The mission of our Singapore campus is to educate students to be both globally-minded businesspeople and socially responsible citizens. This means focusing on innovation- and knowledge-based management, customer-oriented business design, and developing a higher-than-average level of cultural Intelligence,” says Dr.Easwaramoorthy Rangaswamy, Principal of Amity Global Business School, Singapore.

“Singapore’s role as a regional and global business centre has a great influence on the student experience at our campus here. Lecturers draw from rich local sources of corporate best practices, entrepreneurial innovation, and governmental policy examples to provide real-life illustration to the topics and subjects throughout the curriculum, while students to experience first-hand the vibrant business culture of this country.”

Closer industry-institution collaboration and the need for work-based learning is a recurring theme among both technical institutions as well as business schools. Elaborating on this theme, Dr.Abhishek Bhati, Associate Dean (Business & IT) of James Cook University, Singapore, says,” James Cook University is committed to improving the productivity levels of industry and encourage sustainable practices in Singapore. The aim is to integrate work experience flexibly into a research report/dissertation. Students who have no current employer may identify a suitable work-based applied research project through a centralized collaboration between faculty and industry-based partners, including community-based organizations.

“The key challenge for higher education institutions like ours is to offer courses and programs in business administration that are relevant to the industry. Another challenge is to produce graduates who are work ready. Feedback from our industry partners and research suggest that graduates from programs with ‘work integrated learning’ and application of knowledge tend to fit easily in the work environment. Thus, institutions should incorporate practical and applied learning outcomes in the subjects and programs.”

Job readiness or employability of fresh graduates is often one of the key expectations from educational institutions. However, the onus is on the students themselves, according to Julie Wong of Global Sources. “Most fresh graduates do not have work-related experience and company needs to provide on-the-job training. However, I expect the fresh graduates to have a good attitude and the willingness to learn,” she says.

Future direction of education and learning in Singapore
Education in Singapore is at the cusp of undergoing a fundamental shift in focus. From a “study book” system- one that has served the country well in its first fifty years as an independent nation- where grades and qualifications often became the primary differentiator, the roadmap for the future points to “Learning for mastery, Learning throughout life, Learning for life.”

As Education Minister Mr.Heng Swee Keat said in a speech in Parliament recently, “(This pioneering path) will have learning on-the-job, learning-just-in-time, learning-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time. Learning without boundaries – without the boundaries of institutional walls, age, place or time.”

The shift in direction takes into account the recommendations of the Applied Study in Polytechnics and ITE Review (ASPIRE) committee which submitted its report in August 2014, based on a thorough review of the applied education landscape in Singapore. The recommendations focused on four key areas:

a) Strengthen education and career guidance significantly to help young Singaporeans make well-informed choices about their education and career pathways.

b) Equip young Singaporeans with a good skills foundation; work more closely with industry in the development of applied programs.

c) Enable individuals to better acquire the right skills that can help them in their careers. Introduce learning options that will help students to deepen skills after graduation.

d) Create pathways for progression based on skills, contribution and experience. Recommend developing skills frameworks, and offer more modular CET opportunities.

The Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs) will play an important role in this direction by working closely with companies. Various “Earn and Learn” programmes will also provide opportunities for students to acquire on-the-job training and other skills even as they graduate from the academic system.

Polytechnics and universities here are expected to offer over 300 Skills-based modular courses by the end of the year in a wide range of specialist areas. These include Digital Forensics and Investigation, Functional Genomics Coaching & Counselling Skills, to name a few.

To ensure that critical manpower requirements are met, particularly in the identified high-growth sectors, select IHLs will serve as “sector coordinators”. Initially, there will be 17 such strategic sectors with coordinators. The selected IHLs will work with companies to devise comprehensive programs to help students get higher skills in a specialist area while being on-the-job and getting paid in the process.

“Our focus must be on the ends – acquiring, mastering and using deep skills. If workers or companies attend courses to meet quotas, or because of incentives for it, very little will be achieved from attending the courses. But if companies make the best use of the higher skills of workers, it leads to higher productivity, higher margins; in turn, they can pay higher wages. Higher skills, higher wages, higher productivity. This is the virtuous circle that we must seek to achieve,” said Mr.Heng Swee Keat in his speech in Parliament.

Supporting this new direction of lifelong learning will be various initiatives by the SkillsFuture Council, which is working to “develop an integrated system of education, training and career progression for all Singaporeans, promote industry support for individuals to advance based on skills, and foster a culture of lifelong learning.”
Staying ahead by thinking ahead

The re-setting of the priorities for education is another case in point of Singapore planning well ahead to maintain its competitiveness, which is vital for the country’s continued progress.

It is also a testament to the pragmatism that underpins almost everything that the country undertakes. “Whatever works” is an oft-heard mantra here; and it is clear that only education that can contribute to better employability and quality of life will be the way forward.

After all, relearning and unlearning are equally critical aspects of the learning journey.

- By Manoj Aravindakshan
This is an edited version of an article I wrote for a commemorative publication “Sustaining Singapore’s Success” brought out by the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce (SICC) on the occasion of Singapore’s 50th independence anniversary celebrations.

References/Sources:
MOE; Financial Times ; Forbes ; INSEAD ; ICEF; and, SPRING Singapore.

The Singapore story- from third world to the first- is the tale of an unfinished journey from survival to sustainability, one that the city-state pursues relentlessly with unflinching commitment and great vigour. The first seeds to make Singapore the Garden City that it is today were sown by the country’s founding father, Mr.Lee Kuan Yew back in 1963, as he believed that “we need the greenery of nature to lift our spirits.”

Since its very inception as an independent country, densely-populated Singapore has been at the leading edge of promoting excellence in urban planning and management. When combined with a highly-evolved and efficient governance and a steady focus on continuous innovation in the use of both technology and commercial models, the result is a city that’s achieved enviable success.

Singapore has consistently fared very highly against the parameters that characterize great cities: liveability, vibrancy, sustainability and quality of life. The vast expanses of greenery that envelope high-rises all across Singapore is the outcome of a continuous effort from the outset to ‘go green’. Today, the city can boast of its water and energy capacity to meet industrial, commercial and residential needs. It’s public transport system is one of the smoothest in the world and its residents get to breathe clean air, surrounded by greenery and waterways. Not surprisingly, Singapore is the best-performing city in the Asian region when measured against a range of sustainability criteria, according to the Green City Index, a project conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and sponsored by Siemens.

Overcoming inherent challenges
Singapore’s fundamental challenges at the time of its independence persist today: small size, with limited land, water and other natural resources. The dense and growing population (albeit, slower than what the country ideally would like to in order to maintain its thriving economy) continues to put considerable stress on the city’s limited resources and its environment.

The consequence of the country’s growth is a continual increase in demand and the competition for scarce resources. As an import-dependent country– even for most of its basics such as food and water—Singapore has to contend with any potential disruptions to imports. Doing more with less, resource conservation and efficient use are thus an absolute imperative for the country.

Like any progressive and forward-looking country, Singapore faces- and takes on- the challenge of environmental degradation/ pollution and climate change very seriously. The country has been very clear that economic growth and environment-friendliness are not two mutually-exclusive objectives; rather, sustainable growth can be achieved only when these two go hand-in-hand.

As a result, Singapore has used the following three drivers to fuel its development
1. Be efficient – Develop using less resources and generate less waste
2. Be clean – Develop without polluting the environment
3. Be green – Develop while preserving greenery, waterways and natural heritage.

Four ‘national taps’– the key to water sustainability
Almost a decade ago, Singapore had identified water and environmental technologies as a growth sector. The Environment and Water Programme Office (EWI), an inter-agency body led by the country’s water agency, the PUB, is leading concerted efforts to transform the country into a global hydrohub. With almost half a billion dollars committed to R&D in the water sector and a cluster of over 130 companies and 26 research centres, the vision of becoming the global hydrohub is very close to reality.

Singapore’s success in addressing its water challenges, with very little natural water sources, makes it a global example for effective and efficient water management. The city now has diversified and sustainable sources of meeting its water requirements through its Four National Taps: water from local catchment areas; imported water; Newater, reclaimed water; and desalinated water.

One of the select few countries to harvest urban storm-water on a large scale, the country has already successfully increased its water catchment area to almost two-thirds of its land surface. The long-term goal is to take this figure to an astonishing 90%.

Noteworthy as this seems to be, nothing illustrates Singapore’s success in water sustainability than its ability to recycle and desalinate water. Almost 30% of the country’s current water needs can be met by NEWater, a high-grade reclaimed water that is produced from treated used water after extreme purification with the use of advanced membrane technologies and ultra-violet disinfection. Among other uses, this water is being used by semiconductor wafer fabs, which require water of greater purity than that required for drinking. Four NEWater plants currently supply reclaimed water; Singapore expects to increase this capacity such that by 2060, up to 55% of the city’s water demands can be met by NEWater.

Singapore can also proudly stake claim to be the home for Asia’s largest seawater reverse-osmosis plant. The two desalination plants in Singapore has a total capacity of about 100 million gallons of water per day that can meet almost a quarter of the country’s current water demand.

In addition to ensuring an adequate supply of water, Singapore is actively pursuing a water conservation strategy. These efforts have already lowered the per capita domestic water consumption from about 165 litres per day in 2003 to 151 litres now, with a goal to lower this to 140 litres per day by 2030.

Singapore continues to invest in and develop its competencies in water-related technologies. For example, in May this year, the PUB entered into a collaborative agreement with French company Suez Environment to collaborate on research into waste water treatment, storm-water management and automated meter reading. Besides working on creating a smart water grid, the two entities will also carry out a pilot project to develop an energy efficient waste water treatment process.

Singapore demonstrates its leadership in the area of water sustainability and water treatment technologies by hosting the biennial Singapore International Water Week, which is among the most important events in the international calendar in this realm. The event seeks to ‘share and co-create innovative water solutions’ and brings together the top technologists and leaders in the water sector sector from around the world.

The “Green mantra” in public housing
The Housing Development Board (HDB), whose over 1 million flats spread over 26 towns and estates house the majority of Singapore’s population, is attempting to test-bed smart technologies to usher in a new generation of public housing.
As the HDB looks to ‘build future homes for better living’, sustainability and greenery have been inextricably ingrained in the organisation. Clearly ‘Green’ is the beacon that will guide it forward in its quest to create green flats, green neighbourhoods and green communities. In fact, the HDB Greenprint provides an integrated framework of goals and strategies for creating sustainable homes and greener towns. This includes numerous initiatives to better manage waste, conserve energy and use clean energy where possible.

Waste collection: Automating waste collection from residential estates with the use of the Pneumatic Waste Conveyance System (PWCS) is an important means to address both the environmental and sanitary issues related to open waste collection. Using underground pipes and vacuum to transport waste to sealed containers not only provides a better living environment for residents but also results in reduced manpower requirements and higher productivity.

Energy conservation: The HDB has already installed several Mega Watt Peak (MWp) of solar photovoltaic systems in different localities across the city. Such systems convert natural sunlight into solar power which is then harnessed to power lifts, corridor and staircase lighting and water pumps. Fuel cell technology is also being tried out to generate clean energy to power the common areas in HDB’s residential estates.

Similarly, the Elevator Energy Regeneration System (EERS) helps recover almost 20% of the energy consumed by a lift without affecting its operation.

Another key initiative in its energy conservation drive is to progressively replace the current outdoor street lights with LED lights. It is estimated that such a replacement, island-wide, could result in almost a 70% reduction in energy consumption compared to current levels.

Private-public participation: With its Green Homes Package, the HDB helps residents get access to energy-efficient products from private suppliers of products like refrigerators, air-conditioners and lighting systems at discounts.

Food security and sustainability
Singapore’s heavy reliance on food imports- Malaysia, China, US and Australia being the top sources for fruits and vegetables- poses a big challenge for the country.

Only about a tenth of its food requirements being produced locally. Apart from eggs, where Singapore is able to produce about 26% of the current consumption, the city’s fish and vegetable farms contribute modestly to meeting local demand.
Disruptions to food supply, volatility in food prices or food safety challenges overseas caused due to outbreaks of spreadable diseases such as bird flu, for example, are serious issues that the city has to be well-prepared for.

The Food Security Roadmap, unveiled some time ago by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) of Singapore, outlines the strategies (categorized as ‘core’, ‘supporting’ and ‘enabling’) that the government intends to pursue for both food supply resilience and food safety.

Chief among the core strategies is Singapore’s continuous efforts to diversify its food sources. Regular sourcing trips, led and facilitated by the AVA, for local food suppliers to potential new source countries play an important role in this direction. Another smart initiative is to move ‘upstream’ through contract farming in other countries in order to secure food at source. For example, Singapore has invested in a Food Zone in Jilin in North East China, which could become a reliable source for meat products.

The country is also emphasizing boosting local production of food, especially those that are not as limited by land availability. To stimulate higher local food production and productivity in the sector, the AVA offers the Food Fund for companies, besides working working closely with them in R&D and capability development. As of October 2013, about S$20 million of the Food Fund had already been spent, that resulted in increased local production of fish and vegetables by 550 tonnes and 360 tonnes, respectively.

Local production efforts got another boost in August 2014, with the announcement of a S$63 million Agriculture Productivity Fund (APF). This Fund is designed to help provide local farmers with funding support to expand production capabilities and invest in innovative, transformational farming systems, equipment and infrastructure.

Singapore’s efforts in improving its food security are bearing fruit, as can be seen from the most recent Global Food Security Index (GFSI) released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Singapore ranked 5th in the world in 2014 out of the 109 countries that are tracked as part of the index, a jump of 11 places from its position in 2013. The GFSI, based on tracking the food security levels in around the world, measures availability, affordability and quality & safety of food.

Recycling of food waste
Over 788,000 tonnes of food is thrown away in a year in Singapore- a figure that has risen by almost 50% in a decade. With only about 13% of the food waste being recycled currently, the Government is taking important steps to capitalise on the significant opportunity in this area.

Singapore is commencing two 2-year pilot projects with the aim of encouraging the wider population to recycle their food waste. Launched by the Second Minister for Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu in March 2015, the pilot programme will provide two hawker centres with a recycling machine each which can convert the food waste and left over food into compost and water. Relevant workers at the hawker centres will be trained by the National Environment Agency (NEA) to properly segregate the food waste.

The Government is also evaluating the economic viability of collecting food waste from shopping malls, hospitals and a host of other institutions and treating this waste at a centralised recycling facility. Clementi, in the West of Singapore, has been chosen for this district-level food waste pilot programme, mainly due to its proximity to the Ulu Pandan Water Reclamation Plant. The pilot will also study the possibility of recovering energy from the food waste and the used-water sludge at the plant.

Green Tourism: beyond traditional ‘eco-tourism’
Tourism is a significant revenue source for the Singapore economy– with over 15.6 million visitor arrivals in the country in 2013, tourism receipts for the year were pegged at about $23.5b. While Singapore may not figure at the top of “eco-tourism” destinations, it is taking steps to ensure that all tourism is eco-friendly.

In November 2013, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) launched Sustainability Guidelines to serve as a reference guide for Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conferences & Exhibitions (MICE) industry players in Singapore. The objective of the Guidelines is to encourage more local MICE players to meet global sustainability standards. Applicable to seven categories including hotels, venues, event organisers and meeting planners, transportation, food and beverage, as well as audio-visual set-up, the guidelines offer advice on waste management, efficient use of water and energy as well as actions that could facilitate active participation in sustainable practices by employees.

Leading hotels and convention centres now adopt sustainability practices. Marina Bay Sands, now a prominent landmark in Singapore, adopts a global strategy labelled Sands ECO360° Sustainability programme that consists of four pillars: Green Buildings, Environmentally Responsible Operations, Sustainable Meetings and Stakeholder Engagement. It holds the honour of being the first MICE facility in South East Asia to obtain the ISO 20121 Sustainable Events Management System certification and is also the largest building in Singapore to achieve the Green Mark Gold Award by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

Similarly, the Sentosa Development Corporation has a sustainability plan to safeguard the environment and safeguard the island’s heritage assets. A finalist in the World Travel and Tourism Council’s Tourism for Tomorrow Awards in 2013, Sentosa is home to several Green Mark certified buildings as well as 30 carefully-preserved heritage trees and over 30 conserved buildings.

The Park Royal on Pickering is another hotel that has made a name for its eco-friendly/ sustainability practices. According to stats published by the hotel, it could power 680 households with its annual energy savings and 32.5 Olympic sized pools saved through water conservation efforts annually. The hotel has 2m2 of lush greenery for every 1m2 of its total land area. Use of solar cells, sunlight and rain water harvesting, light, motion and rain sensors combine to make this a truly eco-friendly hotel.

The Sustainable Singapore Blueprint (SSB)
The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development (IMCSD), set up in January 2008, identified four key strategies as part of the original Sustainable Singapore Blueprint to achieve Singapore’s sustainable development and enable the country to be efficient and competitive in the long run.

The four pillars of this blueprint were to improve resource efficiency, enhance urban development, achieve community action, and build technologies & capabilities. A wide-ranging action plan with specific steps to tangibly fulfill each of these objectives- improving greenery and cleanliness, reducing air pollution levels, investing in solar energy and other R&D, enhance public transport, to name just a few- was executed in the last six years. Singapore is well on its way to achieving the ambitious goals and targets it had set itself for various parameters related to sustainability as part of the SSB 2009.

The Ministry of Environment and Water Resources and the Ministry of National Development have now published the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint for 2015, which outlines the country’s vision for a more liveable and sustainable Singapore. The vision is for Singapore to be: A Liveable and Endearing Home, A Vibrant and Sustainable City and An Active and Gracious City.

Operationalising the blueprint
In a written response to a question in the Parliament on the steps being taken by the government to operationalise the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint 2015, Dr.Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Environment and Water Resources, said that many of the initiatives were already in progress. “For example, to improve our air quality, NEA has tightened the emissions standards of vehicles in recent years and will further implement Euro VI emissions standards for new petrol and diesel vehicles from 1 September 2017 and 1 January 2018 respectively. To achieve a “car-lite” Singapore while bringing commuting convenience to residents, LTA and URA have drawn up plans to make towns more walkable and cyclist-friendly.”

Dr.Balakrishnan emphasized the role that the community at large, including businesses, must play in realizing the vision set out in the SSB 2015. “We need everyone to take stewardship of our environment and sustainable development. It should be second nature for people, businesses and the Government to come together to care for our common spaces and environment, and champion a sustainable way of life. Together, we can be the proud stewards of a liveable home and sustainable city, one that can be enjoyed by many more generations of Singaporeans to come,” he wrote.

- By Manoj Aravindakshan

This is an edited version of an article I wrote for a commemorative publication “Sustaining Singapore’s Success” brought out by the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce (SICC) on the occasion of Singapore’s 50th independence anniversary celebrations.

a) Age is just a number and romance, a state of mind.

b) Being judged is inevitable. We can either experience and enjoy the emotional roller-coaster as a consequence of being affected by those judgements (real or perceived) or elevate ourselves to a state of indifference to them. The former is being human, the latter, spiritual.

c) Breezy eloquence and fiery oratory are undoubtedly great at influencing audiences; sometimes, the struggle and stutter of a sincere speech could be nearly as effective in making a connection.

Today, I nominate the big-hearted and gregarious Samson to take up the #positivitychallenge. For someone who is either in water (swimming and water polo) or in the air (travel business!), I hope you will find enough tales of positivity from your global network to share for 5 days and nominate one individual each day to take this forward.

Serendipity & redemption
This is a bit of a long-winded story, but bear with me. Picture this. My phone goes completely blank all of a sudden- I can hear the phone ring, but can’t do anything about it. I take it to the local phone shop, where the technician tells me that the display has conked off and needs to be replaced. My sixth sense (or call it my reluctance to immediately dole out the repair & replacement cost) tells me that I need to have a second opinion from our service provider/reseller. I bump into Seema who’s on her way from a class she’s attending and tell her the reason for my suddenly becoming incommunicado. In a flash, she recalls that her mobile phone contract is due to expire and she has a voucher of $100 that needs to be redeemed. She checks and as chance would have it, the voucher expires that very day. We reach the mobile service centre just about on time. The folks there tell me that I need to take my phone to the Apple service centre elsewhere (which can happen only the next day); meanwhile, Seema renews her contract, redeems the voucher and upgrades to a new phone. If only my phone hadn’t conked off or I hadn’t seen Seema at that time…

Tryst with destiny, karma and sowing seeds
In all these years of living in Singapore, I had never put in the effort to visit the Indian High Commission on Independence Day. I was determined to go this year- and the fact that I had to visit the Apple service centre to get my phone sorted provided just the perfect catalyst to ensure it happened. By the time I got to the High Commission, the tri-colour was fluttering gloriously in the moist breeze- a slightly rainy Friday. The sight of a couple of hundred people and enthusiastic performances by kids from the Indian schools provided a pleasant glimpse into the past; the soulful voice of Dr.Bhupen Hazarika crying out ‘Ganga tum behti ho kyon’ brought a lump in the throat. It was an auspicious morning.

Then having learnt that the display on my phone didn’t need to be changed (the wait for the second opinion worked!), it was lunch with the group behind a start-up that has some big plans over the next couple of years. One of those on the team is an American with a deep love for and close business ties with India. It was fascinating to hear him talk about Karma – and how life heartily drops down those who can’t stay humble on their way to the top (based on first-hand experiences with a young multi-billionaire who’s now struggling to get bail). By the time the group finished with the last sips of ‘masala chai’, the seeds of something ambitious had been well and truly sown.

Today, I pass on the baton to the incorrigible optimist, my cousin Sujit, whose zest for life, fearlessness in dreaming big, eagerness to have a laugh and the commitment to live life on his own terms are inspiring. Suji, take the #positivitychallenge on…

2. Fragrance, music & universality
Along the path, I was drawn to the sound of a lady crooning a pleasing tune from a makeshift stage near an impressive Chinese temple. I stopped to listen and enjoy the melody, the effect of which was embellished by the fragrance wafting from hundreds of burning incense sticks. I had no idea what she was singing, but I walked away convinced that the voice of emotion doesn’t need the prop of language to strike a chord with anyone.

3. Calls, connections & celebrations
A good day for the family—Seema seemed relatively relaxed after her presentations and sumptuous sea food dinner by the Singapore river and Naina enjoyed her field trip to the Jurong Bird Park. I joined a couple of friends (in spirit!) on their birthdays; spoke with an old school friend with whom I hadn’t spoken for a long time. Watched my sister and cousins work out their plans via Whatsap group chat for an aunt’s 60th birthday celebrations a month-and-half from now. This closely-knit feeling is something to be cherished.

Today I nominate the vivacious Upama to take up the #positivitychallenge to post 3 positive things done in a day for five continuous days and also nominate one person per day to join the challenge.

But guess how today begins. I wake up to read ‘RIP Robin Williams’… then, a burst pipe at home meant pushing back some critical daily activities until the enterprising plumber decided that he had solved enough problems for one day and was adequately compensated for his struggles with the sink and stink.

So, the positives for the day? Here goes:
1) I re-learnt the lesson that any time we set out to do something new or different, we’ve got to expect being thrown a spanner in the works (literally!). Obstacles are par for the course — can’t ignore them, but have to force ourselves to look beyond them.

2) I reconnected with a teacher who taught me in primary school about 33 years ago. She reminds me that she taught me when I was about my son’s age, which was absolutely on target! Not that I didn’t remember it, but for her to recall with such precision was simply amazing — after all, our teachers used to teach hundreds of students each year.

3) Thirdly, I recommenced work on an important project that had been in a state of limbo for the past few months. It felt good to set the wheels back in motion; now, to see it to fruition…

Today I nominate my multi-talented friend Yogesh Naik to take up the #positivitychallenge to post 3 positive things done in a day for five continuous days and also nominate one person per day to join the challenge. Yogi, go infect the world with positivity!

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God’s tears barely roll down that the bitumen melts, betraying the vulnerability of our national and state highways, or all roads for that matter. It cracks them and creates dents in their hearts, the recuperation from which is undertaken as an annual, seasonal task whose result is usually failure.

Looking at the flip side of all troughs, including the ones on the road, is a hobby, almost a passion with some people who have got nothing better to do. For instance, R.K.Laxman’s common man can see and experience here what Pathfinder sees on Mars- the craters.

If only all common men did not believe in the total indispensability of time, if they bothered to look around, they would realize that these potholes have more than ornamental value. They serve so many people and diverse interests. They have a right to adorn our roads. In the interests of society, it would be useful to educate the damned few who complain of this pitiable condition about leaving the roads as they are.
To start with, let us take an analytical look at the companies that make the things that the roads are meant for. “Ideal for Indian roads” is the USP of almost all of them, including the ones who have recently set up shop here from around the world. So guess what the young overpaid workaholics (YOWs) from the IITs and IIMs would have been doing in case our roads weren’t what they are: re-inventing the wheel, literally!

A camel ride on the beaches of Bombay is now the stuff dreams are made of, thanks to the sensitivity of some active human beings who fought for the rights of this beast of burden. But Bombay is a place where no one or nothing is missed for too long. A ride on the upper deck of the ‘best’ double deckers, after the first couple of showers, lets one relive the experience in near totality.

The body rocks in pure delight while the eyes are treated to the glorious sight of the sea below. The tiny puddles reunite to become part of one large family, the innocuous tides play around their recaptured domain, naughtily challenging irritated two-wheeler riders and succeeding in altering the pace of life around them.

The romanticism does not end there. The induced slowness offers a larger helping of the much craved for togetherness for young lovers in their own paradise- the upper deck. The potholes prevent any conflict of desires and ideas between them- the young man for whom a bit of physical intimacy is integral to his perception of romance, and the young woman who is averse to any public display of emotion.

As the bus meets and parts from pothole after pothole, the lady with feigned reluctance, reaches out her hand to the waiting arms of her boyfriend, a happy victim of circumstance. The emotions that inevitably follow this none too uncommon event are varied- almost palpable joy for the lovers, voyeurs reveling in vicarious delight, envy and contempt for the contemporaries and sixty-something couples respectively, and a bit of sadism for the bus conductor who finds only the seat adjacent to them to keep shouting “Ticket, ticket”, being the proverbial black ant (or ‘kebab mein haddi’) in their few moments of bliss.

The bliss of the beneficiaries of our roads does not end here. The afternoon tabloids report a minimum three-fold increase as their best sales outlets are the traffic jams, of which there is no dearth. Their form and content make them the most ideally suited for the situation and they thrive on the utility provided to their readers- keeping them abreast on the marriage front of some faraway royal family, checking out the forecast (sun signs, not the weather) for the remaining part of the day and half of the next, indulging in the crossword, staring at syndicated cartoon strips and finally, fanning themselves while they will their vehicles to budge forward, inch by inch.

In the course of all this, the tabloid’s sales force, usually consisting of children not more than 10 years old, earns a livelihood. So does the groundnut seller who moves from one vehicle to another, convincing the incumbents that eating those nuts is the best “time pass” on the road. After the tabloid, of course.

The traffic constable called upon to supervise the jam occupies centre stage and performs his physical excercises with an unqualified commitment that renders him fit, always. The municipality can increase its taxes to improve the roads. But an actual improvement can rule out a potential source of revenue for the next year. Who in their right senses would do such a thing? The employees in the municipality can continue to discuss for half a day the ordeal faced by them in reaching office and the likely trouble on their way back for the other half. An Indian road is an alibi upon which anybody can reliably fall back for every dishonoured appointment – ask Rebecca Mark of Enron, if you need any proof.

The only people who ought to and should be bothered with the state of our roads are the insurance companies. The volume of claims they would be receiving has to be astronomical, even going by the grossly underplayed government statistics. They would certainly be thinking of doing something about the it- not the roads, the criteria for settling road accident claims, I mean!

If cricket was the religion in the Caribbean, the thread that strung together the scattered islands, then the malaise of conversions is gnawing away the thread rapidly. Call it disillusionment or betrayal of faith. When I heard of it from a friend who was on a software assignment in Jamaica, I was pained. “Do you get to play cricket there?” I had asked him enviously. “Cricket?” he had said. “People here are more interested in basketball, or they’d rather become athletes, the way they run on the beach.”

Pained. Maybe even pity. Those are the feelings evoked when artistes lose their touch, when entertainers only embarrass, and charmers’ charms are rendered impotent. Less than a decade and half ago, the West Indian cricketers were the invincible, indomitable, Calypso Charmers. Feared as an opposition, but immensely lovable, they were like a tribe of warriors who fought for their pride and conquered anyone who came in their way. But it all seems like ages ago, isn’t it?

Back in 1983, as a ten-year-old boy, my father and I used to wake up at four in the morning to listen to Dicky Rutnagur and Tony Cozier (then a radio commentator). That was the series where India first gave signs of the shock-in-waiting — the Prudential World Cup victory. But it was the first test at Sabina Park in Kingston when I felt myself falling in love with the Calypso Charmers. My father, an ardent fan of the Caribbeans himself, had contributed to kindle that feeling with tales of Michael Holding, Colin Croft, Sylvester Clarke, Clive Lloyd and Alvin Kallicharan. The Windies needed some 170 odd (or was it 190 odd — the memory is a little rusty) in the post-tea session on the final day to win the test. And didn’t they do it in style? Vivian Richards and company blasted Kapil Dev and party out the attack. Since then, I’ve always looked forward to at least reading about the exploits of the Windies, no matter in which part of the world they were playing or against what opposition.

Indeed, I missed the great Caribbeans at the peak. I have never seen Holding, Roberts, Garner, Croft at their fiery best or the dominance of Lloyd and Kallicharan. But I’ve been fortunate to see the late Malcolm Marshall charging in on his slightly diagonal run-up to a field of three slips, two gullies and a forward short-leg. And an occasional blast from Sir Viv, Greenidge and Haynes. But by the mid-eighties, when my understanding of the game matured, the West Indian citadel had started cracking. Each of the above-mentioned aging pillars of that citadel gave way. All of a sudden, a side that had an enviable abundance of talent was faced with the daunting reality that talent is after all a non-replenishable quantity.

Of course, the journey downhill did see the emergence of the two great Cs — Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose. For a decade and a half, these two bore the burden of holding it all together and attempt to arrest the slump. Time and again, their performances flashed back images of the team under Lloyd, turning around matches from hopeless situations. Take for instance, Walsh in Australia under Richie Richardson taking the last wicket with the Kangaroos needing 2 to win. Or Ambrose against India at Barbados or against South Africa. For all their greatness, it is saddening that the two Cs leave the game defeated, but thankfully, at least with the right to hold their head high.

Brian Lara came on to the world cricketing arena carrying the hopes and aspirations of the entire Caribbean. He may still hold the record for the highest test innings or that for the highest first class score, but he is most likely to be remembered as a case of unfulfilled promise and under-utilized potential. Handling and nourishing talent is as important as having talent, and Lara is perhaps the best instance in contemporary cricket of talent going to the head, and an obvious lack of synchronization between natural abilities and temperament. No wonder then, that after being head-to-head with Sachin Tendulkar in the race to be acclaimed the best batsman in the world, it is the latter who is now head and shoulders above the pack. For a brief while, though, Lara raised hopes of belying the question marks on his mental toughness. That was against Australia two years ago, when he almost single-handedly led the Windies to victory, playing in the process (at least, some former West Indian cricketers say so) one of the best knocks ever. Unfortunately, he never could continue in that vein, and for a side so bereft of natural talent and so shamefully dependent on Lara, that is disaster.

And now we have a team that is getting whitewashed each time it plays. 0-5 against South Africa, 0-3 against Pakistan, 0-2 against New Zealand! Are we talking of the once-mighty West Indies? It only seems to be getting worse. Look at what’s happening Down Under right now. The fragile-as-a-soap-bubble batting line-up struggles to collectively get to three-figures even against the Australian state sides. Importantly, they’ve lost a record held for almost 17 years by that great West Indian side under Lloyd and with that the striking landmark of invincibility of the Windies has been erased.

It all seems hopeless and beyond redemption. And as my friend in Jamaica said, when hope is lost and faith eroded, followers convert. That is the last straw. But as an ardent lover of West Indian cricket, I still hope for a miracle. Each time the West Indians bat, I wish that a Chanderpaul or a Hinds or a Sarwan can stand tall and play like Richards or Greenidge. Or a Nixon McLean and Mervyn Dillon will rip through an opposition line up like Holding and Roberts did. Yet, I can’t help wondering if it is hoping too much to see the Calypso Charmers again?