The New Order

David Newman, 34, English VP, Program Management WNS Global Services, Pune, In India since June 2003 8226; Haircut: Lucky Star Saloon, Bund Garden Road 8226; Shirts: Park Avenues and Van Heusens. Shops for casuals on Laxmi Road 8226; Writing Instrument: Huh? 8226; Watch: Doesn8217;t wear one 8226; Fav View: The Western Ghats 8226; Fav restaurants: Indiyaki, Great Punjab 8226; Car: Mahindra Scorpio 8226; Resides at: Magarapatta City 8226; Chills out at: Home with friends, almost all Indian 8226; Shoes: Vegetan				Douglas T Neilson, 58, Scottish Head, Corporate Credit Deutsche Bank, Mumbai In India from 1980-84, and from 1997 till date 8226; Haircut: Taj Mahal Hotel 8226; Tie: Zodiac 8226; Writing Instrument: Cross 8226; Suit: Canali 8226; Watch: Seiko 8226; Fav View: Marine Drive 8226; Fav restaurants: India Jones, Golden Dragon 8226; Car: Mercedes E-class 8226; Resides at: Breach Candy 8226; Chills out at: The Breach Candy Club. Is also a member of the Caledonian Society 8226; Shoes: Church

DOUGLAS Neilson, director, head of corporate credit for India and a clutch of neighbours, isn8217;t very sure whether he still gets his hardship allowance.

8220;Maybe, it is there in the overall package,8221; says the soft-spoken 58-year-old Scot, in an accent that seems to swallow a vowel here and a consonant there.

Put the same question to David Newman, 34, vice-president, program management, WNS Global Services a BPO firm, and the reply is an amused 8220;It8217;s not in our policy at all.8221;

As they say, there are numerous ways of looking at the same thing. In reference to this context, you could probably quote utterly boring GDP figures, fancy investment opportunities and set up a sedative Powerpoint presentation on your snazzy laptop about India8217;s advances.

Or you could take a look at Neilson and Newman. One, an old-world banking pro, and the other from a young, literally, industry. Who, in their outlook, lifestyle and sundry other bits, make us realise the difference, at least in certain areas, between the still-hungover-from-socialism 8217;80s and global Y2K4.

Mumbai-based Neilson, who hails from an 8220;old mill town called Paisley8221; has been in banking all along and first came here for a four-year stint in the early 8217;80s. Mumbai for him was yet another in a long line of postings across the world, and he was back in 1997.

Newman, who8217;s worked as a postman for the Royal Mail, an industrial engineer and even stood for elections to the local legislature in Surrey, landed in India in June 2003. 8220;Outsourcing gave me an opportunity to come over to India, a place where I8217;d backpacked and loved about 12 years ago,8221; he says. 8220;Back in 1990, I faxed a letter to my parents which also said that 8220;Hey mom, can you imagine there are fax machines out here! And here I am working in an environment that is as good as any other city in Europe,8221; adds Newman who works out of Pune.

Surely, these two gents are in no way definitive representations of the changing profile of the expat community or, for that matter, our country8217;s increased prominence in certain sectors globally.

What we are doing is tilting our heads and looking at change, and nobody can deny it hasn8217;t happened, in a different manner. There are two reason for this.
1. It makes for nice Sunday reading. And
2. How do you calculate GDP?