The Story of Naugad
In an alternate world far-far away there’s a country of a million ‘Naugadvasis’. A few hundred years ago Naugad was the economic and cultural hub of the alternate world – a land blessed with natural resources and the technical advancements brought about by its efficacious people. Then a calamity struck - the ancestors in the charm of joy and prosperity failed to submit the ‘Speroid of Susakchet’ to the fires of the two-tower volcano. The prosperity collapsed and the glorious era came to an end.
In the years that followed Naugadvasis lost their technological headway; vast lands turned barren, rivers changed their paths wiping towns and eroding mountains. Every disease known to mankind showed itself in the people. Naugadvasis got lost in a sea of poverty, corruption, and misery.
A few hundred years under this curse and Naugad saw a ray of hope, but Naugadvasis thought it was the new sun itself. Electronic machines called computers had been invented in the land called Mordor. The inhabitants of Gordor and Rohan lands also used these machines extensively and were dependent on them. Naugadvasis found a fortune in writing software for the machines. They could develop it much faster and at lower costs. The Naugad economy picked-up, its citizens could find jobs in thousands as software developers. The benefits transgressed to other sectors too; the healthcare facilities and public infrastructure improved. Naugad was once again under focus – the way it had been before the ancestors committed the mistake.
One thought that the spell of the curse was over. Software development became the most aspired occupation of its people. Bright minds which could have otherwise worked in the fields of chemistry, nuclear physics, pharmacy, medicine, mechanics shifted to software for the easy jobs, higher pays and foreign trips. The leaders of Naugad encouraged this by letting more institutes of software technology to setup and by setting software firms free from tax.
Individuals who didn’t have any aptitude for computer science started taking positions in software companies which needed them in tens of thousands. Consequently the quality of deliverables decreased, project management grew difficult; and Mr. Pareto came at every large glass window to preach his 80:20 principle. Life for the deserving developers became laborious – doing 80% of the work and correction defects introduced by the rest 80% of the under-performers.
Meanwhile other countries like Chunalgad, Vatika, Subedha learnt the art of software development and gave Naugad a tough competition. This resulted in the decrease in salaries, poor working conditions, and increase in the workload. On the other hand Mordor, Gordor, Rohan benefited from the low cost software and had their funds and people in the direction of new chemical compounds, hybrid automobiles, mass transportation, renewable energy, synthetic food, nanotechnology, space-energy efficient microprocessors, waste recycling, water harvesting and other desperately needed technologies.
Mordor invented an electric car which has running costs of $0.005/Km; and a 99% safe radioactive waste disposal system. A Gordorian company discovered the formula for synthetic food for farm-animals and pets. Rohan invented bacteria which converts bio-waste into hydrogen, a solar power plant, and built a train which crossed the 500kms/hr bar.
Naugad needs all the above items, for sustaining its economy and maintaining the quality of life of its citizens. But it continues to sleep in its software dream.
In the years that followed Naugadvasis lost their technological headway; vast lands turned barren, rivers changed their paths wiping towns and eroding mountains. Every disease known to mankind showed itself in the people. Naugadvasis got lost in a sea of poverty, corruption, and misery.
A few hundred years under this curse and Naugad saw a ray of hope, but Naugadvasis thought it was the new sun itself. Electronic machines called computers had been invented in the land called Mordor. The inhabitants of Gordor and Rohan lands also used these machines extensively and were dependent on them. Naugadvasis found a fortune in writing software for the machines. They could develop it much faster and at lower costs. The Naugad economy picked-up, its citizens could find jobs in thousands as software developers. The benefits transgressed to other sectors too; the healthcare facilities and public infrastructure improved. Naugad was once again under focus – the way it had been before the ancestors committed the mistake.
One thought that the spell of the curse was over. Software development became the most aspired occupation of its people. Bright minds which could have otherwise worked in the fields of chemistry, nuclear physics, pharmacy, medicine, mechanics shifted to software for the easy jobs, higher pays and foreign trips. The leaders of Naugad encouraged this by letting more institutes of software technology to setup and by setting software firms free from tax.
Individuals who didn’t have any aptitude for computer science started taking positions in software companies which needed them in tens of thousands. Consequently the quality of deliverables decreased, project management grew difficult; and Mr. Pareto came at every large glass window to preach his 80:20 principle. Life for the deserving developers became laborious – doing 80% of the work and correction defects introduced by the rest 80% of the under-performers.
Meanwhile other countries like Chunalgad, Vatika, Subedha learnt the art of software development and gave Naugad a tough competition. This resulted in the decrease in salaries, poor working conditions, and increase in the workload. On the other hand Mordor, Gordor, Rohan benefited from the low cost software and had their funds and people in the direction of new chemical compounds, hybrid automobiles, mass transportation, renewable energy, synthetic food, nanotechnology, space-energy efficient microprocessors, waste recycling, water harvesting and other desperately needed technologies.
Mordor invented an electric car which has running costs of $0.005/Km; and a 99% safe radioactive waste disposal system. A Gordorian company discovered the formula for synthetic food for farm-animals and pets. Rohan invented bacteria which converts bio-waste into hydrogen, a solar power plant, and built a train which crossed the 500kms/hr bar.
Naugad needs all the above items, for sustaining its economy and maintaining the quality of life of its citizens. But it continues to sleep in its software dream.
posted by Unknown at
4:41 AM
16 Comments:
Brilliant efforts Sagar. You have narrated a very big issue in a very small story.
As every part of our body is equaly important to the human being, all these field are equaly important for the progress of mankind.
A student scoring 100 marks in maths and failing in regoinal language will be called failed.
There has to be a good balance between all the fields which are essential to human being.
Awesome keystrokes, this definitely shows the depth with which you can think of a problem of an individual, striving for the development... not only for him/her but also for all those who are the part of his life, his surroundings and of course his smile.(though the story is of a country,but i do feel it equally fits to an individual, hence trying to comment on that aspect, do bare with this mischief)
At the end the urge to hold each and every thing, that can bring success and prosperity, in either way or the other, is something that shows the potential of the author to drive the primer, the way he want.
Well said. I believe that this place must have also been short of good educational institutions. Good opportunities and fine jobs follow the well trained mind. Hope they invest more money into education. Somehow we see the same plight in our country.
your writing style is improving and so is your imagination
Nice analogy of Naugad as India....I think we Indians should take this moral from the story and start buildiing ourself in other areas accept IT. The IT may be an added advantage. but this i cannot be ultimate goal for us
Good One..!! , Reminded me of the Indian Saga.. , names are interesting, sound like era of Chandra Gupta Maurya
nice one !! sagar
i like the way u narrate the story of india ,indian professional and usa, google,IBM etc(i think so)
why u have taken complex name ?
anyways keep it up dude.
a good one
The analogy is clear, u wrote about India. I don't know what makes you think that I.T is the Indian dream.
‘Speroid of Susakchet’ was interesting :)
This is fact, at present people cannot run away from it. Even though we have potential to be on top in all the fields, we still lack behind and dependent. Sagar nicely narated the fact, i will give you 10/10.
Keep blogging, lage raho Sagar bhai!!
;)
Nice Sagar. Its really a fantastic effort to put the problems we are going to face in a story form. Nice story. I wish this should be sent to The Hindu or TOI to reach more sleeping minds.
Hey its a good one buddy...
Its fabulous... Can c a lot of improvement in ur writing style.. Very creative story.. Keep it up..
And ofcourse keep writing..
hope naugadians dont use thier 'brains' to write some software that can write software... else it would become something like the calamity in the beginning
its obivious that it is analagous with india. IT is indias dream. yes it has brought its share of problems but also its share of charm.In the past few days i have been reading lot of articles of how india is turning into costly destination for business and everywhere there is one point that is common and that is salary inflation. i guess going forward salaries of the so called IT people will stream line .people will stop rushing to IT as only the job hope and the rest of the fields will also get their share of people. you blogs throws light on how one IT is hogging limelight.But before we start blamming thing on IT we must ask ourselves one question how many of us are ready to leave IT and join other fields. the answer to this question will answer the remaining questions that has been raised in the blog
Not all is lost.Some steps Naugad needs to take to segway into the future:
1.Revamp the education system at the grassroot level-Naugadvasis need to be creative rather than productive.
2.Leverage the IT stength into enhancing the advances made in other fields.Establish more research facilities,provide promising career paths in such fields.
3.Set up a uniform tax policy encouraging non-IT and indegenous industries.
4.You pay Peanuts,you get monkeys.Increase the pay+perks in other fields to pul back the talent.
5.Last but not the least,not totally ignore the software industry-for it was the reviver of Naugad's ray of hope !
I am waiting for July 11,2018:Hope your blog on Naugad then depicts how it overcame all obstacles in 10 years and marched into the future,or rather became THE future !
This was a fantastic piece of literature. Short and succinct this story touches some really important aspects that the economic planners of the country seem to take for granted
Another interesting point that could be added in the story .. The citizens of Naugad mastered the art of doing the *same task* over and over again in less time to make more money; but did not invest the gained time in looking for something *new* .. which the citizens of Mordor did.
All in all a great read.. and something really to ponder on
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