Disembarking Air India’s flight AI 428 at Kuala Lumpur (KL) Airport in Malaysia, I had so many thoughts humming in my mind. It was New Year’s Day of 1983 and the generally hot and humid climate of KL was surprisingly pleasant that morning. I was a young engineer of 22 years age then and it was my first overseas visit. My excitement was not only obvious, rather it was overflowing and could be seen in my gait as I put my first steps on the tarmac.

I was sent here on an assignment for World Bank financed project of Government of Malaysia. The project was located at, then Prime Minister’s constituency in the northern Malaysian state of Kedah which bordered with Thailand. This project was supposed to have supplied water to so called “Malaysia’s foremost island retreat Pulau Langkawi”. Thus it was a very prestigious project for more than one reason.

I walked in to the office of our Malaysian Joint venture partners, ready to jump start at the task. My education, training and eight month’s experience behind my ears was enough to face the challenges, I thought. Formalities of initial introductions over, Mr. S. Robert, the Managing director of my local joint venture firm, inquisitively asked my age and how many years experience I had? It seemed he was waiting to put this question all along. Having known the facts about my youth and inexperience, he refused to hand over the project files to me. It’s not a “game for novices” he said to me. He asked me to wait till my boss arrived from Mumbai, the next day. My journey of excitement had turned into a disappointment, my youth had turned out to be my handicap, and I was now shuffling my return ticket to Mumbai.

Next day my Boss arrived and I narrated the whole story to him. Later in the office my boss and Mr. Robert were locked in the meeting room for over two hours, before I was called in. It was my boss who spoke to me first, giving me a sort of “capability demonstration assignment”. Mr. Robert looked at me with doubt and chuckled: have you understood every thing? Give me two hours, was my confident reply with a smile.

I was asked to prepare a cash-flow statement for the Project, some thing I had mastered recently. I went about the task of churning the financial numbers with the vigor of an accountant. Two hours later when I went back to board room to present what I had prepared, the setting of the room was much different. There were approx ten executives there now; few known to me from yesterday’s introductions; belonged to Mr. Robert’s project management team. Everybody seemed curious to find out how the Project cash-flow statement could be prepared in just two hours and had a sort of anticipation that I am about to be doomed.

Presentation started and steadily the body language of the audience was easing and taking a positive turn. Half an hour presentation was followed by two hours question and answer session. The setting had turned more like American Senate’s House Committee hearing for confirmation of appointments to cabinet. Finally I was overwhelmingly endorsed for the Leadership of the project. Congratulating me Mr. Robert said: well you are so young hence we had no choice but to be careful. I was only beginning to learn that for such challenging responsibilities my youth was going to be my biggest shortcoming. But then there was no way I could age myself quickly!

Next day, I had to take an early morning flight to Alor Setar, from where my project site was approx 40 kilometers. As I came out of the airport, I was to be picked up by the site staff belonging to local joint venture company holding a placard of my name. Having seen them I went near them giving a grin of acknowledgement. They seemed to be little curious and hid the bouquet of flowers behind their back. They could gather that I was to go with them but not sure if I was the new Project Manager, perhaps some young engineer accompanying the Project Manager. To be sure they finally asked me where is the new project Manager? I laughed and to their dismay told them I was the one they were looking for, oh sir! they exclaimed and welcomed men with the bouquet.

Malaysia has three ethnic communities: the Malays who dominate the government and are mostly rural based, Chinese who control the commerce and are urban, and the Indians who are still backward as they have not been able to overcome their background of being plantation labor. The project site was dominated by Chinese Engineers with few Malay staff and laborers that were mostly Malays and Indians. It was already a matter of curiosity how an Indian was coming as head of such a large project. I reported to the Chief Resident Engineer (CRE) of the consultants to the project, who although a Chinese was educated in India and boasted to know India better than Indians. First look at me gave him a giggle; which sent me wondering “not again” am I too young here too? He began questioning me like a professor testing a student. To be sure he further gave me a written test that included preparation of a drawing and a logical question about hydraulics. I went about to write my examination in his office. Drawing was the easier part. For an engineer to work on theory without any reference book was always difficult. Chinese get red in their faces when they are agitated. The CRE had begun turning pink moment I accepted to give the test. He expected me to refuse and give up (as he told me later, he didn’t want another Indian educated young engineer as competition on his project site). He was flabbergasted to see accurate answers. It took great efforts on his part to wear a smile and congratulate me on acceptance at site.

There was a very elderly but seasoned Indian civil engineer working as inspector of works in the CRE office, who somehow developed a liking for me. He had worked on similar projects in Middle East before. He would quietly issue me local ethnic warning time to time “look young chap for Chinese, only their hairs are straight”! To which I used to reply “Mr. Vergese look carefully and you would notice in my case too only the hairs are straight” and he will grin a smile.

The real test for my inexperience was still couple of months away. It came in the form of a ten feet deep pit in the ground where we were not able to work due to seepage of water with sand. The work was held up for weeks. Three drainage pumps got spoiled in the process due to ingress of sand and the seepage had become a gush of water now. Even the consultants had no idea as how to resolve the problem. It was causing loss of time and money. Local Thai laborers almost started making fun of my capabilities. They told me that at this location was earlier ancient cemetery for local Royalty and the spirit of one of the princess still wanders here, she will keep troubling a young man like you. The only way out is “khanduri”, Malay term for sacrificing animal. They even gave me bill of materials: two goats, one lamb, five chickens, food stuff etc. I plainly refused to even hear such nonsense. But I had to find some solution to the menace caused by the princess’s spirit!

It was slowly dawning on to me that this needs input from some civil engineer (I was an electrical one) that too who has tackled similar problem before. Suddenly it flashed to me why not check with Mr. Vergese. Coming Weekend I drove to his house and told him of the frustrating situation. He immediately came to site with me. We both went down the pit using a ladder. He had a good look at the surroundings and the heap of sand that had oozed out last night and exclaimed: Oh! it’s a problem of Dubai desert that has traveled this far to Malaysia. I looked at him to give clues to the riddle. He explained how this was the common feature in sandy soils of Middle East and suggested that the proven way out is by sheet piling the location. Next three days we spent in sheet piling the location and on the fourth day within three hours we were able to complete the task that had eluded us for four weeks.

I looked at my team of Indian, Chinese, Thai & Malay workers and told them: folks! what about lunch on me today, you deserve at least this much against your demand for “Kanduri”, every one laughed.

Thus at a very young age I realized how youth and inexperience can be a big handicap in securing challenges and executing serious responsibilities usually reserved for the mature and experienced. At the same time, as it turned out, one can always be victorious, overcoming any handicap, by taking the path of lateral thinking or directly augmenting your skills by collaborating with some one “who has been there and done that”.