Asia Times Online, South Asia Edition, 23 January 2004 — "Looking East – Not West – for Employment" · By Siddharth Srivastava · Interview with Anil Mahajane, Talent Hunt Private Limited
Publication Details
When the Outsourcing Story Turned Around
In early 2004, global debate around outsourcing focused almost entirely on jobs leaving developed economies for India. This Asia Times feature, written by Siddharth Srivastava for the South Asia Edition, captured a counter-narrative that had received almost no attention: skilled professionals from the US, UK and South Africa were beginning to look towards India for employment.
As multinational corporations moved not only back-office and call-centre work but also high-end research, product development and senior management roles to India, the country was becoming genuinely attractive as a place to build an international career.
Observations from Anil Mahajane
India's Shift from Low-Cost Provider to Global Innovation Hub
The article captured a fundamental transition in the nature of work moving to India. Global corporations — including IBM, General Electric and leading technology firms — were expanding their India operations beyond customer support into high-value functions:
- Research and Development
- Engineering Services and Product Development
- Consulting and Advisory
- Senior Management and Global Delivery Leadership
Simultaneously, Indian companies such as TCS, Wipro and Infosys were becoming global enterprises. Together, these developments created a new kind of opportunity in India — one that experienced international professionals were beginning to recognise.
An International Publication at the Leading Edge of the Story
The Asia Times was one of the first international outlets to document this reversal. Publishing in January 2004 — before most Indian media had fully registered the trend — the article gave Anil Mahajane's observations a global platform.
Two decades later, India hosts thousands of GCCs, major R&D centres, global engineering hubs and AI innovation ecosystems — precisely the trajectory that this interview anticipated. Foreign executives, researchers and technology specialists now routinely relocate to India to lead strategic global initiatives.