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Skill can be defined as the ability to create and use tools to gain advantage over natural resources even though it was reduced to "ability to do something well" by the linguists ignoring that language itself is a tool granted by Vakdevi, with Agni as the adhisthana devata. While humans are blessed by the Goddesses like Gayatri Devi, Saraswati Devi for learning and communication, the animal kingdom is not far behind. A crow dropping pebbles into a jar of water, a fable taught in my kindergarten, causes the water level to rise for its use. In the modern times, Jane Goodall raised the awareness about Chimpanzees that have the ability to use sticks to ferret out ants and such from the ground. A South American Parakeet was shown to remember 1700 words through training and interaction. A Golden Retriever has the skill to retrieve something like a frisbee and a Beaver can build dams across waterways.

Our Puranas mention several weapons which are tools to defend oneself made from other tools by the smithies. A skilful archer, such as Arjuna or Ekalavya, was pivotal for winning in a war. Balarama had a plough as the weapon of choice which has been repurposed from an agricultural tool. Parasurama wielded an axe or parasu in front of Lord Rama after he dismantled the Shiv Dhanus in Sita Devi svayamvara.

Even going back, the Indus Civilization was shown to be very advanced in making and using tools. The tool makers or craftsmen made ploughs, sickles, chakras, maces, spears, bows, arrows and what not. And there were early metallurgists who knew how to make iron in blast furnaces and annealing them for strength and longevity. It is believed that the iron pillars built during Chandra Gupta Maurya era didn't rust to this day!

In recent times, the jewelers of Bharat were recognized for their skill in cutting, polishing and setting stones in gold and silver ornaments around the world elevating them to artisans. Lest we forget the weavers of silk saris, such as Kanchipuram, who are considered the ultimate artists.

Where am I going with this? In the USA, there are broadly two types of schools: colleges that impart skills and universities that train scholars for speciality occupations. Of much interest are the former that apply to plumbers, electricians, mechanics, etc. The so called Polytechnics and ITIs in Bharat pretty much do the same but with different degrees of sophistication. The foremost skilful tool makers and operators are the Chinese making China an industrial powerhouse and a vendor or supplier to the world. I think there is not much to say about Bharat other than upskilling, something I lamented earlier as lacking in the present environment that wants technology transfers and a production line ready for turning out widgets. For a country trying to right the wrongs committed by earlier generations there is no loss of pride.

For an American skilled worker to give up his place for an immigrant is a hard bargain. So companies want to shift entire manufacturing overseas when the goal is to make more profit. Once the automobile assembly lines were transplanted in Japan out of guilt. Later entire clean rooms used for making electronics were shipped from America's heartland to countries like China for profit. The locals quickly acquired the skills to operate the machinery and now they are at the cusp of making advanced machinery using tools they made while the Americans watch them in dismay. For instance, the electronic lithography machines that can make nano circuits were the forte of the Netherlands. Not necessarily in the coming years, if Chinese had their way.

Strangely enough a skilled scholar is a rare combination in the American landscape making the local scholars vulnerable for replacement by an immigrant for various reasons. This is where Bharat's reputation as a supplier of IT degree holders increased. There is a twist. When Cloud service providers replaced on-premise servers and their administrators, the "admins" moved on to other "jobs" like programming numerically controlled machines and operating server farms for making bitcoins and such. By the way, the influencers like Anton Kobyakov claiming the US wants to reset its debt by converting to crypto is not as simple as it sounds for the block-chain behind crypto envisaged by an anonymous Japanese tech worker was based on prime numbers that are critical for encrypted communication.

Anyhow, it is important that Bharatiya leaders shamelessly clamouring, nay begging, over American work-visas understand that a wholesome tech visa must include a fallback skill such as the aforementioned admins, something the present American system doesn't insist for whatever reasons. Back in the days when I studied on a scholarship, some students worked in cafeterias, libraries and computer labs on campus, none of which required a skill other than hand-eye coordination. Nor imparted new skills. These days the so-called OPT mills allow students to go off campus and pump gas or bag groceries, for instance, which are nothing but mind numbing tasks for a student aspiring for a tech visa. This is where they rub with the locals, such as teens and seniors, looking for "jobs" running into so-called students.

I don't think NASSCOM, the self-appointed guardian of Bharatiya IT, will ever understand the distinction between a tech worker and a skilled worker. They obfuscate and warn the Americans of ominous consequences if Bharatiya IT workers are not "sponsored" which the big tech companies buy into. Perhaps they all read Fridman's "World Is Flat" (2005; see wiki). They are purveyors of misinformation and experts at disinformation, thus maligning the credibility of all NRIs. The tech company captains, what with many of them having availed themselves of work visas early in their careers, are abettors with some foot dragging. Time to wake up and smell the coffee that just came off tariffs.

Regards