(Written 26-29 January 2010)

A most reassuring sign that India's time has come is when the President of the United States, a country strong and independent for 235 years, speaks to his people, sternly, of competition with India, a country and civilization while much much older, independent from foreign rule for only 62 years. Comparing GDPs, defense budgets would be a futile exercise, yet he sees a challenge. 

A best friend of mine from Ireland, controversially, once spoke of a longing past-desire to have had Britain rule Ireland for a longer period of time. While that instantly made him unpopular with his fellow Irish, his point of view was that a lot of the land and religious feud would not have happened, economic reforms would have taken place faster and that over time the Irish would've learned to self-govern. This is an extremely popular view of past colonies, India and Hong Kong are probably no exception.

What would that have meant for India? Perhaps better roads, better infrastructure, better civic sense and responsibilities, lines, order, sterile and hyper-safe environments? Just keep in mind, there is no country anywhere in the world that has managed to embrace the glories of the past with the opportunity of the new. Japan has all but relegated any spirituality to private sanctuary. China is doing well in embracing both, but tilted heavily toward the new. Greece failed at both making it to the present and retaining the old. Only India is doing well at both and should continue to do so. While the lack of Infrastructure, water, civics is difficult and depriving they can be built. A recollection and sense of who we are, who we were and the gifts we've presented to the world cannot be rebuilt from memory. Our identity as a republic has always been independent and separate from outsiders. 

I think independence from Britain was one of the best things to have happened to India. Taxation without representation, suffrage, child education are not trivial issues. I suspect these issues would have remained India's bane much longer had the British stayed. Now primarily child education and poverty remain as THE challenging issues.

I, however, do not pay taxes to the Indian government. At least, not yet. And so, I have resigned my opportunity to speak any ill, since I do nothing to improve the situation. For me, its home.

Just thinking through, let alone writing, a company business plan is immensely challenging and difficult. The leaders of 1948 had to take advice and counsel from all corners of the country, judicial and personal, and come up with the constitution of India. Some of the leaders were killed, some of them died before they saw the dream come alive, others were not good leaders and yet others brought up change in future generations simply by the power of their thought. All this not long after each arm of the country was further separated into unimaginable borders. It may not be perfect, and in some cases the constitution may even be outdated. But it's what we have and we should be proud of it. It came after almost a 1000 years of slavery. And we're seen as scary competition in just 62.

Happy 60th Birthday Dear Republic.

An amulet I always love to see on someone's desk is the laughing Buddha. 

While meant to be powerful, this particular form is usually presented as small, rotund, drunk-happy and jolly in appearance. These are some of the most highly sought after souvenirs in China and Nepal and are available in all sorts of materials such as wood, teak, rosewood, sandalwood etc. Some believe a vigorous 'rub' of the Buddha's tummy bestows luck on the individual doing so.

Having attended Bal-Vikas and other theological classes during childhood and having read and attended discourses on the world's religions, something about this presentation of the Buddha is very ironic to me.

Briefly, prince Siddhartha (Buddha's original name), was taken aback by the wealth of suffering and pain that existed just beyond his palace walls. He decided that he needed to understand the source of such suffering. In order to do so, he proceeded to subject himself to varying levels of physical and mental deprivation. These included fasting without food or water, sleep and other rigorous disciplines. He then learned that it wasn't necessary to subject oneself to such pain in order to experience some truths. These were then expressed in the four noble truths, and the solutions to these, in the noble eightfold path.

Basically, someone who fasted, tortured himself and abstained from any worldly pleasures, could in no way have ever been short, rotund and the way he is portrayed in these symbols. 

So, the next time you see a Laughing Buddha, go ahead and rub the tummy. But think about some of the wisdom in the four truths and eightfold paths, and then remember it isn't meant to be as jolly as it appears. 

At the least, the 'right concentration', 'right mindfulness' and 'right livelihood' portions of the eightfold path would probably have an issue with 'luck', i.e. money or other material requests, bestowed by simply rubbing the Buddha's tummy. He probably wouldn't have gone for that.