With careful
editing I was able to use Lil Wayne lyrics from “Barak Obama A Milli”. It is appropriate because President Obama is in
Delhi this weekend as Chief Guest for the Republic Day festivities. I tried to
find lyrics about “they’ve closed the middle of the city to all traffic and so
what is usually bad traffic is now horrific.” For some reason, I wasn’t able to
find a song about that. Too bad too. All of Delhi has been living that song for
the past few days.
It has been kind of interesting watching the political kabuki (sorry,
wrong culture I know) around President Obama’s visit. You may have gathered
from previous posts that pride and protection of honor are significant
characteristics of current Indian culture. That has been on display with the
President’s visit. Overall there is tremendous pride that a sitting President
of the United States would come to help celebrate Republic Day. India has a bit
of an inferiority complex. Anything that reflects well on India, or is
perceived as reflecting well, is heralded and lauded.as the most significant,
most important event or news. So, the fact that President Obama is coming is
Great. Big. Important. News. His flight from Edwards Air Force Base was tracked
in the news like Santa’s on Christmas Eve.
However, all is not entirely well. It would seem that the security
requirements of the Secret Service do not sit too well with some in India. The
current center of this angst is the disrespect President Obama has shown India
because his security detail want him to be driven in his own car. Many in India
seem to be taking that as a direct insult against Indian made cars and Indian
security. Indian cars, you hear people saying, are just as good as any made
anywhere. Further, since India is surrounded by terrorists, its Security Forces
are exemplary and it is insulting that the Secret Service would want to provide
its own car rather than using one provided by Indian security.
This combination of pride and outrage over an insult has also played
itself out over the issue of whether or not President Obama would go to Agra to
see the Taj Mahal. Understandably, there is great pride in India about the Taj
Mahal. Nearly everyone believes that Shah Jahan (Mogul/Muslim Emperor) had the
Taj Mahal built in the 1600s as a tomb for his wife and the great love of his
life, Khurram or Mumtaz Mahal, as she was also known. However, while everyone
in India thinks it is a magnificent structure, not everyone accepts this
history. To have the most iconic structure in India be the product of non-Hindu
construction is not acceptable to some. Therefore a small but significant minority
believe that Taj Mahal is actually Tejomahalay a Hindu temple dedicate to Shiva
that Shah Jahan confiscated from the Maharaja of Jaipur.
Actually, the above description is all a diversion from what I was going
to write about. For the past two weeks, all of the talk about town was that
President Obama was going to visit Agra and Taj Mahal. Pride turned to outrage
again. “What!? The monument was going to be shut down for all other visitors?”
“What!? The main highway between Delhi and Agra was going to be closed to all
other traffic?” “What!? Again with his own car? What is wrong with Indian
cars?” Finally, it was decided it was decided President Obama would not visit
the Taj Mahal, since he is going to Saudi Arabia after the death of King Abdullah.
Now you hear, “What!? He doesn’t trust Indian security?” “What!? He doesn’t
think visiting the Taj Mahal is worth his time?” “What!? Is Saudi Arabia more
important than India?” Like I said, pride and an overactive sensitivity to
insult.
So the
proximate cause of all this hubbub is Republic Day. Well, OK, President’s visit
did increase the disruption, but just a regular old Republic Day does that
pretty well on its own. Republic Day celebrates the day the Indian Constitution
went into effect, 26 Jan 1950. Getting to that point took a number of years.
The Indian National Congress declared India’s independence on that same date in
1930. It took until 1947 for the British to leave, and until November 1949 for
the Constitution to be ratified. Because of the symbolism of making the
officially recognized Republic Day the same day independence was declared, the
26th was chosen.
Official
ceremonies and activities are held all over India but the largest is in Delhi.
The morning starts with a flag raising and ceremony at India Gate. A parade the
proceeds from the Presidential Palace down the Rajpath (King’s Way) past India
Gate to the National Stadium. The parade is made of floats, bands,
representatives of military units including those on foot, horseback, camel, elephant,
and on various mechanized vehicles. Each State also has an official entry which
represents some significant cultural or industrial emphasis from that state.
The parade ends with a flyover by military jets.
Rae went to
the walk through practice last year. I haven’t made it yet but next year it
will be high on my priority list. I have heard it is amazing. After four days,
the whole process (well maybe not the whole process) is reversed in what is called
Beating Retreat, in which all of the military units and bands formally make
their way back up the Rajpath and then officially disband. I have heard
Beating Retreat is also pretty amazing. Both events (as well as the practice
too for that matter) are invitation only for VIPs or ticket only for the
throngs. Security is always tight but, as noted above, has been taken to a new
height this year for President Obama.
Well that is
about it from your humble correspondent for this week. I will only add in
passing that I am getting even more excited about the vision for the future that
is being revealed by our strategic planning process. I do hope we can present
the vision clearly enough and with enough conviction to get our Board’s buy in
next month. Until next week…
Namaste
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