BALANCE of CULTURE

Sunset Over Mumbai

A "typical" sunset looking over Haji Ali Bay in Mumbai--notice how clear the outline of the sun is, even on my camera phone (it looked even more dramatic in person!). 

Skateboarding Through India

This awesome video of Kilian Martin skateboarding through India just might be what "Incredible India" tourism could use right now:

Rare Interview with Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), often known as Mahatma Gandhi, was assassinated by a Hindu nationalist 65 years ago today. Here's the very first filmed interview of Gandhi, taken at his home in Borsad:

New Transportation Modes for Women on the Rise

Sometimes, waiting for a government to step up just takes too long. 

One encouraging development in the aftermath of the Delhi public transport gang rape/murder is the growing popularity of Cabs for Women by Women. Though a bit more expensive than hailing traditional male-driven cabs, this seven cab business is targeted towards middle class women who may need the flexibility that a public bus can't offer (and, in some cases, the additional comfort that only a trained German Shepherd can yield).

Back in 2009, India tried to balance the inherent sexist environments in their public transportation by introducing eight women-only trains called "Ladies' Specials." This concept is not new, and perhaps most recognizable to those familiar with the context of Japan's own uneasy subway culture.

Countries in several regions offer similar services for women today: Egypt, Iran, Taiwan, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Dubai. A good look for private-public enterprise responding to social lewdness--not so much a good look for those in power who have clearly failed to implement policies that provide safe environments to half of their citizens. Makes me wonder if these kinds of services will proliferate before the problems that prompted them in the first place begin to improve at all.

China and India Use Buddhism For Regional Influence

As China and India continue to escalate their separate efforts in exerting influence around South Asia by funding tangible infrastructure--roads, ports, dams, and even an airport in Nepal--the two potential superpowers also are using a "softer" approach to shape perceptions: Buddhism. Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka are three key states in the region that all have deep cultural ties to Buddhism and thus are being courted by various "carrots" from both India and China. Some of these carrots include displays of ancient Buddhist relics, funding religious sites, and the sponsorships of international Buddhist conferences. 

Not surprisingly one of these Buddhist conferences, India's Global Buddhist Congregation, became a thorny issue for Beijing in 2011. The reason? The congregation ended up casting the Dalai Lama as Buddhism's global leader, in a sense solidifying India's agency over the Buddhist tradition while indirectly criticizing China's policies on Tibet.

Beijing's response: they actually delayed a scheduled meeting with Indian officials on Sino-Indian border negotiations. This is just one example of how soft power is in no way confined to abstract intangibles such as culture.

Niall Ferguson wrote an interesting piece on power back in 2003 where he states, "But the trouble with soft power is that it's, well, soft." Unfortunately this is true only when soft power is regulated exclusively to the realm of cultural and commercial goods, such as Michael Jackson and Big Macs. Today, soft power can directly and indirectly influence things once considered the domain of hard power, such as regional containment--one only has to look at China's "strategic encirclement" of improving relations (whether it's through direct foreign investment or Confucius Institutes) with most of India's neighbors to see this. 

Religious Images to Protect Forests in India

Dozens of artists in India's Bihar region are painting trees using a tribal art form called Madhubani in order to spare them from being cut down. The Bihar state currently has one of the lowest forest coverage areas in India, coming in at less than 7%. Despite the area's flooding problems due to lack of vegetation, climate change is not a well known subject among the native villagers. This unique project was started in September by local NGO Gram Vikas Parishad and is supported by like-minded organizations. 

Because the locals are so deeply religious, seeing depictions of the deities they worship on these trees are likely to incur fear of cutting them down. This is probably one of the few instances of visual art that I've seen utilized in order to literally "save" remaining parts of the environment--potentially a good case study to monitor, especially during the next few flood seasons. 

Australia Commits to an "Asian Century"

Is this kind of bold educational initiative the result of having a female leader in power? It's still early in the process, but Australia is clearly preparing for an "Asian century." PM Julia Gillard has committed to 25 ambitious goals over the next 13 years for her nation to integrate with the "unstoppable" and "staggering" growth of their regional neighbors. 

All schools in Australia will partner with schools throughout Asia, giving every Aussie student an opportunity to learn one of four "priority" Asian languages (Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Indonesian). By the time students graduate high school, they'll be expected to have a solid foundational understanding of Asia, similarly to how most Western educations have up until now focused primarily on a European-centric knowledge base. 

Thousands of scholarships for Asian students will be offered, a useful exchange for all of the new diplomatic posts that will be established. In addition, one-third of company higher-ups and senior civil workers will be required to have a "deep knowledge" of Asia. Gillard sounds really serious about this Asia-centric approach. 

This is a profoundly progressive way of broadening public student education--so cutting-edge that I wonder if we should attribute such innovation to the fact that the country's PM is a woman. Either way, I predict Australia's image and influence will enjoy a considerable boost as it attaches its values with an Asian perspective. 

(Meanwhile in the US, many are still debating if our schools should teach creationism or evolution.)

Patel Motels

Ever noticed how so many motels in the US are owned by Indian-Americans? Pawan Dhingra's new book, LIfe Behind the Lobby, reveals how Gujaratis came to the American hospitality industry by accident in the 1940s-50s, taking the places of European-Americans and Japanese-Americans who were looking to change career paths. Consider this:

- At least 1 out of 2 motels are owned by Indian-Americans.

- Out of those Indian-owned motels, 70 percent are owned by Gujaratis, people with roots in the western Indian state of Gujarat.

- Of those Gujaratis, three-fourths share the last name Patel. There's even a name for these overnight establishments: "Patel Motels."

I love stories about the American dream, especially when it comes to different ethnic groups and their divergent, hardworking paths. Not only is the historical context fascinating to apply to daily life today, it's also hard not to admire the how so many Americans earn their living in unlikely circumstances. For instance, Greek-Americans in the casual restaurant business, or Iranian-Americans in the gas station industry…there's so much more. All part of the Amercian--I mean American--dream. 

India to Streamline Movie Market Strategy

India is strategizing its soft power growth with plans to set up a national film commission in the coming months. This simplified clearance system will simplify the permit-obtaining process for both domestic and international filmmakers, usually an arduous task that many complain about. 

The decision is obviously a smart move, encouraged by the growing number of foreign film crew requests to operate in India. Even though only 10 foreign film crews requested permits in 2009-10, the I & B ministry granted permission "on 80 occasions to foreign feature film and TV reality shows to shoot in India" between 2008 and 2011.

We all know Bollywood is already huge, but this kind of organization and strategizing may serve as a significant gateway for a new cultural growth spurt for India. 

Perfect Storm in Paradise

The political turmoil in Male, the capital of the Maldives, continues to escalate as Islamic extremists have enforced their "Taliban-style intolerance" not only on the streets of the city but also towards the various ancient 12th century Buddhist artifacts housed in the Maldives National Museum.

A senior museum representative stated that the history of the Maldives' Buddhist past has effectively been "erased," as the delicate coral and limestone objects have zero chance of being restored due to their brittle and age. Five men have since been arrested for this.

An interesting fact here: the Maldives National Museum was built and financed by the Chinese government and presented to the Maldives on July 10, 2010. Considering that this Indian Ocean paradise is now a premium destination choice for many newly-wealthy Chinese travelers -- and conveniently located just south of India, China's regional geopolitical sparring partner -- we can probably expect to see much more Chinese influence in Maldivian society in the the next decade.

Off the beaten path: A small hospital we visited on a residential island in the Maldives, 2007.

Most travelers to the Maldives won't see much more than the usual perfect clear turquoise waters and sugary white sands of their island resort. Vacation plans rarely include a visit to see typical everyday life on a residential island (though we were lucky to get a glimpse of this on our first visit several years ago), which is vastly different from the polished experiences offered by their tourism industry.

The Maldives is clearly in a challenging phase of its current political and social existence. The recent coup of President Nasheed, the society's religious "soul searching" (to put it nicely), its frontline position in the battle of climate change, and its internationally-powerful tourism industry is a perfect storm of dynamic factors that will define the country's bumpy road ahead.

I just hope that its pre-Islamic past is not further deleted from history's documentation by modern day "radicals." So tragic.