Nehru, Doritos, Bhumika, and India in the 21st Century

My colleague and friend Teja very generously gifted me two books before I left Hyderabad – “The Discovery of India” by Jawaharlal Nehru and “Being Indian” by Pavan K. Varma.

Rohit's brother-in-law, Major Agarwal, an avid political strategist and historian, saw me carrying around this precious stash of literature and advised me to read "The Discovery of India," after which reading "Being Indian" would answer all of the questions that arose for me in Nehru’s book.

Another person who saw me with these books seemed to harbor a strong dislike for Nehru and his book and wasn’t interested in engaging any further in a discussion about this, which I thought was pretty unfair.

I was concerned at this point. How could an Indian not like the man who had declared Indian independence after the All Indian Congress Committee, with the support of Mahatma Gandhi, elected him as president? Was there a key piece I was missing? Do many Indians hate Nehru?

I talked to several people about this. Basically, most said: people have their preferences, which wasn't quite good enough for me. The key answer came from my seat neighbor on my Indigo flight from Delhi to Goa, Mr. James Washington. Mr. Washington is 100% Indian, despite his 100% American name. He surmises that American missionaries in India named one of his ancestors in honor of the first president of the US, and the naming convention stuck with his family.

He is managing partner of a market research firm in India that handles huge clients such as Frito-Lay and Suzuki. Frito-Lay is lauching Doritos in India and is consulting with his firm to figure out how to do it! And while you rarely see Suzuki autos on the road in the US, it seems like any privately owned vehicle you see on the road here is a Suzuki.

I asked Mr. Washington about this Nehru quandry I was having. He gave a clear and logical answer. The person who expressed a dislike for Nehru is a banker and the independent India led by Nehru, rooted in socialist ideals, provided a weak foundation for today's banking system. Decades later, these roots are taking their toll on public sector banks and jobs are being lost. Clear? Clear. Well, clearer to me than "people have their preferences."

I don't claim to have any advanced, or even basic knowledge, of how banking works, but I think what Mr. Washington's explanation did for me is make this analogy possible: my talking about "The Discovery of India" with the banker was like talking about "The Communist Manifesto" with Donald Trump.

Mr. Washington answered my question with his own: "What is the significance of 'milk and cookies' in America?" Apparently, he was on a US domestic flight that served milk and cookies shortly after takeoff and he turned them down. He said the flight attendant looked at him like he was crazy and seemed to take offense even. I told Mr. Washington that in America "milk and cookies" are considered the ultimate comfort food for all ages. I told him that when you are child and come home from school -- your mom gives you milk and cookies. On Christmas eve, you leave out milk and cookies for Santa Claus. He got it and equated it to going to an Indian household and being offered chai and sweets and turning them down.

Oddly enough, I realized that as I told him the stories about mom and Santa and cookies, my mom had never served me milk and cookies when I got home from school and I never left milk and cookies out for Santa because I was never taught to believe in Santa. I guess the folks in Mr. Washington's field did a real good number on me because I can tell these stories like they are my own, even if I had only seen them on TV!

So, I am starting with "The Discovery of India," but my thoughts keep returning to the subtitle of “Being Indian” – “The trust about why the 21st century will Be India’s.”

This subtitle especially struck a chord with me when I met a sister and brother playing in the courtyard of Rohit’s flat in Dwarka, Delhi. I was taking a walk there, fascinated by a swarm of quarter-sized bumblebees. The sister, Bhumika, is 9 and her brother, nicknamed “Royal,” is 6.

Bhumika waved at me across the way and called out -- "Hello! What is your name?"

She said that she loves to speak English, and she spoke it perfectly and eloquently. She speaks English, Hindi, and is learning French. She rattled off, with a perfect accent: Bon jour, au revoir, and a few other phrases that were beyond my own kindergarden-level French.

Her favorite show is “Ramayan” on NDTV.

She swims in the deep end of the pool.

Her brother ran over her toe with his bike so she pulled him off and asked me if I wanted to see some judo. Judo? This was something that the rich kids in Hilo did when we were in middle school. This is something that Berkeley-ites do in a storefront between the Ethiopian restaurant and artisanal pizza place in the Temescal District.

I said, yes -- judo! So, Bhumika grabbed Royal by the collar and threw him over her knee onto the ground, in the gentle and choreographed way that people do when they are practicing judo moves.

I asked Bhumika if she has a nickname, like her brother. She said that her nickname is "Queen Barbie." I said, me too! She asked me if I know the song Barbie Girl and I said – of course!

She then told me that she wants to be Miss India. I said – you can be!

Then she asked if I want to see her bike. I said – of course!

So she ran off while I cheered Royal on in his speedy bike riding.

The barely 4-foot tall Bhumika then turned the corner on a full-sized women’s 10-speed bike. My jaw dropped. I probably wouldn't be able to manage riding this huge bike with a set of complex gears. She laughed at my reactions as she rode up and down the dusty side streets of the complex.

My time with Bhumika and Royal reminded me of a story I heard about mobs of kids and their parents showing up in Taiwan to see Bill Gates arrive in the country. The commentator pointed out that it was like the mobs of kids and parents showing up for a Britney Spears appearance in the US. Also tangentially related to this discussion of the differing values of cultures -- guess whose sperm is the second most-wanted in China?

So, if even 1-in-50 flats in Rohit’s town of Dwarka holds a precious Bhumika and Royal, I would put my money on the side of the author of "Being Indian" – and say that the 21st century will indeed belong to India.