The Indian budget every year has always been an eagerly awaited event. For many decades, the best minds in economics, finance, tax, business and industry throng the media house to analyze the provisions shared by the Financial Minister.
Sometimes major events completely disconnected may be data points for the plans of the different powers around the world. The challenge is to discern what purpose they serve? More critically, what are we moving towards?
When the US Ambassador threatened India's "Strategic Autonomy" policy over India's friendship with Russia - much more than meets the eye was at stake. Let us unpack how the Ukraine war has fundamentally changed the US and the world. And why are we here anyway?
Indian Marriages are a world unto themselves. The behavior is typical and interesting. Bride and Groom are accidental diversions. People actually go to live a fantasy. Many things are common and have grown into people’s imagination not because of any genuine reason, but because they are peculiar.
So it is very common for all the adult men to drink and not just drink but do so out of a car trunk converted into a bar. The car trunk-turned bar is the most common feature of the Indian marriage. But it is the dance by the attendees that takes the cake. I admit I have been to many marriages in India and admittedly, I have burnt, literally, many dance floors. But all my performances, uncharitable comments of my son notwithstanding watching my marriage video, pale in front of this guy.
He is the Michael Jackson of Indian marriage dancers.
The Unknown Dancing Dude is original. Does what I have seen no one ever do. He has his entire performance planned yet makes it look impromptu (or is it otherwise? – no one will ever know!). If you look at his performance, you realize that he comes out of nowhere, does some absolutely unbelievable hand moves that have a unique flow and keep you guessing, and within 40 seconds has another guy (the dude in blue sweater) copying after him. I am not sure about you, but I have not seen even ONE dancer on any floor who makes people follow him in such a short time.
The wanna-be, unfortunately pales in his company. And, for a good measure, our Dancing Star gives him a nice surprise as he launches into the closest and most precise cartwheel I have seen ever.
It takes a full minute and a half and a song change, for real competition to appear. But all this – the wanna-be and the challenger – leave our dude unfazed. Come hail or shine, he goes on. Sometimes rolling and sometime jumping and sometimes doing the vertical-hand-wiper in front of his face moves. Amazing and unseen on any dance floor.
Strangely, you realize that the challenger is no ordinary guy himself. He is capable of pretty wicked stuff himself. He launches into a full body waves and hand oars all over the place.
By the time, the performance ends, you are left gasping for more. You realize you have just witnessed history in the making.
This, performance, friends – will be tough to beat in the next marriage party I go to. If, I can get past the Oil Drilling routines I learnt from the greatest dancer of Bollywood of all times, Sunny Deol. Between my tutelage under – virtual – under Dharmendra (Deol’s Dad) and Sunny – I have grown to be a rather enviable shaker of legs. My Son, deservedly calls my dance as the “Taekwondo Dance”. Except that it isn;t as harmless as your neighborhood Taekwondo Class. But then, I have lots to learn… miles to go.. as they say.
The Indian budget every year has always been an eagerly awaited event. For many decades, the best minds in economics, finance, tax, business and industry throng the media house to analyze the provisions shared by the Financial Minister.
When the US Ambassador threatened India's "Strategic Autonomy" policy over India's friendship with Russia - much more than meets the eye was at stake. Let us unpack how the Ukraine war has fundamentally changed the US and the world. And why are we here anyway?
This visit of India left me with many questions. Many observations and inputs from different people and sections. Food for thought that I have tried to contemplate on and make sense of. Sharing all that with you.
When you analyze the last 60 years of the economic miracles of Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia versus the continued impoverished Indian economy, you get very interesting lessons. Can Indians have the wherewithal in them to do in one generation so that the coming generations may rise?
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