A note from India

I didn't have time to post an entry before I left to India to let the three of you who read my blog know that I would be gone for several weeks... that's why this blog has been dead for a while.

In any case, I'm in Bombay visiting family (in-laws) who have been very excited to take me to their shiny new shopping malls.  Yes, they are shiny, and they are big too.  They're are also filled with lots of middle class Indians who are thrilled about their new disposable income.

No doubt about it, the Indian economy is booming, big time.  It's totally blowing me away.  Even my Bombay born husband is nearly speechless about the changes he's noticing.  I've been reading newspapers and news magazines and I've discovered that competition from America doesn't seem to be of concern.  Rather the focus is on other Asian countries like China.  It almost feels like we're leaving ourselves behind.  While our middle class is shrinking, India's is growing and it's bringing the lower middle classes along.

Companies like Hyundai and Toyota have jumped into the Indian economy and are riding the wave with the kinds of small cars that Asians like while US auto companies are whining about health insurance costs and making cars that most people don't want.  Crocodile tears!
 

This is great for Indians, and when you're here you can't help but to feel excited for them, but you also can't help to think that in the US we need to get our act together and regain the optimism for our future that the Indians now have for theirs. 

Comments

[ron ledbury]

Need pictures. Be safe and have fun.

[Priyanka]

hey this is priyanka. i met u at the family get together on Monday? Im viki's daughter. so i see your enjoying India? thats good. hope u come 2 visit!

[Sid]

And as Priyanka demonstrates so well in her comment here, young Indians are just as fluent in IM-ing language as Americans. But what matters is that they're better at math (or "maths" as Indians call it.)

Ron-
I'll post pictures as soon as I get the chance.