Speech on IBSA at the Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi on 19 March

I was invited to give the inagural address at the two-day seminar on " IBSA and the human security challenges" at the Institute of Social Sciences New Delhi. This "cafe com laite ( coffee with milk) alliance" of India, Brazil and South Africa fascinates me.

I gave an overview of the experience and experiments and success and failures of India, Brazil and South Africa in dealing with various human security issues.

political security- India's democracy is vibrant and mature and . South African democracy, the youngest, has the luxury of a kind of one party rule, while coalition governments and politics has come to stay in India and Brazil. While India is a role model for success of democracy amidst the linguistic, religious and other diversities it has to pay a price in terms of separatist and insurgent tendencies and terrorism. But the other two dont have this problem.

security of life- better in india, while South Africa witnesses crime and violence. Brazil has the worst problem, aggravated by drugs and guns.

Economic security-Indians and South Africans have enjoyed macroeconomic stabilty but Brazilians had to face uncertainty because of hyper inflation, change of currencies and volatile exchange rates. But now Brazil has also become economically stable, secure and predictable.

Poverty- India's poverty in terms of scale and depth is the worst.

food security - Brazil, with its vast fertile land and water resources could be useful for India's food security.

energy security- Brazil's ethanol initiative should be emulated by india for energy security.

health security- all three countries face HIV/AIDS crisis. They can collaborate in the search for new medicines and make use of the core competence of India in pharma industry and technology.

cultural and mental security- Indians had to carry excess baggage of 5000 yr old civilisation, caste and the complex created by foreign invasions, conquests and colonisation. Indians are now becoming confident, proud and assertive. South Africa is also emerging from its apartheid past. Brazilians are free spirited and fun loving and proud people.

regional security- India is surrounded by instability but the other two have no regional problems. Brazil has succeded in neutralising Argentina through mercosur.

global security- The three countries have been successful in G-20 issues and are aspiring to become UNSC permanent members and contribute to global security.

Prof George Mathew Director of the Institue welcomed the guests and Prof Ash Narain Roy conducted the proceedings. The building of the Institute is impressive. The Instt is planning to do more IBSA related activities.

Delegates from Brazil and South Africa had come for the seminar.

Article on Dominican Republic in Business Line of 13 March 07

Opinion - Foreign TradeDominican Republic: The business-pleasure tango

R. Viswanathan

For those Indian businessmen who raise their eyebrows at the mention of business with the Dominican Republic, here is a fact that should make them take notice. At $11 billion in 2006, the Dominican Republic is the largest importer among the 21 countries in the Central American and Caribbean region. Even a one per cent share of this $11 billion amounts to $110 million, and Indian exporters can easily exceed this target if they take this market seriously.
DR, as the Dominicans call their country, has a population of 9 million and a GDP of $30 billion. The country's macro-economic fundamentals are strong and healthy. The economy has been growing at over 8 per cent in the last two years — among the highest in the entire Latin American and Caribbean region.
The Government has put in place an investor-friendly policy framework and is keen to attract foreign investment. The economy, which was earlier dependent on sugar, coffee and tobacco exports, has now diversified with the growth of industries and tourism.
Light engineering goods and textiles exports from the free trade zones have surpassed traditional exports of primary commodities. The DR's total exports in 2006 were $6 billion. Tourism revenue accounted for $4 billion and remittances from the Dominicans settled in the US accounted for $3 billion.
Access to US market
DR offers a port of entry to the US market because of its free trade agreement (FTA) with the latter and its closeness and good connectivity. There are 13 daily flights to US cities and Miami is just 90 minutes away. DR is an associate member of SICA, the Central American Regional Economic Group, which is moving towards a Customs union. The strategic location of DR — bridging the Caribbean and Central American regions — makes it an ideal hub for doing business in the two regions.
The Government of DR has been bitten by the IT bug. It is keen to develop DR as a near-shore IT service and delivery centre. It has set up a large cyberpark complex, which offers infrastructure and world-class telecom facilities. BPOs and call-centres in English and Spanish have started operating from there.
The demography of DR is perfect for IT business, since much of the population is young with an average age of 24. Although Spanish is the official language, English is popular, thanks to the influence of the large Dominican community in the US. Dominicans have come to work in India too! There are 30 of them working in a BPO in Hyderabad.
Stable polity
What about political stability? After having gone through military dictatorship and instability, like many other Latin American countries, DR is now a stable democracy with established institutions and practices. DR is free from the crime and violence that characterise some of the countries in the region.
The Government of DR is seriously courting Indian business. The IT and Investment Minister, Mr Eddy Martinez, visited India four times in the last two years. The DR's Foreign Minister was in India in 2006 with a large business delegation. DR has had an embassy in Delhi since 2006. The embassy issues one-year multiple-entry business visas on the same day of application and is proactively promoting business between the countries.
In the last two years, many Indian companies have started entering the DR market.
A pharmaceutical delegation visited DR in 2006 and has come back with several orders and optimism. Some IT companies are exploring the possibility of setting up BPOs and delivery centres.
Looking beyond business
Besides business opportunities, DR offers other attractions too. Golf is the first among them. Some of the golf courses in the country are among the best in the world. For instance, the `Teeth of the Dog' golf course at the La Romana resort is among the top 50 in the world. Six fairways curve into the Caribbean Sea with the greens guarded by waves, wind and rocks. While this could be intimidating for beginners, good golfers enjoy the thrill of these challenges. The other three top courses are the Dye Fore, Capcana and Playa Grande, considered the Pebble Beach of the Caribbean.
La Romana, Punta Cana and Puerta Plata are the popular beach resorts. Also on the islands are the holiday homes of celebrities such as Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Shakira. Another luxury resort for the rich and famous is being developed by Donald Trump.
DR is a favourite destination for honeymooners, who are drawn by the romantic and invigorating ambience of shining silver beaches, greenish blue Caribbean waters, lush tropical greenery, delicious sea-food and the hospitality of the local people.
DR is where Merengue music and dance, a vigorous variation of Salsa, was born. The Dominicans drop everything and start dancing when they hear this lively and joyful music. Juan Luis Guerra and Mily Quezada are famous Merengue singers.
For those interested in literature, writer Julia Alvarez gives a vivid description and flavour of Dominican society in her novels, essays, children's books and poems. Her philosophy sums up the DR way of life: "You go where your life takes you and the song comes out of that adventure".
The Dominican Republic was one of the countries where Columbus landed on his first voyage in 1492. He christened it Hispaniola and promptly claimed it for the Spanish crown. He returned to the island the following year and established a European settlement, the first-ever in the Americas. Hispaniola became the springboard for the subsequent Spanish conquest of Caribbean and the Americas. Just the inspiration for Indian business?
(The author is with the Ministry of External Affairs. The views are personal. E-mail: rv@rviswanathan.com)
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Good Conscience - novel by Carlos Fuentes

The Good Conscience is the novel I finished in the Delhi-London-Havana trip.
Author is Carlos Fuentes of Mexico.This is his third novel for me.

While the previous two were political, this one is about religion. It is the story of a boy Jaime Ceballos, who is brought up by his uncle and aunt with an excessive dose of religion, scriptures and moral lectures. Uncle Balcarcel prepares him for life with stern authority, controlling every aspect of the boy's growth. His aunt Dona Asuncion conspired successfully to separate the boy and his father from mother Adelina who was from a lower class. Rodolfo, his father is weak, confused and indecisive and is controlled totally by his sister Asuncion and her husband Balcarcel. The boy and his father are scolded and given moral lectures by Balcarcel from breakfast to dinner, day in and day out. The aunt, who cannot get a child from her impotent husband, clings on to Jaime and exercises a moral control over the boy using religious rituals and the church. But when Jaime announces his intention to become a priest,as the logical extension of his upbringing, there is consternation in the family. Balcarcel changes the direction of the boy and lets him go out and read books other than religious ones. But when Jaime goes around with his native Indian friend and reads revolutionary books, again Balcarcel intervenes harshly. Jaime discovers that his mother, after being thrown out of the family, becomes a sex worker. He is repelled by his weak father who let this happened. Indignation caused by the injustice and hypocrisy makes him resort to self flagellation. He thinks that his inflction of pain for himself would be atonement for the sins of others. But when this is also censured by the family and priests and when his father dies, he is driven to the wall. He goes to a bordello, where he encounters his uncle , who was preaching him all the time about the need to be chaste and pure. The next day his ashamed uncle stops bothering him and stops his moral exhortations. Left free to choose his direction of life, Jaime opts to a life of Good Conscience and keep up up family honour and tradition by becoming a lawyer and living like the other society people.

Carlos Fuentes has handled this religious theme as interestingly and delicately as he does with political ones. He brings out the value system of the Mexican family in the early twentieth century, when revolution was sweeping across the country. Church and religious rituals and beliefs were the refuge and anchor for the society in those turbulent days. Caught in this confusing period of transition, the children became the victims. Fuentes has vividly portrayed the range of emotions, fears and complexes of children growing up confused by the hypocrisy of adults. Father Obregon, who attends to the confessions of Jaime is sympathetic but he himself does not know any other solution other than what is prescribed in the Bible.

Fuentes is very subtle and circumspect in handling the sensitive religious issue. While he sprinkles scriptures and the doctrines of Catholic faith throughout the book, he has let the readers draw the conclusions. But in his polital novels, Fuentes relishes commenting and exposing the hypocrisy and degeneration of politicians, with satire and punch lines.

Pity.. Fuentes cut the novel short with just 148 pages. It would have been more interesting if he had stretched it to a longer one.

talk on Latin America to young diplomats 7 february

I gave a "miniskirt" introduction to Latin America to the 2006 batch of Indian Foreign Service officers. I gave an overview of the people, history, politics, markets, regional integration,foreign policy and culture. How latin america is becoming politically stable, economically healthy and culturally vibrant. Political power has passed decisively to the masses who have now started driving the political and economic agenda. It is said Left has come to power in most countries. But I say that it is the new empowered masses who have decided to change the colour of their governments.
Through the collective strength acquired through integration, the new Latin America has become confident and assertive and an autonomous player in the global scene. They cannot be taken for granted anymore.

On Indo- Latin American relations i spoke about the four stages of relations. At present we are in the third stage- romantic. And we are building the next stage of partnership.

I quoted the Mexican bolero

No me preguntas mas
dejanos imaginar que no existe el pasado
que nacimos al mismo instante en que conocimos

means- dont ask me more
let us imagine that we were born at that moment when we met each other

In our relations with latin america we dont look at the past
we look to the future.


I injected the usual doses of jokes and some poems. But I noticed that that the young diplomats were a bit restrained in laughing. Were they caught unprepared for the Latino jokes? ...cultural shock? ...I had used some of the same spicy jokes in my talk in Portuguese language at the Catholic University in Sao Paulo in 1999. The audience of undergraduate students erupted in laughter and hit the ceiling . That is Brazilian spirit..free, uninhibited and spontaneous expression to feelings.

Colleagues ask me when am i flying to latin America on the trip (10-22 February) to cuba, Dominican Republic and jamaica. I tell them, " my heart has already flown. I am waiting till saturday morning to carry my body to follow the heart"

Brazilian football team in India

A team from Sao Paulo Football club is in India these days. They have already played two games in Assam and calcutta.

They will play in Delhi on 11 February at the Ambedkar stadium against East Bengal club.
what a pity.. I will be away on tour at this time.

Sao Paulo Club is one of the premier clubs of Brazil. They have been national and international champions in club tournaments. Of course, the team which has come to India does not have the star players. Still, they can teach the Indian teams a few lessons and the artistry of Brazilian football. Unsurprisingly they have won the two matches they played already.

Sao Paulo was my favourite team when I was in Brazil. I lived near the Morumbi stadium, the home turf of sao paulo team.

Their rival is Corinthians team. There is an amusing Brazilian movie called as " Romeo and Juliet" about the rivalry betwen the Sao paulinos and Corinthians. The story is about the family , supporter of sao paulo team, which refuse to accept the marriage of their daughter to a Corinthian fan.

Visit of Andres Oppenheimer- Latin America columnist of Miami Herald

Andres Oppenheimer( in the middle of the foto on top) is the latest Latin American visitor to understand and study the India story for its relevance to Latin America. He is going to write about India's education system and scientific and technological developments and business with Latin America in his columns in Miami Herald and his syndicated columns which appear in newspapers of Latin America.

He has visited China and written a book called as " cuentos chinos"- tales of china). He now wants to compare India vis-a -vis China from the Latin American point of view.

His visit is from 5 to 13 January. He has interviewed Ministers and visited IIT Delhi and JNU. He will be in bangalore on 11-12 january to see for himself the IT development there.

I hosted a lunch for him at Taj Mansingh Hotel on 5 january and introduced him to media persons, academics, businessmen and Latin American ambassadors.

Andres is an Argentinian settled in USA for the last thirty years. He has lots of jokes on Argentinians and other Latinos ! He is the key person in the organisation of the annual Latin America conference by Miami Herald in September. He has a vantage position from Miami, the other capital of Latin America, to watch and interact with the Latin American business, political and thought leaders.

The campaign - novel by Carlos Fuentes

This is the story of Baltazar Bustos, an Argentinian from the pampas, the land of gauchos who goes to live in Buenos Aires and is inspired by the ideals of Rousseau and Voltaire. He gets sucked into the independence fever of Latin America, after the Spanish kingdom is overtaken by Napoleon, in the period 1810-20. He is given a miltary rank and sent to fight in Peru and later to Chile. He is caught in the conflicts between the local Creole leaders and the impracticality of his ideals of equality and justice. His political story takes on romantic wings when he falls in love with Ofelia Salamanca, a Chilean femme fatale, married to the governor of Buenos Aires. She changes husbands, lovers and countries and goes from Argentina to Peru, Chile, Venezuela and Mexico. And he is on her trail through all the countries and finally encounters her in Mexico.

Carlos Fuentes has given a fictionalised version of Latin American history of independence in this novel. He has brought in Latin American heroes such as San Martin of Argentina and Simon Bolivar of Venezuela. He has highlighted how the Latin Americans were unprepared for the sudden and unexpected independence and the confusion and conflicts between the local Creole leaders, the situation of native Indians and the African slaves. He has brought out the point that the instability of the continent was inbuilt in the foundation of the new republics who were not ready or equipped for nation building.

Carlos Fuentes, who had raised my expectations after his other novel" the eagle's throne" has captured me as a fan after this novel. He has helped me in understanding Latin America as he did with the other book about mexican politics. His Mexican character Father Quintana calls the Argentinians as the children of Latin America, contrasting with the old civilisation inherited by Mexico. Fuentes has brought out vividly the Latin American characters such as the merchants of the port city of Buenos Aires, the free-spirited gauchos of the pampas, the high society salons of Lima, the brothels of Maracaibo and the revolutionary priests of Mexico.

The love story in this novel is as enigmatic and profund as in the Eagle's Throne novel. In both, the heroines are free spirited Latinas, who make use of the men for fun and politics.

The novel reminded me of the film " The motor cyclist's diaries " which tells the story of Che Guevara, the other Argentinian who travelled to Chile, Peru and other countries of Latin America for fun to start with and later to spread leftist revolution.

I am looking forward to the three more books of Fuentes i have just bought.

The West on Trial - autobiography of Cheddi Jagan

I read most of this book during the long trip to Guyana last month and I have just completed it.
Cheddi Jagan was Guyana's most important freedom fighter. Born in a modest peasant family, Jagan went to study medicine in USA. During the stay there, he had done all kinds of odd jobs to sustain himself. After his return, he plunged into politics in Guyana. He started defending workers' rights and joined the trade union movement and then joined full time politics working for the independence from Britain.He won the elections in the pre-independance period. But the British conspired to keep him out of power. Firstly, they used their standard divide and rule policy by encouraging divisions and rivalries between the Afro-Guyanese and the Indo-Guyanese. Secondly they branded him as a communist threat to Guyana and the region. This way they got the support of the Americans to prevent communism taking hold in the region particularly after the experience of Cuba. The British and Americans imposed a proportional representation system on Guyana to prevent Jagan and his party from getting majority. Jagan asked them why did they not have the same system if it was good for Guyana.
Eventually Jagan managed to overcome all the internal and external challenges and become the President of Guyana in 1992 for five years till his death in 1997.

Jagan's struggle is similiar in many ways to the Indian struggle for independence from the same British. The only difference was that Guyana being a smaller and weaker country, suffered more.

It is true, Jagan was a fellow traveller. But anyone in his position had to be one, given the Guyanese situation. Most of the Guyanese were poor and exploited under the colonial rule. The population of Guyana consists of AfroGuyanese who were former slaves and the indians who were former bonded labourers. With this kind of electorate, it was logical to seek social justice through leftist path.On top of it, Guyana's natural and mineral resources and the sugar and mining industry were controlled by British, American and foreign companies for whom their profit was more important than Guyanese development.It was the job of the political leaders to demand a fair share of their earnings. Even today, Guyana remains as one of the poorest countries in the region, despite vast land, water, natural and mineral resources.

Janet Jagan, the American wife of Cheddi Jagan had also worked shoulder to shoulder at all levels of Guyanese politics. She shared the same ideology and commitment of her husband to the upliftment of the Guyanese.

Jagan has published other books covering regional and global issues.

But the title of this autobiography " The west on trial" does not seem to be appropriate. It was the west which put him on trial. But at the bottom of the cover page it is written " My fight for Guyana's freedom" . This should have been the title.

While Jagan has been understandably extra critical of his political opponents, his book gives a vivid account of the struggle of Guyana and the manipulation of the external forces.

Voces Inocentes - Film on El Salvador

Voces Inocentes means Innocent Voices.
This Mexican film in Spanish ( released in 2004 ) is about the cruel and bloody civil war in El Salvador and is based on a real life story.
Chava, the eleven year old boy is caught in the crossfires of bullets, killings and destruction. After his father escapes to USA, little Chava is designated by his mother as the Man of the House. He has to dodge bullets everyday in the streets, school and has to be back home before the curfew. His friends, when they reach the age of 12 are snatched away by the soldiers for conscription. No one is safe. The soldiers kidnap young girls from the streets and kick and kill parish priest. The little sweetheart of Chava, whom he describes as the only girlfriend is also killed by the soldiers. After having seen so much of death and inhumanity Chava, alongwith his friends join the guerillas. They get caught and all his friends are shot and killed, while he escapes miraculously. His mother and the rest of the family who are on the run from the soldiers and guerillas finds him back in the old house which has been set on fire and destroyed. Chava is sent to USA to escape the violence of El Salvador.
Carlos Padillo who has acted as Chava and Leonor Varela, the Chilean actress who acts as the mother of Chava have given their heart and soul to their characters.
Luis Mandoki, the Mexican director of the film has made the film as poignant and profundly moving. He has handled the brutal violence and loss of innocence of children delcately. It is a serious film, without any distraction. No comedy or sex scenes. The film is focussed solely on the theme and brings alive the sufferings of the people of El Salvador.
One of the best Latino films i have seen so far.

MBA students of Latin America coming to India

Nirmala Harrylal of Trinidad and Tobago had a dream. She wanted to get an experience of the education of IIM Ahmedabad. She has just got admission for a one month course in january 2007. Congrats Nirmala!

She is with the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business in Port of Spain. Her work includes design, development and execution of training and consultancy programmes for Public / Private Sector & Non-Governmental Organizations within Trinidad & Tobago & the Caribbean Region.
As a facilitator, Ms. Harrylal has planned and implemented training programmes in the areas of marketing, marketing research, advertising, consumer behaviour, human resource management, organizational behaviour, communication.

She has published many articles on a variety of management related topics such as logistics management, project management, performance management, change management, international marketing, international business issues. Her research articles are sought after by a leading network of business captains locally and internationally. She is particularly interested in researching geo-political and geo-economic emerging business issues.

I was impressed by her articles on India and China.

In May 2007 about 30 mexican management graduates are expected to join an IIM for a six months course.

This can happen only in Brazil

Here is the Reuters news item....needs no explanation or commentary.

Brazilian town's free Viagra gives elderly a boost

BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) -- The mayor of a small Brazilian town has begun handing out free Viagra, spicing up the sex lives of dozens of elderly men and their partners.
"Since we started the free distribution of sexual stimulants, our elderly population changed. They're much happier," said Joao de Souza Luz, the mayor of Novo Santo Antonio, a small town in the central state of Mato Grosso.
Souza Luz said 68 men over the age of 60 already had signed up for the program, which was approved by the town's legislature and has been dubbed "Happy Penis," or "Pinto Alegre" in Portuguese.
But the program also has had the unforeseen consequence of encouraging some extramarital affairs, Souza Luz said.
"Some of the old men aren't seeking out their wives. They've got romances on the side," he said.

Addition: During Carnaval, the government of Brazil distributes millions of condoms free of cost at the parades !

Rojo Amanecer - Mexican movie

I have not got over the shocking impact of this film ( Rojo Amanaecer means red dawn) i watched on sunday night.
It is about the student uprising in Mexico in october 1968. A middle class family is caught in the tragedy of the brutal suppression of the student unrest. The family lives in Tlateloloco in Mexico city and witnesses the tragic clampdown on student protests in the Plaza de tres culturas. The two college going boys of the family are idealistic and passionate about the struggle for justice and jump into the student movement. The father, a civil servant and the housewife- mother try to calm them down, while the grandfather, a retired military officer takes care of the smaller children. The government anxious to prevent the unpleasantness of student protest on the eve of the olympics to be hosted by mexico, is determined to put an end to the student stir. The military and police get into brutal action shooting at the student crowd and killing and injuring many. They follow it up with breaking into houses and arresting and beating up students and teachers. They break into the house of this particular family and discover students hiding there. They kill the whole family and the hiding students ruthlessly.

The movie flows naturally without hype or drama, like a documentary but with a powerful impact. The movie is said to be accurate about what happened.

The film brings back vividly the memory of Tlatelolco Massacre of 2 October 1968, one of the saddest days in Mexican history. This is what actually happened. The Mexican students joined the worldwide protests and the political unrest in 1968. After nine weeks of protests, the students took out a march on 2 October, ten days before the Mexican Olympics. The security forces killed and wounded hundreds of students on that fateful day. In june 2006, Echeverria, who was president in 1968 was charged for genocide, but nothing came of it.

Of course, worse things happened in some other latin American countries under military dictatorship. Still it is a scar and a stain in recent mexican history. Octavio Paz , who was ambassador in in India at that time resigned in protest.

The director of the film Jorge Fans has shown courage besides artistic talents in making this film which was released in 1989. I also liked his other film " Midaq Alley", which also takes up a similiar bold theme.

One of the best Mexican films..

Trip to Trinidad and Tobago

temple in the sea

Port of Spain city



Reaching Trinidad and Tobago from Guyana, I was struck by the stark contrast. While Guyana is a poor country trying to set up a traffic light system for the first time, T and T is affluent all the way. The highways, skyscrapers, luxury hotels, elegant houses with manicured lawns, tarffic jam caused by the huge increase in number of cars, the stylish MaxiTaxis with red band and shops filled with goodies... speak for the prosperity. The 11000 US dollars of per capita income is the highest in the region. Even the villages are prosperous with modern houses, good roads and all the basic amenities.

Port of Spain, the capital has lot of greenery. The Queen's park in the heart of the city is green,very large and well maintained. The hills provide a great view of the city and the sea.

The music scene is vibrant with steel band, chutney music and calypso. The Trinians are proud of their Carnival, the much anticipated event in February-march.

The Indian community tries to preserve and follow the traditional culture and rituals. The Hindu houses fly colorful flags honouring different deities. Dalpuri is a staple diet as in the other diaspora countries.

Pictures of the trip http://picasaweb.google.com/viswanathanifs

The Eagle's Throne- novel by Carlos Fuentes

The first book of Carlos Fuentes (from mexico) I read was " Death of Artemio Cruz" . I did not finish it. I found it like catch-22, going round and round. Even my familiarity with magical realism did not help in appreciating the book. Then i tried another book " crystal frontier" about mexican emigration to gringoland. It was so so.

With this experience i started reading The Eagle's Throne hesitantly. I was in for a surprise. I enjoyed the book thoroughly. It is a political novel about the six-year cycle of mexican politics, starting with the assumption of power by the new president who gets one single non-reelectable six year term. As soon as the President is elected the conspiracies start for getting into his shoes for the next term. King makers, cabinet ministers and officials start the game of promoting and spoiling the chances of potential candidates by resorting to any means including sex,money, defamation,flattery and blackmail. For anyone who wants to understand Mexican politics, this book is the ideal guide.

Carlos Fuentes has brought out the character of mexican politicians so vividly with biting sarcasm and striking punch lines. Fuentes has filled the novel with a complete cast of characters including congressmen and druglords, lovers and mistresses, noble minded statesmen and corrupt politicians and senators and lowly clerks. He has included historical details and characters.

Fuentes has told the whole story in the form of letters from one character to another.

It starts with the letter of Maria del Rosario Galvan, the queen of politics, who starts grooming the young Nicolas Valdivia as the next President and succeeds in achieving her goal. she uses sex, seduction and blackmail so matter of factly, dispassionately and is candid about this with her adversaries and admirers. She weaves a series of schemes including sending Valdivia to get lessons and secrets from an ex-president retired playing dominoes in vera cruz. Tacito de canal, the chief of staff of the president controls access to the President and implements his orders even before the boss issues them..anticipatory compliance.

It is an extraordinary novel with suspense and thrill added to spice up the real life mexican political story.

I am going to read more books by him now.

Fuentes has quoted a mexican bolero..which has become my favourite one

No me preguntas mas
dejame imaginar
que no existe el pasado
y que nacimos
el mismo instante
en que nos conocimos

dont ask me more
let me imagine that
there was no past
we were born
at the same same time
as we met

Speech at IIM Kolkata on 2 November

The topic of my talk was "Business and management culture of Latin America". I traced the evolution of this to the history of the conquest and colonisation by Spanish. While in north america the business precept was " consumer is king" , in latin America it was the other way," "King was the consumer". The king asked the colonisers to get him the gold and silver and let them do what they wanted. While the common law in north america laid the foundation for sound business culture, the civil law of Latamerica gave rise to Sociedad Anonymo companies which depended on trustnot on the legal sanctity of contract. The rule of men( as against rule of law) and the Latam approach of " justice to friends and law to enemies" did not help in providing a solid base for business culture of the region. Later the uncertainties of hyperinflation, debt and currency fluctuations also gave rise to the culture of making fast bucks. But now the business culture has undergone a fundamental transformation with the paradigm shift of the region politically, economically and culturally.

I talked about the "manana" culture and magical realism of Latamerica which have also influenced the management culture. There are, of course ,variations of bz and management culture depending upon the country, region ( Rio and sao paulo- so different) altitude( hill people different from the costenos), and ethnic groups ( lebanese, japanese, germans, italians...)

In my meetings with the Director, Dean and Prof Abraham( who has come back from trip to Latamerica),they showed interest in student exchanges, faculty and research cooperation and organising India programmes in Latin America and vice versa. These exchanges would add a business management dimension to the growing relations between India and Latin america. They remembered an alumni , Rakesh vaidyanathan,who is in Brazil in the business of promoting business between India and latin America.

la fiesta del chivo - movie on Dominican Republic

La fiesta del chivo- the feast of the goat is the movie based on the novel by the same name written by Mario vargas Llosa, the Peruvian writer.

It is about the dictatorship of Trujillo in Dominican Republic( DR). The story starts with Urania who returns after 30 yrs in newyork to visit her father Cabral,who was the senate leader during the dictatorship. The meeting with her father brings back the memories of the atrocities of Trujillo, who ran the country like his personal ranch and ruthlessly suppressed any opposition by indiscriminate assasinations. He humilitates Cabral, when he gives his opinion, which is not to the liking of Trujillo. The desperate senator sends his teenage daughter to Trujillo's fiesta. She discovers on arrival at Trujillo's ranch that she is the only guest invited for the party with him. Trujillo humiliates the daughter too. The movie ends with the assasination of Trujillo and the bloodbath which follows it.

The movie refers to the killing of the famous three Mirabel sisters by Trujillo. Julia Alvarez has written a novel on this,called as" In the time of butterflies".
what a coincidence ! I met the daughter of one of the three sisters( maria Teresa) in the party hosted by the Ambassador of Dom Republic yesterday. There was also the fourth sister, Dede, who was lucky to survive the killings. It was an emotional meeting with them. They have promised to convey my Saludos to Julia Alvarez... and extend my invitation to her to visit India.

The film, released in 2005, was shot in DR and partly in Spain.
The director Luis Llosa from Peru is a cousin of the writer Mario vargas Llosa.
Isabella Rosselini who has acted as Urania is an Italian and a Lancome model.

Brazilian interest in Mahatma Gandhi

The interest is not for fashion nor induced by Munnabhai film
Palas Athena, a NGO from Sao Paulo has been disseminating Gandhiji's ideals in Brazil seriously and sincerely. They have been organising week-long celebrations of Gandhi Jayanthi for the last 25 yrs. Not just by way of garlanding the statue or formal speeches.They go to street children, teachers, schools, NGOs and police besides intellectuals with community activities. They inculcate in young minds the spirit of non-violence and peace.

here is the report I have got from Lia Diskin, the director of Palas Athena about this year's 2 oct activity.

"We are still intoxicated by the 25th Gandhi Week. The name is Week but in truth it takes up the month of October as a whole. This year we managed to include some of the 150 activities in 11 of the FEBEM ( juvenile prisons) units of São Paulo. These are places where young law-breakers are kept until they come of age. Our volunteers show a film on Gandhi and then discuss it with the inmates. These experiences have been very good and light up our hopes".

The force behind these Gandhian interest and activities is Lia Diskin, director of Associação Palas Athena. I have the greatest admiration and respect for her selfless public work. She is a true Gandhian in belief and practice both in private and public life.

Palas Athena had organised a Gandhi project with the 80000 police force of sao paulo state in 1998 to calm down the police mind and instill compassion in them.

The auditorium of Palas Athena is named after Mahatma Gandhi. Palas Athena runs a orphanage called as House of Pandavas. They have translated and published the autobiography of Gandhi in Portuguese.

Information on the Gandhian activities of Palas Athena are in www.palasathena.org

Two Brazilian films on football and sex

The film on football is " casamento de Romeu e julietta" - marriage of Romeo and Juliet.
It is about the foot ball obsession of the Brazilians. Julietta's family is a fanatic supporter of Palmeiras team of Sao Paulo and her father is a director of the palmeiras club. She falls in love with Romeu, who is a fan of Corinthians. Julieta advises him to pretend as a Palmirense to get acceptance of her family. But this is rejected by the grand mother of Romeu as a disgrace. Finally Romeu gets the courage to tell his would be father-in-law that he is a Corinthian. This provokes an outrage and Romeu is chased out. But the daughter decides to leave the house and marry Romeu, creating a revolution and a comedy of the outburst of her family.

The film brings out the football fanaticism of Brazilians and the extent to which their life gets overtaken by the game.

The film , released in 2005, has been directed by Bruno Barreto, who has directed several other brazilian movies. His other foot ball film" Bossanova" is also a hilarious comedy.

Sexo, Amor e Traison"- Sex, love and Betrayal is a film about sex. Caution... sex is not an obsession of Brazilians. It is just natural. They do not twist and turn because of sex. Nor does the society has any artificial and hypocritical suppressions. Their approach is humane. They celebrate sex as an essential and enjoyable part of life.

The theme of the movie is universal. Love and sex lose their importance in the course of day to day life of marriage. The story is about two couples in Rio.The wives nag the poor husbands complaining of inadequate attention. The husbands whose primary goal is success in career are unable to cope with this internal attack. At this time of marital crisis, the previous boyfriends and girlfriends appear, adding to the complication. Both couples take to adventurous diversions. Finally they reunite with happy ending. These give an idea of what happens in real life in Brazil. There is sex beyond love and love beyond sex !

Jorge Fernando, director of this film ( release- 2004), has directed many Brazilian soap operas.

Pantaleon y las visitadoras - Peruvian film

This is one of the best Latino films I have seen so far. A delighful and enjoyable comedy with a typical latino flavour.

The Peruvian army captain Pantaleon Pantoja, a very serious and efficient officer, is chosen by his superiors to set up a special service of 'visitors' to satisfy the sexual needs of the soldiers posted on remote jungle outposts in Amazon area. The young married captain, faithful to his wife and disciplined militarily and morally, does not like the work but agrees to carry out his duty. He puts his organisational talents to work and establishes a system of visitors in a typical military disciplined way. He tells his wife that he is doing a secret work.

But his resistance collapses in front of the seductive girl called as " la colombiana" who conquers him finally. Marriage breaks and eventually La Colombiana herself is killed in an accident. Pantoja organises a public mass to mourn the martyrdom of the special visitadora. This becomes a scandal and the army chief puts an end to the visitadora system.

This movie is based on a book by my most favourite Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa.

The Colombian actress Angie Cepeda who acts as "the colombiana" is very striking and charming. She has superbly portrayed her seducing role.

The director of the movie is Francisco Lombardi from Peru. The film was released in 2000.

Machuca - Chilean movie

This is the second Chilean film I have come to like after " Mi Mejor inimigo"
The theme is Chilean and Latin American.
It is about the turbulent years of the leftist Allende government which had polarised the society violently.

Machuca is a slum kid , given a scholarship by a "red priest" to join the exclusive private English medium school for the rich class. The naive experiment of the American priest does not work. Machuca influences Gonzalo a boy from a rich family and opens his eyes to the poor who survive on the margins of the society and support the leftist revolution of Allende. Gonazalo is torn at home by his fractured family, in the clashes between the rich kids and poor ones at the school and the confrontation between the revolutionaries and reactionaries in the streets. After the overthrow of Allende, the military takes over even the school and throws out the poor kids.

Most of the things depicted in the film actually took place in real life in Chile and in other countries of military dictatorships such as Argentina. For the Chileans it was a nightmare and an aberration in their history. For the non -Chilean audience it gives a glimpse of the turmoil in the society and how it affected even the children.

The film is entertaining too, with its rich and colorful vocabulary of abusive words used by the kids. I was more used to mexican vocabulary. The Chileans are not far behind. The innocence of the kids, their kissing scenes and the selling of flags to rival processionists have been brought out vividly with an emotional and sensitive touch. The kids are charming and endearing with their acting.

Released in 2004, the film was directed by Andres Wood of Chile.

Miss Magical Realism

appears from nowhere
disappears into the air
appears and disappears
surprising and disappointing

calls me on fone
takes not my calls
sends me email
smile is her response

tempts me with promises
teases me with airkisses
embraces me publicly
eludes me discretely

suave and sweet
swaying bossanova
singing Gabriela
aroma of canela

magic is her spell
mystic her appeal
is she the angel?
Is it for real?


oops..I got it now..
miss magical realism

Movie- la mujer de mi hermano

La mujer de mi hermano- The wife of my brother - is the movie I watched yesterday.

It is a Mexican film shot in Chile by a Peruvian director Ricardo de Montreuil. Barbara Mori, the lead actress was born in Montevideo and has now become a mexican. Christian meier, who acts as the husband is a Peruvian while Manolo Cardona, acting as the the younger brother is Colombian.

After almost 10 years of marriage, the sensual and attractive Zoe( Barbara Mori) discovers that her marriage lacks passion and surprise. She falls for the bohemian painter brother of the husband. It starts innocently but leads to adventurous sex and games. She confides this to her male friend who is gay. Ultimately, she discovers that her husband himself is a closet gay. But he loves her even after knowing her infidelity.

Usual soap opera stuff. But what has made it interesting is the acting by Barbara Mori, who has portrayed the typical Latina character... seeking constantly new experience...adding new dimensions always... sensual, charming, sweet ... adventurous and audacious ...

Divali - Trinidad style

The High Commissioner of Trinidad and Tobago Mr Persad hosted Divali celebrations- Trinidad style on 13 October.
It was an impressive and colourful event held at Uppal Orchid resort Hotel, New Delhi. There was Puja, devotional music and dance, magic show and dinner. No alcohol or meat, as per the Trini custom. And many Trinians undertake fast for a week before Divali. About 10 million Diyas are lighted in T and T on diwali day.

HC Persad is one of the most active and articulate diplomats in delhi.

In my speech, I described T and T as a land of Oil and Gas, Calypso and Carnival, Chutney music and Steel band and Naipaul and Laxmi Mittal.
Why Mittal? because T and T was his launch pad. He acquired his first steel mill in T and T, made his first million and got the confidence. Then he went on to acquire 10 more steel mills around the world, becoming the largest steel producer. He reversed the "East India Company complex" by becoming the richest person in UK and making the europeans afraid of him, when he was bidding to take over Arcelor.

Naipaul's treatment of India in his trilogy of books (India a wounded civilisation, An area of darkness and A million mutinies ) has provoked some Indians mutiny against him. I am not among them. Many of the comments of Naipaul are valid and the Indians need to reflect on them. Nirad Chaudhry and Pawan Varma have also pointed out the defects in the Indian mindset and society which need to be consciously corrected. But there is hope. If Naipaul visits the Mysore campus of Infosys, he will certainly celebrate the emerging new Indian mindset.

Both Mittal and Naipaul are success stories of Indians outside India. While Mittal has elevated the self esteem of Indians, Naipaul, through his criticism has provoked the Indians to think.

T and T is the most energetic ( so much of oil and gas), prosperous( highest per capita in the region- 13000 US $ ) , powerful country in caribbean. T and T could be the gateway for Indian business to enter the caribbean region. Essar is building a steel plant with an investment of 1.2 billion dollars.

saving the world - Julia Alvarez's novel

This latest novel of Julia Alvarez, as her previous ones, traces her roots in Dominican Republic from the place of her stay in Vermont, USA. The story within this familiar story starts with a real life Spanish story of the early ninteenth century. A noble-hearted doctor Don Francisco conceives of a project to save the world from the scourge of smallpox which started ravaging the world at that time. He takes a group of orphans as live carriers of smallpox vaccination across the seas to the colonies in Africa, Latin America and Phillipines. Dona Isabel, the caretaker of the orphanage, who herself has a scarred face caused by smallpox, accompanies the children, through the rough and tumble of the voyages. The royal philonthrophic expedition of Don Francisco receives mixed response from the local governors and bishops in the new world. Despite the setbacks and challenges, Don francisco manages to vaccinate and save thousands of lives in Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Mexico besides a part of Africa and Phillipines. Isabel's admiration for the vision and mission driven Don turns romantic and her life revives and gets a new meaning. But of course, Don's heart has no space since it is filled only with his mission. He returns to Spain and is recognised by the king for his noble work.

But the story of Isabel and Francisco is what is spinning in the head of the writer Alma in Vermont. Pressed by her literary agent, she stumbles into a writer's block and is unable to transfer the story from her mind to a book. Her husband Richard goes on a thirdworld project in Dominican Republic, gets caught in a hostage situation. Alma rushes to her native land, manages to get into the house where Richard is hostage. But he is killed in the shoot-out, while she is saved, to carry the memory of her last meeting with him.

The Dominican insecurity in an alien American land is portrayed vividly in this as in the other novels. Added to that is the insecurity caused by a dying Helen in the neighbourhood. Watching closely someone die slowly is a traumatic experience. And there is the other insecurity arising from the undefined love to her husband. It is a second marriage. Richard is more like a protector and she is like a dependent needing to be taken care by him. It is not classical romance. But it is a mutually needed, comfortable and reinforcing relationship. It is not the young love flying over the clouds touching the moon. It is a late love making the mutual dependency adding meaning to the lives of the companions.

I see a clear transition and journey from Dominican Republic-centred first novels of Julia Alvarez " In the time of butterflies " and the delightful "Yo". While the native land is the root in this story too, there is more exploration and experience in the undefined alien land of United States with undefined emotions and relations ....

Mexican Food Festival 11-22 October

Reason for this proud smile of Ambassador Rogelio- the music and dance group performing here is from his native Veracruz. Felicitaciones Embajador for one more succesful event.
Thanks to his hyperactiveness, mexico is raining on India almost every week with business delegations, parliamentarians, mariachis, musicians, chefs....


The mexican Embassy is organising this latest food festival at Kafe Fontana in Taj Palace Hotel, delhi. The last mexican food festival was held only last month.

Monica Patino is the chef from mexico. She is also author, teacher and restaurateur.

on 12 Oct at 1900 hrs there is also screening of a mexican film "recipes to stay together" at Taj palace. What a title!

This reminds me of the film Como agua para chocalate- like water for the chocolate, a delightful film about Mexican cuisine and tradition.

Farewell Lunch for Secretary (west)

I joined Latin America and Caribbean Division in sept 2004, at the same time when Senora Shashi Tripathi took over as Secretary ( west). She is leaving the Ministry shortly,after a distinguished career of 36 yrs. I hosted the lunch in her honour at Taj Mahal Hotel Hotel, New Delhi. Ambassadors and Honorary Consuls of the region and CII and FICCI attended the lunch.

Highlights of my speech:

- In the past relations with the region were described by some as " casual flings, occasional flirtations and one-night stands".

- Now the relations have moved to a romantic stage. Even PM Manmohan Singh could not resist the magic of latin America. he said in his press conference in Brasilia, " I am leaving part of my heart behind". Many other delegates also have left their hearts there. My follow-up action is to visit Brazil to bring back those.

-In the past there was a different mind-set. ... jokes

- The ground realities were different in the past. "magical realism" in latin america and "mythical realism" in India.

- But now the realities have changed. Both latin America and India have undergone pardigm shift and have become attractive to each other now.

- In the past two two years, we intensified our engagement with the region like never before. We handled about 40 incoming and outgoing visits at various levels and reached out to countries such as Bolivia, guatemala, Dominican republic and El Salvador.

- Our economic diplomacy in partnership with CII, FICCI and the bz paid off. Our trade reached 6.2 billion dollars in 2005. The largest-ever bz delegation from India went to latin america earlier this month.

- A promising longterm partnership between latin america and India will flourish in the coming years, built on the new paradigms of the two sides and new mindset.

We said, Gracias Senora Tripathi for your leadership and support ! and wished her long healthy and acive life beyond foreign service. And gave her a latino tip... " we dont stop having fun when we grow old... we become old only when we stop having fun!!!"

love and labyrinth in India-Mexico relations

I was invited to talk about business in the CII meeting with the Mexican Minister of Small Scale Industries and his business delegation. As usual, i strayed into businessplus and talked about love and labyrinth in the relations between the two countries. I said,

-Octovio Paz 's first experience in India was a cultural shock. After landing in Bombay in 1951 he walked around in Bombay streets and was overwhelmed by the crowd, color, noise and smell. He wrote " The excess of reality in India ...made it appear unreal" . I call this as the encounter between the "magical realism" of latin america and the "mythical realism" of india.

-He came back and stayed in India as Ambassador from 1961 to 68. He travelled extensively in India and wrote poems on kanyakumari, madurai and Lodhi gardens. His poetic work "tale of two gardens" compares India and Mexico as two gardens. In this, he concludes " the strangeness of India reminded me of the other strangeness of Mexico"-I have been reading a book of his for the last six months, unable to complete it. U will understand if i tell the title..... " Labyrinth of solitude ". It is about mexican character and identity. I got lost in the Mexican labyrinth, confused as to which labyrinth is more complex and confusing, Indian or Mexican?

- But despite the labyrinth, confusion and excess reality, Octavio Paz found one thing in India..love. He fell in love with marie jose and married her under the neem tree in his prithviraj residence in delhi. She became his second wife.

- There is a latino saying, " wife brings success .... and sucess brings the second wife and more women " That is how Octavio Paz got his second wife... and so did Vincente Fox, the President of Mexico !!

Mexican food festival 15 - 30 sept

Shangri La Hotel in New Delhi is hosting this food festival. fone 41191010.

Mexican food is somewhat spicy and hot. Burritos, quesadillas, Enchilladas, tortillas, tacos, moles,tamales, chillies, pickled jalapenos.. goes with Corona beer and tequila.

Last week there was a Mariachi group which performed in Ashoka hotel.

There was a delegation of parliamentarians from the state of Jalisco. They were keen to know how India deals with issues of poverty, diversity and autonomy of states.

And there are two business delegations including the one lead by the Minister of Small scale industries.

The credit for these intense activities goes to Ambassador Rogelio. He is promising even more ...in the coming months.

matar saudade in Sao Paulo

Saudade is a portuguese word for nostalgia. In Brazil it means more. It is a unique feeling of missing something with passion, yearning and love. Matar saudade means kill the nostalgia in plain English. In Brazil it means letting oneself indulge in all those things one missed, with a vengeance. The following are some things i did to matar my saudade and these are a must-experience for the visitors:

- Radio Gazetta. This is a FM radio playing Brazilian music. As soon as i get into a car or taxi I tune to this favourite station. One of the reasons i got attached to this station was that the station is located just in front of the Consulate I established in 1996. The steps of the entrance to the Gazeta building is the best vantage point to sit and watch people.

- Cafe. In Brazil cafe means more than coffee. It is culture, conversation and colour( of the skin of people). cafezinho is an affectionate dimunitive for a small cup..but strong.

-Churasscaria. This is the typical barbecue restaurant offering varieties of unlimited quantitity of meat and a large buffet to be enjoyed leisurely.

- Chhop. This is light draft beer which keeps conversation going for hours without getting drunk. Every street corner has a chopperia, besides beach fronts and bars.

- Caipirinha. This is cane liquor with lemon and sugar. So sweet and easy to drink and easy to forget the number of pegs and get intoxicated.

-Pao de queijo. This is a little ball of cheese bread. It goes with cafe, as a snack and with dinner,lunch and breakfast.

-Feijoada. This heavy meal with all parts of the meat like a stew and black beans is for weekend or wednesday lunch.

-Livraria cultura. This is a bookshop in Conjunto Nacional building in Avenida Paulista. The best collection of books of Brazil, Latin America and in English language too.

-FNAC bookshop next to the consulate has a cafe besides books and music.

leaving part of my heart behind in Brazil

ssssh.... you are wrong ... These are not my words as you might have guessed. It was Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who said this in his speech to the Brazilian dignitaries and media in Brasilia on 12 sept. He said "I have come to Brazil for the first time but I am leaving part of my heart behind". Even he could not resist the magic spell of Brazil !! His speeches came straight from the heart!! He bonded with President Lula and called him as a brother, friend and world statesman. The two agreed to upgrade the relations to a new strategic level. Expect more in bilateral relations in the coming years.

The 50 plus business delegation from India discovered the opportunities for business and complementarities of the markets. First time, such a large delegation has ever visited Brazil. The presidents of CII and FICCI as well as Vice president of Assocham were there in the first IBSA bz summit on 12 sept, along with Brasilian and South African bzmen. Agribusiness and food processing was one of the areas identified for two-way flow of investment and technology with Brazil.

The first IBSA ( India Brazil South Africa) summit took place on 13 sept. This tricontinental partnership ( cafe- with- milk alliance !!! ) of the three large pluralistic democracies and vibrant economies is set to become a formidable force. The trade betweem them is poised to reach the 10 billion dollar target set in 2004.

The Goan pop singer Remo Fernandez entertained the IBSA audience on 12 sept with his Goan, portuguese and Hindi songs and got some to the dance floor. This was organised by India Brand Equity Foundation CEO Ajay Khanna.

In the meeting of the Prime Minister with Brazilian intellectuals and cultural personalities on 13 sept, Ana Christina announced her project for a Indo- Brazilian coproduction of a film. This is based on Indrani Chakravarthy's novel "Tamarind". Part of the film shooting will be done in Goa. Another Brazilian producer is also keen to shoot a film in India. Monika Petrocelli talked about her consultancy introducing Yogasutras in management. She has earlier worked with Price waterhouse. She studied Indian philosophy in Calcutta for two years. The Brazilian economists compared the developmental experience of the two countries.

The last event was the dinner on the boat in the lake by Ambassador Puri. The credit for raising the profile of Brazil in India goes to him.

I am thrilled with the success of the visit, which has opened the minds of Indian policy makers, business and media stimulating their interest in Latin America and in the business opportunities in the region.

Many male delegates are also leaving their heart behind... I saw their eyes popping out, going up and down and sideways. Their mouths were open and saliva was flowing profusely. They were incoherent and giddy and speechless. You guessed it ....This was the effect of the young Brazilian interpreters whose maxi smiles and mini skirts floored the delegates. No wonder they needed interpretation all the time !!!

Mi mejor enemigo- Chilean film

Mi mejor enemigo ( my best enemy ) is the first Chilean film for me.
I liked it for its theme, depiction of Chilean character and Patagonia where the action takes place.

It is about a war which was about to erupt between Chile and Argentina in 1978, over a border dispute in Patagonia in the south. The Chilean patrol of five soldiers sent to the border loses its compass and gets lost in the vast arid expanse of patagonia. They come across an Argentinian platoon and they become friends, although the Chilean soldiers had taken the oath to kill five Argentinians each. They help each other in the cold and windy emptiness of Patagonia and, no surprise, play football. Fortunately the war is averted but the news does not reach the platoon in time, since the battery of their communication equipment is down. The nervous Chileans kill an Argentinian, who helped them. The hero of the Platoon comes back and takes his comrades to the bar where his girlfriend works. She turns him off when he tries to kiss her in front of his friends. Ni un besito... not even a kiss. no medal ... no money... comments the poor soldiers.. fodder in war and politics.

The human side of the war is touching. They are caught between the patriotic and militaristic beliefs and the warmth and friendship of the soldiers on the other side. The film brings out the rivalry between the Argentinians and Chileans, which plays out in contemporary forms. They tease each other over tango, football and meat.

The Patagonia scenes are breathtaking. The unique play of light and colours at sunset and sunrise have been captured in the film.

The last song in the film
"solo lo pido adios ( i just want to say bye) ..... is touching.

The film, released in 2005 is a coproduction of Chile with Argentina and Spain and directed by Alex Bowen.

Two Mexican films on Catholic fathers

I saw in the weekend these two contrasting portrayal of two fathers, one comically and the other tragically.
El Padrecito ( little father ) by Cantinflas and
El crimen del padre Amaro(the crime of Father Amaro) of Gael Garcia Bernal

In El Padrecito, Cantinflas( Mario Morena ) is at his usual comical best.It is the story of a young father who tries innovative non-holy approches to solve problems of his flock. He fights the bull when the Matador does not turn up for the show. He outsmarts the local hood who terrorises the community. This is one of the best films of Cantinflas.

The crime of father Amaro is about a newly ordained priest who succumbs to the temptation of the body and falls in love with a 16-year old girl who has unholy fantasies in the middle of her holy pursuits. The combination of holy rituals and the rituals of courting and sex is amusing. She gets pregnant and wants to marry but the priest is married only to the church. He takes her for an abortion, where she dies. The girl is the daughter of the mistress of the older father. There is another priest who joins the people's movement against the drug lords and is ex-communicated.
The film is based on a 19th century novel of Esa de Queiros of Mexico.
The controversy created by the obviously angry reaction of the Mexican church made the movie the highest money spinner in Mexico.

Book on Latin American political economy by Javier Santiso

The title of the book says what it is about.
" Latin America's political economy of the possible - Beyond good revolutionaries and Free Marketeers"

I finished this book of 250 pages quickly in two days. Two reasons: The analysis and assessment of the trend of political economy of the region by the author are the same as mine. Secondly I was going fast to see if the author has any discoveries and illuminations which would be new to me. I did not come across anything dramatic except for new economic jargons such as "consolidology"and "transitology". He has also quoted Carlos Fuentes and Octavio Paz , who have , of course, made some profund and thought-provoking statements on the Latin American situation.

Here are the conclusions of the author:

• The region is moving away from economic "magical realism" that plots miraculous and impossible solutions.
• There is the emergence of "Possibilism" and gradualistic policies.
• Even those committed to monolithic ideologies, after coming to power, have taken the path of seeking pragmatic and pluralistic solutions. The Chicago Boys of Chile conceived socialistic policies, while Lula of the left pursued market-friendly policies. Fernando Henrique, former president of Brazil and one of the Gurus of Dependency theory opened up the market and pursued conservative macroeconomic policies.
• Chile, Brazil and Mexico are the three shining role models of moderation and non-dogmatism, influencing the policy makers in the rest of the region.
• Argentina set a negative example by its rush into neoliberalism and paying an enormous political, economic and social cost for the folly.

The author has been diplomatic about the Bolivarian Revolution of President Chavez, which goes against the trend in the rest of the region. He has also touched only the positive aspects of instituitional anchoring of Mexico in NAFTA, without going into the other side.

I share the author's conclusion that the region has undergone profund transformation consolidating democracy and instituitions. He is also optimistic about the future of Latin America, as I am.

The author is a OECD economist. The publisher is MIT. Published in 2006.

IBSA seminar on 31 August 06 at New Delhi

In my talk, I took the audience beyond the markets and behind the statistics. I talked about the people, their colour and mindset and the synergies between their core competence and convergence of their aspirations.

IBSA is a "cafe -con- leite" ( coffee- with- milk ) alliance. The people of the three countries have the common coffee- with- milk skin color. some have more milk and others have less!. In Brasil, cafe and milk have mixed historically blending beautifully in a spectrum from blonde to dark. Brazil has more people of African origin than South Africa's 47 million population. In India it is premixed and cafe and milk is not available separately. In South Africa, it is still separately served. This opened up opportunity to tell some jokes...

The mindset of these three countries have undergone a paradigm shift in recent years. In India the bz mindset has changed from the "Fear of East India company" to the " Pride of Mittal steel". The Brazilians have become confident and assertive on the basis of their solid democracy and sound economy and regional leadership. South Africans have given pride and dignity to Africa. It is this new mindset of the three peoples which have lead to the IBSA partnership. This would not have been possible under the old mindset , even ten years ago.

The USP of India is IT and human resources. IT has empowered India and the Indians. It has ignited young Indians to nurture audacious ambitions to connect and compete with the world and even think of conquering. USP of Brasil is Agribusiness. With vast areas of fertile land and water resources Brazil is set to become an agri superpower. The USP of South Africa is mining. If there is one country which is most loved by Indian women.. it is south africa.. so much gold and diamonds!! Of course, the Indian men will vote for Brazil... some more jokes...oops can't be put here.

The seminar was chaired by Mr Arjun Sengupta. The other speakers included Dr Nagesh of RIS, Vishwanath of CII and Veena Jha of Unctad. It was organised by CII as a curtain raiser before the IBSA summit in Brasilia on 13 Sept 06.

Book on India by Patricia, the Brazilian journalist

Patricia Campos de Melo, journalist from Brazil is going to write a book on the emerging new India. She is visiting India from 27 August to 21 September to get a first-hand impression. She is visiting Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. She will interview Ministers, CEOs and interact with a cross section of the Indian society.

The book will be ready in December. This is going to be the first book about modern India in Portuguese language. The timing of the book project coincides with the growing interest in India among the Brazilian corporates and business leaders. It will provide food to the thoughts of Brazilian intellectuals and political leaders who are fascinated by the paradigm shift in India. Brazilian newspapers and magazines, including Playboy Brazil ( separate blog report on this ) have carried reports and analysis on this in recent times. A group of Brazilian economists visited India earlier this year to study the new economy.

Patricia has already written a book on China. She works as a journalist with Estado de Sao Paulo, the second largest newspaper of Brazil. Her reports on India will appear in the newspaper in the coming days.

India Brand Equity Foundation, under CEO Ajay Khanna, is sponsoring Patricia's trip. I hosted a lunch for her and introduced her to business and Indian media.

I cautioned Patricia to be prepared for the challenges of the third world part of India. Her reply
" Sorria... Voce esta na Bahia"- which means "Smile ... you are in bahia ( northeastern state of Brazil)". This is Brazilian culture, attitude and spirit! Smile at the bright side of things, have fun and enjoy.

The Lost City - A film on Cuba

This Hollywood film is a kind of autobiographical film of Andy Garcia, who is the hero, producer and director.

In real life, Garcia was born in Cuba, emigrated to USA after the Bay of Pigs and started off life as dishwasher. That is what happens in the film also.

Fico ( Garcia) is the owner of the "Tropical" night club in Havana. One of his brothers join the conspiracy against Batista dictatorship and gets killed by the regime. The other brother joins the revolutionary group of Fidel Castro but after Fidel comes to power, gets disillusioned and commits suicide. The parents of Fico, who did not take the revolution seriously in the beginning, decide to stay put after the revolution but insist that Fico should get out of Cuba and go to USA. Fico falls in love with his sister-in-law after the death of his brother but she refuses to go with him to USA, dedicating herself to the cause of the revolution. This is the real life story of thousands of Cubans.

With the end of the Fidel Castro era nearing, the the film evokes a nostalgic and romantic part of the revolution while at the same time bringing out the other realities of the revolution impacting on the life of cubans. Which way will Cuba go after Castro? Will it implode like the Soviet union or open up gradually like Vietnam and China?

The film is enriched by the exuberant Cuban music and dance.

La isla de la pasion- novel by Laura Restrepo

La isla de la pasion- "the isle of passion" is the work of the Colombian writer Laura Restrepo, one of my favourites. This novel is different from the four other works of her. Firstly this is a story based in Mexico. Her previous books were all on Colombia. Secondly in this book there is no magical realism. It is pure reality, based on history. All the characters, dates and most of the incidents are real. Laura has woven a poignant and moving story out of history.

The story takes place in Clipperton Island, a tiny and isolated and uninhabited piece of island, off the Pacific coast of Mexico. The only inhabitants are crabs moving on mounds of bird droppings. The island is surrounded by corals and sharks. The heat of the sun, the noise of the waves and the stink of the bird droppings make the island uninhabitable. There is no shade, shelter or plants or animals.

Capt Arnaud, an indisciplined military officer is sent to the island as governor. He lands with his wife Alicia and a dozen soldiers and their families. The only other inhabitant is Schultz, a half- German, managing collection and shipment of bird droppings for use as fertiliser. Even this stops after more profitable sources are found elsewhere.

Capt Arnaud and his people start life from a scratch in the island like Robinson Crusoe. Initially it is adventurous. But when the supply ship does not come, they run out of food and water. The fight for survival starts. The hurricane and tidal waves wipe away the hutments and stored materials. The hunger and misery turns people into animals. Diseases makes people ugly and unbearable. Deprivation leads to delirium. Even Capt Arnauld goes mad and perishes while chasing an imaginary ship.

Amidst the misery, there springs love and romance. Arnaud and Alicia discover each other. Heroism and pride takes over hearts and minds even when there is utter hopelessness. When an American ship offers rescue, capt Arnaud and his people refuse to go, abandoning their patriotic duty to protect the Mexican territory. But the Mexican military and administration is caught in a turmoil and forget the little useless island and the wretched inhabitants. Through all the adversity Alicia maintains her dignity, balance and wedding dress. At the end, only the fittest survive. Who were the fittest? Of course the women. Five of them survive while all men perish. Ang there is one more survivor... a black man. But he is killed by the women when he starts tormenting them.

A remarkable story, which stirs the soul.

un dia sin sexo - a Peruvian film

Un Dia sin Sexo ( one day without sex ) is the first Peruvian film I have seen. I bought the DVD in Lima... taken in by the title. The theme of sex in Latin America is fascinating and different from the rest of the world. The film has lived upto my expectations. It explores the connect between sex, love and relationship. The theme is old but the Latin American approach is refreshingly different.

The film is about the sex lives of four pairs of different ages. There is the teenage girl who drags her boyfriend to a motel, anxious to lose virginity. Two twenty five-plus singles come together after having gone through their own separate pursuits for the perfect mate unsuccessfully. The ego of the girl takes over in the encounter and sex is discarded to the disappointment of the poor guy who has tried every trick. The third pair in the late thirties end up fighting at every opportunity. The wife nags and nags... You dont talk... You dont care.... nagging and fighting overtakes sex. The last couple are over fifty. The man does not feel like. The wife wont give up. She drags him to try viagra. But the guy would not get down from the car to walk to the pharmacy. No problem.. the wife walks boldly and asks the pharmacist for the best variety. But at the height of action, the man collapses with a heart attack.

It is a hilarious comedy. But it is the reality and typical approach to sex and relationship in Latin America.

The movie, produced in 2005 is directed by Frank Perez Garland. This is his first feature film. Story and script are his own. This is the second film for producer Fabrizio Aguillar. Main actress is Vanessa Saba and actor Paul Vega.

Peruvian cinema industry is still young, having started in the late seventies. Francisco Lombardi and Chicho Duran are the other promising directors.

Dinner with Evo Morales

I was taken aback when Evo Morales, the President of Bolivia, invited me for dinner at his residence, at the end of our meeting in his office on 10 August 2006. I was aware of his unconventional and informal style and casual dressing. Still, I was surprised by his hosting a dinner in my honour at short notice, on the same evening after our meeting.

He had invited his Vice President and a Minister also for the dinner besides our Ambassador Warjiri, who has established a personal rapport with him. The food was simple, as was his personality. His dress was casual in office and at home. His striped red colour sweater has become a trade mark and is a best seller in the market. Sparks appeared in his face whenever football was mentioned. He plays even now and had broken his nose last week during a game.

Evo Morales is keen to learn and adopt to the contemporary affairs. He is not fanatic or extremist as portrayed in the western media. His agenda is basically domestic. As the first native Indian to be elected as the President, he is sincere and commited to his historic responsibilty to uplift the lives of the Indians, who form sixty five percent of the population. This is true of many of his cabinet colleagues and party members. They have formed a new constituent assembly to draw up a new constituition to protect the rights and dignity of Indians. The president of the Assembly, Sylvia Lazarte, whom i met in Santa Cruz is a crusader for the rights of the indigenous population. She wants to study the Indian constituition and learn from our affirmative action.


As an Indian himself, Evo Morales claimed that India was his second fatherland. He expressed admiration for India and invited Indian companies to enter the Bolivian market which offers opportunities in oil and gas and mining. He has just awarded a 2.3 billion dollar project to Jindal Group for iron ore mining and steel project. El Mutun, the iron ore mine, is one of the largest in the world with a reserve of 40 billion tons. The Bolivians are keen to import from India products such as tractors, mining equipments, agro machinery, defence equipments, helicopters, pharmaceuticals and consumer and industrial products.

I was cautioned about the altitude sickness in La Paz which is 14000 feet above sea level. I had heard stories of a golfer who fell dead in the tenth hole of the Golf course and an Indian Ambassador who collapsed while trying to walk briskly after getting down from the plane. The advice given to me was;

Come poquito, bebe poquito y duerme solito
Which means
Eat less. drink less and sleep alone.

Now I know why I did not see smile in the faces of the men in La Paz!!. I survived with a dozen cups of mate de coca ( coca leaf tea ) every day. I guess I would not have passed if there was a doping test. Another advice i had to follow was to walk slowly and avoid any sudden movement.

Ooops.. I had survived to enjoy the Santa Cruz city of Bolivia which is a contrast to La Paz. The advice there was to do more of everything which was denied in La Paz. I was there during the weekend which was buzzing with revellers in the bars and night clubs. Santa Cruz is the commercial and entertainment capital.

I played nine holes at the Las Palmas Golf club. I had lost four balls to the strong wind, which carried them over to houses and water. I dared not go near the water which has two meter-long crocodiles.

Arvind Sharma our Honorary Consul General in Santa Cruz is one of the most active in economic diplomacy. He has extensive contacts at all political and commercial levels and promotes Indian business. He was one of the five hundred Indians who had gone there around 1990 and bought land for agriculture. While a few are still holding land, others have shifted to business or come back to India after not succeding in the agri venture.

Machu Pichu - a trip to the serenity of the soul

My visit to this Inca monument on 6 August 2006, was as inspiring and impressive as I had read and imagined. Built in the fifteenth century, it stands majestic at a height of 8000 feet, surrounded by other mountain peaks around. The serpentine river Urubamba around the base of Machu Pichu is a spectacular view from the monument. The monument consists of temples, terraces, astronomical structures and residences for about 400 inhabitants who were mostly priests and the nobility of the Inca empire. The duality, trinity, worship of sun and moon and a lingam-like structure at the centre of the sanctorum are similar to some of the beliefs and temples of India. But the lingam of the Inca is rectangular unlike the cylindrical one of India.

The emotions evoked by this Inca monument has been aptly described by Pablo Neruda in his poem "Alturas de Machu Pichu",

Machu Pichu es un viaje a la serenidad del alma,
a la eterna fusion con el cosmos
un reposar del mariposas en el epicentro del gran circulo de la vida
allí sentimos nuestra fragilidad.

means

Machu Pichu is a trip to the serenity of the soul,
to eternal fusion with the cosmos
a resting place of butterflies at the epicentre of the great circle of life
there we feel our own fragility.


The tour package organized from Cusco, the nearest city about 120 kms from Macu Pichu took me by surprise. It is one of the most efficient and pleasant in terms of organization. Cusco city was earlier the Inca capital. The train journey of three hours and forty minutes through mountains, valleys and along the river Urubamba is scenic. The Cusco- Machu Pichu train is a luxury train with glass even on the ceiling to see the steep mountain peaks on both sides of the rail road. The train service is punctual and the service includes entertainment too. There is a fashion show with a female and a male model displaying typical Peruvian dress and the famous Alpaca woolens with modern designs. The costumes are sold thereafter. The passengers are entertained by a local folk dancer. The train stops at the valley below Machu Pichu and there are luxury buses every few minutes shuttling between the valley and the monument. Next to the Machu Pichu station there are over hundred handicraft shops offering colourful and varied pieces, similiar to the Rajasthani ones. One can buy sweaters and shawls made from the wool of Alpaca, the typical mountain goat of Andes. There are plenty of restaurants and cafes to taste the Peruvian delicacies like Ceviche ( raw fish marinated in lime juice ), Pisco Sour the local drink and "Inca Cola" a yellow colour drink which competes with Coca Cola.

From Cusco there is a 200 $ package tour to Machu Pichu. This includes pick up from hotel, train ticket, shuttle bus from tain station to machu Pichu, guide and lunch. value for money !

In Lima I played golf at the Lima Golf Club with Kitri, the son of our Ambassador. He is a champion- material and is going to do Golf management studies in a North Carolina University.

The city of Lima is historic,modern, safe and pleasant to live. I met Viswanathan, the Ranbaxy executive, living there since the last four years. Indian pharma companies do a business of about 15 million dollars per year. The pharma market turnover is about 450 million dollars in the private sector and 200 million of government purchases. Registration of products takes a maximum of three months and cost per product is under 1000 dollars.

The Peru- India Chamber of Commerce, under the guidance of Mr Kishore Gupta, is active in promotion of bz. They plan to bring a delegation to India in November.

The peruvian economy is doing well. There is scope for Indian cos to invest in Petroleum and mining besides exports.

Readers are welcome to visit my album for fotos of Machu Pichu

http://picasaweb.google.com/viswanathanifs

Book on Latin American authoritarianism

Authoritarianism in Latin America-dictators, despots and tyrants.
by Paul H. Lewis
This book ( published in 2006) gave some clues to my quest to understand the genesis of authoritarian rule in Latin America.

Latin America has been the victim of all kinds of dictaorships and laboratory of political and economic adventures. The continent has suffered dictatorship of Spanish monarchy, local caudillos, military dictators, one-party rule, two-party rule, oligarchic and corporatist regimes, marxist rule and leftist and rightist regimes. Trujillo of Dominican republic, Noriega of Panama and Somoza of Nicaragua epitomised latino dictatorship.

The author has gone into the roots of this authoritarian tendency. It starts off with the mother country Spain, which colonised most of Latin America. At the time of discoveries and colonisation, the Spanish became aggresive, fanatic and intolerant , having come out after seven hundred years of fighting with the Moors. Those Spanish who ventured out to Latin America carried this miltaristic and religious baggage with them. They had grabbed as much land and assets and fought to retain or expand them ruthlessly and had no pity for those who were not of their faith or colour.


Let us not forget that Spain and Portugal were the last dictatorships in Europe under Franco and Salazar till 1975 and 1970 respectively. One could not have expected anything better from their colonies.

One of the reasons for dictatorship and social disequilibrium in Latin America is racial. The only way in which the white colonisers could rule over majority mestizos( mixed blood) and native Indians was through dictatorship. In a democracy they would have lost to majority rule, as it has just happened in Bolivia. Although 65 percent of the Bolivians are native Indians, they were always ruled by a white minority until 2006 when Evo Morales was elected.

The racial factor is illustrated by a decree issued by Francia, the Paraguyan dictator ( called as El Supremo ) in 1814, under which white men were prohibited from marrying white women. Why? because when he fell in love with a white woman, he was rejected by the woman's family on the ground that he had mixed blood. Eventually, he got both the fater-in -law and the husband of his sweetheart killed after tortures.

Cruelty to opponents has remained as a part of the dictorships. The opponents could be from another race, political party or ideology. Thousands of people were jailed, torured, exiled, displaced and killed in the name of national security and ideology. The cruelty reached its height when the Argentine generals threw leftist prisoners from planes into the sea.

Latin America has now come out of military dictatorship and is consolidating the democratic instituitions and values. Although there are still residual authoritarian tendencies in the behaviour of some rulers who have managed to be despots within the framework of democracies, the power has passed to the masses irreversibly. This is the insurance for democracy and hope for the future.

Playboy Brazil reports on India

The June 2006 edition of Playboy magazine of Brazil carries a feature on India. It gives 13 reasons that make Indians smarter than the Brazilians. Nothing new. They have listed out english proficiency, competitive spirit motivated by the large population, aptitude for maths and science, spirit of enterpreunership,creativity and self-confidence. The most interesting reason given is that there are 300 million gods who are manning the callcentres and helplines to come to the rescue of Indians in response to pujas and prayers.
The feature gives five reasons which make India poorer than Brazil. This includes poverty, poor infrastructure and illiteracy.

This report is part of the recent trend of India coverage in Brasilian newspapers and magazines. But the Playboy report is the most effective one in Brazil where the local edition sells over 250, 000 copies. And the decision makers and opinion makers read Playboy more seriously.

One distinguishing feature of Playboy Brazil is that it is read by more women than men. They read it to keep abreast of the tastes and preferences, weaknesses and whims of men. Armed with knowledge and skills, the Brazilian women goes hunting and conquering men. The Indian men need to watch out... they have been exposed ... they should be prepared for the attack from Brazil.

Ecuador calls.... monsoon rains

The Ecuador Foreign Minister was here with the monsoon rains.

monsoon ...
moist earth..
sprouting plants
clouds waiting to burst
sudden showers
tree branches
dripping water


And

the heart opens
love springs
feet in the air
romance mists the eyes
poetry waiting to burst


watching the monsoon rains from the balcony
reminded me of the words of Jorge Carrera Andrade, the Ecuadorian poet

Ecuador mi pais, esmeralda del mundo
novia vestida siempre de domingo
quisera besar todo el cuerpo verde
tus cabellos de selva"

Ecuador my country, emerald of the world
like a fiancee dressed always in sunday best
love to kiss all of her green body
and her wild hair.

One of the main exports of ecuador is flowers. Being close to Equator and with microclimates Ecuador produces some special flowers luminescent with unique colour combinations


Dr Francisco Carrion, was in Delhi 17-19 July. First-ever visit of a foreign minister of Ecuador to India. He invited Indian companies to enter the oil and gas sector of his country. ONGC Videsh (OVL) signed a MOU with Petroecuador. The virgin market of ecuador offers opportunities for Indian business in pharmaceuticals, chemicals, textiles and engineering and manufactured products. India can import timber and minerals besides crude oil

Ecuador has opened an embassy in delhi since 2005. The energetic and dynamic Ambassador Carlos Abad is working hard to add content to relations and promote business.

visit of Argentinian delegation

Buenas Aires donde el tango nacio
tierra mia querida

Quisera poderte ofrender
todo el alma en mi cantar

This tango by Carlos Gardel was my welcome remark to the Argetinian delegation at the business meet organised by CII at Taj Mansingh Hotel on 5 July

Argentina.. the land of ...Pampas and patagonia... Evita and Che Guevara... Julio Borghes and Julio Cortazar... beefsteak and red wine...


Finally... the Argentinians also came.
I am saying finally because all the other countries of Latin America had taken initiatives to engage India and exchange visits of ministers and business delegations. Argentina was the last.

But the Argentinians made up for the delay. Their delegation was one of the biggest to come from the region The foreign minister was accompanied by a 20 member official delegation and 40 businessmen. The delegation included the governor of Rio Negro, a charming lady minister ( laura) of Mendoza and a member of Parliament.

The delegation was enthusiastic, serious, sincere and pleasant in their negotiations and talks with us. This came as a pleasant surprise to many Indians who had heard so many jokes about Argentinians.

The business event was successful. The Argentinian business delegation included some serious companies including those who wanted to export and do joint ventures in nuclear medical equipments, turbines for hydroelectric plants and cranes. The Indian response was overwhelming.

The Charming Minister of Mendoza Laura made a presentation on bz and investment opportunities in her province. The Indians who were already inebriated with the mendoza wines found the opportunities irresistible. Oil, mining and railways offer immediate opportunities for project contracts and investment.

The visit has laid the foundation for a new paradigm in relations and business. The Argentinian exports to India in 2005 were 746 million dollars and our exports 269 million. This could double in the next three years.

So the time has come for India to tango with Argentina !

Conversation in the Cathedral

"Conversation in the Cathedral" is the title of the book by Mario Vargas Llosa, the Peruvian writer and one of my favourite Latin American authors. I finished it during my trekking trip 9-19 June in the Himalayas.

It is vintage Llosa. He has made use of the ample 601 pages to give a comprehensive feel of the Peruvian society with some memorable characters. While Llosa has dealt with the various aspects of peruvian and latino cultures in his other books, he has been able to give comprehensive exposure in this book.

There is military dictatorship by Odria, repression and atrocities, the struggle by political parties and rebellion by university students. Oligarchy is in full play in the family of Don Fermin Zavalo. His son and hero Santiago rebels and becomes a leftist and then a journalist renouncing inheritance and comfort. Racial issue is covered through the character of Ambrosio, the black man and the half-breed wife of Don Cayo who face predictable humiliation. And . Of course, the typical Latino fare of bars and puterias provide the common refuge for all the characters from Don Fermin to his chauffer Ambrosio. The only thing missing in the novel is romance...

I had to ration reading of the book everyday for eleven days since i did not want to run out before the end of the vacation. The daily reading transported me briefly to Latin America, like a shuttle trip from the Himalayas.