visit to Guatemala 17-19 June 2007

This was my first ever visit. I fell in love with Guatemalan city at the first sight( friends say ..i am prone to such accidents!). It is clean, green, modern and stylish. Great cafes, restaurants, good hotels.

I sat in a cafe ( no piernas here ! ) next to the Hotel Camino Real where I stayed. Inspiring ambience! It was cafe con books. but not like barnes and nobles and starbucks combine. The cafe was like a garden with lot of greenery and flowers. The cafe was strong and delicious. The locals say cafe should be hot, strong and stimulating...like love.
Guatemala is one of the largest coffee exporters and is the top supplier to Starbucks. The best cafe brand is Antigua.

The cafe reminded me of the Guatemalan writer Miguel Angel Asturias, the nobel prize winner. I liked his book " Mr President'. I have not yet completed his other novel The Mulata. Asturias brings alive the misery of military dictatorship and the racial divide.

Guatemala has also produced another nobel prize winner, Rigoberta Menchu the leader of native Indians. She is standing for Presidential elections in Nov 2007 but her chances do not seem to be bright.

The Guatemalans are known as Guatemaltecos or Chappins. friendly and warm souls. The only problem is that they are punctual and take work seriously ! .. insufficently latino ! But the Chappins are spicy...thanks to the variety of spices they grow. They are the world's largest exporter of cardamom.

Guatemala has recovered from the trauma of the civil war of forty years which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. While the ex-guerillas have joined politics, the Indians, who form more than half the pop
ulation still live in marginal conditions.

Unfortunately I did not have time to visit the Mayan ruins in Tikal or the colonial city Antigua.

There are quite a few from India and I met some of them. Mr Guha has been there for the last 40 years. he is married to a guatemalteca. Surprise was Senthil Kumar from chennai who is there for the last one year exporting pharma from India. he speaks Spanish fluently and has become almost a latino!

The old gringo - novel by Carlos Fuentes

In this novel written in 1985, Fuentes has added the Gringo element to the Mexican complexity. The American school teacher Harriet Winslow goes to Mexico to teach in the estate of a Mexican landord. She gets swept in the Mexican revolution and the turmoil. She is also caught between General Tomas Arroyo and the old Gringo. Arroyo is from the indigenous side, his family having worked as labourers in the estate. After he joins the revolutionary forces of Pancho Villa as a General, he burns down the estate of his former masters. The old Gringo joined the revolutionary war wanting to get killed. The three form a triangle, exploring questions of love, respect, and sensuality in ways that highlight the differences between Mexican and American ways of thinking. All three of the principal characters in this novel have mixed feelings of both love and hatred toward their fathers.

The story is based on an American journalist and author Ambrose Bierce, who went to experience the revolutionary war of Mexico and disappeared. The novel became famous after it was made into a Hollywood movie in 1989 with Jane Fonda and Gregory Peck.

But this did not appeal to me so much as the other novels of Fuentes i read.

Brazilian music and food in Delhi

A bit of Brazilian spirit is taking over Delhi this week, thanks to the visit of President Lula's visit 3-5 June. He will receive the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding on 4 June.

Teresa Cristina, the popular Brazilian singer will perform at the amphitheatre of Habitat on 4 and 5 June at 8.30 pm. She will sing the traditional Samba songs. She is from Rio.

A Brazilian water colour painting show is on at Habitat from 4 to 12 june.

A Brazilian Food Festival is on at Taj Mahal Hotel from 3 to 12 June. The food is from Espirito Santo state, near Rio. Try the muqueqa, a sea food speciality from that region.

A 100 plus business delegation is staying in the same hotel. Business seminar is held on 4 june.

Amar te duele - Mexican film

This is a Romeo- Juliet type of predictable and simple love story. Ulises, a poor boy with painting talents, falls in love with a rich girl Renata who also reciprocates. But Renata's friends and family are against this improper love. More than money, they from the white class, look down upon the browny native_indian looking boy. Renata's love, of course, is as they say, blind to colour or poverty of her boyfriend. She enjoys going to his house and his poor neighbourhood. When her family decides to send her to Canada, she elopes with Ulises. But they are stopped and Renata's ex-boyfriend shoots her by mistake to death. Like all love stories the end is tragedy.

Although the story is not new, it is a pleasant film with romance and innocent love. The racial taunts and the funky boys and girls are realistic and give an idea of the divisions in the Mexican society. Which society does not have divisions?

Martha Higereda is sweet in acting as Renata and Luis fernando Pena has done well in the character of Ulises. Fernando Sarina has done well as Director of the movie. The movie was released in 2002.

El Rey ( the King ) - Colombian film

This movie is a fictionalised account of how the drug trafficking started in Colombia, based on the life of the first drug lord Jaime Caicedo from Cali. The ordinarly life of Pedro Rey, a bar owner changes dramatically when he meets an American Peace Corps volunteer, who introduces him to the drug trafficking business. Rey realises the vast market of USA offering billions of dollars of quick profit, or what we are told as the "market-driven" trade. He goes on to make money, elevates his status and corrupts the police and society. Eventually he succumbs to the bullets of the same policeman who was in his payroll.

The movie, made in 2004, was directed by Antonio Dorado, who had said in an interview, " This movie is an answer to all the movies made by North America about the Colombian drug issue.

Fernando Solorzano has acted as the drug lord and Cristina Umana as his wife Blanca. Colombian family life, music and society are portrayed vividly and authentically in the film. Although the film is about drugs and violence it does not leave a horrifying feeling. The way the story evolves and the acting by the talented stars makes the watching of the film as a pleasant experience.

When the film roll was sent from Colombia for inclusion in a Paris film festival in Madrid, the film reels were searched thoroughly to ensure that drugs were not hidden in them !

Where the air is clear - novel by Carlos Fuentes

This is the first-ever novel of Fuentes, written in 1958.
In this book, the main character is the Mexico city itself. Fuentes takes the readers through the streets of Mexico and pages of history. He does his typical incisive analysis of the inhabitants of the city. He has chosen a banker ( Federico Robles ), a society lady (Norma), a rich family impoverished after the revolution (Ovando family ), Rodrigo Pola, a writer whose father was executed during the revolution and Ixca Cienfuegos an observer and critic of the system.

Fuentes takes the readers through the labyrinth of the Mexican solitude and identity. In no other latin american country, there is this obsessive search for identity, going back and forth in history and caught between the mother continent and the adopted one. Almost every character makes a reference to Mexican history, revolution and politics. Fuentes asks, "does such a thing as original blood exist?" and answers "no; every pure element grows and is consumed in its own purity,does not develop; the original is the impure, the mixed, the mulatto and the mestizo, as i am, as all Mexico is. Which is to say originality supposes a mixing, a creation, not a purity previous to our experience. Rather than born original , we come to be original; origin is creation. mexico must find her origin by looking ahead, not behind". This passage reminded me of Octavio Paz's analysis in his " labyrinth of solitude"

I liked these pearls of wisdom:

- It is all a question of wings, my love. With wings, a butterfly. Without wings, a caterpillar.

- All depends on the state of the soul and that depends upon external impulses. It is enough to control the external impulses to arrive at the state of the soul and personality which are desired.

I was moved and absorbed by the powerful and memorable characters in this book and the profound intellectual deabte about identity. Carlos Fuentes continues to stay as my number one favourite at this time. I have just purchased two more books of Fuentes and am looking forward to reading them.

Carlos Fuentes was from a diplomatic family and had lived in many countries. Later, he also became a diplomat and served in various capitals.

The political economy of emerging markets- book by Javier Santiso

The full title of the book is "The political economy of emerging markets- actors, instituitions and financial crises in Latin America"

This is the second book of Santiso I have read. I liked this book as well as the previous one on the political economy of the possible. my blog on the previous book on 3 september 2006 http://latinamericanaffairs.blogspot.com/search?q=javier+santiso

Perhaps another reason I like his analysis and conclusions is that they coincide with mine. While my conclusions are amateurish, based on my limited knowledge and intuition, Santiso's are those of a solid professional economist based on theories as well as practical experience.

His main conclusion in this book is that the latin american markets alongwith other emerging markets is a "confidence game" played by fund managers and Wall Street. He has described how the fund managers encouraged everyone to invest in Argentina despite the obvious and risky flaws of the argentinian ecnomic and financial structure before 2001. The main motive of the managers was to get fat bonus in the transactions. Ironically some of the same banks which mislead the investors became consultants to the Argentinian government when they wanted to restructure the debt after the crisis. So the bankers made their commission both ways, in the building up of the crisis and in the resolution. The losers are the thousands of bondholders and the Argentinian government and people. I had come to the same conclusion in my article published in Financial Express of 31 December 2005 http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_archive_full_story.php?content_id=113086#

Other interesting observations and conclusions of Santiso, based on his research and interviews with the players of the Latin America game:

- Latin American countries have been among the most dependent on international bond markets. In mid 2001 bonds represented 70 percent of Argentinian public debt.
- Crisis in latin America had occurred coinciding with the aftermath of the end of the year bonus time of the fund managers. Also the crises coincided with the election times. The governments dont want to spoil their chances by devaluation or some such unpopular measure before elections but do so after the elections.
-Argentina is the only case of a developed country which has gone down into the developing category because of man-made disasters.
-Some of the American academics who advised the Latin American governments were also making money through their interests in funds which played the investment game in those countries.
-many latin american finance and trade ministers and even presidents had studied economics and got even PhDs in American universities and were obviously influenced by the different schools of thought.
- Financial Times is more popularly read than Wall Street Journal by latinamerica fund managers
- Boston has more action than New York in investment in Latin America
- Latin American crises had been triggered or caused by capital flows. Asian countries such as China and India have not faced such crisis since they are integrated globally only through current account trade and services and have controls over capital movements. It would be worthwhile for the the Indian policy makers to keep this in mind and learn from latin america while opening the capital market in india.

Besides analysing the latin american crises, he has gone deep into the evolution of emerging market funds, fund management and the psychology of the fund managers.

Javier Santiso is a politcal economist and is currently working with OECD.

I find him as objective, neutral and balanced in his views.

book on the third wave of democratisation in Latin America

The title of the book is " The third wave of democratization in Latin America- advances and challenges"
edited by Frances Hagopian and Scott Mainwaring

It starts with the third wave of democratisation since 1978 and analyses the transition upto 2005, when the book was published. It has concluded that the Latin American democracies have become stable,durable and sustainable. It has pointed out the challenges to some of the democracies by some demogogic leaders, who use the tools and framework of democracy to impose their authoritarianism. But these setbacks are temporary, since even these leaders have to go back to the electorate which has the ultimate power to change their rulers.

The authors have identified three kinds of democratic trends and made individual analysis of sample countries. These are: (1) democratic giants with authoritarian past - Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, (2) unexpected democracies in unlikely countries -Guatemala, El salvador and Bolivia and (3) Democratic erosion in the third wave in Venezuela, Peru and Colombia.

The point which comes across clearly is that in most cases, democracies were disrupted in the past by the oligarchs, whenever their interests were challenged or affected by the rules of the democratic game. The generals and colonels were just the instruments of the elite. The second point is the loss of credibility of the traditional political parties and the entry of outsiders like Fujimori and others. But this did not happen in Argentina despite the call " se vayan los todos" ( out with everyone- meaning all political leaders ) by the people of Argentina at the height of the political and economic crisis which touched a historical low point in 2001. The civil war in El Salvador and Guatemala had devastated the societies but they have made a remarkable transition to democracy after the peace accords.

The authors have brought out the complications of the ethnic factor in countries such as Bolivia and Guatemala. But the Bolivian anamoly has been corrected with the election of native Indian Evo morales for the first time in the history of Bolivia. There could be a similiar historical change if Rigoberta Menchu also become President of Guatemala.

The approach of the authors in the book becomes very academic and theoretical sometimes. But overall they have given a sense of the political transition and process of the selected countries and the trends in the region.

But the classification and some theories need review after the elctions in 2006, which have brought to power more outsiders and leftist Presidents.

Malinche - novel by Laura Esquivel

The book was a gift from the Mexican Ambassador Rogelio.
This is the first book of the Mexican author Laura Esquivel, I have read.
I found that she is the same author of the story" Like water for chocolate" which I have seen as a movie and liked it.

Malinche is a historical novel about the Malinalli, the mistress and interpreter of Hernan Cortez, the Spanish conqueror of Mexico. Born to the native Mexican tribe, she ends up as a slave to Cortez the conquistador. She takes him for the reincarnation of her god Quetzalcoatl and serves him loyally.But she realises that Cortez is just a human, greedy for gold and conquest. Moctezuma, the Aztec emperor also mistakes Cortez for reincarnation of his god and hands over the throne to him. Cortez marries off Malinalli to his loyal deputy Jaramillo alter. She gets one a son from Cortez, said to be the first mestizio of Mexico.

Laura has done deep research on Indian history and religion and has given an authentic Indian flavour to the book. She gives a vivid, objective and respectful account of the beliefs, customs and thought process of the native Indians. The book is full of Indian names of gods, people and cities such as Quetzalcoatl, Axayacatl, Tenochtitlan, Huitzilopochtli, Tetlepanquetzal,Tlazolteotl, Cuitlahuac,Cuauhtemoc and other such tongue twisters.

Malinalli who is brought up to believe in life and worship live forces such as wind, water and butterflies is at a loss to understand the opposite approach of christianity symbolised by cross and death. Malinalli talks to water, wind and butterlfies and through these Laura has brought out out the harmony of life of the natives with nature.When Cortez conquers, kills and destroys the Indian idols, the natives lose faith in their own gods who were powerless to protect them

The native Indians consider Malinalli as a traitor. But this has to be seen in perspective. While she helped the conquest of Cortes, she was simply a poor girl sold twice as slave as a child and later to Cortez.

Malinche was originally the name given to Cortez by the natives in their language Nahuatl. Today Malinche is a pejorative term to describe someone who denies his heritage, valuing other cultures above his own. Malinchismo means betrayal.

El Huerfanito - Peruvian film

This is the first film about native Indians of Andean region I have seen.

It narrates the life of poor native Indians in the Andean region. It is about two kids, Juanito and Luchito, who face harsh realities when they come out of their village and interact with the world outside. And love blooms in the village and the hero elopes with the girl on a horseback. The lover boys turns into a drunken husband and the family is ruined.

simple story.. uncomplicated flow and not very sophisticated in direction or filmshots
It is explained by the provincial nature of its origin
What is important is ..it is true to the native Indians, showing them as they are.

This film is in Quechua language and Spanish.
Directed by Flaviano Quispe Chaiña
with the cast of Vladimir Estofanera, Kenji Hilsaca, Laureano Mamani, Asunción Uscamayta, Elizabeth Borda, Julian Miranda and Percy Paco..

Ten reasons why Latinas like older men

Hold on...this is not my cooking up. I found it in a blog written by a Chilean woman.
Let me mention something.. old men are called as having reached " metallic age" in latin america. why? they have silver in the hair, gold in the teeth and lead ...u know where.

here is the write up

"The reasons range from the physical to the emotional and end up in the intellectual realm. There are positive traits of course, like a Latin man’s warmth of character and their very physical nature, which involves public demonstrations of affection (and private ones as well). Nothing makes a woman feel better than to know she is wanted and that her mate is not afraid to show it. Latin men are usually tender, romantic, and very sweet.But sadly, these traits don’t seem that amazing when we begin to think about all the other things that turn us off.First of all, the “kangaroo syndrome” thrives in Latin America (men and women who live with their parents well into their early thirties). This is mainly due to the fact that in Latin America, colleges and universities are located inside the cities, so very few people have to move out when they’re 18. So much for maturing away from home. Secondly, it is very difficult to work and study at the same time. Salaries in Latin America are low and the working hours long. So actually holding an 8-to-7 job and on top of that studying nights becomes quite a feat. And the possibility of a part-time job is scarce. I live in Chile, the country with the best economy in all of South America, and over here, very few people can handle working and studying. And the salaries in this “country on the road to development” are, well, you guessed it, low. Just imagine what the rest of Latin America is like. So the above entails getting your first job at 24 and until that time, living off your parents. There goes maturity gained through hard work and financial independence.

So, topping the list at number one :
1. We like older men because they are more mature, their lives having been shaped by their previous experience of living on their own and holding a steady job.
2. We like the wrinkles around their eyes and the gray hair at the temples. It gives them character.
3. We love the fact that they can actually invite us out because now they can afford to.
4. We like their cultural baggage, that they have more knowledge gained through a longer life span (more books read, more movies watched, etc).
5. We like how they protect us, instead of us mothering them.
6. We like their anecdotes. When you’re 40+ years old you must have a lot of anecdotes.7. We dig their car. And are thankful they actually own a car.
8. We like the fact that they are gentle, and usually know how to properly treat a woman.
9. We like that they are quieter, less of the party animals they used to be when younger.
10. We like that they have lived long enough to realize that appreciating women for who they really are is of the utmost importance.
Of course, finding an eligible older man who isn’t married or divorced is a whole other story. But we can always dream. And keep our fingers crossed."

The years with Laura Diaz - novel by Carlos Fuentes

"The best novelists in the world are our grandmothers, and it is to them I owe the first memory, on which this novel is based". This is how Carlos Fuentes, the Mexican author, describes his inspiration to write this novel.

It is a story of six generations, starting with the grandmother of Laura Diaz, the heroine and ending with her greagrandson. The six generations are affected by the political turbulence of Mexico, the civil war in Spain,the Nazi Germany, dilemma of Marxists in Europe, McCarthyism and the story of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Fuentes has used every opportunity to comment and analyse the political developments and let his characters speak on the issues. One gets a overall perspective of the evolution of the Mexican society, through the political changes internally and externally.

It starts with Cosima Kelsen, the grandmother who is robbed at gunpoint by a bandit while travelling in a stagecoach. The bandit asks for the wedding ring but the young Cosima tells him" you have to cut my finger to take the ring". Without a hesitation, the bandit chops the finger and takes away the ring.

Cosima's family of German immigrants settle down in preindependent Mexico with a coffee plantation. Laura's brother,Santiago, a revolutionary is executed by the regime when he is in his twenties. Laura marries Juan Francisco, a trade union leader who compromises with the governments in power to safeguard the interests of the workers. But he loses the respect of the wife when he turns over a nun to the regime who executes her for rebel ideology. Laura walks out of the house and become a freelancer. She has an affair with someone and then goes to work as asssistant to Frida and Diego Rivera. Later she falls in love with Jorge Maura, a Spanish republican in exile in Mexico. When Maura leaves her she comes back home and confesses to the husband and two teenage sons.The elder son Santiago becomes an artist and dies a premature death. After the death of her husband Laura goes to live with an American in Mexico, exiled by McCarthyism who also dies. Then she takes up photography and become a professional and gets a new career and life. Her younger son joins the rich and powerful of the Mexican elite but his son Santiago rebels and comes back to grandmother. He paticipates in the 1968 student agitation against the government and is shot to death along with hundreds of other students. His daughter gives birth to the fourth Santiago. Laura ends her life by going back to her grandmother's house and disappearing in the surrounding forest.

This is one of the best books of Carlos Fuentes I have read so far. I am impressed by the depth and range of Fuentes' s perspectives on politics and society. I am looking forward to reading his other books.

coming and going to and from Latin America

A group of ten Spanish speaking journalists from latin america will be in India from 20 to 29 April, at the invitation of the Ministry of External affairs. They will be in Agra 20-21 april, in Delhi 23-24, Hyderabad 25-26 april and pune 27-28 april.
These are

Bolivia-Mr. Jorge Leopoldo Arias Banegas

Chile-Ms. Paula Escobar,El Mercurio

Colombia-Ms. Angelica Lagos, El Espectador

Dominican Republic- Mr. Hector Martinez, Listin Diario

Mexico- Mr. Jorge Villalobos, Poder y Negocios

Mr. Jose Eseverri
Reforma

Nicaragua- Mr. Francisco Xavier Chamorro Garcia, El Nuevo Diario

Peru- Mr. Marco Zileri Dougall,Caretas

Panama - Mr. Dustin Enrique Guerra Guitierrez, La Prensa

Venezuela- Ms. Rosanna Espinel,El Universal

who is going to Latin America?

Vikram Seth, one of my favourite Indian writers. He is going to travel to Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia and other countries. I guess a novel will come out of this or atleast a travelogue.

The other writer who has been there is Salman Rushdie of the Indian magical realism. he wrote a travelogue on Nicaragua, after his trip there during the previous sandinista regime.

La boca del lobo - Peruvian film

I saw this Peruvian film yesterday. La boca del lobo means mouth of the wolf.
For me this is yet another discovery of a serious and powerful film from Peru.

It is about the dirty war between the "Shining Path" ( senderos luminosos) Maoist guerillas and the armed forces of Peru in the eighties. The villagers, mostly the local Indians, are caught between the killings of the guerillas and the brutal retaliation of the antiterrorist army.The army lieutenant Roca is excessivly patriotic at the cost of lives of innocent people. The invisible but ruthless guerilla group strikes at will, killing soldiers and informants. In a rage to retaliate against the guerilla killing of his soldiers, Capt Roca marches the whole village and massacres them in cold blood. When Vitin Luna, the soldier who resists this mindless cruelty and refuses to fire, he is put under detention. Unable to tolerate the brutalities, Luna deserts the army in disgust.

The movie is not far from the reality witnessed in Peru. It could have been a documentary. The story is based on true incidents that took place in the mountain town of Chuspi between 1980 and 1983, where a small unit of soldiers was garrisoned to defend the town from attack by the Shining Path. The movie not only documents the reality of the Peruvian civil war but also the racism against Indian people in general.

President Fujimori put an end to the guerillas with his ruthless campaign. Now there is no more war between the two sides, except for occasional minor incidents.

The movie, released in 1988 has been directed by Francisco Lombardi of Peru. He is also a writer and producer. He directed the other film " captain pantoja and the visitadoras" based on the novel of Mario Vargas Llosa.

El Aura - Argentinian film

I saw this film directed by Argentinian director Fabian Bielinsky.
It is the story of a taxidermist who gets bored with his drab work and life and fantasies about robbing a bank or museum. He has a phenomenal memory for details with which he plans imaginative robberies. When he accepts the invitation of his coworker to go for hunting, he gets a chance to put into action his fantasy.

A film different from the normal latino films. of course it is Argentinian.. it has to be.

I liked it though.. the characters are unusual and ..interesting.

Auto da Compadecida - Brazilian film

I saw this comedy at the Brazilian embassy, who have revived their friday movie evenings.

The story is about two poor guys João Grilo, the compulsive liar and Chicó, the crook. They make a living by bluffing and cheating in a small Northeast Brazil town. Joao the liar uses his smartness even in his encounter with Christ, the Devil and the Virgin Mary. The art of Joao is called as " jeitinho" a term which the Brazilians use for smartness to get things done through shortcuts.

The story reminded me of the many jeitinho characters of Jorge Amado, my all time favourite Brazilian writer.

The movie, made in 2000, is based on the play by the Pernambucano writer Ariano Suassuna.

Talk at the JNU on " Latin Americans - a sociological perspective"

The talk was at the Latin America studies centre of Jawaharlal Nehru University at 1100 hrs today

Highlights of the talk:

- While creating the world, God distributed the wealth and resources between regions unequally because he did not have the benefit of JNU education !
-God had endowed Latin America with beautiful beaches,perfect climate and abundant mineral, land and water resources. When other regions complained, God said" wait till you see the Latin Americans! ". They made a mess.
-part of the reason is the colonial heritage. while north america was colonised by non-conformists seeking a new life and familes and trademen went to settle down there, latin america was colonised by the royalists and catholics of spain at the high point of their military spirit and militant faith. The soldiers and bachelors of Spain went there for a quick fortune and establish a status quo.
-Latin American priorities are different from those of Indians. For them night is more important than day, weekend more important than weekday and today has priority over tomorrow. Even in love they sing
no te prometo amor eterno
porque no puedo
soy un casador de mariposas
y tripulante de navio

means

i dont promise you etrnal love
because I cannot
I am a hunter of butterflies
and crew of ship

.. ships go from port to port !

- Political power has irreversibly shifted from Caudillos to Colonels to Oligarchs and now finally to the masses, who drive the political and economic agenda of the region.
-Extremism and radicalism which had polarised the societies have now given way to Moderation and pragmatism as the guiding forces of politics and societies these days.
-Businessmen who made quick fortunes on the misery of hyperinflation and exchange and currency crises of the past have also undergone a change in their mindset.
-Diplomats of the region have succeeded in regional integration and and diversification and gained collective clout.
- Intellectuals and writers were initially oriented towards madrid and paris. Later they looked upto Machu Pichu for pride and inspiration. There was the culture of exile during military dictatorship. Magical Realism is their contribution to world literature.
- The Latin Americans of the new and emerging region are looking to the future with a new mindset, confidence, pride and optimism. And they sing,..

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

means

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

I join the latin Americans in singing this song.

An Argentinian who has become amigo through email

I am reproducing below the mail from Jose Agote from Argentina, with his permission.
The mail is self-explanatory
seems we are like-minded souls

Dear Rengaraj,

I read Andres Oppenheimer`s article in the Argentine La Nacion newspaper (mid January 2007).

Fully agree with his view regarding India’s projected growth on an ordered manner (rather than China’s boom), and drew my attention (reading the article) your profile, especially regarding your "Latin America passion", which made me feel friendly to you.

I am a 52 year old Argentinean, who lived for 12 years in Brazil (1978/90), thereafter moved back to Buenos Aires where I spent about 6/7 years traveling all around Latin-American, Mexico, Venezuela, Central America, Ecuador, Brazil, etc.etc. I have both Argentinean and Brazilian citizenships, I was raised in a traditional home (well not so traditional because of the fact that we are twelve brothers and sisters) in the northern neighbors of Buenos Aires, went to an English boarding school (even played cricket....!!), and worked for the Bunge Group in Brazil and Argentina, thereafter I was employed for some time in the software business, and I`m actually in the agribusiness industry, developing some projects in Argentina and Brazil.

I apologize for this kind of “blablabla” presentation, but I read your profile in http://www.blogger.com/profile/9064659 and believe that we could do some kind of brainstorming regarding developing Indian businesses in Latin America and viceversa, having fun at the same time.

By the way, Frida was an excellent film, I play golf (although most of the time I hate it), love skiing, love Latin music (especially Bossa Nova and Samba).

Hoping you write to me soon.
Best Regards
Jose Agote


Dear Rengaraj,
Yes sir, you can put my mail in your blog, it’s a great honor to me.
Whenever you come to Argentina or Brazil, let me know, I spend half of my time in each country. I love both countries. By the way, in Argentina I live in the “Argentino Golf Club” a kind of “clube de campo” with a lovely golf course where we can have some fun.
In Brazil, we can have lots of fun drinking caipirinhas, eating feijoada, listening bossa nova and samba, sharing (may be) these pleasures with nice Brazilian women.
My background and experience both are related to agribusiness, therefore I am sure we will find opportunities for business for Latin America and India.
Hope to meet you soon.
Best regards
Jose Agote

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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