my first speech in Spanish in Buenos Aires, 25 October

I was invited today to give a talk at the Tourism workshop on India at the Marriot Hotel in Buenos Aires. It was my maiden speech in spanish here. I spoke about the emergence of India as a an economic and IT power and the growing business between India and Latin America. This has opened up Business Travel, offering opportunites for the tour opeartors. I managed to make the Argentine audience laugh a bit with my ususal jokes such as the one comparing Indian population with Latin American inflation.

There were about 60 tour operators in the audience. The event was organised by Piamonte,the wholesale tourism agency ( http://www.piamonte.com/) who have been sending tourist groups to india regularly.

A presentation on tourism to India was made by Vijay Raghavan from the Indian travel agency Amazing India Holidays Pvt Ltd, http://www.amazingindiaholidays.com/

New Delhi. Raghavan is a veteran in Argentine tourism to india for the last 15 years and has been visiting Argentina and Soth America twice a year.

Next month in November, there is going to be an International Travel Fair in Buenos Aires in which Indian travel agencies will participate in collaboration with the Embassy and the tourism department.

I am encouraged by the interest and enthusiasm of Argentines for India.

Book on the currency board of Argentina

"Hyperinflation, currency board and bust- the case of Argentina"
book by Jutta Maute

This was the book I completed in the long flights from India to Argentina. It was like a thriller fiction.

Jutta Maute analyses in this book (published in 2006) , the Argentine experiment of the Currency Board System to rein in hyperinflation and stabilise the economy. According to the author, the currency board, an exchange rate-based stabilisation programme, is meant for buying short term stability against probable future instability. In the case of Argentina, while it achieved the twin objectives for a few years, it became unsustainable and contributed to the collapse of the economy in 2001. There was nothing wrong with the Currency Board as a short term solution. The Argentine government should have had an exit strategy and phased it out which they did not do and eventually paid a high price for the mistake.

Some of the facts highlighted in the book:

-in the period 1980-90 there were 11 finance ministers and 10 central bank governors. There were 40 finance ministers and 40 central bank governors in the period 1945-90. This is perhaps one of the main causes for the economic crises!

-the average inflation in the period 1980-89 was 750%. This was preceded by average inflation of 133% in 1970-79 period. It was 23% in 1960-69 and 30% in 1950-59. No wonder, the system burst in 2001. It was a tragedy waiting to happen.

- since 1820 Argentina had defaulted on its debt repayment five times. So, the default in 2001 was not new and the foreigners who lent money to Argentina did not read history.

- In the period july 89- dec 93, the government issued 12000 executive decrees and 308 " decrees of necessity and urgency". This exceeded the total no of decrees issued in the 130 years before. This means, the executive bypassed the legislative authorites so often by resorting to such rule by decree.

- In 2002, 56% people went below poverty line after the crisis.

The book is a clinical and objective anaysis and in the style of a research paper. Not surprising..the author is a German.

The case of creation of poverty from riches and chronic instabilty in Argentina lends itself as an interesting subject for research.

Argentina has impressed me in the last one week with its elegant buildings, stylish houses, numorous polo grounds and golf courses and world-class excellence in polo, golf, tennis, rugby and football. The country has been blessed with oil and gas, large area of fertile land, mineral and natural resources. All this.. for a small population of 40 million who speak one language, belong to one religion and one ethnic stock. Argentina was among the top ten richest countries around 1920.

The contradiction of Argentina is amazing even for an Indian used to the infinite contradictions of the large and diverse India.

Interview published by Business Line on 10 October

‘Great potential to leverage synergies between India and Latin America’
We have two areas of serious interest with Latin America — energy security and food security. We have started investing in the oil and gas sector in the region. There is also a lot of potential in non-conventional fuels.

R. VISWANATHAN, INDIAN AMBASSADOR TO ARGENTINA
M. Ramesh
‘Passionate about Latin America’ is how his calling card describes him. After five years as Consul-General in Sao Paulo, Brazil, three years as India’s Ambassador in Venezuela, and three more as Joint Secretary, Latin American Countries, in the Ministry of External Affairs,
Mr R. Viswanathan, is perhaps the country’s best resource-person for anything relating to the landmass south of Texas and down to the South pole.
Mr Viswanathan, once an ambitious village lad who had to scrounge for school textbooks as his family could not afford to buy them, and who could not understand a word of English until he was in college, today knows Latin America like the back of his hand. He combines this knowledge with his fluency in Portuguese and Spanish that he expects will help him in his mission to bridge the distance between India and Latin America. Before he left to take up his new assignment as India’s Ambassador in Argentina on October 10, Mr Viswanathan spoke to Business Line about his first love — Latin America.
Excerpts from the interview:
You were Joint Secretary-Latin American Countries in the last three years. What changed during these three years?
I was probably the only Joint Secretary in the Ministry who was desperate to become JS-LAC. Normally, people seek high-profile jobs….
Is JS-LAC not high-profile?
It was not. I made it one. I was desperate for the job and, at the end of three years, I find it has been rewarding and fulfilling. There has been a tremendous surge of interest within India in Latin America, and vice-versa. In the last three years, the number of visits of foreign ministers from Latin America to India was more than in the previous 20 years.
From India we have taken delegations to countries never visited before, like Guatemala, Bolivia and Ecuador. We have established a strategic partnership with Brazil, with which country we have many common interests, both at bilateral and multilateral levels. These include co-operation for permanent membership on the UN Security Council, the WTO and the G-20. Brazil is regional leader, it has a voice. It also finds alliance with India useful. So, the partnership has flourished.
Today, there is a realisation across the spectrum — from political parties to business leaders, and think-tanks to chambers of commerce — that Brazil is important. Similarly, with Mexico, which we count among the ‘privileged partners’. We may not see eye to eye with it on all issues, as we do with Brazil, but trade is booming and it is the second most important country.
Argentina is the third largest. It has received less attention from both sides, because the country has gone through a nerve-wracking financial crisis in 2002. Now it has stabilised. Also, as the Argentine government was preoccupied with domestic affairs rather than foreign policy, it did not reach out to us.
Now there are going to be Presidential elections, the next President is expected to be more reaching-out, paying more attention to foreign policy. We are looking forward to that change. We can expect a lot to happen with Argentina in the next three years.
In the last few years, we have seen Left-of-Centre leaders elected to head governments in the region — like President Lula of Brazil, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Eva Morales of Bolivia. What does this trend mean for India?
I look at the election of Left-of-Centre Presidents as empowerment of the masses, who were excluded, neglected and marginalised by the military dictatorships and the transitional powers (that prevailed until about a decade ago.) Now people have the power to elect the person they want. They obviously go for the candidates with a clear agenda for the poor, for inclusive growth. The majority of voters are middle-class or lower-middle-class people.
Yes, but can you give examples of where this ‘empowerment of masses’ has helped Indian businesses?
There are many examples. But, first, let’s see what is happening. In the olden days, Argentina would import only from Europe and the US — it was just not interested in looking at a country like India, because the importer did not care for the masses. Now the economic agenda of Argentina is driven by the lower-middle-class people. And what do they want? They want a $10 shirt, not a $50 shirt. Where do they get it from? Not from the US or Europe, but India.
Perhaps the best example of the way empowerment of masses has opened up markets to India is in pharmaceuticals. In the past, Latin America had not heard of generic medicines.
Prices were very high, five to 50 times costlier than in India. That is why they invited Indian pharmaceutical companies to introduce generic medicines and to put pressure on MNCs and reduce the cost of medicines. Today, we do about $ 500 million of pharma exports to the region. Everyone has realised the benefits of buying from India.
What are the relative complementarities between India and Latin America?
As I said, in healthcare, Indian pharma companies are providing good value. Our IT companies add value to their human resource development.
When TCS employs 3,500 people in Latin America — the number of Indians may not be more than 35 — it provides jobs for people, but something more fundamental than that. It stimulates the imagination of the younger generation and introduces them to the age of information and the knowledge society. That is why TCS’ IT centre in Guadalajara was inaugurated personally by the President of Mexico.
What do we expect from the region?
We have two areas of serious interest with Latin America — energy security and food security. We have started investing in the oil and gas sector in the region — ONGC Videsh has already invested a billion dollars in Brazil and Colombia; it will invest another billion dollars in Venezuela and Cuba. Reliance, Videocon and Essar are also looking for opportunities there.
There is also a lot of potential in non-conventional fuels. The region has a lot of arable land, where one can grow sugarcane, jatropha and other plants. We can make bio-fuels and bring them here.
The second area is food security. In India we have a growing population and not enough land for agriculture.
So Latin America is attractive for us because it has large land area, less population and there is no restriction on foreign investments. Indian companies can invest in Latin America in agriculture and commercial forestry and bring the products back home.
Are Indian companies interested?
Many have expressed interest, have earmarked funds — like Bajaj Hindusthan, which has earmarked $500 million to buy land and sugar mills and ethanol plants in Brazil. It has already established a subsidiary there. Other companies are looking at Brazil, Argentina and even Surinam. A company from Pondicherry is looking at the possibility of acquiring 100,000 acres in Surinam to grow jatropha to make bio-diesel there.
I mentioned two areas of interest — energy security and food security. Energy and food imports are India’s two largest imports. Last year, our biggest import bill was crude oil — $55 billion — and our second largest import bill was of edible oils — $12 billion. We are already importing edible oils from Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.
More of our companies can go there, buy farms and bring oil-seeds into India. This is likely to be done by the Solvent Extractors Association of India, whose delegation went to Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina recently. Now the Association is sending a special team to do a due diligence exercise for the purchase of 12,000 hectares of soya farm in Paraguay. The deal is likely to be concluded by the end of the year. There is plenty of scope for similar ventures.
In the race to engage with Latin America, who’s winning — India or China?
Well, China is ahead of us; it has invested far more than us, but gone mostly into extractive industries — crude oil and mining, and a bit of manufacturing. It is also a market for Latin American countries, for primary commodities. So, that is a definitely valuable partnership for both the sides.
But although we are not as big as China, the Latin Americans have a cultural empathy for India. They don’t look at India with suspicion, whereas they are worried about the competition of Chinese goods. They feel more comfortable with India.
What is your agenda for Argentina?
Economic diplomacy is my priority. Our exports last year were $290 million, I want to see that it goes up to $600 million in the next three years. Our imports are about $940 million.
I want to see that trade between two countries goes to $3 billion in the next three years.
The embassy is organising an exclusive Indian trade fair in Buenos Aires between March 26 and 29 next year. This will be the largest exclusive Indian trade fair to be organised in Argentina.
We expect over 200 Indian companies to participate. We want to send the message to the Argentines that we are not just interested in selling to you, we are keen on imports, acquisitions, joint ventures, etc., to synergise our complementarities.

Buenos Aires donde el tango nacio

Buenos Aires, donde el tango nacio
tierra mia querida
quisera poderte ofrender
todo el alma en mi cantar
( Buenos Aires, where the tango was born, dear land, i offer the whole of my soul in my song).

I have been posted as Ambassador to Argentina. I will reach Buenos Aires on 10 oct. I will also be accredited to urguay and paraguay.

This is a dream come true. Another fantastic opportunity to pursue my passion for latin america! This will complement my experience in Brazil and Venezuela.

Hmm...Tango and Football, Patagonia and Pampas, Evita and Che Guevara, Borges and Cortazar, ski resorts of bariloche and vineyards of Mendoza, cafes and bars of Recoleta...and more..

Argentina has the largest number of golf courses in Latin America. Having played in almost all the courses in Brazil and Venezuela, it is going to be challenging to repeat it in Argentina !

Affair with an Argentine

'Dear Gurudev, days are endless since you went away" - she wrote...

" when we were together we mostlly played with words and tried to laugh away our best opportunities. Whenever there is the least sign of the nest becoming a jealous rival of the sky .. my mind, like a migrant bird, tries to take ... flight to a distant shore." - he wrote.

She - Victoria Ocampo, the ardent Argentine admirer.

He - Rabindranath Tagore, the Indian poet

she -34 year old

he - 63 year old

It was a subtle affair, a platonic love, born on the banks of the river Plata.They spent together two unforgettable months in 1924 at the villa Miralrio of Victoria with a view of the river,in San Isidro on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. The river Plata was flowing quietly overhearing their light conversation and heavy breathing. The famous Tipa tree in the garden of the house was bending and crouching ...listening to the silence of the couple who used to sit under its shade.

He called his muse Bijaya ( victoria ).
One third of his Purabi poems are said to be inspired by this Argentine angel.

Here is a poem
" Exotic blossom, I whispered again in your ear
What is your language dear
you smiled and shook your head
and the leaves murmurred instead "

She wrote an essay " Tagore on the banks of the river Plata" and a book "Tagore en las barrancas de San Isidro"( Tagore on the ravines of San Isidro)

She gifted him the armchair in which he used to sit in her house. The chair is sitting now in the Shantiniketan museum even now cherishing and guarding the secrets of the poet and his muse. Tagore wrote a couple of poems on the chair too..

El Cantante - movie on Salsa singer

I saw this this Hollywood film ( 2006 release) El Cantante ( means the singer) yesterday. It is based on the real life story of Puerto Rican singer Hector Lavoe, who came to New York in 1975 and became a mega star of Salsa .The singer starts his career as a vocalist in Willie Colon's band and then becomes a successful soloist. He was part of the salsa revolution of the seventies in New York. In his personal life, Hector gets addicted to drugs and gets AIDS. His father disowns him, his son dies and his relations with his wife breaks down. He tries to commit suicide by jumping off the balcony but survives to cut one more disc and dies later in 1993.

Marc Anthony plays Hector and Jenifer Lopez his wife—Puchi. The story is told as a narrative by JLo as Puchi , the wife. She has acted brilliantly and her husband Marc Anthony's performance is also impressive.

There are lots and lots of salsa music all through the film. There are dialogues in spanish in many parts of the film. I love the English spoken by the characters particularly JLo with a Latino accent.

The salsa song El cantante, which comes many times through the film is poignant.

Yo, soy el cantante
Que hoy han venido a escuchar
Lo mejor, del repertorio
A ustedes voy a brindar

Y canto a la vida
De risas y penas
De Momentos malos
Y de cosas buenas

Yo, soy el cantante
Muy popular donde quiera
Pero cuando el show se acaba
Soy otro humano cualquiera

Y sigo mi vida
Con risas y penas
Con ratos amargos
Y con cosas buenas

The fans of the real Hector Lavoe have complained that the film has inaccuracies and focusses more on the negative side such as his drug addiction at the expense of the greatness of Hector as an artist.

But the film is a treat for the fans of JLo and Salsa.

Brazilian Churrascaria restaurant in New Delhi

The new Hotel Crown Plaza in Gurgaon has opened a Brazilian churrascaria restaurant called as Wildfire. This is the first churrascaria in India. phone-124-2383401.
someone told me that they bring meat from Argentina. I have not been to the restaurant yet.

Churrascaria is a typical brazilian barbecue restaurant, where meats are served in sword-like skewers. The waiters keep bringing the skewers with different meats and cuts to each table untill the client is "fed up". Yes ..it is unlimited serving of meats at a fixed price. In some churrascarias in Brazil, there is a small wooden block with red and green colours at the top and bottom. When you want a break in eating, you need to put the red on top and the service stops. If you keep the green top, the meat keeps coming. In some places they have three colours including amber for slow service !
There is also a large spread of self-service salad buffet. the price is fixed ( ranging from 10 dollars to 40 dollars) and it includes both the meat and salad but does not include drinks. The Brazilian drink which goes with the meat eating fiesta is caipirinha, which is made of cachaza( cane liquor) and frsh lime juice and sugar... deadly!
Churrascaria is one of my favourites. I used to eat so much of meat and become vegetarian for the next one week.
Sao Paulo has the largest number of Churrascarias and best ones. Surprisingly, Rio does not have many. It is more popular in the sothern Brazilian cities like porto alegre. Brazilian churrascarias are there in many cities around the world such as NewYork and Tokyo. In NewYork there are two, of which one is in Little Brazil ( near 47th street ) and another called as Greenfield in Queens.

More than the meat, Churrascaraia is a typical Brazilian experience ! Even my vegetarian friends have been fascinated by the Churrascarias!

La Ley de Herodes - Mexican film

I saw La ley de Herodes ( Herod's law) , yesterday. It is one of the best Mexican films I have seen. It is a political comedy about the Mexican way , the Instituional Revolutionary Party(PRI) and the political system which corrupts the rest of the society.

It is the story of Vargas ( played by Damian Alcazar), a small time municipal worker and PRI party member, who is made as the Mayor of a small, isolated, desert town of San Pedro de los Saguaros whose main inhabitants are native Indians. PRI sends him to implement the President's programme of Modernisation and Social Justice. Vargas starts his job as an idealist, resisting attempts by others to corrupt him. But there is no money in the treasury since his predecessors had stolen all the money and sold off even the doors and windos of the local school. Vargas becomes a laughing stock with his innocent crusading spirit against corruption. Vargas goes back to his superior seeking resources and advice. The boss gives him a gun and a copy of the constituition and says that Vargas should use/misuse these to manage. The boss tells Vargas the Herode's law- "fuck or get fucked." Vargas tries and becomes corrupt and then corruption takes him over completely. He becomes a ruthless political animal, misusing his authority, extorting money from every one and killing those opposed to him. In the end, he becomes a congress deputy and gives a lofty address to the Congress.

For those following mexican politics, this is real life story, although exaggerated and comical. It brings out the corruption, crude manipulations, paternalism and impunity. When the film was about to be released in 1999, the government of Mexico ( under PRI rule) was said to have tried to stop the film unsuccessfully. It is a coincidence that PRI lost the elections in 2000 for the first time since 1930.

Luis Estrada, the Director has a political message in this film in this satirical. hilarious but powerful film. He has used all the Mexican and Latin American ingredients: tequila, puteria ( brothel), gringo ( American ) who tries to take the mexican for a ride ( and the mexican's wife also for a real ride !), corrupt priest, native Indians who do not speak Spanish and are on the margins of the society and the complex bureaucratic system.

farewell to Ambassador Jorge Heine of Chile

These days there are lunches, dinners and cocktails almost every day to bid farewell to the most visible, read and heard foreign Ambassador in India, Mr Jorge Heine of Chile, who is leaving on 31 July.
Amb Heine has given more lectures in universities, think tanks, chambers of commerce and published more articles in Indian newspapers than any other Ambassador in India. He has written and talked about latin america, politics,economics and globalisation.
He and his charming economist wife Norma have hosted so many parties and networked with many indian intellectuals, journalists and socialites.
During his time, there have been many visits between the two countries including ministers, chiefs of armed forces, businessmen and the high point was the visit of chilean President Ricardo Lagos in march 2005. Thanks to him, Chile has emerged as the largest source of India's imports from latin America. 1.7 billion dollars was India's imports from Chile in 2006 and is growing.

Ambassador Heine is going back to his first passion.. academics. He will become from 1 August, CIGI Professor of Global Governance at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. This will be a joint appointment with the Centre for International Governance Innovation, Canada' s premier think tank on international relations. He will be teaching in a PhD program in Global Governance, within the newly established Jim Balsillie School of International Affairs, that has been established with a US 100 million endowment, of which half has come from. Mr Balsillie, co-chairman of Research in Motion (RIM), the company that invented the Blackberry.
Hmm .. there is a coincidence here. I call him as the Blackberry Ambassador, because he would instantly reply to my mails from his blackberry from any part of the world.

Amb Heine is a multidimensional personality. He is a diplomat, academic, writer, consultant, election observer and he had also served as Minister in the Chilean government. He is the Vice-President of the International Political Science Association (IPSA). He was professor in Stanford and Heidelburg universities, besides Chilean and Puerto Rican universities. He has authored/ coauthored eight books on international affairs.

Amb Heine and I had a competition as to who would write more articles in Indian papers. While the competition in India will continue, he has overtaken me in the global stage. He has been writing and lecturing in all the continents of the world and has established a larger international network. He has been a source of inspiration to me in the last three years.

Adios Ambassador Jorge Heine...

Brazilian cultural Festival in Mumbai 19-20 July.. and more to come

This is being organised by the Brazilian consulate in Mumbai in collaboration with St. Xavier’s college, Mumbai.

It includes a photographic exhibition and workshops on Afro-Brazilian and traditional Indian dances, Bead Making and Painting.

Venue: College Hall, St. Xavier’s college.

The initiative for this has come from Mr Paulo Pinto , the proactive and dynamic consul general of Brazil.

A full-fledged Brazilian cultural festival will be held in India in January- March 2008

An IBSA cultural festival is going to be held in Salvador, capital of Bahia in october this year.
Another bigger festival will follow in India during the next IBSA summit.

Clara - novel by Luisa Valenzuela

Luisa Valenzuela is the third Argentinian author for me.
First I tried Luis Borges but I found his books too heavy. I put him in my list for later reading.
Second I tried Julio Cortazar. His novels " Hopscotch " and " the winners" were interesting but I took lot of time to finish. I did not find Latino element in them except for reference to the cafe culture of Buenos Aires.

After these, I found Luis Valenzuela as a simple story teller, giving a flavour of the Argentine society, tango, parque retiro and pampas. The story is about Clara, a naive and innocent country girl who comes to Buenos Aires for a living. Her aspirations are very simple and her dream is to see the sea. Eva also came from the country side to Buenos Aires in search of a new life. But she was lucky to become Eva Peron rising to power and fame.

But Clara is not lucky. She becomes a prostitute and her life changes with the men who manage to take her out of her profession for some time. After having lived with a hotel manager and a tango singer, she falls for a Indian Swami who predicts fortunes. Later she finds out that he is Alejandro, an Argentine who does fortune-telling for a profession, pretending to be from India. He marries her on a whim and tortures her mentally taking out his frustrations of poverty and misery. She is excited when Alejandro makes her as an Aztec Flower in a circus. But unable to tolerate his mental torture, she decides to kill him while sleeping with a knife. But when she wakes up she finds him with the knife ready to sever her head like a real Aztec flower.

This is Valenzuela's first novel. She says in the preface that although Luis Borges was fond of her, he described this novel as pornographic. There is nothing of that sort.
Luisa is said to be a writer of magical realism. But she did not use this in this first novel.

salsa classes in Delhi

Salsa is becoming popular in India and salsa schools have come up in the metros of India.
The most well organised school is Salsa-India run by Kaytee Namgyal. he organised a successful all-India competition last year. Info on his school at
http://www.salsa-india.com/

There are a number of other professionals who run private classes in the big cities.

The other day Rajan Mayor, CEO of Mayor company, which manufactures and exports called me for contact to organise a salsa party for his Rotary club.

Here is the flier I have received about new salsa classes by Pedro, the amigo from Venezuela who organised salsa parties for the launching of my book in Feb 2005 and website in August 2005.


AMIGOSS AAA BAILAR !!!!!!!

“LATINO SALSA DANCE SCHOOL” INVITES ALL “SALSA BAILADORES” AT ITS NEW PROGRAM of SALSA CLASSES


COURSES

SALSA BEGINNERS & BASIC COURSE - STARTING ON JUN 29
SAT / SUN FROM 5 TO 6.30 PM (12 hrs of class per month)
Course duration 24 hrs / Fees rs .3000
This is suggested to all those who would like to get to the floor in a short time (Absolute Beginner) or have already gone through some basic course at our school or other schools in Delhi but would like to freshen up their knowledge
VENUE:
Power House Building , 30 Haus Khas Village , New Delhi 16

SALSA INTERMEDIATE COURSE - STARTING ON JULY 1
MON / WED / FRI FROM 8.30 TO 9.30 PM (12 hrs of class per month)
Course duration 24 hrs / Fees rs. 3000
This is suggested to Salsa students who have already gone through the basics at our school or any other school in Delhi
VENUE:
Fitnessolutions, E-193, Greater Kailash Part 2, New Delhi
SALSA BASIC COURSE - STARTING JULY 1TUE / THUR / SUN FROM 6.00 TO 7.30 PM (12 hrs of class per month)
Course duration 24 hrs / Fees rs .3000
This is suggested to all those who would like to get to the floor in a short time or have already gone through some basic course at our school or other schools in Delhi but would like to freshen up their knowledge
VENUE:
Sangeet Shyamala, opp. A 11/6, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi
SALSA BASIC & INTERMEDIATE - STARTING REGISTRATION
This is suggested to Salsa students who wish to start learning dance and are particularly interested in Latin Dance and music, as well as for those who or have already gone through some courses at our school or other schools in Delhi and wish to refresh/expand their skills. These classes will be scheduled as the groups complete.
Course duration 24 hrs / Fees rs .3000
VENUE:
Gold'sGym Noida India E-16/B, Kirtimaan Plaza, 1st floor, Sector 30, NOIDA
Note :
all the courses programs will include some basic training in merengue and bachata

For detailed information about classes, parties and shows please contact:

DELHI
Katya 98 10667647
Pedro 9891109163
NOIDA
Ms Seema Seth 0120-4247162/63

or e mail us at :
salsaparty@rediffmail.com

Salma Hayek in Hindi films ?

According to a news report Salma Hayek, the mexican actress is going to act in five hindi films ( to be shot in english too simultaneously) with the Bollywood hero Akshay Kumar. This is said to be part of a deal between Carving Dreams Entertainment, a Bollywood company and Hollywood Studios International.

Salma looks like an Indian and should go down well with the Indian audience.
Sushil Choudhry and Lathika of Mann India Tech told me once that Salma was in India on a private visit and nobody noticed her thinking that she was an Indian.

I have seen many of her movies. My favourites are Frida and El callejon de los milagros( miracle alley)

This is yet another India- Latin America connection through films.
In 2006 DhoomII, the Bollywood film was shot in Rio.
Christina of Brazil is planning a Indo-Brazilian film " tamarind".
Miss Canela, Amb Hans and Minister Eddy Martinez of Dominican Republic are trying hard to take Bollywood to shoot in their beautiful country.

Muancita's dissertation on latino left

The prize for the best dissertation by the 2005 batch of Indian Foreign Service probationers went to " The reemergence of left in latin america and its implications for India". The author is Muancita... correct name Muanpuii Saiawi.

The medal was given to her by Shri Lalu Prasad, railway minister ( who gave an impressive speech ) in a function organised by Foreign Service Institute, yesterday.

I named her as Muancita because she shares my passion for Latin America. She speaks spanish and has visited a number of latin american countries. She likes the latino music, dance ..tudo

here is her favourite latino song " sola en el muelle de San Blas" , sung by a Grammy award winner Mexican band Mana from Gudalajara.

in you tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFiMvUZCsKk

Ella despidió a su amor
el partió en un barco en
el muelle de San Blas
El juró que volvería
y empapada en llanto
ella juró que esperaría
miles de lunas de lunas pasaron
y siempre ella estaba en el muelle,
Esperando Muchas tardes
se anidaronse anidaron en su pelo y en sus labios
Llevaba el mismo vestido y por si el volviera no se fuera a equivocarlos cangrejos le mordíansus ropajes,
su tristeza y su ilusióny el tiempo se escurrióy sus ojos se le llenaron de amaneceresy del mar se enamoróy su cuerpo se enraizó en el muelle
Sola, sola, en el olvido
sola, sola con su espíritusola,
sola con su amor el mar
sola, en el muelle de San Blas

here is her own translation


She said good bye to her love,He parted on a boat from St. Blas' wharfHe vowed to return, and she drenched in tears.She vowed to wait for him.Thousands of thousands of moons passed,And she always was on the wharf,WaitingMany afternoons moved in, moved into her hair and lips.She wore the same dress,in case he returned,he wouldn't mistake her,the crabs bit her clothes, sadness and dreams,and time slid byand her eyes filled with dawnsand with the sea she fell in loveand her body enrooted itself in the wharf.
Alone, alone, in oblivion
Alone, alone, with her soul,
Alone, alone with her love, the sea
Alone, on San Blas' wharf

Felicitaciones ( congratulations) Muancita !

Visit to Quito 19-21 june

the leftist US-educated, young and popular president Rafael Correa and the charming foreign minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa

the Ecuator monument called as " mitade del mundo" ( middle of the world)

Ecuadorian senorita in her typical dress at the Mitade del Mundo

This was my first visit to ecuador. I was impressed by the historical part of Quito city and its . elegant buildings, historic churches, plazas and palaces. In the night it was even more impressive to see the buildings and churches illuminated with aesthetic taste.

The flowers of ecuador are bright, brilliant and colourful. Because of the ideal combination of climate, altitude, rains and soil the flowers have a special colour and charm.

The youthful President Correa and the charming foreign minister Maria Fernanda made the professional part of the visit interesting.

felicitaciones to Angel Cabrera

Last sunday I was more nervous than Angel Cabrera , cheering for his victory at the American Airlines lounge at Miami.
I am thrilled he won the US Open.. beating Tiger Woods.
This is a great moment for Argentinian and Latin American golf.

I had watched Cabrera's game in Brazil Open at the Sao Paulo golf club in 1999. He had birdie-birdie-eagle in the first three holes.

The last time a Latin American won a major was in 1967 when Roberto Vincenzo, another Argentinian, won the Britsh Open. He lost the 1968 Masters due to a technical mistake in writing his score.
I had played with Roberto Vincenzo in 2001 in the golf course named after him in Buenos Aires. We played nine holes. Although he was old, he reatined the touch and impressed me with his sense of humour.

I am sure cabrera's victory would inspire more champions from the region.

revisiting Bogota

This is my third visit to Bogota. The city is chique, elegant and charming. The climate is pleasant. The colonial part of the city is impressive. During the visit to the Colombian foreign office they showed us the room in which Simon Bolivar stayed and the window through which he escaped, while his lover Manuelita was holding off the assasins at the front door. I recalled the film " La libertadora del libertador" which brings out the character of Manuelita, who was the only one to put fear in the heart of the great warrior Bolivar.

I also remembered my favourite Colombian authors, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Laura Restrepo and Alvaro Mutis. These have taken me in their journeys of magical realism though the river Magdalena and the little mythical town Maconde.

Bogota is the second best destination for golf in Latin America. There are about 20 courses in and around the city. The courses are undulating with great views of the mountains. The ball goes ten yards more due to the 6000 ft altitude. In my first visit I had played the 36 holes of the Country Club, Lagartos and the Army Golf course.

The transmillenium bus project has transformed public transporation of the city. This brings ministers and officals from India who want to learn from this project.

Hmm.. outsiders are scared of kidnappings, terrorism and drug trafficking. Yes it is there. But the Bogotanos take it in their stride and enjoy life. My young colleague Ankan Banerji in the embassy says he drives out around 100 kms outside Bogota in weekends with his friends.

I am leaving today afternoon to Quito, listening to the song " Adios me pido " of the colombian singer Juanes.

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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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.