US Media’s New-Found Love For India

[Guest guest]

The recent celebration of Diwali in the White House inspired this

wry editorial by L.K. Sharma of the "Deccan Herald," Bangalore,

India (enjoy, Prainbow! *lol*):

 

US MEDIA'S NEW-FOUND LOVE FOR INDIA

 

Oct. 28, 2003 - Indiaah! The US media seems to have fallen for the

Indian tourism department's enticing call.

 

It is making up for the decades when it either ignored India or

condemned its Soviet connection or showcased the Indian snake

charmer.

 

Now while reporting that the Indian snake charmer is an endangered

species, the Washington Post and other papers fill their columns

with new Indian icons. As far as the US media is concerned, the

India of snake charmers is already history.

 

The new Indian icons are Mallyas and Narayanmurthys. The San

Francisco Chronicle features the personality and possessions of

Vijay Mallya. In the dot-com era, its readers expect any Indian to

have a collection of classic cars and paintings by Picasso, Renoir,

Chagall and Turner. They may also think that many Indians, like Mr

Mallya, have 26 homes around the world.

 

No one will bat an eyelid while reading that Mr Mallya's stores his

more than 260 antique racing cars in 10 countries. "He's got two

yachts in California, a few in India, the famed Kalizma -- a 165-

foot Edwardian yacht once owned by Richard Burton and Elizabeth

Taylor and now based in the Mediterranean -- and a 187-foot yacht

under construction in Australia. He also owns a Boeing 727 and a

Gulfstream jet..."

 

Every American will applaud Mr Mallya, who, according to the

report, "wants more: big time American business success." In the US,

Mr Mallya is expanding his Mendocino Brewing Co's operations, the

paper says.

 

It will be noted in India that Mr Mallya has an early American

connection. Once he lived in New Jersey and worked for Hoechst. He

absorbed many business lessons here. He appears in Kingfisher beer

ads. "I am the brand ambassador," he says.

 

India is getting a fair share in the media coverage and most of it

is not due to the terrorist attacks in Kashmir or the series of

Indian peace overtures to Pakistan. The US media will pay even more

attention if it knew how excited Indians get when one edition of

Time magazine puts Aishwarya Rai on its cover or when Deepawali is

celebrated in the White House.

 

Mallyas and Naryanmurthys are India's new icons which does not mean

that Indian Gods and Goddesses are being ignored by American

newspapers. There are frequent reports on new temples and temple

festivals. "Ancient Gods in New Country" says a catching headline in

the Oakland Tribune.

 

Taking an image of Goddess Laxmi to the White House may seemlike

carrying coal to Newcastle but perhaps Gods also seek the White

House's imprimatur. It did not matter that President George Bush was

not in the White House when Deepawali was celebrated. The group of

Indians could feel the presence of Mr Bush in spirit.

 

In fact, had Mr Bush known how this White House celebration story

will play in the Indian US media's new-found love media, he would

have cancelled his Pearl Harbour engagement and returned home in

time for lighting the lamps.

 

Some sociologists believe that henceforth Deepavali will become even

more popular in India.

 

President Bush sent his greetings from Pearl Harbour through his

special adviser Karl Rove. Mr Rove, the brain behind Mr Bush, was

given an explanation of the term Ram Rajya by Dr. Anant Rambachan,

Professor of Religion at St Olaf College, Minnesota. America does

not like alternative models but Dr Rambachan could not refrain from

saying that Ram Rajya is an "an alternative political, economic,

social and religious order".

 

The official recognition of the festival of lights was the result of

hectic lobbying by Indian groups but India's comparative advantage

in IT related services has ensured that India and its IT workers

receive a daily dose of media coverage.

 

But for this outsourcing, who in America would have known, for

example, about Mahesh Shankar Rao of Bangalore, a 30-year-old

project manager at Impelsys Pvt. Ltd. which is doing work for

American Simstar. Now they all know about he and his 28-year-old

wife Radhika, their education, earnings and house.

 

They even know that Rao and Radhika live with his parents in a two-

story grey house with pink awnings and a stone facade on a tree-

lined road in Bangalore!

 

Too much publicity may not be such a good thing. Some American

commentators may say that India has an unfair advantage over America

because it forces computer professionals to live with their parents!

 

URL: http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/oct29/i3.asp