Every Day Low Prices In Desh
Today's NYT brought to my attention this piece of news on Wal-Mart's entry into India via a JV with Bharti Enterprises, the desi cell-phone gaint. As you would have guessed, I have my undies in a twist over this matter. Why you ask?
No, not because I care about about death of the small scale, closed loop local economies or the ecological impact of increased consumption of" Made in China" - oh! wait, they can make all of it in India itself - trash; I don't. After all, I enjoy my Wal-Mart here[1], so why shouldn't junta back in desh enjoy it too? It is all dhanda to me, if Chintu-of-the-galli does it, if Dhirubhai[2] does it, or if Uncle Sam (Walton) does it. In fact nothing would gladden my heart if Wal-Mart in India sells as much print as Wal-Mart sells here[3].
You see why my undies are in a twist now is because of this bet I made with a mad professor a month ago. We got to talking at a dinner (more like me laughing madly at his two hour long improv comedy routine), and we somehow got around to discussing the dynamics of retail businesses in China and India. He asked me what I thought about the prospects for global retailers in India in light of what has been happening in China. I, my mouth stuffed with pan-seared salmon, mumbled "excellent", "they should get in there", "they will rock" etc.
He, however, wagered that that retailers like Wal-Mart would enter the Indian market, and then shut shop, and leave in about two or three years. "Why", I asked. He said because India is a nice tropical country, and people there don't have to buy so much shit to be happy as they have to in China or in pardes. I told him to go smoke some desi ganja, and that he will see the light in any major desi city where he can have a cup of coffee for Rs. 100 - approximately the average salary for millions of other Indians - in a trendy coffeeshop. So we bet on this. Now that Wal-Mart has finally entered the desi scene, excuse me while I go buy its stock to cheer it on.
[1] I actually haven't been inside of a Wal-Mart in more than two years but that the idea that there is a store close by where I can buy cheap undies or a Remington shotgun at 2 AM if I so desire is, somehow, comforting.
[2] Reliance is rolling out a massive retail chain across India, and it would be fun to watch them duke it out with Wal-Mart. Also someone in Hyderabad, pliss be visiting Reliance's debut store over there, and tell me what it is like.
[3] A move to India, and heading the book selling division for Wal-Mart, if they have one, in a couple of years doesn't seem to be a half-bad idea to me at this point.
My Daily Notes
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Winter Daydreams
Winter strips
The non-essential from the face
Of the earth.
Each tree becomes an atlas Of dark roads trailing off into the dawn’s foggy sleet.
The hungry eye must Sleep now with the bear Curled in the bole,
The empty heart must Chime in the wind knocking At the door all morning,
And the blue fingers must Clutch and clench the coal brazier As if it was flesh and bone In that time of night sweats*.
* Recalling Thom Gunn's brilliant poem "The Man With Night Sweats", from his eponymous book of poems on the themes of AIDS, death, and love.
My Poems
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Joy Of Man's Despairing
The title is, of course my misygonistic take on title of the famous Bach cantata, Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring; the first piece of music I heard this morning after spying this article on how to increase one's joy on Yahoo as I was checking the weather for the day (perfect sunshine, a high of 69 F, brilliant for loafing and inviting the soul). Apparently, folks in the academy have been conducting controlled experiments to figure out how to reset the happiness thermostat. One of the thought experiments that is said of have consistently increased the HQ of folks is this:
"Every night,....think of three good things that happened that day and analyze why they occurred"
Well, since it is not night yet, here is my list of three things that have already happened:
- Waking up to a sunshiny day
- Bach's music
- My little slice of paradise, i.e., my little library
My Daily Notes
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