My god, has it been this long? I guess the holiday spirit got too much of me and took me out of the blogosphere for some time. Anyway, TheRanga is back and in action.
This week I'm in India hosting a client conference for some of our US clients. It's a week-long, exhausting tour consisting of meetings with central bankers, government policy makers, and corporate talking heads. So far, we're just about halfway through, but today I get a bit of a respite after yesterday's 12-hour, 7-meeting marathon session. So, I found it a nice opportunity to get back on here and write.
Economically, things in India seem to be chugging along at their usual pace. Sure, the foreigners will cry foul about inflation and policy paralysis resulting in a slowing of growth, but we're not so worried (not that we disagree with the general investing public on this front, we just don't view those two phenomena as deal-killers for the economy here...rather, we see them as hurdles). As usual, the people who matter here are (rightly) worried about the ability of the government to get its act together, clear the way for appropriate amounts of infrastructure spending and development, and fuel India's economic growth and ascension into the economic who's-who of the world. Alas, this is India, and in 65 years of modern autonomy, the country has proven a bit too...what's the word...heterogeneous to come to a single policy forward. I liken it to the recent debt ceiling/fiscal cliff snafus in the US--in DC, we have two parties at each other's necks. As I lack the eloquence, I'll paraphrase my good friend Andrew Shepherd/Michael Douglas/The American President: "whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, [the other party] is not the least bit interested in solving it. [They are] interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it."
In the end, all the bucking proves to be worthless drama, nothing really gets accomplished, and we've wasted a ton of ink and TV run time discussing their past, present, and proposed actions. In India, I'd multiply that effect by about 5. Way more parties, a vastly larger populace with a laundry list of wants and needs, and all the decisions fall to a select few career politicians who bring new meaning to the words "political theater." Gridlock, it seems, is here to stay. And for me, that's fine. India has what China wishes it did--an absolutely booming, vibrant middle class aching to consume more goods. The government indeed holds the key to unlocking hyper growth, but seeing as they won't ever seem to figure it out, we'll leave it to the 600 million odd rising incomes in India to push this economy forward.
What else--after a rough holiday season on the diet, I've reverted back to my paleo roots. And there's nothing like a trip to India to get back on the paleo wagon. This is the great thing about authentic Indian food--you're not getting food loaded with xanthan gum, yellow 5 and "natural flavor." Pretty straight across the board, you're getting spices, meat and/or veggies. Sure, some of the more indulgent dishes are bathed in heavy cream, but those are easily avoidable. Every morning, it's a couple of eggs with tomatoes, onions, and chilli, accompanied by plenty of fresh strawberries, kiwis and mangoes with a refreshing glass of watermelon juice that tastes so delicious I'm beginning to wonder if they're adding sugar to it. Top it off with some raw cashews and pistachios with dried cranberries and raisins, and I feel like a million bucks heading into each day. At the restaurants in town, it's easy enough to order a simple chicken kebab dish or a delicious veggie stir fry. The trick has been to stay away from the rice and naan; once you get that part down, it's pretty easy to stay paleo here.
And oh, my good buddy jetlag is paleo's best friend here in India. Because not only is my eating getting back in order, but I'm up every day at 4am, staring at the ceiling and longing to get back to sleep. Each day, I fail in my quest for more sleep, so I mosey on down to the gym (if I'm up, I may as well be productive about it!). So far, I've logged three strong Crossfit-style workouts (and three PRs, I might add) in the surprisingly well-appointed gym here. I definitely get some weird looks from the elliptical giraffes when I'm in the midst of a set of burpees or manmakers. I especially draw the stares when I'm done with my workout of the day and am drenched in sweat, gasping for air, and sprawled out on the floor. But hey, I'm three for three so far and have earned a well-deserved rest day. So there, ellipticalites, jog in peace today! I'll be back tomorrow.
This week I'm in India hosting a client conference for some of our US clients. It's a week-long, exhausting tour consisting of meetings with central bankers, government policy makers, and corporate talking heads. So far, we're just about halfway through, but today I get a bit of a respite after yesterday's 12-hour, 7-meeting marathon session. So, I found it a nice opportunity to get back on here and write.
Economically, things in India seem to be chugging along at their usual pace. Sure, the foreigners will cry foul about inflation and policy paralysis resulting in a slowing of growth, but we're not so worried (not that we disagree with the general investing public on this front, we just don't view those two phenomena as deal-killers for the economy here...rather, we see them as hurdles). As usual, the people who matter here are (rightly) worried about the ability of the government to get its act together, clear the way for appropriate amounts of infrastructure spending and development, and fuel India's economic growth and ascension into the economic who's-who of the world. Alas, this is India, and in 65 years of modern autonomy, the country has proven a bit too...what's the word...heterogeneous to come to a single policy forward. I liken it to the recent debt ceiling/fiscal cliff snafus in the US--in DC, we have two parties at each other's necks. As I lack the eloquence, I'll paraphrase my good friend Andrew Shepherd/Michael Douglas/The American President: "whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, [the other party] is not the least bit interested in solving it. [They are] interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it."
In the end, all the bucking proves to be worthless drama, nothing really gets accomplished, and we've wasted a ton of ink and TV run time discussing their past, present, and proposed actions. In India, I'd multiply that effect by about 5. Way more parties, a vastly larger populace with a laundry list of wants and needs, and all the decisions fall to a select few career politicians who bring new meaning to the words "political theater." Gridlock, it seems, is here to stay. And for me, that's fine. India has what China wishes it did--an absolutely booming, vibrant middle class aching to consume more goods. The government indeed holds the key to unlocking hyper growth, but seeing as they won't ever seem to figure it out, we'll leave it to the 600 million odd rising incomes in India to push this economy forward.
What else--after a rough holiday season on the diet, I've reverted back to my paleo roots. And there's nothing like a trip to India to get back on the paleo wagon. This is the great thing about authentic Indian food--you're not getting food loaded with xanthan gum, yellow 5 and "natural flavor." Pretty straight across the board, you're getting spices, meat and/or veggies. Sure, some of the more indulgent dishes are bathed in heavy cream, but those are easily avoidable. Every morning, it's a couple of eggs with tomatoes, onions, and chilli, accompanied by plenty of fresh strawberries, kiwis and mangoes with a refreshing glass of watermelon juice that tastes so delicious I'm beginning to wonder if they're adding sugar to it. Top it off with some raw cashews and pistachios with dried cranberries and raisins, and I feel like a million bucks heading into each day. At the restaurants in town, it's easy enough to order a simple chicken kebab dish or a delicious veggie stir fry. The trick has been to stay away from the rice and naan; once you get that part down, it's pretty easy to stay paleo here.
And oh, my good buddy jetlag is paleo's best friend here in India. Because not only is my eating getting back in order, but I'm up every day at 4am, staring at the ceiling and longing to get back to sleep. Each day, I fail in my quest for more sleep, so I mosey on down to the gym (if I'm up, I may as well be productive about it!). So far, I've logged three strong Crossfit-style workouts (and three PRs, I might add) in the surprisingly well-appointed gym here. I definitely get some weird looks from the elliptical giraffes when I'm in the midst of a set of burpees or manmakers. I especially draw the stares when I'm done with my workout of the day and am drenched in sweat, gasping for air, and sprawled out on the floor. But hey, I'm three for three so far and have earned a well-deserved rest day. So there, ellipticalites, jog in peace today! I'll be back tomorrow.
