The Cross Dressing Sari Salesman And Other Experiences

About a year ago there was a television commercial  for mens  underwear which showed how people in crowded circumstances managed to "adjust"  or squeeze their backsides  in to find a spot . I feel that way quite often having to adjust to life in India or compromise on things  on a daily basis. 

Over the last five years we have had numerous experiences , some funny, some sad, some good, some bad. Here are a few. Some of them are generalized, since it is repeated whereas some are one off.

Indian sales men are among the best and the worst in the world.

Have you ever been sari shopping with your wife ? The sales men have no hesitation about taking out as many as you want. When she is not sure about a particular sari , he orders a junior sales man or some time get up himself and tucks the sari into his trousers  and hold out his arm with the pala draped on it.He models it for you in different colors or fabrics - great job opportunity for cross dressers.After seeing fifteen or twenty you might walk out and there would be no acrimony unlike Hong Kong, where the sales man would make a rude comment.

Similarly if you go to a shoe shop, you will find that all the salesmen are men and you will find that they will happily show you shoe after shoe in different styles and shapes.Invariably as it happens with my wife, after seeing eight or ten we walk out and the salesman goes on to the next customer without a word of protest . 

I have been to the best book stores in London and New York  such as  Foyles , Hatchards, Borders and you ask the sales staff for a particular book. They will quickly tap into the computer and say "its in the basement in the history section"and you are on your own. You go to a book store in Delhi or Mumbai and ask the sales staff ( who are probably not as well educated as their London and New York counterparts) or the book owners  and immediately get a response and will be taken to the specific location or have the book handed to you.This is even for a difficult to get book.Incredible service.

Similarly if you visit a pharmacy . It might be a tiny hole in the wall or there will be a person on a specially built mezzanine floor. The medicines will be stored in little Tupperware  boxes. Ask the salesman for a particular medicine. He does not need to check the computer. He will automatically reach for the right cubicle where the medicine is stored or ask his colleague on the mezzanine floor and it will be dropped down. I am willing to bet that most, if not all of them have not had any training in pharmacy , but they will know the generic version which have similar salts and will be much cheaper.

However, having said that, if you wish to buy anything electrical or a computer or the new gadgets which are now available, you will find smooth talking salesmen who will assure you that what you are looking is the latest model and at a price you will not able to find anywhere. If you do not know what you are buying and mistakenly make a payment, then you are on you own. Prior to receiving your money, he will call you, he will smile, he will be pleasant, but once he has your money, even if it is not the full amount, then the roles get reversed. This is  not just for local brands. This holds true even if you are buying products or services sold by multinationals.Instead of trying to raise the standards of the local market, the multinationals lower their standards.

When we first came back we rented a flat on the second floor of  a small block of flats in Central Delhi. It was newly constructed , had a nice terrace and faced a lovely park. No sooner had we moved in then problems started. It was owned by a lady who traveled frequently. Our contact was her father. He was probably in his late seventies. Every time we had a problem such as our living room getting flooded because the balcony sloped   inwards, or our roof leaking or seepage through the walls because the waterproofing had not been done properly, we would contact him. He would appear diligently and be polite and try and fix it.However his attempt at fixing was a patch work to minimize the expenditure rather than fixing the problem once and for all.After the first few times, however when I started loosing my temper, he would tell my wife "Please tell Mr.Bindra that he has to adjust to India"or "This is India". However the rent was at the top end and on par with some of the international cities ( ok, not Hong Kong or London) but that point was ignored.

When I started my software firm, a friend of a friend introduced me to an individual running a  small head hunting firm for my modest hiring needs. He kept sending me resumes of young technical professional who kept changing jobs every six months. After about a dozen such rejections, he came to see me. His advice to me was that you have to lower your standards as "This is India ". I said I was paying at market or above. I had to spend six months or more training them and then only to leave. I was not paying people to attend my training school.I wanted to build a firm with professional international standards. I never heard back from him.

After buying a flat, we decided to gut it and redo it. We hired an architect and she brought in a group of sub-contractors . They were a mixed bunch. The air conditioning supplier was very professional and even now we would highly recommend him. I was initially very impressed with the contractor who  was going to redo part of  the wiring. He talked the talk.  In a introductory meeting at our place over a cup of tea quoted a line from Nancy Sinatra's "Summer Wine" . I thought to myself, fantastic. We should be in good shape.However that mood did not last too long. He assigned two individual's who had almost no experience , who could not read drawings and I could go on. Once the initial payment was made, it was very difficult to get hold of him especially when he knew I was calling with a complaint. After a few months he  walked out without completing the work. He then had the nerve to send me a legal notice for unpaid dues.

Now that we have  been back over five years now, we have " adjusted" and we squeeze ourselves in , expressing our frustration  mentally  and sometimes verbally. Based on referrals and our own experiences we are gradually building  up a list of of reliable tradesmen /shops where we  have developed a relationship ( at least we like to think we have ) and hopefully sound less like the  returned NRI's we see in the shopping plazas loudly  expressing their unhappiness.Gradually we are accepting people have similar stories of their experiences of life in Hong Kong, London and New York. Delhi is not that much different.

Why should one buy art ?

When buying art should one view it from buying something that is creative or should it be from the perspective of it being an investment such as buying equity ? This thought came to me recently because of a number of recent conversations.

A few weeks ago, my wife and a  friend visited a Delhi based " senior artist " with a view to buying one of his paintings. While discussing the pricing, he mentioned the price was Rupees xxxx per square inch, instead of pricing each individual painting.  

While talking to an old friend about art his view was that one should only purchase established artists or " masters".

Also one of our friends who is an artist herself, is  initiating an effort to promote some of the up and coming younger artists. Thanks to her, we are beginning to see their works. One day while visiting one of the artist which she wanted us to see, she mentioned that the artist is now willing to sell his work  at one third or one quarter of what his work was selling a couple of years ago. She felt bad that the artist was being forced to sell his work at these prices.

I did not respond but my feeling is that art is increasingly becoming a business which depends on marketing and it is a question of demand and supply. After all if the established  artist quotes you a price on a per square inch basis, you know that it is no longer an issue of creativity, but a matter of producing enough to meet the demand. ( " I think I have painted six square inches worth Rupess Two Lacs today - time for me to take a break "). If you are an artist who is reasonably well established, you will produce only a limited number of pieces every year to maintain its market rate.After all you don't see established artists lowering the prices when times are good.In buying their works you are investing.

In my opinion if you look back in history you will find that art has always been a form of  flaunting your wealth whether it was by the Romans or Greek emperors or the religious orders by building huge temples and Churches.. As the Church accumulated wealth and built huge cathedrals whether it was in Italy or Russia, they decorated it with  icons or religious symbols initially made out of gold or silver. Gradually they decided that these huge edifices needed some color and began to commission artists. During the late fourteen hundreds and early fifteen hundreds, the Italian Renaissance period you had among others,  the “trinity of great masters “Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Their greatest and best known works were for the Church.It was the ultimate patron.The Cathedral was your gallery and your greatest marketing medium with a guaranteed daily footfall. The bigger the Church where your works adorned the walls or ceilings the more visibility you got and became more marketable which lead to further commissions.

Following the Italian Renaissance you had the emergence of the merchant princes such as the Medici's who became art patrons. From glorifying God the artists began to glorify their patrons through portraits or family portraits.  By painting for one of these families you could be sure of getting such commissions from others who wanted to keep up with the Medicis.

Even in India, the patrons of the arts were the rulers and nobility . Some  Islamic art painting which have recently commanded record prices are books of paintings such as Baburnama or Shahnameh, done by anonymous painters,  glorifying   the rulers and their achievements. Most miniature paintings were about the life style of the rulers at work or play,  whether  they were the Mughal emperors, or the hill rajas. The artists were anonymous but employees of the court. They did not have to worry about feeding their families. 

In the eighteen hundreds you saw the emergence of the art dealers and the galleries who represented or knew  rich and powerful patrons whom  they could convince to buy your art. That is when art became an organized  business. These included people such as the famous German family Thurn und Taxis , who made their fortunes in the postal service and breweries, the Rockefeller's and of more recent times, the Satchi brothers.If you sold your painting to one of these "collectors" you could be sure that you were established .


Based on my limited knowledge of art , the patronage is now by the collectors and well established galleries and museums. If you are able to have one of your paintings in their collections, or have a solo show by one of the prominent galleries or auction houses you can leave the line of starving artists. If you are Damien Hirst and you can stuff a dead cow or a shark, or like Subodh Gupta weld a collection of stainless steel utensils and get the Satchi's or one of the collectors  to buy it ,  you will  have other wannabe's wanting to do the same ( " you know one of  his works  is in the MOMA collection ") and  you would be laughing all the way to the bank.  I have seen toilet bowls in museums being displayed as art and if you let your imagination run wild and are able to convince some sponsor to fund you , you could go around the world  like Christo  wrapping  islands in plastic or curtaining a valley  in the name of art. 

I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that buying  art  in today's market is akin to an  investment in the financial markets and hence the emergence of art funds.Most artists,  like every body else are in it for making money. Nothing wrong with that since we all have families to feed, but when they start spinning stories about  what went on in their mind or what it represents, it becomes a bit difficult to accept. Perhaps  the " senior artist" has the right attitude. So don't expect me to shed tears for artists when times are bad. In financial investments at least  you get a dividend or there is liquidity. That is not necessarily the case for art. 
 For that reason I am not keen to pay a large amount for a "master" but would rather buy something that I like particularly if it is reasonably priced. 

Having said that and totally  contradicting myself, if I did hit the jackpot, I would like to gift  my self an Anish Kapoor stainless steel sculpture.

Two Similar Countries But Different Paths

In this blog I have  decided to look at two different, but very similar countries - The Philippines and Pakistan. Although they have similar historic socio, cultural, economic structures they started going down different paths in the eighties.

Both are former colonies. Philippines was a colony of Spain and subsequently The United States of America. Pakistan together with Bangladesh and India was part of the British ruled Indian sub-continent.They  have strong ties with the United States.

Pakistan and Philippines both  have a large group of landed feudal aristocracy who protect their economic interests by participating in politics. The seats are dynastic in nature and remain within the family. It could be the Bhuttos, the Mehrs ,the Cojuangcos, or the Magapacals. Surprisingly in these male dominated societies, it is the feudal aristocracy which has produced female leaders who came from similar backgrounds. Corazino Aquino who was from the wealthy Cojuangco family from the Tarlac province, became the President of the Philippines when her husband Benigno “ Ninoy”  Aquino was assassinated. Her son  Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino is now the President. In Pakistan Benazir Bhutto whose family was from the Sindh state inherited the political leadership of the Peoples Party when her Father Zulfiqar Bhutto was hung by General Zia ul Haq. Benazir herself was subsequently assassinated in December 2007.

Religion, be it the church or the mosque, plays an important part in the lives of the majority of the population. In the Philippines, the Catholic Church is active in the education sector through schools and universities. While religion plays an important role in the schools the emphasis is on a well rounded education.  In Pakistan the mosques run the madrassas. While most of them provide decent education, there are some institutions which try and influence the male students politically and encourage them on the jihadist track.

Corruption is an endemic problem in both the countries.Charges were frequently made against the former husband of President Gloria Magapacal's husband. Similarly allegations are made against President Zardari going back to the  days when he was the First Husband. 

The armed forces in both the countries play a very important role. It provides an alternative path to the top for individuals who do not belong to the land owning class or the business families. The armies have at various instances taken it upon themselves to take over the ruling of the country.

In both the countries you have a small group of business families who control a large portion of the GDP. They dabble in politics directly or indirectly by having the politicians in their pockets. In Pakistan the Sharif brothers who come from a business background are the leaders of the opposition party and effectively dominate the state of Punjab. They have a better relationship with the senior Army officers since a large number of them tend to be from the same state.

Because of the state of their economies both the countries are heavily dependent on their overseas workers for a sizable portion of the foreign exchange earnings. In Pakistan these tends to be predominantly male, whereas in the Philippines it tends to be of both sexes.

Regional insurgencies continue to be a thorn in the side for both countries. In the Philippines after the war , these included the HUK movement, the PKP and more recently the New Peoples Army. It also has the Muslim insurgents such the Moro faction and the Abu Sayyaf group. In Pakistan over the years there have been different groups, with the most recent being the militants in the Swat valley loyal to Mullah Fazlullah  and the  Baluchi movement lead by the disgruntled tribal chiefs among others.

However the countries went down different paths in the eighties. In both, the religious leaders played a major role or heavily influenced the politicians in the decision they made.

In the Philippines, the Church lead by Cardinal Sin lead the country in seeing off the dictator Ferdinand Marcos and down the  path of democracy. The Church still plays an important role.  No politician can afford to offend it  if he wants to get elected Since then there have been a number of feeble attempts by the military to regain its role, but the civilian government has been dominant.

In Pakistan without a single religious leader being able to play a leading role, General Zia Ul Huq took it upon himself to take the country down the Islamic path. The civilian governments have been given a number of opportunities to run the country but inevitably the military has had to intervene. It continues to play a dominant role behind the scene and influences the decisions of the civilian government. It also decided to go down the nuclear path - to keep up with India.

The reason for the change in the role of the army in both the countries is perhaps because of their history and their geographic location and it also reflect on the spending on military. In the Philippines it accounts for 0.9% of the GDP and in Pakistan it officially  accounts for over 3% of its GDP.

The Philippines  is on friendly terms with all its neighbors, and the role of the army seems to be restricted to dealing with internal insurgencies. Over the years they seemed to have considerable success in this area.

Pakistan however has fought three wars with its giant neighbor. It has seen its country split with the creation of Bangladesh .It is concerned about further splits and its armed forces feel that if it lets its guard down it will be dominated by India. As a result it also developed nuclear capability.

Also Pakistan was used as a proxy by the United States in getting Russia out of Afghanistan without getting directly involved. This rag tag bunch of Pashtun guerrillas viewed this as an Islamic Jihad and are supported both physically and financially by the Islamic fundamentalists from the Middle East. After the ouster of the Russians, the guerrillas morphed into the Taliban and seized power in Afghanistan which became a safe haven for the Al-Qaeda while they wreaked havoc in various parts of the world.

The Army in turn directly and indirectly, has also been using this  and its various splinter groups as an unofficial guerrilla arm, to disrupt and create havoc in India and as a vehicle to be able to control its other neighbor Afghanistan which they feel is in their back yard and which  they should be able to dominate. Of recent, some of these splinter groups have begun to bring the war into their own homes by suicide bombers targeting not just other religious minorities, but other Muslim sects including Shias, Ahmadis, and even their own religious or political leaders who preach a path of tolerance. Their nuclear capability also acts as a deterrent for foreign interference and forces the Western powers to treat Pakistan with kid gloves. These Islamist unable to get the numbers during elections rely on terror tactics to get their way.

With the recent events in the Middle East  and  the movement towards democracy , it will be interesting to see from a long term perspective as to how it impacts Pakistan. These countries are beginning to look inwards and towards protecting their own regimes rather than supporting the overseas militants. In the meantime Philippines seems well entrenched on its democratic path and its new President Benigno Aquino appears to be determined to root out corruption.
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Its All In The Implemention

A few weeks ago while responding to questions on the 2 G spectrum scam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that the right policy was in  place, but the problem was in the  implementation. Perhaps unintended but he hit the nail right on the head.

The fast by Ana  Hazare has caught the  people's imagination and the Jan Lokpal Bill  is being held up as the magic cure for the corruption which prevails in our society. Unfortunately the problem is not that there is a shortage of laws, the problem is in the implementation or enforcement.

As I mentioned in one of my earliest blogs, we follow the laws when we go abroad, but do not do so when are in India because we know we can get away with it. A simple example  is paying  a traffic ticket. Rather than paying the full penalty we offer one quarter or half the amount to the concerned constable and drive off. We are all guilty of that. I doubt if there are too many of us who can put our hands on the hearts and say I did. Sometime the rules are skewed such that you tend to take the easy way out. Its not a question of the amount of the ticket involved.  In most countries you can just mail in a check for the  ticket. Here at least in Delhi, you are required to appear before a court. Do you want to waste a day finding the right court and then pleading guilty to pay the fine ? You pay the constable. We all  have our reasons for doing so.

Similarly even if the Lokpal Bill is passed ,we still rely on the the government investigators or prosecutors to bring the guilty party justice. The official track record in persecuting politicians and bureaucrats  does not necessarily inspire  a great deal of confidence. Cases drag on for years and files  mysteriously disappear. The witnesses pass away,  some of old age, others due to  health  reason and some  choose to end their lives.

Narayana Murthy the former Chairman of Infosys suggested in the newspaper of April 9th, that the Central Ivestigation Bureau  and Central Vigilance Commission should also report to Lokpal and not to the government.Also that it should not just be restricted to just  going after the politicians, but should also include the bureaucrats. This is the only way to make this effective. 

Hopefully the Lokpal Bill addresses this issue, otherwise all this effort will have been in vain.

Observations On Riding the Lift In Gurgaon

My office is on the fourteenth  floor of a high rise office building  in Gurgaon. The occupants tend to be  a mix of  multinational, (American,  European, Korean, Japanese) and Indian companies. Over the last few years I have been riding the lift ( elevators) up and down at least three four times a day and it is interesting to see the social interaction in the short time you reach your floor.
 
Reflecting the population  demographics most of my fellow passengers  tend to be young ( by my definition that's under forty). with a slight majority of males. The offices they work for tend to be names such as Reebok, Hays Consulting, Lowes/Linta,some technology companies and a Hong Kong based  buying company.

At five feet seven and a half inches  ( my wife  insists its seven and three eights) I thought I was average or slightly above, but standing next to the males, I positively  feel short. The younger Indian male tends to be getting bigger, not just in terms of height , but also around the middle. At the rate we are going, India in a few decades will catch up with The United States and South Africa in terms of adult obesity. The woman however tend to be considerably shorter and  the younger ones slimmer.

The back pack is the new office accessory . Very rarely do you see anyone carrying a briefcase.What I find most annoying is when the person standing in front of you with  a back pack  strung across  his shoulders starts backing into you and  his huge bag pack pushes  into your chest. You try to gently push back but when that does not work you have to tap the individual concerned and tell him to stop pushing. While most accept that you have a occasional person who stares at you  and you have to respond.

Sometimes you are standing in a crowded  lift and suddenly  you  hear a  loud Muni Badnam Hoi, or Sheila Ki Jawani, or a Om Hari Om, or a  Wahe Guru Sat Nam.You get disoriented for a split second, until the person next to you reaches into his pocket takes out his cell phone and starts a loud conversation with his wife,mother, business associate, boss or supplier with no attempt at keeping his voice soft.On occasion when he is talking, his other phone rings.

The riders who get  in on the floor where one of the largest property companies in India has its marketing office are a study in contrasts. Some of them enter  with a triumphant look on their face, which means that they finally been able to get possession of the flat. The others look depressed with an expression of anger and frustration, meaning that they have been told once again that the delivery of the  property for which they have paid fully years ago,  is going to be delayed yet again for the nth time.

The worst time to get in the lift is right after lunch in summers.It is crowded with sweaty bodies  and you have  someone's pot belly pushing into your back. You can have a pretty good guess as to what he had for lunch as he breathes down your neck and occasionally belches.

At times  you  have a person or a group complaining about a boss or a colleague with no attempt to speak softly or not mentioning the persons name. In our time we were a bit more discrete .

With increasing prosperity you see examples of one upmanship. Once a working couple ( probably in their mid thirties ) got in together with some colleagues. It was the sale season. The couple mentioned that they were not  going to the Armani boutique sale ( I did not know there was one in Delhi) , because " everyone is wearing Armani". I looked down at my  tee shirt - it  had the Giordano frog !!!

The Koreans, Chinese and Japanese talk to their own group, unlike the Americans or Europeans. I have  rarely have seen them talking to their local colleagues.

Depending on the time of the day , the lift stops on many floors, but my favorite stop is when the lift doors open on the thirteen floor. It is where the Hong Kong based William Connors office is and you see them packing samples of goods to be sent to Ikea, or William Sanoma, or The Pottery Barn.Some of them are quite interesting. I have made a number of attempts to buy an occasional item but without any success.

Finally in closing I have to say the younger generation all seem to have a lot more attitude and confidence in their mannerisms, their behavior and their speech ( might not be grammatically correct English, but spoken with confidence ) you know that they are sure of themselves and in their own skin. This is what New India is all about - the blending  of the Indian and  the West.

The Great Indian Cricket Tamasha

I was not a big fan of sports. However since  returning to India I have  developed an interest in cricket.Where possible I  watch the matches whenever  the Indian team is playing. Like all arm chair specialists I do not hesitate to give my opinion on the incompetence of a fielder or a batter, even though I haven't the foggiest of what is a leg bye or a mid off or the difference between a googly ( a Google derivative perhaps ?) or a doosra. Whenever the Indian team collapses during batting as it did recently ( although it eventually won the match) I express my doubt as to whether the match has been fixed ?

Having watched these matches for almost five years I have noticed the following :

- In the past cricket in India was a middle and upper class sport played in the elitist schools, but now with its popularity it is now a common man's sport with the players coming from a broad spectrum of backgrounds all across India.

- How the country unites ( no issues of  religion,  language,  regionalism - with the exception of the Shiv Sena occasionally playing the spoilsport) behind team India with Indian flags on shirts, faces, bodies leaving no doubt that it is a united India regardless of where the match is played.Bollywood movies  are perhaps the only other unifying events. Perhaps one should start a party consisting of only Bollywood actors and cricket players. In the South of course the movie players have been very successful in transitioning from movies to politics.

- The ascendance of the  Indian  team to the top rung of the cricket teams in the world. This is partly driven by the financial clout of the Board of Cricket Control of India ( BCCI) which was also responsible for the cricket league in India called the Indian Premier League which perhaps should be relaunched as a reality show  following the drama surrounding it over the last year and the rumored cash generated.

- The rise of the sports celebrity - particularly the cricket players who are now on par with the film stars and
  get large amounts for product endorsements, are seen at openings of new stores, walking the fashion ramp
  and of course on the society pages of the news papers.

- Of course in India you cannot have a good thing going without the politicians being involved, whether it is on the governing board or  at the various matches commanding the best seats.
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 In yesterdays World Cup  semi-final between India and Pakistan, it was interesting to note the difference in style between the two captains . India's Dhoni was captain cool displaying no emotion during the pre-match or post match interviews or during the match itself. No signs of worry when things were not  going the Indian way or showing any feel good emotions when things started to fall in place for his team. Pakistan's Afridi on the other hand wore his heart of his sleeve on all occasions. During the match you could see him encouraging, advising, and occasionally reprimanding his team players when they did not perform. As it became evident that Pakistan was about to loose, you could see him trying to hold back his tears. Post match he was gracious towards his team and his opponents.
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Generally I am not into adulation of sports persons or movie stars or any such persons. However I do make a exception for Sachin Tendulkar. If there is one person who stands out in terms of total commitment,team player, and all around decent person, I do not think there is any other sportsman who comes close to Sachin.
A few years ago when he was going through a bad patch I used to express my frustration and felt that it was time for him to make a exit. He had achieved most sports men would have hoped to achieve in a lifetime.I was wrong.

With his dedication he has come back stronger and better. He is the rock on which the Indian team stabilizes . Time and time again, when the rock stars of cricket, the Sehwags and the Yuvrajs let their egos take the better of their performance and let the team down, Tendulkar never lets that happen. In the semi-finals against Pakistan, you could see from his face that it was requiring quite a lot of effort on his part to make the singles but he hung in there. His modesty and humility is well known. Unlike  the old film star , who is way past his prime and who endorses anything from cement to hair oil , there are certain products which Tendulkar will not endorse based on his principles. You do not see him giving his opinion on political or economic events. He keeps a low profile when he is not playing. To misquote the words  of a  Mughal Emperor on Kashmir, I feel that if there is a all around  Indian  super star Sachin is it, Sachin is it, Sachin is it.
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Finally as I said that you cannot keep politicians away from sports, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yet again took the opportunity of the semi-final to invite his Pakistani counterpart for a bit of cricket diplomacy. In this case perhaps the Urdu couplet which he had used as rebuttal to Sushma Swaraj ( the opposition leader)  in Parliament,  would be equally appropriate in his desire to put India and Pakistan on the path to peace, in spite of the various snubs and rejections he has received in the past .

“Maana ki teri deed keqaabil nahi hoon main; tu mera shouq to dekh, mera intezaar to dekh "

(I understand that I am not worthy of  your gaze; but have a look at my keenness, have a look at my anticipation for you).

Hopefully his attempt will be rewarded this time.

The New Royalty

Last year I finished reading a couple of interesting books.The first was about the Mughal rulers of India by Abraham Eraly  and  the second  about  the last Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh by Patwant Singh.The book about the  Mughals  described in detail how Babur having lost his tiny territory in Central Asia, drifted  and eventually established the Mughal dynasty in India.Similarly the book about Maharaja Ranjit Singh described how he united the  twelve Sikh Misls ( clans) and established the Sikh Kingdom which at its height stretched from Afghanistan to Delhi. Both these empires were built with frequent battles,assassinations, constant betraying of allies or masters for personal benefit, bribing enemies or trusted lieutenants, and undoing by incompetent off springs.The hundreds of kingdoms in India ceased to exist upon Independence. They further lost their rights and privileges guaranteed to them under the Constitution  when they dared to politically  challenge Mrs.Indira Gandhi.  

However the royalists at heart in India  need not fear.There is a new generation of royalty .Looking at the present political scene in India, it appears that nothing has changed, expect the rulers are no longer called Maharajas but for all practical purposes are very similar.The are now called Ministers, Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly .The new royals   include the Gandhi's  at the apex of the political royals and worthy of a  36 gun salute , the Abdullahs,the Badals, the Pilots, the Scindia's ( a double royal )  and so on. They did not win their right to rule by brawn , but by vote or by inheritance. The royals  to retain their kingdom had to fight off invaders or align themselves with the stronger rulers and pay them annual tributes.  In today's world anybody who aspires to be part of the new royalty has to align him/her self with the more established parties and also be prepared to  pay  tributes  but in the form of funds for fighting elections or other purposes. Since they can no longer levy taxes directly on the citizens, they do so indirectly through corruption. At the end of the day the citizen pays one way or the other.

When the Royals traveled, roads were cleared and there was security escorts in front and back . In today's world its even worse .It would be a loss of face for even the most  minor politician  if he did not have some sub-machine gun toting guards  and escort cars with the red flashing beacon.Instead of the number of guns salute which determined your ranking among the rulers, in the political royalty  your place in the  hierarchy is determined by the different level of security category  assigned  by the government.

The royals really knew how to throw a bash to celebrate a coronation or a wedding or when they celebrated a festival. The politicians are no less. Recently newspapers were full of articles about a Delhi politician who is rumored to have spent almost Rupees One hundred crores ( or about Dollars Twenty million ) and was apparently given a helicopter worth Rupees Thirty five crores ( Dollars Seven point seven million). But then
he is supposed to be independently wealthy because he has large land holdings which has appreciated considerably over the last decade and a half. Receptions for almost five to ten thousand guests are not unusual.

As in the past whenever it appeared that their  grip on the reigns of power began to look shaky, support was bought  by carving out the equivalent of principalities , but in this case ministries are allocated  to the smaller party  or defectors who provide support. These are selected ministries which  can generate enough revenues, but steps are also taken to  ensure that tribute is shared proportionately.

The political royals are also above the law in most cases with very few instances of them actually having to serve a prison sentence regardless of their crime. In the minor principalities ( provinces) actually having a criminal charge or a having served a prison sentence is actually a badge of honor.

Serving the political royalty as in the case of the royalty are their administrators, the Indian Administrative Services . Like the prime ministers of the larger states , a few  of these administrators have grown wealthy beyond their means by exploiting their positions.

Whenever the royals overspent on baubles and toys and  ran into a spot of trouble, they went to the money lenders or hocked their family jewels or future income. Nowadays the political royals go their business houses and once elected repay the favor by providing preferential treatment. 

I could go on and on but I think you get the picture, so let me end with the time honored  toast, The Maharaja is dead, long live the Maharaja!!