"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." ~~ Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948)
This Sunday evening it'll be Monday morning in India where they will be celebrating Republic Day. Last August I had the opportunity to experience life in India first hand. It is a land of wild extremes -- big business cheek to jowl with abject poverty, fabulous art and architecture surrounded by squalor, and ancient icons of culture and religion upstaged by garish billboards and cell phone transceivers, just to name three. Even though I was warned to expect this, the reality is never quite like you imagine. My biggest surprise, however, was of the pleasant sort -- finding out just how friendly the people are. I guess nobody thought to warn me about that. Other than the street beggars (who I must say were really annoying), I didn’t meet a single unpleasant person during my entire stay in India. Indeed, almost everyone went out of his or her way to help me, to explain things to me, and to otherwise just wish me well.
So, to my friends in Mumbai and Bangalore, may you have an outstanding Republic Day. I hope it finds you healthy and happy.
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