The Injuns Are Comin'

"What luck," one of my journalist friends said at one of those too many drinks and too little, too late dinner outings that all of us Indian wags are so accustomed to. "While we will be sweating it out here in UP and Bihar—you shall be rocking in the US."

About the rocking bit—maybe some other time. And certainly not in print. The only comfort I can give to my just-a-tad envious fraternity member is that I have done the rounds of the hot and dusty UP and Bihar in the last few weeks. And I can say that I enjoyed each bit of the back and beyond of the Hindi heartland as much as—if not more than—the oh-so-rocking-and-cool New York.

But why the US? The idea was to get a global perspective on Indian elections. What do elections in India mean to the rest of the world? What does the world's most powerful democracy think of the world's largest democracy? What's the view from New York, the world's financial capital, on the India Shining theme? How is Washington viewing claims emanating from Delhi (you know from where) about India being the next superpower?

So, what's the verdict?

America has truly woken up to India. The fortnight I was there, there was an India story on the front page every morning. East coast and west—in San Francisco, Washington, New York. Whether it was a tabloid, broadsheet or the New Yorker. I must confess, though, that almost all these stories were about outsourcing of jobs to India—an issue which on the American worry list is currently second to Iraq.

Maybe not an ideal way to creep into the American consciousness. But you have to hand it to them—even while TV anchors and media columnists rave and rant about job losses to India, there's a grudging respect for India and things Indian. And it's across the board—not just for IT. Billion dollar Indian companies are being listed and traded on the NY stock exchange and Nasdaq. The made-in-India label now sells faster than it can be replaced in many stores. Better packaging and stringent quality control means Indian exports are in demand. And it isn't just the exotica which is the favourite lap-up of the season. Indians are tapping the mainstream: pharmaceuticals, textiles, engineering, financial services.

Paresh Patel belongs to a big Gujarati joint family which runs a multi-million dollar food import business from Queens, New York. Their business has grown seven-fold in the last five years; the Patels, who moved into a 25,000 sq feet warehouse only a couple of years ago, are now frantically looking for one with double the space. Paresh says consumers no longer come looking for less expensive, cheap stuff from India. "They are willing to pay a dollar more. It's all about quality—the stuff coming from India is world class," he says.

One can sense this India buzz all over, though it isn't all-pervasive or dominating—like the Jews or even the Chinese. But you can feel the change. In everything.

Even in the arts. In New York, Christie's for the first time in March organised a successful auction of modern Indian sculptures and paintings. Dr Hugo Weihe, director of the Asian arts section at the auction house, feels there's suddenly greater awareness about Indian art which for long was underrated in comparison to Chinese and Japanese art. "There's more awareness. And it's not just westerners taking a fresh look at things Indian. It's as much a function of non-resident Indians buying into their heritage in a big way. That's largely because there's so much more money with them now and new wealth chases not just new ideas but also invests back into its roots—culture and heritage," he says.

But it would be missing the point completely to credit the prosperous nri community entirely for the changing perception of India.For, they have only helped by being good ambassadors of what's seen as a new, resurgent India. Kind of showpiece or sample models of what's happening back home. If the India story is taking a more positive form in the eyes of the rest of the world, make no mistake, it's largely because of what's happening this side of the Indus.

According to Kristin Lindow, the point person for India at the international credit rating agency—Moody's—which has shuffled Delhi between junk and investment grade about half a dozen times in the last decade, this time the India story looks for real. "It may even turn out be an India decade," she feels. "It's important for India to capitalise on its new profile and the growth numbers being posted. Delhi is forging new ties with old rivals like Beijing and Islamabad. Also improving relations with the US. Then there's the brain power—suddenly it's a destination no one wants to miss."

Of course, there are the familiar areas of concern; the ever-widening divide between the rich and the poor, the issue of subsidies, the need for more investments in social and physical infrastructure and the burgeoning fiscal deficit. However, the mood right now in the Big Apple is too see the glass half full.

But try to translate this economic sheen in terms of India as an emerging superpower, and suddenly you will be seen as someone who does not quite understand how things work in the real world. Big population. Great demographics—world's largest youth numbers. Big market. Great democracy. Strategic ally—the answers will all be in the positive. But membership to the superpower club? It's not open at the moment.

It isn't difficult to understand where they are coming from. It was the same story with Japan a few decades ago—the economic superpower which wasn't to become a political force in the global arena. And the Southeast Asian tiger economies never even nursed the pretensions of becoming a political force. Perhaps the only exception is China. But, realistically, is India on the same scale right now?

The Americans say, no.

As I write this, there's this other thought which makes me smile. There may have been differences in perceptions—some thought India was shining more than the others—but just about everyone I met in the US sounded positive on the Indian economic story. Economic reforms and political stability was the key, they felt. And they all seemed to have factored in a victory for the bjp-led nda in these elections. Just like all the Indian opinion polls. What would these experts now be making of the exit polls and the possibility of a hung Parliament.

Just wondering.