Ode to India

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi could not have imaginedfor my new company. How delicious it must feel to all
connecting with his ardent disciple George Harrison onthose who have known and suffered under the old
a cellular phone. He would have relied on telepathy orsystem!
some other transcendental power to listen to "JaiDevelopment's strides are bold and broad. Satya Paul
Gurudeva ..." with Harrisson's guitar strumming along.saris today cost as much as Armani jackets. A rapidly
Times have changed.growing middle class breezes through the milestones
A $2 Billion Indian mobile handset market is set to growthat their fathers had to toil all their lives to reach. A
by over 60% in two years. Pretty dramatic. Nokia hasphone. A watch. A TV. A car. A house.
59% market share of the 60 Million user base. CellularVivekananda had said, "Arise, awake, and stop not till
networks cover only 30% of the country, set tothe goal is reached." 200 Million people are still living in
increase to 75% by 2006. Presumably 100% by theabject poverty. That is 80% the size of the US
end of the decade?population. How long will it take, before development's
Contrast this with just 10 years back. I had to wait 8magic wand touches this segment, and lifts them out
months to get a set of business phone lines installedof despair?