#12 Kerala

• In India it isn’t rude to stare. More interestingly, people quite happily stare at others using gadgets in public places, in this case a (fairly loud) five minute hindi music video on a commuter train.
• Between 25,000 and 100,000 Indian farmers commit suicide annually. [Report in The Hindu].
  
• Wal-Mart is keen to open stores in India. Yet logistical bottle necks resulting from poor infrastructure are sufficiently severe to lead some to question whether the business model of big-box retail can even function here. For instance, the average western hypermarket carries at least than 35,000 product lines. No shops in India yet carry more than about 10-15,000. [Story in the Business Standard, they of the previously remarked upon unfortunate by-line policy.]
• Likely silly Indian regulations, the first in a series: "The Indian government did somewhat relax its FDI rules earlier this year, allowing "single-brand" retailers such as Nike or Gucci to own 51 percent of their business operations in India. However, this still precludes Wal-Mart, since the retailer sells a variety of brands in its stores." [Article on CNN.]
  
• As previously reported, India has only 35m income tax payers. However, in 1990, they had only 4m. 35m, out of a population of some c1 billion+, is good.
  
• Kerala. Upside: Pleasing beaches, sleepy canals. Downside: tedious westerners in indian garb - patterned tops, flappy orange trousers, head scraves, etc - going on about ashrams, and needing a foundation for their yoga practice. Its enough to make you yearn for palid twenty somethings in sharp glasses talking earnestly about social capital. Hang on. Perhaps I’ve found myself after all?