Happy New Year

Happy New Year from India.

Against all I believe and have ever stood for, I went to class on New Years Day. On a national holiday where I would have spent the day relaxing, watching football and eating junk food I sent the morning in Professor JM Subramanya class talking about business ethics from Indian Scriptures & Gurus. Ethics abroad take on a different meaning when there is poverty everywhere bribes are expected to do business. What I have witnessed for bribes the locals call tipping. This kind of activity reminds me of trade show activities in the USA. You can not get anywhere or do anything with out slipping the rupees. I believe that Varma called bribes a “creative way” corruption is accepted.

With some R & R in the afternoon, we were treated to a concert by the local police band. It was not Sting and the boys but the locals in uniform.

Having a professional musician in the family, I have high expectations for concerts and this was one of the worst. Besides that fact that all of us just wanted to get back to the hotel, it appeared that the band did not want to be there either. 4 of the members arrive 30 minutes late and just walked on to the stage and started playing. The high light of the evening ties directly into 10th flattener, “the steroids”. I want to remind the readers of this blog that was a police band, a group of professionals that in the western world are known for discipline. There was piece with a flute solo that was going along smoothly until there was a cell phone that went off. My first reaction was some one in the band was going to get their ass chewed for having their phone on while performing, but to my amusement the flutist stopped in the middle of his solo, reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, looked who the caller was, put the phone back in his pocket and continued his solo as if nothing happened. Unbelievable.