India away

I'm off later today to India on a whistle-stop visit. I land in Delhi tomorrow morning at 6.30am and will be in the office for nine when the first people begin to arrive. My plans were to spend the best part of Tuesday there as well before catching a late afternoon flight to Pune (nee Poona), but was saddened to learn last week that it's a regional holiday in Delhi on Tuesday, so there's no point me going into the office. This is an unexpected bonus, and I will take the opportunity for a bit of sightseeing.


I am visiting our largest supplier in Pune on Wednesday and will make the four hour trip by road to Mumbai (nee Bombay) later that day. It's our newest supplier on Thursday morning and then I am free until 2.30am when my flight leaves for London. Another few hours to myself then and maybe a visit to the Gateway of India. 


I have been learning much more about India since I started looking after our suppliers there a year ago. I had a fair view of our common history but my eyes have been opened to the sheer scale and speed of which India is developing. Having always had/been fed overwhelmingly negative images of life in India, I am rapidly re-appraising my opinion. 


The consequences of the British Empire have often been seen very dimly (especially outside the UK) in the light of the political problems we invariably left behind and more recently in terms of a largely negative (British) view of immigration as a consequence (casually ignoring the reasons for the immigration and the undoubted benefits brought with it). 


I really believe that as the market for 'western' multi-nationals shifts increasingly eastwards and India (and China) reap the benefits of booming populations of highly educated and increasingly wealthy nationals, the United Kingdom may well come to be grateful for our history of Empire and Commonwealth with India. The people and family ties are particularly strong and investment (in all it's forms) is only moving in one direction. 


It's going to be a slog, so spare a thought. April is typically one of the two hottest months of the year across India. Temperatures in Delhi touch 40 degrees. Pune is on the Deccan plateau, 1500 feet above sea level, so should be slightly cooler and Mumbai is coastal, although it was stinking hot at midnight when I stopped over on my only previous visit.