Back after a long hiatus !!

It's been a crazy three months .. travelled to Singapore, Beijing, Bangkok, Jakarta, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur .. and have now got some respite.

The far-east really has a rich cultural heritage. Much like our own. And from what I've seen and experienced, they are proud of it.

They are not "fanatical" about their religious heritage being "run aground" by western influence - and I wonder why is it that we here in India feel so "threatened" by western influences. The Thai, the Koreans and the Malaysians enjoy BOTH, without feeling any guilt - but here in India, we make (those who "adopt" western styles) guilty of "abandoning" their roots !! Why ??

Just thought I'd make this point here ....

By the way, on the "bijlee" front, we had some small successes - and I have only managed to keep updating the yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bijlee/ .. will also update the http://bijleepower.blogspot.com/ pages ..

Here's wishing all of you a very safe and peaceful Diwali and a successful and productive New Samvat Year !!