16th
In Spite of the Gods
book rec: arthashastra (the science of wealth)
242: on india’s first cricket match vs. pakistan, in karachi: “every indian i met said he had been treated like a long-ost brother; shopkeepers had refused to accept their cash; taxi-drivers had declined fares; hotels were waiving bills; and people kept approaching them on the streets to offer sweets and other small gifts. ‘it is overwhelming’ same one among a group of indian men, all dressed in the blue shirts of their national team. ‘we didn’t know what to expect but we feared there would be hostility’. india won the game and received a prolonged ovation from the vast pakistan crowd.
329: laws are a modern talisman intended to bring results by the magical power of words themselves. hundreds of years ago, foreign chroniclers of india observed the tendencyof Brahmins to prefer words to action, and sometimes to believe they were one and the same thing.
what appears to be chaotic on the surface is often just how it should be.
“remember, india always wins”. India has a way of confounding you and still making you laugh abut it.
