Happy Diwali!

Ralph Waldo Emerson, my all-time favorite essayist (ok, besides E.B.White) remarked in one book: "Money, which represents the prose of life, and which is hardly spoken of in parlors without an apology, is in its effects and laws, as beautiful as roses." He could be referring to the week-long celebrations of Diwali-India's festival of big money which will begin literally from today. Ahmedabad wil...l be inactive till Nov.10. Mumbai will work with maximum "leavers". Rest of India will barter sweets, buy goodies and gifts, GoldLate-night card-playing will be on the cards. Priests with three mobile phones will charge their bonus-outstripping tariffs. More than twice GDP output of Greece and Portugal will go up in smoke in India in the form of crackers. Stockmarkets will celebrate Diwali and fair-looking men and fairies on CNBC, etc. will talk alongside their experts that Optimism is the only realism at this time of the year and dizzy levels of Sensex are round the corner.Eighty per cent of sugar, jaggery, kaala jamun, kova consumed in India will be amalgamated in orgy of sweets- liquid and solid. Pigeons and cats, dogs and sparrows will be moving helter-skelter thinking the sounds of fury is the sign of the world coming to an end. Meanwhile some 6000 screens all over the world and India will watch "Ra.One", "7th Sense" (and its Tamil Suriya Original) over the coming week. It aint getting bigger than this. India knows how to celebrate with style and I am throwing my hat in the ring from today. Happy Diwali to all in advance! Safe and Sure-fire!