(headline is tongue-in-cheek, friends)
As a child, I was always fascinated by elephants. Growing up in India, we would see one or two in our alley where we had a giant peepul tree and a mahout would come by once or twice year to feed his animal. When the Apollo Circus came to town, the elephants would pass by our street every day on the way to the Ganges river where the went to bathe and to frolic. Occasionally, the trainers would let my little brother and roll our soccer ball in fron of the beasts who would play a form of elephant soccer if they were in a good mood.
As a California resident, I travel to India on business often and it’s always a thrill to see one of these magnificent animals on the roadside. When Hachette approached me to write “Doing Business in 21st Century India” I immediately seized upon the elephant metaphor to represent India and outlined the story of the Blind Men and the Elephant in the introduction. Since then Shashi Tharoor has picked up on my theme with his book (The Elephant and the Cellphone) and last month the Economist titled their India study, An Elephant not a Tiger.
Elephants are complex, confusing, smart, clever, emotional, voracious and can be very precise. They outlive tigers. Remember that when India frustrates you 🙂
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
