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As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prepares to embark on his first ever state visit to India, here’s some general unsolicited advice to ensure he has a successful trip:
1. First things first.Brush up on his Hugging Skills.As Trudeau would be facing off with the greatest political ‘Hugger’ of the world in Indian PM Narendra Modi, he would do well to do practice at least 100 hugs a day.
2. Practice laughter.Mr. Trudeau would do well to consult with Ms. Renuka Chowdhury on how long and how loud his laughter in India should be.Anything above the Indian PM’s tolerance levels and Trudeau is likely to be dubbed a mythological character from Ramayana or Mahabharata by his Indian counterpart.
3. Carry his own booze and meat especially beef when he visits the state of Gujarat which is ‘dry’ and has a ban on beef consumption. And although his government only recently legalized marijuana in Canada, should Trudeau desire an ‘Indian high’, he simply needs to walk into any govt authorized ‘Bhang/Afeem’ store in Punjab to experience ‘Sunny Ways’ ..Indian style!
4. To conform to his ‘people’s person’ persona, PM Trudeau would do well to learn some moves from Indian dance forms especially bhangra and dandiya as these will bolster his ‘rockstar ‘ image in India while endearing him to the Punjabi and Gujarati population back home in Canada.
5. For the sake of ‘peoplekind’ and as a self-confessed ‘bad, joke maker’, Trudeau should completely avoid all Santa-Banta and Gujju themed jokes while in India.
Last but not the least, keeping politics and business deals aside, Trudeau should simply allow himself to be overwhelmed by the love and affection of the culture called India.
amitabh@weeklyvoice.com