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Can India be great?

That's a question covered by Sumit Ganguly in our new special feature site,APAC 2020: The Decade Ahead, which has been receiving some excellent feedback thus far--thank you. 

Lately, I've begun asking myself the same question--but more in terms of culture. This past November for instance, the net was abuzz with news coming out of the world-renowned and highly innovative TEDIndia conference (More on the non-profit organization TED here). I found the dynamic presentation by Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik titled 'East vs. West--the myths that mystify' both thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening.

And the issue of India's growing experimentation with cutting-edge modern culture was stirred for me again this week when I came across news that India's first ever ice lounge, 21 Fahrenheit--a concept restaurant made entirely of ice--has opened in Mumbai. At the revolutionary new hang-out, guests can escape the humdrum of their everyday sub-tropical climate and enter a cool zone fully equipped with navy 'blue furry parkas' and 'insulated moon-boots and gloves,' supplied by the venue. Mumbai, a metropolis furnished, as I've mentioned before, with a giant 'cybertecture' egg, now has a sub-zero entertainment hotspot. The signs are the country is continuing to develop increasingly globalised, top-class cultural offerings.

There will be more next week on this topic with some local insight from a self-proclaimed Mumbai gastronome.