India #1: Diabisity and Remittances and Global Indian Takeover

As I mentioned in an earlier blog entry coffee or tea in India usually refers to the flavor of milk served in a small cup with a lot of sugar. There is this new term in India called “Diabisty”, obviously a combination of diabetes and obesity. There are articles about this epidemic in Newspapers almost every day saying India is the diabetes capital of the world. Out of curiosity, I googled :India Diabetes capital and from what was returned apparently this is old news . India is indeed #1 and the world diabetes capital. I for my part have given up and ask for tea or coffee without any sugar as less sugar usually refers to 5 tablespoons, I think. Maybe I should pitch this radical idea to the esteemed Health Minister.

India is #1 on another list, Remittances, according to this aptly titled article: Remittance: India tops the world. I guess the best way for Indians to generate money in India is to leave the country and send money back home. This apparently is a matter of pride. Again as I mentioned this is a nation where anything can be used as propaganda and the masses will lap it up.

This dubious article: 36% of scientists at NASA are Indians: Govt survey appeared on the front page of the Times of India. I am reproducing some portions as it is pretty funny:

NEW DELHI: If you thought that Global Indian Takeover was just a hollow cliche leaning on a few iconic successes like Pepsi's Indra Nooyi, Citibank's Vikram Pandit and steel world's Lakshmi Mittal, there is a slew of statistics now to give it solid ballast.
The extent to which desis have made an impact in the US was reeled off in the Rajya Sabha — as many as 12% scientists and 38% doctors in the US are Indians, and in NASA, 36% or almost 4 out of 10 scientists are Indians.
If that's not proof enough of Indian scientific and corporate prowess, digest this: 34% employees at Microsoft, 28% at IBM, 17% at Intel and 13% at Xerox are Indians.

Anyway, there was a follow up in the Times of India titled India rising in US: Govt falls victim to net hoax. Here are some highlights:

Both Microsoft and NASA say they don't keep an ethnic headcount. While they acknowledge that a large number of their employees are of Indian origin, it is hardly in the 30-35 per cent range.
NASA workers say the number of Indians in the organization is in the region of 4-5 per cent, but the 36 per cent figure is pure fiction.

I guess along with Diabisity, this whole propoganda about India taking over the world seems to another epidemic that needs to be tackled right away.