Dear
Reader,
Greetings. The current issue of
Open Trade deals with the theme
we all value most in our lives,
namely culture. But here we are
talking about the art and culture
of different nations, all of them
members of the Trade Commissioners'
Forum, supporters of this quarterly
magazine. Culture gives a distinct
identity to societies and nations
as much as it does to people that
belong to them. We have written
about the ancient culture of Iran,
where culture is the country's glory.
The present day Israel's population,
comprising migrants from different
parts of Europe and the Middle East,
constitutes a confluence of cultures.
The United States, relatively a
new nation populated by migrants
from Europe and Latin America, offers
as the write-up on it says, a melting
pot of sizzling cultures. So is
Singapore, the model city state,
where different communities live
cheek by jowl but in perfect peace
and harmony. Each nation takes pride
in its culture, which encompasses
every aspect of its existence-art
and architecture, literature, music,
cuisine, costumes and lifestyle.
In fact, you could see the picture
of the suave and sophisticated Joseph
Koch, TCF's former President, sporting
a native costume in a write-up on
Switzerland. Yes, Mr. Koch is proud
of his culture. Culture is deeply
imbedded in a nation's psyche. Even
religion cannot erase it. In Indonesia,
puppet shows depicting stories from
the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata,
which the travelling traders from
ancient India carried with them
to the Far East and beyond. That
is the living culture. In Australia,
the aborigines and their art and
culture could not be subdued by
the surging population of European
emigrants. During Europe's Golden
Age, art and architecture thrived
and this fact is exemplified in
various visual displays in Italy,
France, Germany, the Czech Republic,
Romania, Poland and more importantly
Russia. The origins of corporate
houses worldwide acquiring art works
of famous masters can be traced
to Belgium. In this issue, we also
highlight the aspect of countries
coming together in sharing commerce
for global good. Now, we are talking
about globalization of commerce
and trade. Globalization has definitely
bought nations closer. And the process
of globalization is being expedited
by a revolution in communication.
The Internet has shrunk the world
to the size of a small globe on
your laptop. Cultures are merging
with each other without losing their
individual zing and flavour. Further,
booming travel and tourism business
has helped nations and their peoples
to get closer and share their cultures
and values. This process has already
kindled hopes for the evolution
of a global culture, which in a
larger context, reflects every culture.
As we have said in the cover story
of the current issue, the world
is slowly but surely whirling towards
that goal. The issue marks the end
of an exciting year and we take
opportunity to wish you a happy
and prosperous New Year.
Wish you happy reading
Satya
Swaroop
Managing Editor
satya@newmediacomm.biz
