“I was always looking for something to bring magic,” Yosef remembers. And then one day, he was given a book about India. He realized that there were other cultures with different ideas about life, more philosophies out there that might help him understand his distorted feelings. 

At age 32, he decided to move to New York.

Ironically, it was in the United States that his interest in India resurfaced through the yoga practice of Ashtanga. According to website Yogapedia, Ashtanga is:

“…named after the term given in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras for the eightfold path of yoga, or ashtanga, meaning “eight-limbed” in Sanskrit. [The eight-limbed path is a holistic guide towards liberation and self-realization.]

It was Sri K. Pattabhi’s belief that the asana [postural] “limb” of yoga must be practiced before the others could be mastered. The practice was developed in Mysore, India where Sri K. Pattabhi Jois taught and set up the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute.”

Yosef’s life quickly became all about the path of Ashtanga. He committed to the standard six days a week physical practice of postures [asana] and immersed himself in ancient Indian philosophy. The readings and scripts are where he experienced an instant, powerful connection. “It wasn’t until that moment that I actually understood what I was feeling in words. There was a homecoming element to it,” Yosef explains. “Here was a philosophy that came from outside of me, from a different country, yet it connected me to a truth of life and human experience that I had always felt.”

This interest in Indian philosophy led him on a journey of movement, veganism, meditation, and travel to India. He started practicing with an Ashtanga master in New York, with whom he eventually began his career as an instructor. Through practice, Yosef learned a valuable concept that he hadn’t grasped as an insecure, self-deprecating youth — self-love. 

After 11 years of teaching in New York, it became apparent to Yosef that it was time to move on. “I quit and didn’t know what to do. I thought about moving to India or Thailand, but then I remembered a yoga student had mentioned his friend’s yoga retreat center in Tulum.” 

Because Yosef spent five years as a child living in Nicaragua with his family, he spoke Spanish fluently and felt comfortable with Latin culture. After reaching out to the owner of the retreat center and receiving an invitation to visit, he went to Mexico.

“It’s funny,” says Yosef, “the first time I went to Bangalore to take the train to Mysore, I thought to myself ‘This looks so much like Central America’. And then I get to Mexico and I think ‘this feels so much like India!’” The smell of burning copal in the morning, the traditional languages and costumes of small villages, the artisanship and intricate textiles — these cultural similarities made him feel right at home and ready to start teaching.

Yoself picked up classes fast once arriving in Mexico and just as quickly learned how to adapt. Most notably, he had to let go of the structure of time. “Mexico is showing me to be in the now. It’s teaching me how to live in the moment and accept things as they are.” 

Which, by all accounts, is the overarching lesson of yoga.

In other words, Mexico has taught Yosef the true meaning of yoga.

Assimilating into Mexican culture is exactly this. A slowing down, an appreciation for what is, a sense of human connection and above all, humility. It’s interacting with people of all classes and ages, cultivating respect for the wisdom of ancient practices and developing an innate understanding that we’re all here together on this planet, so we might as well laugh and sing while we’ve got the chance. 

The essence of Ashtanga yoga is not a religious one. It’s a spiritual one, which is why, according to Yosef, Mexicans connect with it so well. As a relatively conservative Catholic society, “Mexicans are not looking for a religious connection [because they likely already have it]…they’re looking at [yoga] from a spiritual lens, they want the essence.” And it’s easier to connect to the essence of yoga’s teaching when it’s not intellectualized, like it tends to be in countries like the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. It’s a profound acceptance that has to be felt internally. 

Be in the now. Live in the moment. Accept things how they are. The morals of yoga are a wise approach to life in Mexico.

Just like the practice of Ashtanga, moving to Mexico requires you to be humble. As Yosef puts it, it means “leaving what you think you know outside. You came here, they didn’t come to you. You came here as a student.” Life in Mexico is a golden opportunity to learn and adapt to a new way of doing things.

Yosef is dedicated to leading his students through the reality of Ashtanga, the “friction between wanting something, not achieving, but showing up anyway.” Doesn’t that sound a bit like…learning Spanish?

This begs the question — will yoga deepen your connection to Mexico, or will life in Mexico deepen your connection to yoga?

That’s for you to decide.

If you’re in the Tulum area, practice with Yosef between Monday — Friday at Holistika Tulum. 

Bethany Platanella is a travel planner and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. She lives for the dopamine hit that comes directly after booking a plane ticket, exploring local markets, practicing yoga and munching on fresh tortillas. Sign up to receive her Sunday Love Letters to your inbox, peruse her blog, or follow her on Instagram.

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In the past three years, three significant global events have left many wondering where we go from here. The first of course was the COVID-19 pandemic, which ravaged supply chains and challenged the thinking of centralization of production in any one location.

Next came an increased concern globally on the degree of dependence on China, considering its government policies and lax intellectual property protection.

The third was the war in Ukraine, which changed the world’s perception of Russia (including as a destination for businesses), highlighted vulnerabilities in oil and natural gas supplies, and once again reminded us all of the fragility of peace.

Two significant and still developing business strategies have come out of these global events that I think are defining the next phase of globalization (or deglobalization): “China +1” and “nearshoring.”

China +1

The idea that China alone cannot be a single or primary source of supply for any company.  It makes sense for many companies to retain China as a key source of supply, but also add a +1 in another low-cost country

Nearshoring

The idea that both long product supply chains reliant on Asia and also long energy supply chains are increasingly risky is resulting in shifting production closer to customers, and/or to less vulnerable regions.

I think India and Mexico will be the key beneficiaries of both of these shifts, for reasons outlined below.

India has the population and low-cost base to be the most logical “China +1” winner. Of course, other countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand will benefit, but India has by far the most potential to be the biggest beneficiary.

Mexico has the geography, labor force, and cost base to be the most logical nearshoring winner. All of North America will benefit significantly from the nearshoring trend, but Mexico has the most potential.

Both countries have their share of challenges. They currently have polarizing political leaders with outsized influence. They have infrastructure challenges, social issues that must be overcome, and important water scarcity issues. But both also have huge potential if they make sound policy decisions.

This past year, Mexico and India reached an agreement to collaborate on projects across a range of areas, including water management and the production of low-cost vaccines.  Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard traveled to New Delhi to join Indian Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh to sign an agreement with India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry (SRE), Ebrard announced that Mexico and India will collaborate on and jointly finance “binational development and innovation projects in several fields,” including ones related to water, lithium, the aerospace industry, biotechnology and vaccines.

Under the new agreement, the SRE statement added, “both countries will identify priority projects for development, among which are water management, development of electro-mobility and production of vaccines at low cost.”

An interesting trend to note is Indian companies accelerating investing in Mexico. Last year, India’s Tata Consulting announced an investment in 2,500 IT consulting jobs in Monterrey, Mexico. Nuevo León’s governor Samuel García also announced a US $200M investment from India’s Vimercati, a leading company in the auto parts sector. And we recently reported on Hinduja Tech’s ambitious expansion plans nationwide.

More investment from other Indian companies is on the way, with Samuel García finishing up a trip to India late last year in which he announced investments from three of India’s largest companies including Tata Group, Infosys and HCL Tech. According to García, these companies will generate at least 7,000 jobs in Mexico.

The world is an increasingly complicated place for multinational companies to navigate. I think both India and Mexico will be clear winners in the next phase of globalization, and it’s fascinating to see how these two countries could collaborate, cooperate, and even complement each other given their unique strengths. I’ll be rooting for both countries in the next round of globalization!

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.

This article is part of Mexico News Daily’s “India in Focus” series. Read the other articles from the series here. 

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In this article, we’ll take a look at a variety of data on India and Mexico that allows objective comparisons to be made between the two countries in a range of different areas.

Did you know that India and Mexico are the world’s top two recipients of remittances?

Did you know that India’s population is more than 10 times larger than Mexico’s?

Read on to discover many other facts about India and Mexico in this latest addition to our data journalism series “Mexico in Numbers.”

Population and demographics

On April 24, 2023, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) released a policy brief that noted that the latest population estimates and projections indicated that China would soon cede to India “its long-held status as the world’s most populous country.”

“In April 2023, India’s population is expected to reach 1,425,775,850 people, matching and then surpassing the population of mainland China,” DESA said.

India’s current population of around 1.43 billion people — equivalent to approximately one-sixth of the global population of 8.1 billion — is more than 11 times the size of Mexico’s population, which was just over 126 million at the time of the last census in 2020 and is now about 129.1 million, according to Worldometer, a real-time statistics website.

India’s population has increased by more than 1 billion people since 1950, growing by more than 300% from 353 million in the middle of last century. Mexico has added more than 100 million people in the same period — 25.8 million to 129 million — and its population growth in percentage terms, at around 400%, is in fact even higher than that of India.

Meanwhile, the median ages of Indians and Mexicans are remarkably similar. In 2023, the median age of Indians was 29.5, according to a CIA World Factbook estimate, while the figure for Mexicans was just over a year higher at 30.6.

Out of 227 countries, India has the 89th youngest population, while Mexico has the 100th youngest, according to the CIA Factbook.

According to the World Health Organization, the life expectancy of Indians at birth was 70.8 years in 2019, up from 62.1 years in 2000. In Mexico, life expectancy is about 6% higher at just over 75.

Area and other geographical data 

With an area of 3.28 million square kilometers, India is the seventh largest country in the world.

Mexico’s territory covers 1.96 million square kilometers, making it the 13th largest country in the world.

Therefore, India is around 1.7 times bigger than Mexico.

The entirety of Mexico’s territory could fit into India along with five additional “Chihuahuas” (Chihuahua is Mexico’s largest state by area) and 20 extra “Tlaxcalas” (Tlaxcala is the smallest state by area).

India is divided into 28 states and eight union territories including the National Capital Territory of Delhi, whereas Mexico has 31 states and a 32nd state-like entity in Mexico City, the national capital.

The third highest mountain in the world, Kangchenjunga, is located in the Himalayas on the India-Nepal border. At 8,586 meters, its summit is almost 3,000 meters higher than that of the 5,636-meter-high Pico de Orizaba, an active stratovolcano on the Veracruz-Puebla border that is Mexico’s highest peak.

Indians in Mexico, Mexicans in India

Mexico’s 2020 census found that 1,825 Indian immigrants were living in Mexico, while the Indian Embassy in Mexico said in late 2023 that the Indian community in Mexico, including non-resident Indians and people of Indian origin, was about 8,000.

According to the embassy, about one-third of that number live in Mexico City, while the remainder of Mexico-based Indians are spread across numerous cities including Guadalajara, Monterrey, Querétaro and Cuernavaca. The IT sector is the largest employer of Indians in Mexico, the embassy said.

According to the Mexican government, just 71 Mexicans lived in India in 2022, down from 182 five years earlier.

Economy

In 2023, India was the world’s fifth largest economy with a GDP of US $3.73 trillion, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Indian economy last year was just over two times bigger than the Mexican economy, where GDP was $1.81 trillion in 2023, according to IMF projections. Mexico is currently the 12th largest economy in the world.

While India’s economy is large and growing, the wealth of its people as measured in per capita GDP is low as a result of its vast population. India’s GDP per capita was just US $2,411 in 2022, according to the World Bank, almost five times lower than that in Mexico, which was $11,496 the same year.

Data shows that the India’s economy is currently growing much faster than Mexico’s. GDP in India is projected to grow 7.7% in fiscal year 2023-24, which ends March 31, while Mexico’s economy expanded 3.2% in annual terms last year.

Wealth and poverty

The World Bank currently classifies India as a lower middle-income economy, while Mexico is classed as an upper middle-income country.

There is significant income inequality in both countries, epitomized by the stark contrast in living standards between the nations’ wealthiest and poorest people.

According to an Oxfam report published in early 2023, India’s richest 1% own more than 40% of the country’s wealth and the top 10% own more than 80%.

According to a 2021 report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), “Mexico has one of highest levels of inequality in the OECD (as measured by the Gini index and the share of income going to the richest 10% of people).”

The World Inequality Report 2022 said that the top 10% of income earners in Mexico earn over 30 times more than the bottom 50%.

The report, completed by the World Inequality Lab, said that just over 57% of all income goes to the top 10% of Mexican wage earners, while only 9.2% ends up in the pockets of the bottom 50%.

Two Indians, Mukesh Ambani and Guatam Andani, are among the 20 richest people in the world, according to Forbes, while one Mexican, Carlos Slim, makes the list.

With regard to poverty, a report published this year by an Indian government think tank and reviewed by Deutsche Welle said that the percentage of Indians living in “multidimensional poverty” has declined to 11% from 29% nine years ago.

“The numbers would appear to show strong progress towards the government’s goal of reducing multidimensional poverty to below 1%, but some economists have raised some serious doubts over the use of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) to make these claims, pointing out that the report does not paint the full picture,” DW reported.

In Mexico, data published by the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval) last year showed that 46.8 million Mexicans were living in a “situation of poverty” in 2022, down from 55.7 million in 2020.

The percentage of the population living in poverty in 2022 was 36.3%, down from 43.9% two years earlier, Coneval said.

“In 2022, 36 of every 100 people in Mexico had at least one deprivation of their social rights and had a [monthly] income … that was insufficient to purchase a [basic] food basket and necessary goods and services,” the council said.

Religion

Hinduism and Catholicism are the dominant religions in India and Mexico, respectively.

According to a 2021 Pew Research Center report, Hindus make up 79.8% of India’s population, while Muslims account for 14.2%.

“Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains account for most of the remaining 6%,” the U.S.-based think tank said.

The 2020 census in Mexico found that 77.7% of the population identified as Catholics, while 11.2% identified as Protestant or Evangelical. Thus, 88.9% of Mexicans consider themselves Christians. Just over 8% of the population said in 2020 they didn’t have a religion.

Other religions are practiced in Mexico, including Judaism and Islam, but the number of adherents is low.

Remittances and the Indian and Mexican diasporas   

India and Mexico are the world’s two largest recipients of remittances sent home be their nationals working abroad.

The World Bank said in December that “the top five remittance recipient countries in 2023 are India ($125 billion), Mexico ($67 billion), China ($50 billion), the Philippines ($40 billion), and Egypt ($24 billion).”

In February, the Bank of Mexico reported a lower 2023 remittances figure for Mexico, US $63.31 billion, but that amount was still a record high.

There are large numbers of Indians and Mexicans living outside their country of origin.

According to the United Nations, India has the world’s largest diaspora, with 17.9 million Indian-born people living abroad in 2020. Mexico ranks second, with a diaspora of 11.2 million people, the majority of whom live in the United States.

Popularity of leaders 

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador frequently boasts at his morning press conferences that he is the second most popular world leader after Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi.

In support of his claim, he presents data from the Global Leader Approval Rating Tracker, an initiative of United States business intelligence company Morning Consult.

The latest data, derived from polls conducted in 25 countries around the world, shows that López Obrador is once again the second most popular of 25 world leaders, with an approval rating of 63%.

Modi, as is invariably the case, is No. 1 with an approval rating of 78%.

López Obrador, who took office in December 2018, will hand over the presidential sash to his successor on Oct. 1. He is constitutionally barred from seeking reelection.

Modi has been prime minister since May 2014 and will seek reelection in a general election to be held later this year. In India, the world’s largest democracy, there are no term limits for prime ministers.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)

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Like the vast majority of boys (and increasingly girls) who grow up playing cricket on the streets and sports grounds of India, Tarun Sharma didn’t achieve either of those things, but he did accomplish a somewhat similar feat, albeit one that few, if any, kids in major cricket-playing nations have ever envisioned.

He became a national-level cricket player and captain in Mexico, of all places, where the top cricketers play for the love of the game rather than the large sums of money that are on offer in some countries, most notably India, which is home to the world’s most lucrative cricket competition, the Indian Premier League or IPL.

Sharma — a talented batsman who started playing cricket on the streets of the northern Indian city of Sonipat as a boy — debuted for the Mexican cricket team at the Central American Cricket Championships in Belize in 2006, and just over a decade later, was appointed national captain by the Mexico Cricket Association committee.

In just his second year as captain in 2018, he led Mexico to victory in the South American Cricket Championship, with the team remaining undefeated throughout the entire tournament in Colombia. The following year, Mexico lost to Argentina in the final of the same championship, but all in all, it was another successful campaign for a team led by a man who had long dreamed of playing cricket — his self-declared “passion” — at a high level.

“They all feel very proud of me,” Tarun told Mexico News Daily this week when I asked him what his family and friends back in India think of his impressive cricket achievements — so far from his original home.

“I myself am very proud, leading this team and playing for Mexico,” he said, adding that his parents and siblings, among others, take a keen interest in his cricketing exploits.

Sharma moved to Mexico for work 20 years ago and is now a dual Indian-Mexican citizen, which allows him to play for the Mexican national team.

During an interview on Monday, he gave me an overview of his unique cricketing story, which began in the most common of ways in India, but took an unexpected turn after he relocated to Mexico.

The journey to becoming Mexican cricket captain — via Maharashtra, Worcester and Milan 

Sharma pointed out that field hockey, rather than cricket, is the national sport of India, and explained that the game is particularly popular in his home state of Haryana, which borders the National Capital Territory of Delhi and several states in the republic’s north.

He played hockey at school and didn’t become interested in organized, competitive cricket until India won the 1983 Cricket World Cup in England and Wales. Sharma was 11 at the time, and, inspired by Indian players such as cricket legend Kapil Dev, decided to “get serious” about the sport he had previously only played after school with friends “for fun.”

He went on to play organized cricket through his teenage years and represented Sonipat at a district level at the age of 16 before moving to the state of Maharashtra to study engineering at university.

Sharma continued to play cricket, including at a high local level in Maharashtra, where he played with and against outstanding cricketers such as national representative Vinod Kambli. Later in the 1990s, he enjoyed stints playing cricket during summer in Worcester, England, the country where cricket originated more than 400 years ago.

In early 2004, having completed a Master’s degree in International Business in the U.K. and having started working for a Danish rubber production company, Sharma transferred with that firm to Mexico City, where his Mexican cricket adventure began.

Shortly after arriving in the capital, he began playing alongside other Indians in a team called Los Tigres de Bengala, or The Bengal Tigers.

Matches were played at Mexico’s home of cricket, the Reforma Athletic Club in Naucalpan, where cricket has been played since the late 19th century and continues to be played to this day. After a couple of highly successful seasons with the Tigres, and having met the residency-requirement to play for Mexico, Sharma was drafted into the national side for the inaugural Central American Championships in Belize, at which Mexico ending up losing the final to the host nation.

Thus, at the still young but not-so-tender age of 33, the international career of the stylish Indian-born bateador mexicano (Mexican batsman) was underway.

But just as it was getting started, Sharma’s international cricket career was interrupted as his work took him to Italy, where he kept up his skills by turning out for a cricket club in Milan.

However, his stay in Italy wasn’t a particularly long one, and by 2008 he was back living in Mexico.

Sharma returned to the national team soon after, and went on to play matches at home and abroad against countries including Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador and Chile, and even teams from the Falkland Islands and one representing the fabled Marylebone Cricket Club in London.

Playing in the Mexican team that won the 2014 South American Cricket Championship in Peru during the country’s inaugural participation in the tournament was a highlight.

Three years later, Sharma captained Mexico at the same tournament for the first time, and would go on to do so again at the 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023 editions. At last year’s championship in Argentina, he became, at the age of 51, the oldest ever international captain in T20 cricket, the shortest — and according to many people — most exciting form of the sport.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the list of the oldest captains, as displayed on the preeminent cricket website espncricinfo.com, is dominated by representatives of countries considered cricket “minnows” such as Luxembourg, Croatia and Cambodia. Tarun finds it somewhat amusing to find himself at the top of the list.

Having made his debut in international cricket almost two decades ago, and having led the Mexican team on numerous occasions over a period of six years, Sharma decided earlier this year to step down from the captaincy. But despite now being in the sixth decade of life, he is likely to play at least a few more international matches yet.

The mission to grow cricket in Mexico

“We want to see kids born in Mexico playing for the national side. That’s our objective, that’s our vision,” Tarun told MND, noting that most players who have represented the team relocated to Mexico from cricket-playing countries such as India and England, although one Mexican-born player, Australia-based Luis Hermida, has played for Mexico.

Sharma acknowledged that achieving the objective will be a “challenge” and asserted that to overcome it “we have to promote cricket in schools.”

With the support of the Mexico Cricket Association (MCA), cricket has been introduced in a small number of Mexican schools, but there’s still plenty of work to do in a country where football (or soccer) is easily the most popular sport, and cricket is virtually unknown.

Over the years, Sharma has dedicated countless hours of his spare time to coaching children and women, including many Mexicans, helping them hone their techniques and understand the sometimes confusing and complex rules of cricket.

He noted that one product of the junior cricket development program in Mexico, a Mexican 15-year-old boy, will travel to Costa Rica next month as part of the national team that will compete in this year’s Central American Cricket Championship.

Sharma also mentioned that Mexico sent a kids’ team to the Street Child Cricket World Cup in India last year, while junior national teams have participated in other international tournaments in recent years. The Mexican women’s team has also participated in recent international tournaments.

Sharma has also made significant contributions to growing cricket beyond metropolitan Mexico City, including in Querétaro, where he now lives. After becoming Mexican captain, he visited Guadalajara and Monterrey to meet with players and donate equipment provided by the MCA, and he played a key role in establishing an annual national cricket championship, at which teams from different parts of Mexico compete for the right to be known as the country’s best.

“I felt the need to have other regions [of Mexico] involved in the MCA. The idea is to grow cricket in other states,” he said, adding that his fellow Indians and other Mexico-based foreigners have helped to do that in various parts of the country.

Four decades after he first got serious about cricket in Sonipat, Sharma told MND his passion for the sport “is not dying,” explaining with those words words what motivates him to continue working to increase the popularity of cricket in Mexico, and to keep on coaching and mentoring new players while also playing the sport he loves himself, even if it’s just at the local level in Querétaro.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)

This article is part of Mexico News Daily’s “India in Focus” series. Read the other articles from the series here. 

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We at Mexico News Daily frequently write about the automotive industry, given its outsized importance, and are following two emerging trends that could accelerate not only the quantity but also the quality of jobs throughout the country. 

The first trend is that of electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing, led by companies like Tesla, Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, as well as by several Chinese companies.

The second is the relocalization of not only these foreign companies’ manufacturing processes to Mexico but also increasingly large parts of their engineering and R&D departments. This trend means more well-paid professional engineering jobs being created in Mexico.

Enter Hinduja Tech, an India-based company focused on integrated product engineering and digital solutions for the vehicle industry. Hinduja Tech helps its business clients move engineering and R&D functions closer to where they’re already doing their manufacturing, to lower costs and improve product development speed.

Hinduja is currently on a hiring spree, seeking 100 mechanical and electrical engineers throughout Mexico to help its customers localize engineering capabilities. 

I recently spoke with Vijay Malik, the company’s president of marketing and international sales to discuss Hinduja’s journey to Mexico.

After taking five years to hire its first 100 engineers in Mexico, Hinduja Tech is now looking to double that number this year alone. The company is confident it can grow both its personnel and revenue in Mexico by at least 25% per year going forward, Malik says, and he sees huge potential for growth given the acceleration of EV manufacturing moving to Mexico. 

Having witnessed the power of localization and outsourcing of its customers’ engineering in India, the company now sees Mexico as “the new India” to follow that trend. 

Hinduja Tech’s model aims to have approximately 70% of engineering work done in Mexico and the other 30% done remotely with specialized experts from India. 

Imagine a Hinduja Tech Mexican engineer working in a Japanese, American, or European automobile plant in Mexico, collaborating with colleagues in India — a fascinating mix of globalization and regionalization.

Mexico has already demonstrated that it has the skilled labor force to make auto parts and assemble vehicles in huge quantities.

This new opportunity is to “move up the food chain” by providing higher-level, value-added services — in this case, engineering work — to capture more high-skill jobs in Mexico.

These are higher-paid, less labor-intensive jobs — ones that require a college degree and pay middle- and upper-middle-class salaries. These are exactly the jobs that Mexico needs to develop to improve standards of living.

The country is already making strides: while just a few years ago, few women graduated from Mexico’s university-level mechanical and electrical engineering programs, Hindjua Tech’s Mexico-based engineering team is currently made up of over 10% women; and the company expects that percentage to grow. Its human resources team is made up entirely of women, and the Mexico leadership team is 100% local talent.

We at MND are closely following how companies from around the world are investing in Mexico — increasingly in the tech and engineering sectors — and Hinduja Tech is an interesting example of a company doing just that. 

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.

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But the vast distance between the two points was no barrier to a career at Cimmyt for Ravi Singh, a distinguished scientist who grew up in Varanasi but spent most of his working life at the renowned research organization and rose to become its head of global wheat improvement, a position he held for almost two decades before his recent retirement.

Singh — who received a multitude of awards during his long wheat-focused career, including the highest honor conferred by the Government of India to nonresident Indians — recently spoke to Mexico News Daily about his life and work in Mexico, his home since 1983.

After completing a PhD in agricultural genetics and biometry at Australia’s University of Sydney, he was offered a postdoctoral fellowship at Cimmyt, which developed in its early years under the leadership of prominent United States agronomist Norman Borlaug, a Nobel Peace Prize winner considered the father of the Green Revolution.

Singh accepted the offer and thus, as a young man, found himself working on the outskirts of the capital of a country where corn — not wheat — is most definitely king. Undeterred, the new doctor in agricultural genetics embarked on a career largely dedicated to the study of wheat, a crop thought to have first been cultivated more than 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, a region spanning several modern-day Middle Eastern countries, including Iraq, Israel, Jordan and Lebanon.

In Texcoco, Singh had the opportunity to build on the work of Borlaug and other agronomists and scientists and put his mind to a noble aim he had thought about since he was a boy lining up at ration shops in India: how to grow enough food to ensure that no one in the world goes hungry.

To that end, much of his work in Mexico focused on developing new wheat varieties that would thrive in different climatic conditions around the world and produce large crop yields as a result. Singh was certainly prolific in that regard: he contributed to the development, release and cultivation of over 700 wheat varieties in the 37 years he spent at Cimmyt.

“Even though you are in Mexico, you can generate very competitive materials for geographies like Australia, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, … the Ethiopian highlands, … even Nigeria,” Singh told MND, referring to wheat varieties that not only produce large yields but are also endowed with resistance to deadly disease pathogens, particularly those that cause different kinds of rust diseases in wheat.

“By continuously providing superior varieties, we increased wheat production and incomes of millions of smallholder farming families,” he said in a previous interview after winning the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, the top Indian government award for Indians who live abroad.

Speaking to MND, Singh highlighted that Cimmyt is a nonprofit research organization and thus “gives away” seeds for new wheat varieties and provides free access to the associated techniques and knowledge it develops. “We’re not in the seed business,” Singh emphasized.

Over the past four decades, Singh’s work has had a significant impact around the world — in Asia, in Africa and in Latin America, including in his adopted homeland, where wheat is an important crop albeit one that is not grown anywhere near as widely as corn.

He told MND that farmers in Mexico have long been receptive to the expertise he and other Cimmyt scientists share with them, noting that the wheat growers he met in Sonora — the country’s biggest wheat-producing state — during his early days in Mexico “were always looking for new technologies to improve their profitability [and] sustainability.”

Mexican farmers’ openness to sowing new wheat varieties and trialing emerging agricultural technologies made Mexico a good place to work for a scientist such as Singh, who four decades after moving here feels very much at home.

Food security

Singh told MND he is optimistic about humanity’s capacity to produce enough food for a growing global population, but cited a range of things he believes could soon pose a threat to food security.

They include climate change, seed shortages, insufficient government investment in agriculture and water infrastructure and a lack of capacity to store grains.

“In several countries, people think that the private sector is going to resolve all the problems, and that’s not the case,” said Singh, who also worked as an academic supervisor, authored hundreds of journal articles and is among the world’s top 100 plant science and agronomy scientists as listed by research.com.

“There is still a lot of need for the public sector to be engaged in agriculture,” and many countries around the world require additional capacity to store grain, he said.

Singh acknowledged that the current Mexican government has invested in agriculture and water infrastructure, but stressed that a lot more investment is needed, and that investment decisions need to be proactive rather than reactive.

Norman Borlaug and the Green Revolution 

According to the International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, “the Green Revolution is the term given to the use of high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of wheat and rice particularly during the 1960s to increase food crop production, especially in India.”

“The new seed varieties, popularly called ‘miracle’ seeds, were developed in Mexico (wheat) and the Philippines (rice), but it was the new dwarf varieties of wheat [developed by Norman Borlaug and others] which provided the bigger growth in yields per hectare,” the summary continues.

Mexico — and specifically the Yaqui Valley in Sonora where Borlaug introduced new wheat varieties in the middle of last century — is considered the birthplace of the Green Revolution.

While Borlaug has been described as “history’s greatest human being” and credited with saving “1 billion people from death by starvation,” the Green Revolution of which he was a key leader has also been criticized for a range of reasons, including for some negative impacts it had on the environment and water resources.

“Critics blame debt, displacement and ongoing malnutrition in India and elsewhere on a revolution they say was anything but green,” The Washington Post reported in 2020

Singh acknowledged that the Green Revolution is controversial, but emphasized the positive impact it had at a time when food insecurity was a major concern.

“It depends how you want to see it,” he said. “The Green Revolution provided food instead of letting people die,” Singh said.

In Mexico, the Green Revolution allowed Mexico to quickly become self-sufficient for wheat.

“In 1943, Mexico imported half its wheat, but by 1956, the Green Revolution had made Mexico self-sufficient, and by 1964, Mexico exported half a million tons of wheat,” according to Global Food Security, a United Kingdom cross-government program on food security research.

Over the past four decades, Singh contributed to the development of 68 wheat varieties released in Mexico in collaboration with the National Institute for Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research and other Mexican government institutions.

Mexico’s most widely grown bread and pasta wheat varieties were both developed by Singh’s team at Cimmyt. Mexican wheat varieties developed in Texcoco are also widely grown in India and many other countries, a testament to their proven capacity to produce large yields and resist disease.

New technologies in agriculture

Acknowledging that it will be a challenge to grow enough food for a global population that is projected to reach 10 billion in the second half of this century, Singh emphasized the need for people to accept the use of new technologies and techniques in farming.

“People will need to trust new [agriculture] technologies. … We need to be open-minded,” he said, noting that there is a general acceptance of new technologies in other fields such as medicine and manufacturing.

Concerning the cultivation and consumption of genetically modified crops — a particularly controversial topic in Mexico and North America — he suggested people shouldn’t only focus on the alleged cons of growing and eating GM food.

“You have to see what’s good about it before you straight-out reject it,” he said, highlighting that GM crops require less pesticide than their non-GM counterparts.

The lighter side of working in Mexico

Singh recalled some amusing experiences from his early days in Mexico when his Spanish was still very much a work in progress. He told MND that the first thing some of his “colleagues in the field” tried to teach him while he was working on farms near Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, was precisely “not what you should be learning.”

Nevertheless, Singh found value in the swearing and slang lessons he received, explaining that he saw them as an opportunity to learn what not to say in polite company.

“But then if by mistake you say [one of the bad words] everyone laughs. You need to be very cautious!” he said, before noting how such interactions with his Mexican colleagues in fact helped to build camaraderie.

Life in Mexico 

Singh said that the friendliness of the Mexican people has been a constant throughout the 40 years he has lived in Mexico, and noted that he has developed strong bonds with colleagues, friends and neighbors during that time.

He has observed many changes in Mexico since he moved here in the early 1980s, describing his adopted homeland as a constantly “evolving” country. He also remarked that the Indian community in the greater Mexico City area has grown considerably over the same period.

In his initial years in Mexico, Singh recalled gathering with “just five or six [Indian] families” for cultural celebrations such as Diwali and Holi, whereas he recently attended an event at the Indian Embassy alongside hundreds of his compatriots.

“I met people there who I had never met before,” Singh said after acknowledging that the Indian community in Mexico is now “huge.”

While he’s now retired from his position as head of global wheat improvement at Cimmyt, he remains a senior advisor for the research center and continues to share his vast knowledge with farmers in Mexico and those abroad in countries such as China and his native India.

Singh told MND that he would visit both Asian countries during wheat harvests in the first half of this year to observe firsthand the results of the latest growing seasons and hear about the challenges farmers face.

But as much as he likes to travel, the acclaimed wheat geneticist and breeder is always happy to return to Mexico, where he has now lived for more than half his life.

Mexico today, “just feels like it’s my home — that’s it!” Singh said.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)

The post He left India for Mexico to solve global hunger: Meet Ravi Singh appeared first on Mexico News Daily

The colors of India and Mexico are remarkably similar. Imagine an Indian wedding taking place in Mexico: A golden explosion of colors, including yellows, bright pinks, and lots of orange, reminiscent of the cempasúchil flower used in the altars of the traditional Day of the Dead. Envision the traditional “Baraat” of Indian weddings, the procession of the groom with his family and friends, either on horseback or on an mounted on an amazing elephant, with the backdrop of the blue ocean in Cancún, the Ángel de Independencia, or the magical colonial streets of San Miguel de Allende behind. Every year, more and more Indian weddings are celebrated in Mexico, and it isn’t hard to see why.

What does a traditional Indian wedding ceremony look like?

Traditional Indian weddings typically take place over three days. They begin with a celebration known as the “Mehndi”, where the bride’s skin is painstakingly decorated with intricate henna paintings. Then, the couple are blessed during the “Haldi,” when yellow turmeric powder is thrown to bring luck to the marriage. This is followed by the “Sangeet,” a brightly colored festival of flavor and color that proceeds the Baraat.  

Finally, on the third day, the wedding ceremony itself takes place. The “Samskara” is a rite that represents sacred trust between the newly wedded couple.

When did you start seeing more people planning Indian weddings in Mexico? 

I have been a wedding planner for 13 years and I started specializing in destination weddings for foreigners in Mexico nine years ago, which led to my first Indian couple interested in getting married in Mexico City in 2018. 

For me, it was something very different, before this, Indian weddings had never been received in Mexico City. Cities like Cancún, Los Cabos and San Miguel de Allende have been recognized as destinations for Indian weddings for about 15 years. Now there is a new trend that started in 2018 — National Geographic mentioned Mexico City as the best destination to travel in 2019, and I think that triggered a boom, a trend in the destination.

What extraordinary experiences stand out in the Indian weddings you have planned in Mexico?

We have to get some elements for the ceremony that are very specific, like dried coconuts, banana leaves, different fruits and seeds, which can sometimes be a challenge to source, although we always do our best to comply with every request.

All couples are looking for new experiences, from finding a very original destination like Mexico City and the surrounding areas, to discovering original experiences that can make guests say “wow” — which is our biggest challenge. For one of our recent weddings, we took the bride and groom out in a helicopter.

What are the latest trends in international weddings or destination weddings in Mexico? 

I think that Mexico offers a higher level of hospitality and the trend is to have experiences that include different wedding days where the bride and groom can get to know better their guests and discover new experiences in the destination. These might include tourist attractions, a trip to Xochimilco or Teotihuacán before the wedding day; an icebreaker on a large terrace, in a skyscraper or in one of the many parks we have in the city. Then the main wedding day is celebrated, and afterward there is a brunch or some other tourist activity.  I think this trend is occurring all over Mexico, not just in Mexico City, and as long as there is a guide who can orient and help execute this multi-day experience with good logistics, I think Indian weddings in Mexico will be the trend for the next ten years. They will continue to take place in big venues, with big productions and” wow” effects, all across the country. I am very excited because I love to see people leaving Mexico and talking amazingly about it, people wanting to come back and invite others to come — that is great.

How much would you estimate an Indian wedding in Mexico cost vs the U.S. or India?

In Mexico, the cost of an Indian wedding is not necessarily less than in the U.S., but you can certainly get more for the same price. One big difference is that you can not get an amazing setting in the U.S., whereas in Mexico, you can find historical, archaeological and natural wonders to host your dream wedding ceremony. I advise starting planning for the wedding a year in advance because it is necessary to make two visits. The first visit should be to select the venues for the Haldi, Mehndi, Ceremony, Baraat, Sangeet and Reception. It is also important to choose the hotel that your guests will be staying in. The second visit should be to finalize important details such as the menu tastings and makeup trials, as well as the events for the days of the wedding. 

Many couples shared with MND that they were happy to see their money go 25-30% further by hosting their wedding in Mexico. And their guests were even happier to not only spend less on their travel and accommodations, but they got the added bonus of a Mexican vacation!

What makes Mexico an ideal place to host your Indian wedding?

First, the similarity in the culture, and secondly the tourist attractions. Mexico’s cities offer completely different events, celebrations, and can really provide a complete wedding experience. In particular, Mexico City has world-class hotels like the St. Regis, Ritz Carlton, Sofitel and Hyatt Regency, so it has the glamour that they are looking for. Indian couples are looking for a good travel experience, good logistics, more tourist attractions, great suppliers and wedding productions, but also extra glamour — particularly great hotels with outstanding hospitality across the board. All these points have contributed to an emerging trend of marrying in Mexico. The production values for this type of wedding, and the advantages that Mexico offers these couples are countless.

I think there is a great similarity between the cultures and that is why Indian couples have been very attracted: there is a familiarity in the food, the color, the folklore, the music, the way our people are, the hospitality, we feel very similar. We identify very much.

Ana Paula de la Torre is a Mexican journalist and collaborator of various media such as Milenio, Animal Político, Vice, Newsweek en Español, Televisa and Mexico News Daily.

The post Why are more Indian couples choosing to marry in Mexico? appeared first on Mexico News Daily

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

TAMANNA BEMBENEK: You have named three key priorities for the India-Mexico relationship: tech, trade and tourism. In the current geopolitical climate, what unique opportunities do you see for Mexico and India to work together specifically around trade?

AMBASSADOR PANKAJ SHARMA: The three pillars of tech, trade and tourism derive from the priorities laid out by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, and we are working towards forging mutually beneficial collaborations in each of these areas. As far as trade is concerned, the confluence of various factors presents a favorable environment for collaboration. 

Firstly, with global shifts in supply chain dynamics, India and Mexico can collaborate to offer alternative manufacturing and sourcing options, providing more resilience to disruptions.

Secondly, leveraging the complementary strengths that both countries share can lead to mutually beneficial partnerships, especially in sunrise sectors such as renewable energy.

Thirdly, identifying specific sectors of mutual interest such as pharmaceuticals, automotive and information technology can contribute to boosting bilateral trade and investments.

Last, but not least, there is a need to simplify trade procedures and regulations, as well as reduce barriers to trade.   

Today bilateral trade relations between India and Mexico are on an upswing, reaching an all-time high of US$ 11.4 billion in 2022. India is Mexico’s tenth-largest trading partner. To  expand this trade potential, the Embassy of India in Mexico launched an initiative to establish The Trade & Commerce Council of India, which aims to foster cooperation between the businesses of India and Mexico.

When we talk about tourism, the number of Mexicans visiting India has slowly increased as we come out of the shadows of COVID-19 pandemic. Indians have also started looking at Mexico, especially for destination weddings. If we smooth out the  challenges in terms of visas, direct flight connectivity and flight costs, I am sure that we can grow tourism between our countries. 

TB: India has made great strides in raising its profile as one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. What can Mexico learn from India?

PS: Both India and Mexico have made great strides, which is evident from the recent economic data. India has become the world’s 5th largest economy, while Mexico has become the 12th largest economy. Mexico continues to attract investments with its nearshoring opportunities, while India with its economic reforms is becoming a manufacturing hub of Asia. 

India has done well to implement ease-of-doing business reforms. In addition, introduction of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) in 2016 brought a paradigm shift in handling  corporate insolvency. As a result of these reforms, India has made the highest jump by any large country since 2011 in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index. 

India has also focused on digital transformation. The Digital India program, launched in July 2015, is a flagship program of the Government of India that has transformed the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. The government’s focus on digital public infrastructure has resulted into India being the second-fastest digital adopter among 17 major economies of the world.

This has created a huge market for a host of digital services, platforms, applications, content, and solutions, and an attractive opportunity for global and local businesses to invest in emerging technologies like AI, block chain, or quantum technology. 

India’s focus on infrastructure development, including transportation, energy and connectivity has played a crucial role in supporting economic growth. 

The Indian government’s push on skill development is paying dividends. Under the Skill India Mission, launched in 2015, the focus is on short and long-term training programs for the country’s workers. Between 2017 and 2023 more than 10 million people have been trained under this program to create a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable future. 

Lastly, India is successfully diversifying its economy, moving beyond traditional sectors to embrace technology and innovation. With 100+ “unicorns”, India has the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. India has also made a huge leap of 41 places in seven years in the WIPO’s Global Innovation Index with a 50% increase in the filing of patents in the last seven years.

However, all of this growth would be pointless if the last person in the queue did not benefit. Staying faithful to Mahatma Gandhi’s “Antyodaya” concept (working towards uplifting the poorest populations)  the government is aiming to make economic growth as inclusive and equitable as possible.

TB: The Indian Embassy together with the Mexican Foreign Affairs Ministry held the first joint IT forum in Mexico City in October last year. What does Mexico need to do to attract more IT investment from India?

PS: Mexico has already become an attractive destination for IT investments, not only due to the nearshoring opportunities, but also the fact that Mexico has some of the best IT educational institutions and skilled professionals.

We already have the presence of several major IT companies from India, like HCLTech, TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Birla Soft, Tech Mahindra in Mexico. System Soft technologies and Grey Matter solutions are recent additions. LTIMindtree has opened its first delivery center in Mexico City. More Indian companies like Avahi, Aryanco Partners are exploring the Mexican market and will enter soon. So there is already a good flow of Indian investments in this critical sector in Mexico.

The India-Mexico High Tech forum was an attempt to bring together these IT companies from both India and Mexico and brainstorm on some of the key emerging areas, such as Fintech and Artificial Intelligence, and to build useful synergies.

TB: What does Mexico need to do to attract more pharmaceutical/medical device investment from India?

PS: Pharmaceutical products are an important component of our trade basket with Mexico and an important sector for Indian investment.We already have the presence of Sunpharma, Torrent, Cipla, Heterodrugs, Zydus, Dr.Reddy’s, Lupin, Micro Labs, Accord Pharma and others in Mexico. However, there is still  scope to further expand the presence of Indian pharmaceutical players, which will substantially benefit the Mexican people by making a wide variety of quality medicines available at an affordable cost, in keeping with the priorities of President López Obrador.

TB: What can India do to deepen the relationship with Mexico? Why is a strong India- Mexico relationship important in today’s world?

PS: The continued high-level exchanges have helped to increase bilateral ties between the two countries.The two visits to India by former foreign minister of Mexico Marcelo Ebrard 2022 and 2023 outlined new areas of cooperation, particularly in science and technology and health. To give an example, ImmunoAct, an Indian company, is collaborating with the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition (INCMNSZ), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) and AMEXCID to bring new cancer therapy to Mexico at a substantially lower price than other cancer therapies. 

During the most recent visit of former foreign minister Ebrard to India in March 2023, a MoU was signed for joint research in priority areas of hydraulics, electric mobility and low-cost vaccines. 

The space industry is another potent area of collaboration between our two countries. Recently, India achieved an important feat by becoming the first country to land a space probe on the South Pole of the moon and only the fourth country ever to soft-land on moon. The world was surprised to learn that the cost of this project was just US $75 million. India also successfully sent an orbiter to Mars, which cost only US $73 million, showcasing the Indian space agency’s capability of launching highly cost-effective and successful projects. We already have a few memorandums of understanding between Mexico and India  in the areas of remote sensing and forest fire management.

In the dynamic landscape of today’s globalized world, a robust relationship between India and Mexico holds paramount significance.

Both nations are pivotal players in their respective regions, and a strong partnership can contribute to a more balanced and diversified global order. By fostering closer economic ties, sharing technological advancements, and collaborating on regional and global issues, India and Mexico can collectively contribute to the stability of an increasingly interconnected world. Economically, closer India-Mexico ties open up vast opportunities for trade and investment. Both countries possess unique strengths and resources that complement each other. Collaborative efforts can result in job creation and bring overall economic prosperity for both the nations. 

Lastly, the alignment of India and Mexico on shared values such as democracy, multiculturalism, and a commitment to international law provides a strong foundation for diplomatic cooperation. By working together on global issues ranging from climate change and sustainable development to global health challenges, we will contribute to the overall stability and progress of the global community. 

TB: What is something that has surprised you about Mexico and Mexicans in your time here?

PS: I am grateful that my job gives me the opportunity to travel and experience life in different places. In Mexico, I am surprised by the sheer number of delicious tacos and no matter how hard I try, I can’t convince anyone to share their mole recipes with me. I guess that’s a well-guarded secret in Mexico! But in all seriousness, the warmth and kindness of people, the vibrant culture and the incredible landscapes leave me in awe of this great country.  

TB: Many Mexicans are fascinated by Indian culture. What cultural ties between India and Mexico are you looking to promote or emphasize?

PS: It is quite heartening to witness Mexican admiration for Indian culture. India and Mexico are two ancient civilizations and we are proud of our history, culture and traditions. The Mexican Nobel Laureate and ambassador Octavio Paz beautifully captured these similarities in his writings. To further build upon this, there’s a need to weave a bond of shared experiences that transcends geographical boundaries.

One way we are bringing  India closer to Mexico is through the Gurudev Tagore Indian Cultural Center. Not only have we opened the doors to our friends in Mexico to celebrate the Indian festivals together in Mexico City, but we have also brought various cultural troupes and organized cultural programs in different cities of Mexico to enable a deeper exploration of language, literature and traditional practices. I invite all my Mexican friends to be part of our celebrations and enjoy the various dance, yoga, music and other classes on offer.

India has been a regular participant of the Cervantino and Santa Lucia cultural festivals, as well as FINI (International Image Festival) and FIL (International Book Fair). Cultural engagements with local institutions are as important. We have a few major events planned in the coming weeks, such as an “India Day” in partnership with the Ibero-American University and an Indian film festival to be held in various cities of Mexico.

Our hope is to create a greater understanding that goes beyond stereotypes, forging a strong bridge between the people of India and Mexico. However, governments are just one part of this kind of cultural bonding. It is the people who are the real ambassadors of culture, and we are proud to have a vibrant Indian community living across Mexico, which has done commendable work in bringing the two countries closer. 

For updates on Indian government initiatives in Mexico, follow the Embassy of India in Mexico on X.

This article is the third in Mexico News Daily’s “India in Focus” series. Read about the history of relations between India and Mexico here and their cultural similarities here.

The post Pankaj Sharma, Indian Ambassador to Mexico, talks to Mexico News Daily appeared first on Mexico News Daily

To make sense of it all, I started inevitably comparing it to other countries. What are the quintessential elements of Mexican culture?

• Bright art and patterned textiles
• Colorful cuisine that uses a variety of chiles and spices
• A deep commitment to family and tradition
• Ancient gods and goddesses weaved into monotheistic religion
• Ancient medicinal practices with an emphasis on natural remedies 
• A distinct social class system

All of which sounds like…India!

Pankaj Sharma, India’s Ambassador to Mexico, said in an interview with Mexico News Daily that “India and Mexico are two ancient civilizations that are proud of their history, culture and traditions.”

To determine the similarities between these age-old cultures, I spoke with an artist, a yoga instructor, a chef, a mushroom expert and a news media entrepreneur, MND’s very own Tamanna Bembenek.

Let’s start with art

Jane Zweiger, a visual artist from New York, has studied and exhibited all over the world. Before moving to Mexico a year and a half ago to live and paint, she spent a month with master artisans in India to study the art of Pattachitra painting. 

“Both Mexican and Indian art share visual narrative, expressive figuration, attention to detail and vivid color,” Jane says, adding that “Mexican ex-voto paintings are spiritual and religious in nature, often depicting miracles and saints. Indian Pattachitra paintings depict spiritual images of multiple deities, as well as mythological beings and folklore.” 

Jane’s paintings are bright, bold and symbolic, so it’s no surprise that she’s been heavily “influenced by the vibrant colors of Mexican art.” The abundance of folk art produced in both countries celebrates storytelling in a way that is clearly “spiritual but also grounded in the everyday”.

What is the “everyday” grounded in, exactly?

The role of community

According to Tamanna, it’s grounded in community. 

Tamanna, who was born in India, gave me a fascinating masterclass on bold colors, spicy food, spirituality and tradition, showing me that the Mexican and Indian cultures are far more alike than they are different.

Tamanna sees a lot in Mexico that reminds her of home. Witnessing people of all ages interacting together in parks and public squares, dancing, singing and talking, brings her back to her childhood in India. The central role of relationships weaves the two cultures together and it’s common to see family and friends “spending time together, eating, socializing, [and] celebrating small to large events.” 

A reverence for elders is prevalent in Mexico, as it is in India. For her, it’s comforting to watch youth speak and act respectfully towards the elderly, regardless of whether they are a member of the family, friends of the family or complete strangers. 

The “everyday” is also grounded in aesthetics.

Surrounded by flora and fungi

Both Tamanna and Yosef Zur, an Ashtanga teacher based in Tulum, mentioned plants as a visual theme. In countries like the United States and Canada, where houseplants can be costly, it’s not as common to fill your home with flowers and trees. In Mexico and India, however, they’re everywhere. 

“Banana trees, papaya trees, containers full of plants all around the house, on roofs…it doesn’t matter if you’re poor, you still have plants!” Yosef smiles as he describes this “desire to bring beauty to the community” as one of the common links between Mexican and Indian culture.

Plant medicine also plays a deep role in Mexican and Indian societies. India has been reliant on Ayurveda to prevent and treat various medical ailments for thousands of years, using herbs such as turmeric, cumin and triphala. In Mexico, herbs like achiote, cinnamon and oregano are often used in addition to, or in lieu of, Western medical treatments. According to Biodiversidad Mexicana, 80% of Mexico’s population uses herbs and plants as medicine and, like India, has integrated their use into its modern health system. 

In the same vein, India and Mexico share the perfect microclimate and biodiversity to cultivate another medicinal staple: mushrooms. Dennis Walker, a Mexico-based mycologist and owner of Mycopreneur, states that both countries are home to “numerous identical psychoactive and medicinal mushroom species. An example of this includes Ganoderma lucidum – more popularly known as Reishi.”

And because “native tribes traditionally placed greater emphasis on oral transmission of sacred knowledge rather than written documentation,” there is still plenty to discover.

A devotion to flavor

Herbs and spices aren’t used only for treating ailments, as we know quite well living in Mexico.

Food, from its color to its communal significance, bridges an ocean’s gap between Mexico and India. Alberto Harwy, head chef of Taller Xilotl in Mexico City, says “To speak about these two cultures is to speak about strength. Both cultures are intense, ancient and full of color and smells.”

He compares mole to curry, a dish that is so widely respected in each country that it is imbibed with almost a religious reverence. Alberto and his Indian culinary partner Anshul also mention the ubiquitous presence of street food, a concept that is fundamental to city life in both countries. 

Alberto mentions that the chile de árbol is a staple ingredient in both cuisines, along with spices like cumin, coriander, cloves and cinnamon. To make all these tasty dishes, Mexican and Indian cooks rely heavily on clay cookware, wooden spatulas, and mortar and pestles to grind spices and make sauces. 

Moreover, food plays a significant role in the preservation of ancient traditions, specifically altars. Colorful altars can be found everywhere, from houses to street corners, and often contain edible offerings for deceased loved ones and the gods.

And to God(s)?

Both Mexico and India are known for syncretism, the incorporation of multiple religions into one. While Mexico is a largely monotheistic Catholic nation since the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500s, locals managed to weave in Indigenous rituals that honor their multiple pre-Columbian gods. Every fall, Mexico itself turns into a colorful altar of marigolds in celebration of Day of the Dead.

India is a melting pot of many religions, including Hinduism and Sikhism. Hinduism is a polytheistic belief system of sorts — there are many deities which are manifestations of one god Brahman — and Sikhism is a syncretistic blend of Hinduism and Muslim worshiping one god. Still, Diwali is a country-wide celebration of joy, light and the goddess Lakshmi, characterized for its abundance of — you’ll never guess — marigolds.

All of this feels a little mystical, doesn’t it?

There is an energy in Mexico, just like there is an energy in India, that is strong and tangible. How does it feel to visit Chichén Itzá? Varanasi? Powerful, right? These are locations deemed sacred by Indigenous cultures for their spiritual energy, and millions of visitors are lured to discover their intrigue every year.

So what’s the ultimate thread that ties together India and Mexico? You could answer this question in a variety of ways. Culture, tradition, food, art, color, spirituality, family. 

If you ask my opinion, though, I’d say, it’s magic.

Bethany Platanella is a travel planner and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. She lives for the dopamine hit that comes directly after booking a plane ticket, exploring local markets, practicing yoga and munching on fresh tortillas. Sign up to receive her Sunday Love Letters to your inbox, peruse her blog, or follow her on Instagram.

The post Tradition, flavor and art unite the cultures of Mexico and India appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Since the commencement of formal relations in 1950, “the trajectory of our all-round bilateral ties has shown growing intensity,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during a joint press conference in 2016 with Enrique Peña Nieto, Mexico’s president at the time.

While the formal Mexico-India relationship was established 74 years ago, the connection between the two lands and their peoples goes back centuries.

In this article — the first in our “Global Mexico: India in Focus” series — I’ll take a look at how the relations between the two countries have changed over time, and also consider the state of bilateral affairs between Mexico and India today.

Trade and cultural ties in colonial times 

Between the mid-1500s and the early 19th century, a sea trade route known as the Manilla Galleon operated between Manila, Philippines, and Acapulco, Mexico.

The establishment of the northern Pacific route allowed a range of Indian products to reach Mexico, which, during the period, was under Spanish control and called the Viceroyalty of New Spain. They included textiles, cinnamon and pepper as well as mango, tamarind and coconut trees.

Silver, chiles, tobacco and chocolate were among the goods shipped along this route from New Spain to Asian countries including India.

There was also an exchange of people between Asia and the Americas in this period, and many of those who traveled east across the Pacific Ocean were “Indian women who were placed in wealthy families and convents in Mexico City, Puebla and other affluent cities of New Spain,” according to Mexico’s Embassy in India.

One of these immigrants, according to legend, was a woman baptized in Mexico as Catarina de San Juan. Better known today as “La China Poblana” — at least partly because she married the Chinese servant of a priest in Puebla — Catarina de San Juan is credited by many with inspiring Mexico’s national dress, also called a China Poblana, due to the traditional Indian clothes she wore, including a garment called a langa voni.

Mirra — as was her original name — was “born around 1606 in India during the Mughal dynasty,” according to a journal article published by Colorado State University.

“She grew up amidst royalty until her parents, fleeing a ‘Turkish’ invasion, left for a safer city, according to one of her biographers, the Jesuit Alonso Ramos. One day when she and her younger brother were playing on the beach, ruthless Portuguese pirates abducted her,” the article continues.

She was taken to New Spain as a slave but ended up living much of her life in a convent in Puebla.

“She adopted the Catholic faith with such fervor that she became widely known for her religious visions and ecstasies,” according to Mexico’s Embassy in India. “The fact that she had accepted Catholicism so enthusiastically despite being born into another religion made her an exemplary case.”

Another fascinating story of interaction between Mexicans and Indians is one that played out in the United States in the early 20th century.

A significant number of Mexican women married Indian Sikhs, which resulted in the emergence of many Punjabi-Mexican enclaves in states like California, Texas and Arizona.

“The restrictive migration policies of the U.S. pushed solidarity between the Indian and Mexican migrants that had settled in California and Texas and mainly worked in the agricultural fields,” according to Mexico’s Embassy in Delhi.

“Recently, scholars … [have been] studying the rise and decline of a Punjabi-Mexican community that was composed of around 400 marriages, mostly Mexican women with Sikh men.”

1950 to the 2020s: A brief history of the modern Mexico-India relationship

Three years before bilateral diplomatic relations were established, Mexico recognized India’s independence, becoming the first Latin American nation to do so.

In 1961, India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, visited Mexico.

“The similarities between India and Mexico are many, Mr. Prime Minister,” Mexican president Adolfo López Mateos said in a welcome address.

“Listing them would be long-winded, but there is one that unites us in such a way in present times that we cannot not mention it: the persevering effort of India and Mexico in the struggle for peace,” he said.

López Mateos traveled to India in 1962, becoming the first Mexican president to visit the nation. The bilateral relationship developed further with the dispatch the same year of Octavio Paz to New Delhi to serve as Mexico’s ambassador to India. Mexicans’ knowledge of India also developed as a result of the time Paz spent in India. The winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature wrote books about the country while he was there, including the non-fiction work In Light of India.

“Waves of heat; huge grey and red buildings, a Victorian London growing among palm trees and banyans like a recurrent nightmare, leprous walls, wide and beautiful avenues, huge unfamiliar trees, stinking alleyways, torrents of cars, people coming and going, skeletal cows with no owners, beggars, creaking carts drawn by enervated oxen, rivers of bicycles,” Paz wrote in a lyrical description of Bombay, now called Mumbai.

According to India’s Embassy in Mexico, the bilateral relationship with Mexico over the past seven decades “has been characterized by warmth, friendship and commonality of views on a wide range of issues.”

“During the Cold War years, Mexico and India worked together closely as members of the UN, G-77, G-15 and G-6 (nuclear disarmament), both actively championing the interests of developing countries such as in the Uruguay Round of Trade Negotiations.”

Over the years, the two countries have reached agreements in a range of areas including science and technology, cultural cooperation, tourism, agriculture, academic cooperation, human rights, renewable energy and water management. They have also cooperated on major global issues such as nuclear disarmament and climate change.

In 2007, Mexico and India entered into a “privileged partnership,” while Prime Minister Modi and former president Peña Nieto committed in 2016 to elevate bilateral relations even further to the status of “strategic partnership,” an objective that has not yet been reached but could be soon.

“We are now looking to move beyond a buyer-seller relationship and into a long-term partnership,” Modi said during his 2016 press conference with Peña Nieto.

“Information technology, energy, pharmaceuticals, and automotive industries are among key growth areas of our commercial linkages. But, there is potential to expand our commercial and investment [partnership], and science and technology partnership in new areas,” he said.

At the opening of a Mexican consulate in Mumbai last year, then foreign affairs minister Marcelo Ebrard said that the relationship between Mexico and India was closer than ever “for several reasons,” including “geopolitical stress and similarities in our positions in the world,” investment flows between the two countries and “the will” of President López Obrador and Prime Minister Modi to strengthen ties.

Later in 2023, Economy Minister Raquel Buenrostro traveled to New Delhi for the G20 Summit, where she met with Prime Minister Modi and other Indian officials.

Bilateral relations today

India — the world’s most populous country and fifth largest economy — was Mexico’s 10th largest trade partner in 2022, with two-way trade between the two countries valued at US $11.4 billion, according to the national statistics agency INEGI. The figure represents an increase of almost 13% compared to the previous year.

At US $7.54 billion, the value of India’s exports to Mexico was almost double the value of Mexico’s exports to India, which generated revenue of US $3.86 billion in 2022.

India’s exports to Mexico include motor vehicles (the top export in 2022), auto parts, aluminum, chemical products, rubber tires and clothes. Mexico’s exports to India include gold (No. 1 in 2022), cell phones, data processing machines, oil, auto parts and chemicals.

Another important aspect of the modern-day bilateral relationship is cultural exchange. In India, Mexico’s embassy promotes Mexican art and culture in a range of different ways, including in museum exhibitions and art festivals.

“Our focus goes on to include identification of cultural ties and common social experiences that bind Mexico and India together and their articulation through literature, visual and performative arts,” the embassy says.

“The Embassy of Mexico believes that culture is a powerful tool for reinforcing and affirming the bilateral ties and the threads that weave our countries and its people together.”

In Mexico, a key disseminator of Indian culture is the Gurudev Tagore Indian Cultural Center in Mexico City. Regular classes for yoga, Indian classical and Bollywood dances, sitar, tabla, Hindi, Sanskrit and Indian cooking classes are held at the center, according to the Indian Embassy.

The presence of many Indian companies in Mexico helps to foster people-to-people links between Mexicans and Indians, around 8,000 of whom live permanently in Mexico, according to the embassy.

The three strongest performing areas for Indian investments in Mexico are information technology, pharmaceuticals and the automotive sector, the embassy says. A number of major Indian companies in those sectors, and others, operate here.

Meanwhile, cinema chain Cinépolis and bakery company Grupo Bimbo are among the Mexican companies that have invested in India.

The future looks bright for relations between Mexico and India, in large part due to the commitment on both sides to continue to strengthen bilateral ties. Asked in a recent interview what the Indian Embassy’s goals in Mexico are for 2024, Ambassador Pankaj Sharma mentioned the aim of elevating the relationship with Mexico to strategic partnership status.

“This will be possible with careful steps addressing all aspects of the bilateral relationship,” he said.

“Both countries are focused on deepening and broadening our engagement and removing bottlenecks,” Sharma remarked.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)

Want to read more of the Global Mexico series? Check out the stories from “Australia in focus” week.

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