In any event, the left and right are now more concerned about what Iranians might think of India’s nuclear deal than whether the nation will break out of the nuclear isolation it had to suffer for three and a half decades. Forget the merits — if there are any — in the arguments of the BJP and the Left. It is well known that many Congressmen sympathise with these arguments.

The real problem lies in the emergence of two world views in India — speaking metaphorically — one of the “bania” and the other of the “brahmin”. The banias are revelling in India’s new prospects on the global stage; the brahmins are frightened at the likelihood of India emerging as a great power.

While the Indian businessmen are conquering markets around the world — whether in the North or in the South — the brahmins are dying to merge into the more familiar background of the talk shop called non-aligned movement. And who better than Fidel Castro to provide the comforting certitudes of the past in Havana this September.

The brahmins are afraid of strategising for India’s new role in the world. If there is any serious strategy in India it is now visible only in the boardrooms of Infosys, Tatas and the Ambanis.

The banias have rediscovered their centuries-old trans-border trading traditions and are demonstrating the depth and breadth of India’s management capital.

While the banias are focused on outcomes, such as buying up Arcelor, the armies of our nuclear experts are weighed down by the brahminical obsession with the text. While the bania is acquiring assets around the world, the brahmin is defending rhetorical positions. While the bania is playing on the front foot, the brahmin is on the defensive.

... contd.