I read with interest the article on India’s prolonged election process. It should not be a surprise (“India opposition fears Modi will gain from election marathon”, Global Insight, March 26). As with weddings, Bollywood, religious festivals and white-ball cricket fixtures, India relishes time-consuming events with pomp and ceremony. All are marked with colour, intensity, emotion and energy — attributes indicative of the subcontinent culture. To the outsider it is hard to comprehend, for Indians the occasions are an opportunity for expression. It is the Mela experience.
Rajiv Radhakrishnan
London NW8, UK
