The Samurai and the Swami

Today’s New York Times article on the growing economic relationship between Japan and India contains the following line:

Consultants are trying, so far in vain, to coin the catchphrase, like “the Samurai and the Swami,” that will sum up the nascent strategic economic relationship between the countries.

Do the MFT readers have any brilliant suggestions?

17 thoughts on “The Samurai and the Swami”

  1. I saw a photo of some kind of Indo-Japanese restaurant on Goa called “Chapati and Chopsticks”.

  2. I like the sound of “Chapati and Chopsticks,” but chopsticks aren’t purely Japanese enough. Can we do something with “Chrysanthemum”? Or maybe “katana.” Hmm… The Katana and the Kukri? Although apparently the Kukri is actually Nepalese, and not an Indian blade as I had thought. Or is it both?

  3. Should India and New England ever hook up, a Japanese company has already solved this issue: Vermont Curry.

  4. How could you all forget the classic Arthur Koestler’s book on his visit to Japan and India “The lotus and the robot”?
    “The Lotus and the cherry blossom”Maybe?(Chrysanthemum is the symbol of the imperial family,not the nation.Chrryblossom is the national flower)

  5. Since the lotus is a Buddhist flower, and since Japan is probably more Buddhist than India, where Hinduism rules, it’s not the best example really.

    How about Cha and Chai?

  6. But dear Jade,the lotus is the national flower of India.(and after all Buddhism did come from India).
    And if you really want this metapher into something edible, how come nobody speak of Sushi-Curry axis?Too obvious?
    The samurai and the brahmin?

    Anybody saw the NHK doc of Judge Radhabinad Pal(who urged acquittal of all Japanese war criminal in Tokyo trial)recently?Good stuff.Especially Abe chose
    to meet the Pal’s eldest son in Culcatta just few days ago and adressed(again)wrong message to the world.
    As I saw the doc Pal was pretty critical to Japanese war crime oppose to many right winger want to believe.

  7. Yes, I know about the lotus and India, but I was just saying that India isn’t the first or only place associated with the lotus (or even perhaps the most obvious). I would say that the cherry blossom-Japan connection is far clearer than the lotus-India one, although I admit that may be as I have studied Japan and not India….

    You know, I think I have seen curry sushi before….

  8. I went with Chrysanthemum because of that famous book’s title- “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword.”

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