Dear India,

I was just alerted to the 58th Anniversary of your declaration of independence and adoption of your Constitution, by the White House Blog, courtesy of Barack Obama.

I have long been a fan of India. My parents introduced me to Indian food at an early age and the fun of raisins, peanuts, and coconut in my rice and lamb.

Just today I put a bunch of curry powder on my refried beans to jazz them up! I am bummed that I am about to run out of curry powder.

But it's not just your food I like. I like the way many of you say "development," with the accent on the "p." :-)

Please don't take offense, for 20 years or so, people have thought I am from Canada because of how I say "about." :-)

And I really wish I had a sitar to play. I have quite a few Indian music CDs and enjoy them in iTunes. I should probably be listening to a late night raga now.

Respectfully, NewOldSalt