FRONT PAGE: "Mumbai Attacks Politicize Long-Isolated Elite," by Somini Sengupta, New York Times, 7 December 2008.

Interesting phenom to track: India's rich have long lived a future dystopian sort of lifestyle in which they hide behind gated communities and tinted glass.

They awoke with the Christmas Tsunamis of 2004, and for the first time, overwhelmed India's official government aid response in terms of charitable giving. That was their sense of duty.

They awake again now over the Mumbai "invasion." This is now their sense of entitlement talking.

And that's a good thing.

India cannot grow up as a serious world power without its elite acting in this manner: simply saying, "This is an intolerable situation and must be improved."

India's looming progressive era (recalling America's own) will be as important to world history as China's.

The pessimists will point to events like the Mumbai attacks and see only the fulfillment of their death-wish fantasies.

I look upon them and see the best instincts of human nature triggered.

Now is the time for Ratan Tata to turn into Andrew Carnegie for real.