The number 13 is unlucky in western minds. It is not in Asian minds. This may explain in part why many westerners view 2013 with foreboding. Most Asians do not.
Asia’s underlying trend – its resurgence – will continue in 2013. In 2012, about 500m Asians are middle class. By 2020, that number will have grown to 1.75bn. The demand for products will increase. India had no mobile phones in 1990. It had 752m in 2010. Now people are switching to smartphones – there are already 17m smartphones in India. In 2015, there will be 79m. Asian budget airlines grew 23 per cent in 2012 versus 8 per cent for traditional airlines.
The material rise of Asia is easy to document. The mental and spiritual resurgence is harder to track. But some projects provide symbols of a new era. Nalanda, Asia’s greatest university from 500AD to about 1200AD, will continue its gentle restoration under Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, who heads the “Nalanda Mentor Group”. In August 2013, the first batch of students will enrol at the Yale-NUS College. From this seed, a great plant will grow. Projects that bring together the best of eastern and western learning will showcase the fusion of civilisations.