Snapshots
Some snapshots of the impressions India has left on me...
Its your own country. You belong.
And yet sometimes, people feel very different and you miss the place you call home.
There is something funny about the government installing a reverse-osmosis filter at Mysore Palace for visitors. While its very nice of them, doesn't it amount to an admission that government supplied water is non-potable? Dunno, weird.
Jaipur has banned plastic bags completely, without much ado. And they are pretty nonchalant about it. Other cities charge for plastic bags, thus reducing their usage. Things get done here without much back-patting and ado.
If a film star has an affair with a lady co-star, and violently beats up his wife over it, the producers association bans the lady co-star for the next ten years. Speechless.
Bangalore, Pune is full of youngsters. You can easily feel old. Jaipur is the opposite.
Ads actually make sense. Even kiddo gets them.
Thousand rupees is mere pocket change.
Bollywood and cricket are always in your face.
Shopkeepers can use candy as change. Doesn't work if you try giving a candy instead of giving two rupees though.
Police on streets are powerless to even stop drivers breaking lights, yet people have faith in a Lokpal sitting in his ivory tower.
Arul listens to the radio for 5 mins and starts searching for NPR. Wish I could too.
Mysore palace cost 42 lakhs to build in 1897. All of it was raised through special taxes on the populace. To show what 42 lakhs meant back then - my great-grandfather's salary in Mumbai around that time was Rs 24 and he was rich enough to buy an estate and raise his huge family in affluence. And this was certainly in addition to the tax that he collected for his British overlords. The palace is prettier and boasts of more expensive things than Versailles. However, Versailles led to French Revolution. In Mysore all you find is adulation for the king who built it, and a grudge against the politicians who abolished the Princely states and customs. I see the same in Ajmer and Jaipur who, given their size today, must have been very small princely state to boast of such exotic palaces. But the populace yet adores those princes. Don't see much to be proud of.
Mysore zoo can compete with SF zoo any day. State of Karnataka is amazing in tourism. Banerghatta National Park was neat and nice, Mysore Palace was a well preserved beauty, Vrindavan gardens were impeccable. They also make money of it quite reasonably. Individual tickets are cheap allowing public entry, but charges for any amenities or for carrying a camera are a bit higher. I like the model.
My ironing man was actually hurt when I carried the clothes down to him instead of calling him upstairs.
You see families here, kids, parents, grandparents. Its a lot more about family than friends out here. The number of kids around is breathtaking.
People think doing your work yourself is demeaning.
Watching a cricket match in stadium is very different from watching football in a stadium. It really reaches your heart.
At the store a man bumps hard into my cart hurting me. Stares and walks away. Kiddo says, "I think there is no word for Sorry in Hindi".
I haven't figured what people do on weekends.
Maids are a significant part of life and life decisions. I have met people who refused to move because they had a good maid setup where they were.
Educational institutes are omnipresent.
People live happy lives by insulating themselves from the surroundings. A/Cs, cars, drivers, malls, bottled water, generators - am sure I can find people who haven't stepped out on the road for an year.
Cities are growing insanely without any planning whatsoever. No one finds it odd to have a 800-home complex with just 8-ft approach road.
Level of sevice is amazing. Groceries are home delivered, bikes are shop assembled on purchase, furniture is delivered.
There are all sorts of people, customs, opinions, traditions... and it all gels together very easily.
Books are cheap. Its a pleasure.
People drop in for tea unannounced. Its nice to be able to meet people without half a day commitment. The downside though is that your house needs to be clean all the while.
Its your own country. You belong.
And yet sometimes, people feel very different and you miss the place you call home.
There is something funny about the government installing a reverse-osmosis filter at Mysore Palace for visitors. While its very nice of them, doesn't it amount to an admission that government supplied water is non-potable? Dunno, weird.
Jaipur has banned plastic bags completely, without much ado. And they are pretty nonchalant about it. Other cities charge for plastic bags, thus reducing their usage. Things get done here without much back-patting and ado.
If a film star has an affair with a lady co-star, and violently beats up his wife over it, the producers association bans the lady co-star for the next ten years. Speechless.
Bangalore, Pune is full of youngsters. You can easily feel old. Jaipur is the opposite.
Ads actually make sense. Even kiddo gets them.
Thousand rupees is mere pocket change.
Bollywood and cricket are always in your face.
Shopkeepers can use candy as change. Doesn't work if you try giving a candy instead of giving two rupees though.
Police on streets are powerless to even stop drivers breaking lights, yet people have faith in a Lokpal sitting in his ivory tower.
Arul listens to the radio for 5 mins and starts searching for NPR. Wish I could too.
Mysore palace cost 42 lakhs to build in 1897. All of it was raised through special taxes on the populace. To show what 42 lakhs meant back then - my great-grandfather's salary in Mumbai around that time was Rs 24 and he was rich enough to buy an estate and raise his huge family in affluence. And this was certainly in addition to the tax that he collected for his British overlords. The palace is prettier and boasts of more expensive things than Versailles. However, Versailles led to French Revolution. In Mysore all you find is adulation for the king who built it, and a grudge against the politicians who abolished the Princely states and customs. I see the same in Ajmer and Jaipur who, given their size today, must have been very small princely state to boast of such exotic palaces. But the populace yet adores those princes. Don't see much to be proud of.
Mysore zoo can compete with SF zoo any day. State of Karnataka is amazing in tourism. Banerghatta National Park was neat and nice, Mysore Palace was a well preserved beauty, Vrindavan gardens were impeccable. They also make money of it quite reasonably. Individual tickets are cheap allowing public entry, but charges for any amenities or for carrying a camera are a bit higher. I like the model.
My ironing man was actually hurt when I carried the clothes down to him instead of calling him upstairs.
You see families here, kids, parents, grandparents. Its a lot more about family than friends out here. The number of kids around is breathtaking.
People think doing your work yourself is demeaning.
Watching a cricket match in stadium is very different from watching football in a stadium. It really reaches your heart.
At the store a man bumps hard into my cart hurting me. Stares and walks away. Kiddo says, "I think there is no word for Sorry in Hindi".
I haven't figured what people do on weekends.
Maids are a significant part of life and life decisions. I have met people who refused to move because they had a good maid setup where they were.
Educational institutes are omnipresent.
People live happy lives by insulating themselves from the surroundings. A/Cs, cars, drivers, malls, bottled water, generators - am sure I can find people who haven't stepped out on the road for an year.
Cities are growing insanely without any planning whatsoever. No one finds it odd to have a 800-home complex with just 8-ft approach road.
Level of sevice is amazing. Groceries are home delivered, bikes are shop assembled on purchase, furniture is delivered.
There are all sorts of people, customs, opinions, traditions... and it all gels together very easily.
Books are cheap. Its a pleasure.
People drop in for tea unannounced. Its nice to be able to meet people without half a day commitment. The downside though is that your house needs to be clean all the while.
Comments
I wonder how the kid is coping up to the constant changes he has to face since getting out of the APPLE SEED.
But having parents like you, he will be pleased to live anywhere ...