Senses

There is a scheduled power cut at 6AM ever day, its almost unintentionally Orwellian. People slowly wake up by this hour, and the sound of devotional music, tinkering vessels, early morning banter starts pervading the air. It is a constant reminder that you live amidst a group of people. A "society". How much does this atmosphere make Indians the highly society-conscious lot that they are?

Even the smallest of squabbles can be heard across parapit walls in India. On the contrary, even screams fall on deaf ears in America (tried and tested). Doesn't necessarily imply that one is more safe than the other. In fact, if anything there is a slightly greater sense of moral responsibility to help a neighbor in trouble, in some parts of America (not the crime ridden inner-cities).

There was a lot of coverage on the murder of a young advocate woman, living alone in an apartment in suburban Bombay (in such close quarters with other people) by the apartment's security guard (who apparently was lusting over her and stalking her). The news coverage clearly showed that the young woman struggled for her life, after being stabbed, perhaps even managed to get close to the elevator lobby and screamed for life.

I am always highly offended by the lack of empathy in Indian men. Being groped in broad daylight in India is not uncommon. I was dressed in the modest of clothes, walking on the poshest of streets in Hyderabad (when did clothes ever imply permission for advances and breaching privacy anyway?). There were witnesses whose facial expressions didn't changed despite what they saw. I am not the only victim. I was, perhaps, shaken for a day, discussed and argued about it for a week.

In India, you very definitely fend for yourself, resorting to law & order doesn't cross my mind (calling the police is never a very plausible option). It is another way of life. I am always reminded of it.

Home is where the heart is

I landed in Independent India on its 65th. Saleem Sinai turned 65 too! Rushdie took over most of my flight journey (shuffling between Luka and the Fire of life and Midnight's Children). I had a long layover in Bombay. It was a painful layover due to some immigration hassles. I was not carrying a print out of the receipt for the extra baggage. India needs to turn digital sooner, and cross-communicate across departments. Instead I had to shuffle between the arrivals and departures sections of the bombay airport, and if you know the rules, you know how much of a hassle that is. I did this with a trolley of 100 lbs.

The airport staff was just changing shifts, there were fresh faces every where, increased security, and people sporting tiny flags on their daily attire. Every boarding gate I crossed, I was greeted with a "Jai Hind!". My mind immediately drew a parallel "Long live America/God bless America" in American airports on July fourth. I am not sure if this happens, but Americans are a patriotic lot. I was in Boston the last year and everyone was in blue, red, white. Girls painted their nails in these colors too!

I wondered if I would do that.

I actually did. I was decked in Indian tricolors for the World Cup final, last year, at 4 AM, on a weekday (yeah, I skipped work) at a friend's apartment. I sat on the same spot on his couch as every other match that I watched at his place (all of which India won). What fun!

I flew by Jet Airways to Hyderabad, what awesome service and food. I bought Mohsin Hamid's "The reluctant fundamentalist" at the Bombay airport, and my buried my nose in it till I got to Hyderabad. I had a major crush on him, by the time I got home. Lovely prose. I folded every page where I found an interesting line, and read them over again. Oh the joys of physical books. Must to lay hands on his Moth Smoke.

I just finished Albert Camus' The Outsider, and re-discovered my love for philosophical fiction, and Absurdism (which started with Kundera four years ago).

I just discovered I can blog from my phone, doling updates is going to be all the more easier.

Ten days to Ganiyari, Bilaspur district, Chattisgarh!
Stay tuned for daily accounts.