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Showing posts from November, 2008

All Aboard....

Let me tell you that writing this kind of piece when I'm forced to time travel is not easy. For starters, remembering my childhood and reliving memories of old roads and dilapidated towns makes me feel as young as a fossiled dinosaur. Or maybe as fresh as a Harappan stone. Sigh. Ok, moving on, I am actually going back to the days when horse carts did exist in the Indian cities. I think some of the villages and small towns still have them but no more in the metros. In the 60's, our quaint part of the Chennai city had only horse carriages to carry passengers for short distance travel. Animal rights activism was unheard of then. And, of course, walking was also the most used mode of transportation to get around. Boo to you treadmillers. Then came the rickshaws pulled by humans. Very inhuman indeed, but no one knew anything different. And what about bicycles? Well, that was the popular transport to get to schools or offices. Boo to the cardios and....nah, forget it. I'm tired o...

Maids and Madams....

People in India take it for granted. Returned Indians feel uneasy and uncomfortable about it for a while. And, finally and sheepishily start accepting it. I'm talking about the " Sir " and " Madam " business. Almost everyone in the service industry in India seem to have that respectful voice one would use in front of a royal court when they talk to you. In a restaurant, for e.g., you order a coffee and they go, " Your highness, Madaaaam ....here's your coffee". Or something equally regal-sounding. The first time my maid addressed me ' madam ', I went "Huh, who me?". I didn't get it. What happened to my poor name which I have almost forgotten in the past months. Why the 'madam'? Sounded even feudal to me. And, strange. After all, coming from an egalitarian society like America, this reaction is natural. Right? But, thou aren't protesting too much, you may ask? To be honest here, I actually kind of like it. You want ...