I haven't written to the blog in a very long time. It's not that nothing is happening, it is, it is just that the timing hasn't been convenient for me to sit down and put my thoughts into words, my words into keystrokes, the keystrokes into electrical signals, the electrical signals to hardware interrupts, the hardware interrupts to interrupt handlers, etc. Plus, we had visitors here for about 2 weeks from the US and between snakin' (that will be part of an upcoming blog), photographin', cab ridin', and eatin', time just flew by!
I've chosen a topic that is quite varied, and is my attempt at characterizing the people we have interacted with while in Bangalore. Some of the things I write will be based upon my perceptions and will most likely not capture completely accurate picture of the people of Bangalore, India.
MG Road is a great place to hang out if you want to see, interact with, and possible meet many interesting people. Many of the people there are just other citizens of India, out for a stroll or out to do a bit of shopping. If you are a foreigner, like I am, you tend to stick out a bit and fall prey to the many street vendors. I can't tell you how many times I have had to turn down the purchase of a wooden cobra or a small wooden chess set. They wave the snakes in front of you and if you tell them you are not interested in snakes, the show you the chess set or whatever other crafts they have to sell. One Saturday, a few weeks back, I met a vendor selling drums. He had 5 or 6 hung over his shoulders and another in his hand. He told me they were cheap, just 500 Rupees. I told him I had two guitars at home and rarely had time to play them. He said the drums were very good and handmade. He continued to follow me and played the drum as we walked the busy sidewalk. I was with Mary, on our way to other stores (Brad was with us). I continued to joke with the guy who kept dropping his price. He reduced the price considerably, down to 100 RPS by the time we reached Gangaram's (a huge 4 floor bookstore). I told him I wasn't interested. He said he would wait outside for me. I went in an thought nothing more about the drums.
Brad and I went inside and headed for the technical book section on the 3rd floor. We looked at books while Mary went to Deepam to look at Sarees. A bit later, Mary returned, having purchased a Saree, but needed me to sign since the credit card was in my name. I left Brad and went with Mary. As we exited Gangaram's, the little drummer boy was there telling me he was waiting for me. He followed us up the street and said he would wait outside Deepam for me. I thought, whatever, I really don't want to get a drum, hard to ship anyway. When I left to return to Gangaram's, he followed me again. He sure was persistent. I told him I didn't want a drum, so he left. The next day, Mary and I were down on MG again and he saw and recognized me. He did the same thing at a couple stores, but then left me alone. Haven't seen him since. I was even considering purshasing a drum from him. Oh well :)
The vendors are very persistent and force you to be firm in your "no" statements. We are learning that. However, it is fun to talk with them too and I think they like it when you mess with them.
Chess or Snake
Nice Pose
There are many shops in Bangalore that specialize in "handi-crafts". The hand-carved elephants (an other animals), as well as idols of the most popular Hindu gods (Krishna, Shiva, Ganesh, etc.). They sell incense, brass lamps, jewelry, you name it, if it is an Indian craft, they usually carry it. The salesmen at these shops employ various tactics to entice you inside. Generally, one or two will stand on the sidewalk and tell you that they have some of the best prices and you need to go inside and take a look. Once inside, you are accosted by many individuals, helping you come to a decision on what to buy. In the US, we usually are looking and if asked if you need help, a polite, "we are just looking right now" generally will suffice. In India, that is not the shopping custom in most stores. They go all out to bring out the goods and try to set them aside for you as you continue shopping. It can be annoying, especially if you just want to look and are able to see for yourself, without someone following you through the store. I don't say this to demean any of the people here, they are doing what many people here like them to do, it is just that it is so different from a shopping experience in the US. It takes some getting used to. The salespeople are also quite good at what they do.
There are many street-side vendors that sell things to eat too. We haven't partaken, generally due to the scare-tactics used by the US medical community before you come over here. There are ice cream vendors, fruit sellers, popped rice with spices, fried bananas, etc. I think I will try some one of these days. Hopefully I won't be writing the next blog from the bathroom :)
There are other people on the street too. Many people line the sidewalks, some with missing limbs, some carrying small children, some very old, some just children. These people are looking for you to give them some money. When we first got here, it seemed overwhelming the number of people that begged for money. We took pity on some and gave what we could. One such incident happened while we waited at a stop light in a auto rickshaw. I felt a tap on my leg and looked over to see a young girl carrying a baby. I gave here some money. The light was a long one. Another tap on the leg, a lady with crutches. I gave her some money. Another tap on the leg, some guy with what appeared to be a withered hand, oh how I wanted to the light to change, (finally it did) because we were sitting in a marked car. We have come to realize that a great number of these people are cons that use the pity tactics to obtain wealth, rather than work. Some of our cab drivers have enlightened us. It still tugs at your heart to see people so destitute. Later I will tell you about some tent people, but let me continue with those who beg.
Begging with Snake
Little Girl at Intersection
Little Girl at Intersection
The pictures above are of people we see almost everyday on our way home from work. Just as we arrived at the intersection where the two girls were, they were fighting with each other and one was holding some crutches, pretending to be injured, but then running away from the other girl. The driver said these people are always at the intersection and they work the traffic for a living. What a sad existence for a young child!
There are some young girls who sell flowers near the Barton Center. We like going there since it houses the Ebony restaurant (have to wait for the restaurant blog) on the 13th floor and has a Barista coffee shop outside. The girls must be hired by someone to sell flowers for them, but we haven't seen anyone overseeing them to this day. There girls are so cute, "Please sir, just buy two flowers". They really melt your heart when you see and hear them (I suppose that is the idea). One girl kept following me and saying, "Just give me two Rupees sir, please sir". I looked at her an asked if we could take her home with us. I don't think she understood -- I gave her two Rupees.
I mentioned the Barista. This is where all the college aged kids hang out. They love sitting around, sipping coffee, eating, chatting with friends, sending short messages with there phones, etc. It is also a great place to sit and watch people. The young college generation here looks and appears to act a lot like American college aged people. They don't usually dress in the traditional Indian dress but instead prefer jeans and many of the current styles seen elsewhere in the world. One of the differences I have seen though, is they seem to be more into mobile phones. I know US kids like their phones and love messing with them, but there seems to be a greater fascination with this form of communication here. In fact, many of the commercials on TV and billboards targets this generation. I haven't seen so many phone ads in my life.
The Barista
Buddhists at Barista
More Barista Shots
To be continued...
