home alone
Posted on Tuesday 1st March 2011 10:40 am from Leicester
Hi friends,
Yes I am home alone, listening to 'Woman's Hour' (!) on Radio 4, loking out at a dull, dry, chilly day. Last night i dreamt of rikshaws, crossing rivers, going through a herd of cows, squeezing into an overcrowded bus. I woke up when, having crossed a stream, I couldn't get back because the stream was flooded and i was frustrated - i often dream of being cut off by floods- is this significant? For nearly two months, I was surrounded by my relatives and fed and entertained and now it feels rather an anticlimax to be sitting in my front room on my own. But I suppose that is so with all holidays, coming home is bit of an anticlimax.
Gujarat is not often visited by Europeans, but I came across quite a few wealthy Indians from other states -usually complaining or throwing their weight (literally) around. I must say that service in Gujarat is not a common commodity. The waiters are surly or too quick to clear your plate, mix up orders, bring you something you didn't order but they thought you'd like, shopkeepers take too long to give you change (hoping you'd forget it), you have to push and shove and shout to get attention etc. If you politely stand in what seems like a queue, you'd never get served or climb on a bus or train. This 'me first' attitude of Gujaratis really got on my nerves. I was embarassed to see a Gujarati on the plane from Doha, jumping ahead of a toilet queue and trying to force open the door when somebody was already in it! And he actually managed to open the door, to the consternation of a European woman inside. How rude!! I wanted to slap him. If Gujarat wants to develop tourism - and there's lots to see and marvel at- then service and manners need to be improved a lot. Gujarat tourism gave Amitabh Bachchan milloins of rupees to promote tourism but then the bollywood star travels everywhere by helicopters and surrounded by flunkeys - what does he know of ordinary travellers like me?
But I miss Gujarat - this time I did notice a sense of modernity and I met some really thoughtful young people, I saw new schools and good roads. There is a real economic boom (with the usual scams and corruption) and the upper middle class are better off - but the bottom is till poor and destitute. Its an overpopulated democracy (world's biggest census is on the way in India), struggling to modernise and educate the vast population. Good luck!
Ciao ciao