Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day, is not a holiday here in India but most of us were thankful for it because it meant that there would not be any evening teleconferences with people in the US for a couple nights!
We arranged to go to a very good restaurant in the city center that serves a traditional style Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, etc. It was very good and quite authentic. The owner worked in the US for many years- especially at a well known restaurant in New York city. It was a good and generally relaxing meal.
Friday was unusually quiet at work and several people, who spend more time than others in evening teleconferences, said that they would consider giving up their India Holidays if they did not have so many telecons to attend at night!
Friday was also the 30th anniversary of Jim's employment with his company. The people at the office got a very nice cake for the small celebration. Where have the 30 years gone?

Royalty

Saturday was Jim's birthday. The day started restfully- no checking work email and relaxation in the morning. However, we had to leave just after noon to go pick up a present that Janet had arranged. We drove to a place not too far from where we live- an apartment complex. We went to the apartment of a woman who is a cousin of the Maharaja of Mysore. Before the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947, the country was ruled by the British, but there were many "states" ruled by the Maharajas, with the oversight of the British, of course. Mysore was one of the largest such states and apparently a wealthy one as well (Bangalore was part of the Mysore state and has a small palace built in the late 1800's by the Maharaja of Mysore). After independence, the maharajas had no real power, but they still had a fair amount of money and influence. Today, some still have money and influence, but probably much less than 50 years ago. We do not know the history, but apparently Indira Gandhi had a lot to do with the removal of much of their money and influence in the 1970's.
In any case, this woman is a cousin of the current Maharaja of Mysore. She is very well educated and very pleasant to talk to. We came to her place because Janet had been there a few days earlier with a group of friends to look at some art works done by a cousin of the woman, who we presume, is related to a Maharaja from the north around Gujurat- where he lives. Janet bought a couple small ink drawings a few days ago, but she also made deposit on a painting and Jim got to choose which he wanted as a Birthday gift! The choice was very difficult, but he finally chose a water color that features green parrots (parakeets) on a mostly yellow background. The combination of parrots and yellow was too much to resist. It turned out that Janet had already planned to buy the second painting that was of great interest- a sort of montage of all sorts of sites one might see in India- including some parrots!
We later went to see "Julie and Julia" at a movie theater in a mall nearby- it was not crowded at all- probably because of the time and the fact that many people probably don't know who Julia Child was. It was a good film and we enjoyed ourselves.
After the movie we went to a new hotel which opened near our apartment about 2 months ago- a very nice place. We had received a notice of an exhibition of "silk painting". Though we were not quite sure what it was, we thought it was close to home and we could have dinner after seeing the exhibition. The works were actually embroidered images of animals, plants, people and gods made from silk. Some were very nice and not too expensive, but those we liked more were too expensive. It was interesting to see. It was a small exhibit of 13 works. It was also attended by the current Maharaj of Mysore! He was dressed in a very nice black suit- none of the old ceremonial outfits. We don't know the connection to these works of art, but we have been told that he has a big interest in textiles and art more generally, so he may have been using his influence to attract more people to the show. We saw that 5 or 6 of the works were sold before we left for dinner. So, like some royalty in other countries, these people are somewhat of an attraction themselves- and their family properties are tourist attractions too. It was a very nice Birthday!

The Carpenter

We have mentioned in the past that we have had guys come to the apartment to do some work and they often come ill prepared to do the job or do shoddy work. We discussed our disappointment with an Indian friend here who sympathized by saying that it reached "a new low" in service.
In our first visit to Mahabilipuram we bought a sculpture of a head of Buddha. We wanted to have a wooden base made for it and Josef found a carpenter who seemed to understand what we wanted but he offered to make a sample for about $15. After a few days he brought the sample and it was almost exactly what we wanted! However, he said that it is not sturdy enough to hold the head, so he said he should make a permanent one. Assuming it is not a fluke, the guy seems to have real skill and an artistic flair. So, he made a quote for materials for a permanent base plus a couple more projects that Janet had in mind. He was going to get materials and do the work here. Then we learned that his wife was seriously injured when a lorry went off the road and hit several people- one or two were killed and his wife happened to be one who was injured! She has some broken bones and we heard she was released from the hospital for home care a week ago, but now they say she has some sort of spinal injury too and needs more surgery! Apparently there are not many family members in the area to help take care of the children and wife, so the carpenter has to do this rather than work as much as he might otherwise be able to do. So, we seem to have found a good carpenter, but life's tragedies are intervening to delay or prevent him from working on our project. We will add more to the story as it unfolds.

The Photo Contest with update

Not long after we arrived in Bangalore, Janet was introduced to an organization for expats by a friend who has since returned to the US. That group just held a photo contest that was fairly interesting. Members and their spouses could submit up to 9 photos in 3 different categories- "Beauties of India", "Ceremonies and Celebrations" and "Life in Bangalore". The latter category can be difficult to enter without being cynical, but there are still lots of pretty and amazing things about the city. In somewhat of a rush we chose 9 of our photos to enter and we managed to get them sent off on the last day to enter. Last night there was a gathering at one of the better hotels in the city to announce the winners. The location was very nice and the food and service were top notch. The best part is that one of Janet's photos won second prize! (That picture has just been added to the right) One of Jim's photos was also among 12 chosen for the organization's 2010 calendar and he also got a prize of a lunch for 2 at one of our favorite restaurants! Janet's prize is 2 nights stay at what is supposed to be a very nice hotel in Jodhpur. In an entry earlier this year we spoke about our trip to Rajasthan in Feb- Mar. and Jodhpur was one of our favorite stops. Janet's photo was actually taken at Chittorgarh, which we think was probably our favorite stop on that trip. So, this all makes some sort of sense. A copy of Jim's photo is below. It appears in Sept. 2010 of the calendar. We especially like the expression on the face of the boy in the middle, but the different expressions are amusing. The profits from the sale of the calendars and from the sale of the photos, which will be done in Dec. all go to charity. We are both surprised that we both got prizes, though we know we have some good photos. Jim's picture is of 3 boys dressed in costumes on the Chamundi Hills in Mysore. The kids do this when they are expecting a lot of visitors to the temples on the hills so they can pick up some money in tips. Jim likes the picture because of the colorful costumes and the fact that the kid in the middle looks pretty unhappy while the one on the right looks bored while the one on the left appears to be into his role! Of course they got a very good tip, but asked for more. As mentioned, Janet's picture was taken in Rajasthan at the end of February, 2009. It is actually color, but looks b&w. She caught the light just right late in the day near some of the temples there.

One year in India

We arrived in India one year ago on Nov. 5. It is truly astounding that it has been a whole year ago! Ziggy and Zoe arrived just over a year ago and seem to be well adjusted now and have not been seriously ill in quite a long time now. We are also reasonably well adjusted to being here now too. However, we find, rather suddenly, that we are starting to think more about the return to home even though it is nearly a year away!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - the ride to work

Here is a sort of montage of experiences while riding to work.
The Good.
Bright and sunny morning with mild temperatures today. Took the lift down to the garage where Josef had finished cleaning the car and was ready to leave. We wave good bye to the security guards and plumber and electrician who are on duty all day- as well as the gardener and cleaning women who keep the building clean. The traffic is relatively light this morning and the drive is fairly peaceful- without too many horns honking and no big congestion at the traffic lights or other intersections. Because the traffic is light we can go faster and Josef is able to avoid some of the bumps and potholes in the road by going around them. It takes 25 minutes to get to the office and I feel pleasantly at ease.
The Bad.
Bright and sunny morning with high humidity and rather warm. Took the lift down to the garage, but the power went off on the way, so I had to wait for the backup generator to come on and continue the ride down. In the garage I find that Josef is still cleaning the car, so I wait a little while until he finishes. The traffic is heavy this morning so there are a lot of horns honking, and motorbikes weaving in and out of traffic. The delays at the traffic lights and intersections are longer. Because of the heavy traffic we have to go slower and Josef has to go over more of the bumps in the road. I find myself getting carsick from the herky- jerky motion while going over pot holes and bumps while I try to send a text message to someone. Traffic is delayed a bit due to a minor accident and the drivers get out to argue. While waiting for traffic to move a motorbike passes too close to the car and scratches the paint- again. We have to maneuver around 3 cows who have decided to stand in the road today. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the office and I feel tense and tired.
The Ugly.
Bright and sunny morning, hot and humid. Take the lift down to the garage, but the power goes off on the way down. When the backup generator comes on, the lift does not move because the electronics need to be re- set by the electrician due to the power glitches. I have to call Josef to tell the electrician to do this because he is busy sleeping in his office. Josef forgot that I was leaving earlier today so he is just arriving at the security gate. Cleaning the car will have to wait until tomorrow. The traffic seems heavy today, so we spend more time at the traffic lights and intersections and the motorbikes and autorickshaws are honking horns and weaving back and forth a lot. One motor bike scratches the right side of the car and another hits the back and breaks the plastic lens on the tail lights and then he speeds away - weaving through traffic. On the road to work we see where a bus has run into a tree on the other side of the road. The driver's compartment is smashed and we think the driver might have been killed. Later we learn that the bus lost its brakes. The driver crashed into the tree because there was a crowd of people ahead at the bus stop who probably would have been run over. The guy was a hero, but his family probably has no income now. The traffic crawls along on both side of the road. An overloaded lorry is stopped ahead with a broken main spring and flat tires. The traffic is routed off on to narrow alleys to allow it to move at all. When the car is stopped we are approached by women carrying babies who want us to give money. We run over a piece of metal which punctures a tire. Josef says the tire is leaking slowly so he will drop me at the office and then get the tire fixed. We arrive at the office after 90 minutes. 30 minutes late for a meeting. I feel exhausted.

Of course, none of these is completely true- each is an amalgam of real days. On the avergage about 1- 2 days a week are Good, 3-4 days a weeks are Bad and 1 day in 2 weeks is Ugly. Such is Bangalore traffic.

Credit cards

When we buy something with our US credit cards we sometimes are called days or weeks later by the shop who says that the card company is refusing to pay them unless we provide several forms of identification- like a copy of our passport. The first few time this happened we thought it odd, but thought they are just making sure it is not a stolen card. However, we learned that the credit card company had actually released the money to the shopowner's bank and there was nothing more they required. it was the Indian bank which was delaying payment to the shop owner. While it is possible that this really is some sort of security concern to protect us, it seems more likely that it is a way that the banks are using to hold the money longer so they can gain interest on it before they pay the shop owners. It seems very dubious at least. For us it is a real annoyance to have to make copies of documents that should not be in circulation and then provide them to the shop who then gives them to their bank (we presume). In addition it makes us look suspicious to the shop ownwers. The shop owners don't get paid as soon as they should either.

The Cat Food -part 2

We told part of the story of "The Cat Food" a few weeks back when it appeared imminent that it would be released from hostage by the government. We went to the Customs people with a short letter saying that the shipping company inadvertantly sent it to Bangalore instead of Chennai or Mumbai where food products are supposed to go and they appeared to recognize that we were not trying to circumvent Indian laws, though it is not yet clear that they understood that it was not we who shipped the food to Bangalore, but, instead, our well known US shipping company who charged a lot of money for the shipping! In any case, it took another 3 weeks for the customs to people to release the cat food, but they took more time to decide what duty to charge. In the end the 2 boxes were at the shipping company office with total charges about twice the cost of the cat food in the US! Included in the charges were Duty - a bit less than the value of the cat food- plus warehoure and agents fees for more than the value of the cat food! We assume the agent's fees include an "honorarium" for the customs people, but do not know. We disputed the charges with the shipper and had to speak to the manager who agreed to reduce their charges. He seemed to recognize that they had not done well at fulfilling their responsibilities. It took them 5 days to get the paperwork done and bring the boxes to our apartment. When the delivery guy arrived he said he was told to collect more than we had agreed upon with the manager and the paperwork showed the original amount. We got angry with the guy and he tried calling his bosses. We finally pushed him outside the door and locked it with the boxes inside and told him to get his bosses to come and collect the money. We felt some sympathy for him as he did not know what they had decided- only what he was told. Meanwhile, Jim called the manager's mobile phone and he remembered the story and we gave the phone to the delivery guy who was apparently quite upset because he was not supposed to leave the boxes without being paid. The manager told him the correct amount and we paid it and the guy left. We suspect that the people in the office told the guy a lesser amount to deduct from the bill and if we had paid more, they were going to keep the difference. However, as is often the case, we do not know- we only suspect. We finally have the cat food. About 10 weeks after shipment instead of about 2 weeks.
Overall, this is probably the worst case of combined government paperwork, corruption, incompetence with private paperwork, corruption and incompetence that we have experienced.
A friend, who works in logistical operations for a large company said of an experience they had "how can India expect to compete with China when it often takes a very long time just to clear things through customs that have been cleared many times in the past?"
A parallel experience is that we also ordered some cat food from a company that specializes in shipping things from the US or Europe. Their shipment was also delayed, but it arrived in half the time this one took. They also charged a high fee, for the service, but it ended up being quite a bit less expensive than "The Cat Food".