October 13, 2001 Insights on Delhi
Living in survival mode, rickshaw drivers and walking the streets
I haven't really written since I got to Delhi and I was trying to figure out why...Perhaps because I am no longer alone...perhaps too hot, perhaps I'm too busy...but it was just this morning that I realized what the reason is: It is this CITY!..there is something here which overrides creativity and spirituality...Life here is basically physical (first chakra) survival and not just for the masses of poor who live here who just try to get through each day...It is everyone who is IN the city. even tourists...and when
every part of your body...all your senses are functioning in survival mode...you have no energy left for the finer things...like writing.
There is nothing that you do here that is easy...even going out for a meal involves planning and getting through many obstacles… even if the restaurant is a block away, you still have to navigate beggars who touch you and follow you, hawkers, rickshaw drivers and of course to safely walk the streets and be alert every minute (there are no sidewalks) and when you finally get to the restaurant you are exhausted. If you have to travel to one...that you've already
decided you want to eat there...you have to GET there.Which means rickshaws...while one is dealing with these guys who are also in survival mode and they will do ANYTHING (as well as everyone else here) to earn a few extra rupees...which is their right...it doesn't anger me but it is simply annoying and exhausting. and this annoyance becomes a constant presence which gnaws at your nerves for hours on end until you just want to give up, or scream, or you get a headache and wait for the day to end! The rickshaw drivers are always trying to take you "just for 10 minutes" to a nice store (where they
get commission) or a great restaurant instead of the one he just agreed to take you to when he picked you up, and so you have to argue with him (after you already agreed to a price and destination after
arguing with 3 others and you are already on the way to your destination or so you think) and so everything turns into a real hassle. Even just walking in the street peo0ple are always calling you, stopping you, touching you and if you are stupid enough to take out the map in your guide book to make sure you are in the right place...3 or 4 "good samaritans" will stop to show you the way which of course goes "right past my store...just come in and look...no buy"...after hours it drives you crazy and then just walking in the road in itself is a hassle. You cannot just stroll and window shop..you have to be alert every minute that you don't get run over by something (rickshaw, taxi, elephant, cow, bicycle) or step in something.
We found actually one fair and decent rickshaw driver who gave us the correct price right off, took us straight to our destination...waited and took us back but at one point he said "if you are not in a hurry,
you can do me a favor...if you go into this really swanky department store that I bring you to for 10 minutes...I get a coupon and when I have several coupons I get a gift for my wife...but DON"T buy anything...it is way overpriced" So we did that for him...he was very sweet...too bad we didn't find him the first day...we could have hired him for a couple of days.
The last few days have flipped my world upside down
and all around again. I have to put all things into perspective again but it is alot easier than it would have been 2 months ago. With the phone calls from my daughters and getting used to having a second person around all the time...it is a big adjustment...shira's
call yesterdAy was particularly disturbing...she is a very strong woman and for her to break down and cry was very difficult for me. It was GOOD that she finally did it though and I will speak to her in a couple of days and may just decided to come home sooner. Her whole life has been thrown into utter turmoil (after the terrorist attack) and she really has no one to help her...even shmulik has become dysfunctional under the strain and she has to deal with it all, including her injured friends and THEIR 3 children alone, with no house evento go home to yet.
I will write more later...have alot of things on my mind but will just enjoy the train ride now.
That’s it for this installment. I actually have many more pages written but am too tired and hot to continue so it will wait for tomorrow.
every part of your body...all your senses are functioning in survival mode...you have no energy left for the finer things...like writing.
There is nothing that you do here that is easy...even going out for a meal involves planning and getting through many obstacles… even if the restaurant is a block away, you still have to navigate beggars who touch you and follow you, hawkers, rickshaw drivers and of course to safely walk the streets and be alert every minute (there are no sidewalks) and when you finally get to the restaurant you are exhausted. If you have to travel to one...that you've already
decided you want to eat there...you have to GET there.Which means rickshaws...while one is dealing with these guys who are also in survival mode and they will do ANYTHING (as well as everyone else here) to earn a few extra rupees...which is their right...it doesn't anger me but it is simply annoying and exhausting. and this annoyance becomes a constant presence which gnaws at your nerves for hours on end until you just want to give up, or scream, or you get a headache and wait for the day to end! The rickshaw drivers are always trying to take you "just for 10 minutes" to a nice store (where they
get commission) or a great restaurant instead of the one he just agreed to take you to when he picked you up, and so you have to argue with him (after you already agreed to a price and destination after
arguing with 3 others and you are already on the way to your destination or so you think) and so everything turns into a real hassle. Even just walking in the street peo0ple are always calling you, stopping you, touching you and if you are stupid enough to take out the map in your guide book to make sure you are in the right place...3 or 4 "good samaritans" will stop to show you the way which of course goes "right past my store...just come in and look...no buy"...after hours it drives you crazy and then just walking in the road in itself is a hassle. You cannot just stroll and window shop..you have to be alert every minute that you don't get run over by something (rickshaw, taxi, elephant, cow, bicycle) or step in something.
We found actually one fair and decent rickshaw driver who gave us the correct price right off, took us straight to our destination...waited and took us back but at one point he said "if you are not in a hurry,
you can do me a favor...if you go into this really swanky department store that I bring you to for 10 minutes...I get a coupon and when I have several coupons I get a gift for my wife...but DON"T buy anything...it is way overpriced" So we did that for him...he was very sweet...too bad we didn't find him the first day...we could have hired him for a couple of days.
The last few days have flipped my world upside down
and all around again. I have to put all things into perspective again but it is alot easier than it would have been 2 months ago. With the phone calls from my daughters and getting used to having a second person around all the time...it is a big adjustment...shira's
call yesterdAy was particularly disturbing...she is a very strong woman and for her to break down and cry was very difficult for me. It was GOOD that she finally did it though and I will speak to her in a couple of days and may just decided to come home sooner. Her whole life has been thrown into utter turmoil (after the terrorist attack) and she really has no one to help her...even shmulik has become dysfunctional under the strain and she has to deal with it all, including her injured friends and THEIR 3 children alone, with no house evento go home to yet.
I will write more later...have alot of things on my mind but will just enjoy the train ride now.
That’s it for this installment. I actually have many more pages written but am too tired and hot to continue so it will wait for tomorrow.
posted by Jane @ 9:29 AM
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