Euroasia: Language, Culture and Travel

Ken @ entrance to Taj Hotel

I’ve just been thinking about the Mumbai terrorist attacks. It’s most unfortunate that once again this act of terrorism was perpetrated by Muslim extremists. I say unfortunate not just because of the many people that died, and the damage caused to the economy. More importantly, the fragile relations between Muslims and Hindus in the world’s second most populous nation will be once again put to the test. No doubt the terrorists want the Muslims and Hindus to be killing one another.

When people are angry, they can’t think straight. There’s now much talk about retaliatory attacks on Pakistan and other Muslim targets. The victims of this terrorist attack were not only the foreign tourists, but the locals. The terrorists want to strike fear and stir hatred in the hearts of ordinary Indians.

Leopold's Cafe

I really like India. I wonder if it’s because I have some good Indian friends or simply because I thrive in chaos. In any case, I am saddened to see Mumbai icons such as Leopold’s cafe and the Taj Hotel attacked.

My good friend Sam showed me around Mumbai 2 years ago. We went to Leopold’s cafe twice, once for breakfast, and a second time on New Year’s Eve, just to see how the classy Indians and foreigners celebrate the New Year. We were lucky to get a table. Being at Leopold’s was certainly more fun than the night club we went to before Leopold’s. I still remember vividly the scene at the packed club, where 90% of the patrons were male (Sam pointed out that the few girls who were there looked like call girls). Apparently, many girls are not allowed out at night.

Ken with Sam + mum @ Leopold

From walking around the streets, I can confirm that at night time there were certainly not many girls hanging out.  The Indians at Leopold’s were certainly not your everyday Indians. You can tell that they are the classy ones. The Auckland equivalent would be the trendy Ponsonby-types; cool and chic, going out to see and to be seen.

We’re lucky to be living in a country where the closest you get to a terrorist is when you play a game of Soldier of Fortune with your mates on Playstation 3. Sometimes I feel we need to start being more thankful for what we have and stop complaining about trivial things.

I’m unsure if any of you have seen this youtube video before… it’s the story of a young Indian kid named Ravi. He sells peacock feather fans at the Hanging Gardens of Mumbai.

What’s particularly amazing is that he can speak in a variety of different languages (ie. in the specific context of selling his wares). What’s even more amusing is that he knows the accents, specific gestures and non-verbal expressions of the various cultures as well.

The person who took the video returned a couple of years later to find the boy now a teenager, still proficient in the various languages and now an even more convincing salesman. What’s even more impressive is that he learnt everything he needed to learn on the streets. What’s this guy doing on the streets anyway? My money’s on him to be a millionaire by 30.

I’m absolutely impressed with some of these Indians. I was in Mumbai about 2 years ago, and my Indian friend and I went to a shop to do some shopping. I chose a pair of pants and they had an instant turnaround alteration service. So the helpful sales assistant quickly measured me up, and asked me for my mobile number so that they can call me when they are done. I quickly looked around for my friend because he had the Indian mobile number and I didn’t. As my friend turned around the sales assistant immediately recognised my friend as the customer he served some 10 or so minutes earlier. My jaw dropped when the sales assistant went “Sir, don’t worry. Your friend’s number is 8261739874″.

I was simply awestruck, as any non-Indian would be. My Indian friend said it’s not that surprising. Everywhere in the shopping centre, sales assistants can tell you the exact price of every garment you touch, before and after discount.

This is efficiency and customer service at a whole new level.