Delhi: Air India
Trip Start
Oct 04, 2008
1
11
15
Trip End
Oct 12, 2008
Delhi,
India
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
They say the differences between the rich and poor is extreme.
My
friend, Sandeep is picking me up from one of the markets i'm at to go
to dinner before catching my flight. Today, he is not driving his car
because he has his driver so we both ride in the back. We take dinner
at a restaurant in his neighborhood and drive by his 3 story
house...no, mansion! He comes from the sector where growing up w/
servants, a cook and a driver is normal.
As he says "Everyone has them- cooks and drivers and such... This is
normal, right?" Well, maybe drivers are common in India (due to the
wealth of taxis & rickshaws ) but this extended privilege of
servants is normal only to my friends from the Phillipines who have
been raised with servants who dress them and brush their hair! I
enlighten Sandeep to this and to my American shock only to later
realize, we're probably not far different in sheltered behavior and upbringing ! Yesterday he was joking with me that his mother was freaking out because there were no servants, no cook (as it was Dussehra Festival- a holiday!) and they were left to fend for themselves. Ultimately, I wish I had gotten to see THIS face
of India more to gain a bit of a balanced perspective of varying
lifestyles. Somehow, this face seems to be more elusive, tucked away
and less prominent than the face of poverty. We were supposed to drop
by his home so I could see his home and meet his parents but getting
out of dinner late, we had no time to spare in getting me to the
airport! Oh well, maybe next time...
Air India is
my SPA going back to the states ! Spacious legroom, 2 full Indian meals
and free around the clock Bollywood films! Occasionally, there will be
an announcement for a head's up as one of the stewards goes down the
aisles shooting 2 cans of air deodorizer so that all smells fresh.
When
I leave Delhi, it is 1A in the morning- I have a whole row to myself.
Its a 15hr flight but it will pass very quickly for me. Looking out the
window, to catch a last glimpse of Delhi lights, ironically, I only see
my own reflection in the darkness.... That of me scouring/cleaning my
face with facial pad which is quickly turning brown...the easiest color to be when you're in India!
