Arrival

I had heard that upon arrival to India, the first thing that hits you is the smell.  When I walked off the plane, I caught a whiff of something, but it wasn’t the overpowering, knock you on your ass, aroma I had heard about.  After this I thought, it won’t be so difficult after all.  I soon realized something though, when I was being driven to my apt; there was very little traffic.  This meant that few people were up and, being 2am, I suppose that is appropriate.  In fact the nighttime population of Bangalore is predominantly four legged with a yelpish bark.  The dogs roam the streets of the entire city.  It is curious to see some awake, some asleep, some alone, some in groups.  It made me wonder if there is a society among dogs.  Leaving the dog’s aside, for the time being, the nighttime, I realize, is fooling me.  The smell will come with the following morning, I can just feel, like the blob, the smell itching for morning, so it could regain its strength.

My taxi ride from the airport was about as painstaking as possible.  Lanes did not exist in the eyes of my driver, and neither did safety or any sense of urgency.  I found it remarkable, coming from the US, that a driver would so willingly choose to drive so slow.  It honestly made me feel as if he was contemplating pulling me over to rob me, but thankfully he did not.  We straddled the lines at a solid 35kmh (about 23mph) most of the way, having our doors blown off by scooters from the 70’s.  The slow journey did give me an opportunity to observe my surroundings.  I didn’t realize the fact that I had never seen a true slum until now.  I looked upon broken down buildings, with lights on, clearly inhabited.  I could not imagine living in such a situation.  What was amazing was the occasional contrast of a plot of mansion, or a state of the art corporate building.  I realized I was in the eye of the globalization hurricane.  The slums of the third world and the corporate superpowers were meeting right before me.  I say it is the eye, because they do not fight each other, nor do they, truthfully, benefit one another.  They live in a quiet harmony, allowing the rich to get richer, and the poor to stay content.  Whether you see it as good or bad, this city is truly remarkable.

Today’s lesson, this is Bangalore.

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