Significance of the unexpected

If you take an autorickshaw, the majority of people feel that driver is there to serve them and don't see any reason to give respect or even say thank you. In reality that auto rickshaw spends the days driving around a lawn mower type of vehicle just to earn a living to support his family. The psyche of that driver means daily battles with the reckless and dangers of Indian roads. Always you'll find an confidence that does nothing to diminish any fear i have of road rage or accidents. There is an ease about them. A control. They know all the routes and hot spots and if they desire they can help you out directionally when questioned. For all this they are not given respect. A customer will work hard to negotiate the lowest fare even if it means little or no profit when paying for petrol. They will bark directions or not know the exact place and like me I have passed my cell phone to the drivers to help me find the way. They will always give you respect for a tip or to lessen an argument, but a simple thank you is like talking in a foreign language. My friend was traveling in an auto last week as she usually does with some students who have been locally sponsored for their college education. She took that extra second to say thank you and to her shock it meant more than could have been expected. Everyone is in such a rush these days it is more meaningful just to give a sincere smile or say thanks in appreciation for a job. That smile or two words goes a long way in making a happy impact in your personal customer service efforts.

Life on a two wheeler in time with the hem of a pant

The disposable society. Without sustainability, without a future plan how much is the value of one life? Most people can obtain a two wheeler and most families can fit symbiotically on that bike. Most people drive recklessly at one instance or another. If they are not purposefully reckless then they are in a rush to attend to an ill relative or reach a marriage function. In that instance an entire family can be eliminated. If you are riding a bicycle and your pedal is an inch or two out into the road easily clipped by any car or two wheeler passing by that instance you maneuver that bike past the point of no return, your life is in the balance. The same rules that apply to the people and their value of life itself can be said for the quality of the objects that surround that life. In five minutes a tailor can hem your pants to the appropriate length for 10 or 20 rupees. If you don't have that amount then your pant will continually caress the ground you walk on until the dirty threads hang over the back of your ankle. That new pant which will most likely be some blend of cotton and polyester was not designed with climate in mind. For all the ways to reduce your bodies heat, by drinking rye seed water or not eating chicken people will go around wearing corduroy pants and polyester sarees. The quality of sandals here may be mediocre but for the lifestyle the wear and tear factor means that sandal should be durable. The sandals here come in so many colors and styles, but i can guarantee if you walk down any street you can count ordinary middle class people with completely broken or worn out sandals. If you ask someone about my sandal being held together by a safety pin they'll tell you no one would fashion that pin, rather they would throw out the sandal in lieu of a replacement, but i think the reality is they would just wear the broken sandal. At least more people are wearing shoes, whether it is because of fashion of health awareness only young village students seem to be lacking the education about the importance of sandals. Since there are very few organized landfills, and even sanitation works are barely functioning people have learned to burn their waste or just throw it out. If any road has aqueduct like water ways on either side, you can be sure of a green grey scum and trash items littering its path. If everything functions in a non permanent way then how can we create any change in social standing and customs? If any problem occurs in your house you can just move in with a relative. You can eat leaves from wild trees growing along the highway. Sometimes the country feels like a free for all. Take what you can get and don't care so much about the lives of others, but the important notion remains that while people remain selfish they are showing off and living for others. The gossip chain will continue to link itself to the people until they can feel there is something more important to give them fulfillment.