Press 1 if you're a disgruntled customer

One disappointing development I noticed when I returned to India is a side effect of corporate globalisation: recorded messages when you call in to customer service. On the one hand you still have MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. the public utility company that provides telephone and internet services) that hasn't caught up with the times. So much so that they don't pick up ANY of four billing query lines and the hotline staff actually empathise with me and ask me to complain to their superiors (who don't pick up the phone either).

On the other hand, you have to listen and decipher 500 menu options before you get to an operator.

Mekdahnelds is how it reads in Hindi

I like the 'no beef' sign right under the restaurant's name. But sad to see this outside a train station where I would prefer a traditional Irani cafe.

Pan = cultural, pan spit = nasty

Most ground space in public places in Bombay like train stations are stained with pan spit patterns. I think the BMC doesn't bother cleaning up because it's so likely to keep reoccuring.

My stomach turns when I see images like this and I would love to see an anti-tobacco (in pan) campaign because I believe that's what gets bitter in the mouth and spit out.

First class dirt

My Theory: If you clean train stations more often and paint them more often, people may be less likely to dirty it up as often. It's a psyche thing...

Another observation is that the stations get progressively dirtier as you go further out into the suburbs! These pics are from Andheri station.

When corruption meets 'susegad'

From Goacom.com Daily News

Residents eager for removal of Princess
CALANGUTE, Oct 29: It has taken the government of Goa six long years to finally launch the removal of the run aground ship ‘The River Princess’ stranded off the Candolim coast. The presence of the ship has not only altered but destroyed the coast of the Candolim. Previously locals could walk along the shore right up to the Sinquerim fort, but now the portion from the Taj holiday village to the Fort is totally inaccessible, as the sea has eaten into the shore. The sand erosion has taken place at such an alarming rate that, environmentalists and locals fear that the entire fort could crumble into the sea. [H]


Not only has the gorgeous view been tarnished over the past 6 years, but the local economy has been badly affected. The beach around the fort Aguada area where I spent all my vacations growing up cannot accomodate shacks anymore and has become a sports beach. This is because the tides were affected when the ship ran aground and the sea took over the beach in front of the Taj hotel. One wonders how it is that the powerful Taj Hotel were not able to do anything about this drastic and unnatural change. All this where tourism is the driving force behind Goa's economy! If only Goans could bring themselves to protest a little.

Shipping fiasco

If you're moving from Berkeley to Bombay ;) and need to ship your life's possessions, do not use sea shipping. They gouge you by making you pay twice as much to get it out of the port than you did to ship things half way around the world!

I had just about the worst experience you can have doing this:
I used DiscountShipping.com, a Boston-based company in the U.S. who neglected to inform me about the extortionally high services taxes, fees and bribes I would need to pay once I reached India (in spite of me specifically asking them what I can expect). I paid $250 to ship three large bags to Bombay from San Francisco (Good deal, I thought!). Six weeks after I arrived, I had to pay another $200 (Rs. 8000) to the Bombay agents Freight Systems. Besides, I had to hire another shipping agent to deal with the port authorities and spend a whole day in a grubby Bombay port office myself!

My advice: It's better to simply pay excess baggage charges and take the bags with you. If you do have to use sea shipping, make sure to read the fine print and ensure that the bill of lading discloses all the fees you will receive on the other side.

Someboday gimme a J.O.B.

To all employers in India: Can you please check your email and actually look at a resume? You may actually find one you like!

Also, don't be threatened by U.S. returns. We're not going to steal your job. But we may just raise the standards so that you do your job better and get exploited less.

Don't be jealous of us either. It is hard work making it in another country. Having a cushy life abroad is a common misconception. So when we return to our families, our country, and a lot of change, don't make it harder for us to fit in by coming up with adjectives like 'over-qualified', and birthing new insecurities in our presence. We're not so different from you.