This is why I like it here…

Being in India I mean, as compared to being elsewhere. Small things which, for me, make a big difference. Of course, not counting the fact that home is afterall home. I loved being in the US for the little while I was there, but I missed some key things (no, not family and food, they are the obvious ones).  Stuff that make living simpler here (at least for me).

Like having a maid servant who can take care of cleaning the house and maybe even help around in buying groceries when you’re ill. At least my mom’s maid servant does it (My maid servant, well, that’s another story altogether. She has this record with herself every single day. She has to finish up brooming and mopping in flat 7 minutes, or else she her food doesn’t digest!). Like having a cook if you need to…who you can train to cook like how you want her to or atleast help with the cooking (cutting veggies n all that), so you can just waltz in and give the finishing touches!! Having the ‘iron’ fellow…uhh…I mean the guy who irons clothes for a living. One thing I absolutely detest doing is ironing my clothes. I loathe the task. Having this ‘iron’ guy around is a blessing. And you’ll most certianly find one, if not in your road, in the next one. For sure. There used to be a time when I lived with my parents, the maid servant would wash the clothes (my mother doesn’t believe in a washing machine) and once dried, she would take them to get them ironed. I didn’t even have to tell her which ones to take…she knew it! That’s the best part about living here…having help to make life simpler and easier. Even gardeners, plumbers, electricians, carpenters are all just a conversation away. Speak to your neighbour or your maidservant, or even the local grocer and next day you’ll have the required person ringing your door bell.

 There’s no way you can get all this abroad, unless you’re really rich. Middle class families can’t expect to live like how middle class here does with all the help around. Of course money is a part of this, but here I feel it’s more about relationships. My mother’s maidservant knows my entire family. We know her family, we’re the ones she comes to in case of any monetary need. We help in her childrens’ education. If she goes to her village, she brings along some fresh vegetables and fruits grown in her agriculture land. My mother’s office driver (her office has these 2 drivers that cater to the enitre office) knows all the houses of our relatives, he can drop anyone anywhere without any of us being in the car! We in turn know his family too…he comes home to give sweets on a festival! My mother-in-law has these 2-3 office boys who gladly do her small time work (delivering  or picking up things from one place to another). My friends, my husband they know their car and bike mechanics so well that if they need a quote for a car, or if they need some servicing, or they need some help with their vehicles, all they have to do is just call the mechanic. Everything will eb taken care of. If they need to buy a used car, they tell him, and he finds one for them or directs them to someone who can find one for them. No online searching. Of course this whole ‘do everything online’ is catching up here and how. It’s great in some areas (like paying your bills n all that) but for others, I think a personal touch is what makes it work.

And having all these people around is soooooooo nice. You don’t even have to be rich to get all this…You have to just be genuinely nice, respect them, help them, treat them kindly and of course pay them without questions. A whole network of symbiotic relationships. It works and keeps everyone happy. And most importantly it saves time…so that you can spend it doing what you’d really want to do. Compare this to how you have to live elsewhere. You clean, you drive, you fix things, you just about do everything yourself. The shelves of the stores are filled with DIY kits. Well, it is nice to do things on your own, but in this world of less time, you need all the help you can get, atleast on the week days That’s why I love it here, despite all its problems, India is…still a personal place.