Two things I want to hold on to from India:
1. The day a group of villagers let me help with their work. I helped them carry huge hay-bales, which you balance on top of your head. A giggly girl called Lali, about 12 or 14, who could carry the hay much better than me, kept calling me over to make me carry her loads. She was very bold and fearless.
2. In Mysore, I started thinking about buying new sandles, because they have good ones there for a few dollars, and my current ones are falling apart in two places. But my friend Annabelle said don’t buy new ones, you can get your current ones fixed by the cobblers who work in the streets. It wasn’t until a few days later, in Mangalore, that I acted on this. An old man fixed my sandles with amazing skills and speed; the amount he charged was basically nothing in my currency, and he was surprised that I wanted to pay more. The rickshaw drivers nearby seemed to find this very funny. I had to walk past that spot three more times that day, and each time the old cobbler looked at me through the crowd, smiling and making the polite Indian greeting with his hand.
I am back now in “the West” - well, Singapore aiport actually. The horrible resource wastage and pointless luxury goods make me feel sad, so I need to remind myself of the good things I have seen.
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