India-a-holia

How ironic is it that this birthplace of so many of the worlds religions has managed to induce utter a-hole behavior out of one somewhat peaceful minded guest? The sad fact is, what with the language barrier and sheer desperation of the masses here, the only thing that seems to work is a skillfully blended combination of "stink-eye", "silent treatment", and "snarl" with an occasional forceful "no". There is eternal fixation on the rupee mixed with the petulant demanding of the offering of a particular service like carrying a bag 4 feet, turning on the AC in the car, catching a short ride in a very slow and diesel dust spewing tricycle kind of thing. OK, so the nice relatively rich Westerner gives in, offers a smile and asks himself, "why the hell not?". This is followed by the exhortation of a "tip" (in my mind/culture that means optional) - with the rupee number well out of line with prevailing wage and remuneration patterns. So I offer a fair tip in consideration of said patterns which is met with a growl, howl, and mean threats which while mysterious in content (I don't know word one of Kannadian) are quite obvious in tone. I am reduced to walking around ignoring the people's faces; less engagement, less chance for these heart-hardening, feather-ruffling interactions.