After a few days in India I have what I think is enough information to form a first impression.  I hope these change over the course of these weeks here, but I want to get them down so I can  compare and contrast.

I suspect that these observations could apply to any of the rapidly-industrializing/post-consumerism-attempting economies of the world (BRIC, and the like) but there will be Indian specifics that will undoubtedly creep in. And my scope of view will likely be a bit limited due to the short leash I’ll be on given that I’m here to work.

I arrived at the Delhi in the dark but even as the driver sent to pick us up there were signs that the new wealth was not accruing to everybody evenly. There were people at the air port that wanted to help me with my bags for a small fee, but as I only had two small rollers there wasn’t much need — still they kept calling out, asking  if they could help me.

There were guards with rifles as we left the airport, and as we arrived at the gated residence complex (called Central Park — I assume that because once phase II is complete there will be gardens between the two sets of apartment towers)
and an unarmed desk clerk at the building entrance. With the number of security personnel you would think that the buildings were Trump-elaborate monstrosities of excess, but the furnishings were right out on a Ikea catalog (although not actually from the Swedish housewares giant, the style and construction techniques are definitely stolen from them) as I had predicted from looking at the photographs.

The one thing I hadn’t though through after looking at the photos was the house-man who lives here and does the cooking/cleaning/laundry for the people that are visiting the company’s India division. I’m not sure what time away from the apt he is afforded, nor his salary, but I have seen others like him walking around the complex, and I assume that a good portion of occupants have “domestics” (the promotional web-site for Phase 2 indicates that all units will have servant’s rooms) to help with all those things that I hate doing for myself.

With labor as cheap as it likely is - and most definitely is by comparison to the US — there is no shortage of hands to prepare food, do laundry and make my bed when I’m away. That’s just the thing that will likely be hardest the thing to get acustomed to, especially for a “bleeding heart liberal” like myself — my first any only twinge of rich-guilt. It comes as I’m riding down the highways and see the throngs of children, disfigured women and old men wandering alongside all the mini-vans, rickshaws and motorcycles. The last of those often carrying three people on it’s two wheels.

Tomorrow starts my work at the “night-office” as it’s affectionately known. I will  have more  after that. Till then I leave you with a picture of my morning view.