I have decided to try and be a bit more Zen with the locals. If the Rickshaw drivers want an extra 10 rp (approx 7 pence!), then I have decided that I am going to give it to them with good grace. The stress is doing my blood pressure no good at all and at the end of the day, I am arguing over pennies!
I was thinking about their attitude to money here and I concluded that I need to feel pity for their desperation instead of anger. Anand was telling me that when someone dies here, they hope to be reincarnated into a life in another country far away from India. He also said that when he dies he would like to come back as someone from the West. I thought that this was very poignant. So many Indians long for all things Western.
I have to say, being here makes me realize just how lucky I am back home. Of course we have our own worries and stresses, but at least I have food in my belly and a roof over my head.
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