Monday, October 01, 2007
Outsourcing, India and Vacation
Today, I started to spend some time planning my vacation in India...
A highly respected friend of mines had the most wonderful conversation regarding India. Most folks choose to be offended and never take the time to truly understand. He is not guilty of this crime. When I told him I would be travelling to India and I had absolutely zero interest in food nor historic buildings, he didn't get offended but instead attempted to understand.
I will be travelling to Bangalore, Pune and Delhi in January and the thing I seek above all else is to have genuine conversations with real humans. For those who have lived outside the United States, you know that while you may live in America, your home is elsewhere. America is a good place to gain monetary rewards and be a savage in pursuit of happiness but it is not the place where you truly rest.
When I return to Biche, Trinidad I have dozens of wonderful conversations with neighbors and even people I don't know. I don't feel like I have to keep my guard up and can feel human. Why is it that I know more people in Biche Trinidad than where I grew up and have lived all my life? What is it that I have had more conversations with my neighbors in Trinidad than I have had with my next door neighbors even though I haven't been there in a year?
My first stop is Bangalore where I hope to pray with Dalit Christians, to have a conversation with the poorest but otherwise most humble person I can find about whatever they want to talk about, to find a couple of Madhuri lookalikes and watch them dance and nothing more, to have total strangers walk up to me and practice their English on me and for me to practice my Tamil while not getting upset if we say something offensive and to instead find solace in this most beautiful exchange and opportunity to understand.
In Delhi, I do hope to see one building: The Jama Masjid. Maybe I could convince the Imam to allow me to do Adhan. I also hope to have enough time to talk to many of the bloggers I conversate with. If you are interested in meeting, do not hesitate to trackback. Of course, I would love to do shopping here as well. My wife would love for me to bring back Shalwar's and woven rugs. Maybe I would be lucky enough to find a tailor to make me some clothing as buying off the rack is somewhat problematic.
My third stop is in Pune where I will probably be too tired for anything else but to take in the sun. Maybe I could sit on the beach sipping kool-aid talking about India politics with Buddhists or something more meaningful like ways to convince employees of outsourcing firms that charity should be personal and not outsourced to your employer. Maybe I will simply take the time to reflect on things that I have learned and spend the time untwisting many of my own thoughts.
Hopefully, if I blog publicly that I am not interested in your food and your tourist traps, that you don't get it twisted and think that I am biased, as nothing could be further from the truth. You should know that I am not interested in the facade and want to understand the real India and all it has to offer. If you have suggestions, please do not hesitate to trackback...
| | View blog reactionsA highly respected friend of mines had the most wonderful conversation regarding India. Most folks choose to be offended and never take the time to truly understand. He is not guilty of this crime. When I told him I would be travelling to India and I had absolutely zero interest in food nor historic buildings, he didn't get offended but instead attempted to understand.
I will be travelling to Bangalore, Pune and Delhi in January and the thing I seek above all else is to have genuine conversations with real humans. For those who have lived outside the United States, you know that while you may live in America, your home is elsewhere. America is a good place to gain monetary rewards and be a savage in pursuit of happiness but it is not the place where you truly rest.
When I return to Biche, Trinidad I have dozens of wonderful conversations with neighbors and even people I don't know. I don't feel like I have to keep my guard up and can feel human. Why is it that I know more people in Biche Trinidad than where I grew up and have lived all my life? What is it that I have had more conversations with my neighbors in Trinidad than I have had with my next door neighbors even though I haven't been there in a year?
My first stop is Bangalore where I hope to pray with Dalit Christians, to have a conversation with the poorest but otherwise most humble person I can find about whatever they want to talk about, to find a couple of Madhuri lookalikes and watch them dance and nothing more, to have total strangers walk up to me and practice their English on me and for me to practice my Tamil while not getting upset if we say something offensive and to instead find solace in this most beautiful exchange and opportunity to understand.
In Delhi, I do hope to see one building: The Jama Masjid. Maybe I could convince the Imam to allow me to do Adhan. I also hope to have enough time to talk to many of the bloggers I conversate with. If you are interested in meeting, do not hesitate to trackback. Of course, I would love to do shopping here as well. My wife would love for me to bring back Shalwar's and woven rugs. Maybe I would be lucky enough to find a tailor to make me some clothing as buying off the rack is somewhat problematic.
My third stop is in Pune where I will probably be too tired for anything else but to take in the sun. Maybe I could sit on the beach sipping kool-aid talking about India politics with Buddhists or something more meaningful like ways to convince employees of outsourcing firms that charity should be personal and not outsourced to your employer. Maybe I will simply take the time to reflect on things that I have learned and spend the time untwisting many of my own thoughts.
Hopefully, if I blog publicly that I am not interested in your food and your tourist traps, that you don't get it twisted and think that I am biased, as nothing could be further from the truth. You should know that I am not interested in the facade and want to understand the real India and all it has to offer. If you have suggestions, please do not hesitate to trackback...
