India

[John Arton]

Here in the U.K. the t.v. appears to have fallen in love with India with two prime time shows being based on stories set in India. This follows on from the success of two films "The Good Karma Hotel".
On show is the "Good Karma Hospital" based around a young doctor from the U.K. going to work in an Indian hospital.
The other is about a bunch of C list wrinkly celebrities living in a house in India for a month to see if it was a suitable place to retire too.
Both shows give a very sanitised view of India, totally different to many of our experiences, there is:
No poverty shown yet even today there are adverts on T.V. for charities that need money in order to help young girls from being exploited, no mention of the poverty and depredation along with the massive pollution that happens where those ship breaking yards are.
No mention of the caste system which is still very strong. We all saw how Indian Officers treated the Indian A.B.'s etc with utter contempt.
No mention of the bribery and corruption that was endemic amongst most business and government. I had Indian A.B.'s who were still awaiting their salary from their previous ship, some 9 months later. It had been paid to the management company (J.M. Baxi) but the clerks there had taken it and invested it in there own names in order to supplement their income, only eventually passing it onto the rightful recipient's once they had made their lot.
Indian sailors having to pay a "bribe" in order to get a new ship.
Indian Port Authorities and Customs who would expect a "present" before doing any work and in the case of customs, paying off there you were liable to arrive home sans camera, tape player etc. after the customs had helped themselves to your personal items.
rgds
JA

[Ivan Cloherty]

Having lived in that part of the world wonder why they never mention the SMELL, open sewers, defecators in the street, the dead bodies in the street waiting for the 5am pickup cart, the rats, the flies, you get the picture!

[Captain Kong]

And That Ivan is India, as I remember. Many little kids who had been purposely mutilated and deformed, legs twisted behind their backs, like skeletons, "Dash me baksheeesh, no Moma, No papa," and so on.
A filthy and disgusting place to visit.
Cheers
Brian

[Dennis McGuckin]

Yes the smell always got me.
You could smell the place when still out at sea.
Bit like Aden.
Recall once in Bombay stepping over bodies lying in the street.
On one occasion a dead one for sure.

[Rodney Mills]

I've been to India twice, once as a tourist and once stopping over from a trip to Nepal. For me it was the arm pit of the world and expensive.

Absolutely no way would I live on the local economy as the young back packers do, it's asking for major sickness. It was the Hilton for me and my family. Forget local transportation it was a car and driver. Even with that it was constant tipping: From the airport a porter grabs your case and runs to the door, hands it off to another porter who takes it to the taxi stand, that's two tips. The taxi driver gives you a price, "So sorry the meter is broken." Which doubles when you get to the hotel as it's each person. Tip the fancy dressed Sikh who opens the taxi door. Porter grabs you bag and is off to the Front Desk. As you are checking in another porter has your bag and has the elevator waiting bags inside. He hits your floor number and is gone. Elevator door opens. a floor boy is waiting for you and your case. Repeat the same scenario on the way out....Still it's better than cholera, typhoid, or leprosy.

The Taj Mahal is like a diamond set in a pile of cow shite.

One of our trips my wife and I spent three weeks backpacking in Poland, traveled all over, no problems it was great, wife and I left Poland for a side trip into Russia, that was a shocker. Russia was like Mexico is to the USA.. Shabby, poor, run down and dirty. But that's another tale.

[Ivan Cloherty]

The Taj Mahal is like a diamond set in a pile of cow shite.

.

I lived in the Taj Mahal hotel in Bombay for three months, it was when the beggars went on strike for three weeks, caused all types of disruption, I had a ship in drydock with numerous bottom plates off, so couldn't flood and sail, as no workers, no one came into work as they could not exercise their karma or satisfy their gods because they could not give a beggar a rupee, the steel works closed down so could not get bottom plates for my ship...........India........and its neighbour Pakistan, where I was living are certainly different and corruption rife and a way of life.............happy days

[Keith Tindell]

My first trip that visited India was the Silton Hall, which was Indian charter, so was named Jalasilton Hall, I remember docking in Bombay as it was known then, about 4oclock in the morning, I was horrified, crippled kids on a roller skate, wailing beggars, stench was horrible, it just shook me . We were seven months on that trip, hardly went ashore, any thought of young ladies was sent to the back of my mind, kt

[Dennis McGuckin]

Blimey Keith. Seven months and not one trip to 'The Cages'?

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
I was in Calcutta on one trip and me and my mate took over the Garry on the way back to the ship, went hell for leather, {One way to get out of the smell quickly] arrived back at the ship; the Garry driver looked like a white man.
Indians have taken over most of the IT jobs these days, Parramatta is now little India.
The Health Authorities have just found out they had an Indian DR working in emergency for the past eleven years that was a fraud, he had stolen papers and identity from a Dr in India; the Immigration hadn't picked it up
They think he has fled the country, how he lasted that long I don't know, but he was in charge of the night time emergency ward for years, so far they have only one mistake he made; a little boys arm set wrong, a few red faces around.
Cheers Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Some years ago flew into Bombay and as we got closer I looked down on the largest cover of iron sheeting I had ever seen. there must have been two or three thousand houses or forms of accommodation under there.

The international terminal was closed so we had to sit on the tarmac for two hours with the doors open. Every fly in India came om board, it was like a fog.

Returning the terminal was open, pity, I have never seen such a mess in my life. Went to go to the dunny, got the smell and decided I could wait.
Bodies all over the place, told they were waiting for connecting flights some of which were only weekly so spent up to six days in there. Obviously these people have no sense of smell.

Our local florist goes there three times a year and loves it, but I suspect she goes to one of the better parts.