Here everything comes with a price tag. I realised it the moment we landed at the Hamburg Airport. One Trolley for your luggage costs 1E. Now tell me, one spends so much on the Airfare, it is a basic service that can be offered to Flyers. After all nobody will go home on it.… In Bombay,oops! Mumbai, trolleys, drinking water, even Newspapers are free. Restaurants don’t serve water here. If you are thirsty you either drink bier or something else which is anyway always cheaper than water. Why is gas water (soda) such a favourite with people here, I don’t understand. After eating bread and cheese and cold cuts all the time, passing of air may be the reason why… I miss all those waiters who get you water first thing after you are seated, and also bring in “Chakna” with the drinks and green salad with the main course for free. Here nothing is free. Not ketchup at McDonalds to go with the Burger nor the place of the worship… One has to pay a membership fee to be able to go to a church regularly.
The Public Convenience Facilities, generally charge 50 cents.
I very quickly grew out of converting the Euro into Rupees. But every time I pay 50 cents( 30 Rupees!) for the( very cold) nature’s call I cant help frown…. Many people rave about the ‘quality of life’ in the phoren countries. The fresh air, no all three types of pollution, the quality of products, cleanliness and greenery…. But I terribly miss our maids, our laundry wala, milkman, paper and cable walla, our driver… In India, ‘below the house’ you will get all the services from paan wala to puncture. What is life without them.
Value people, for here, there are no people to touch your lives in so many ways…. For example, at the Frankfurt Airport there are machines (let’s call it that) that give the Boarding pass. No pretty face smiling and greeting you.
No comments:
Post a Comment