Where do I begin?

I haven't written for over a week. Because I have been away. Because I have had a surfiet of topics. Because I don't want to vent and depress myself in the process... So, now I don't know where to begin!

Because what ever I write about is going to sound like I am venting and complaining and depressing my non-existent readers! So let me see...

What about this excerpt taken from an article in the New York times about the two Indias we all live in. This is from an article about Hamilton Court, a very posh, gated community, in Gurgaon:

"Some 600 domestic staff members work at Hamilton Court, an average of 2.26 per apartment. The building employs its own plumbers and electricians. At any one time, 22 security guards and 32 surveillance cameras are at work...The guards at the gate are instructed not to let nannies take children outside, and men delivering pizza or okra are allowed in only with permission. Once, Mr. Bhalla recalled proudly, a servant caught spitting on the lawn was beaten up by the building staff.
Recently, Mr. Bhalla’s association cut a path from the main gate to the private club next door, so residents no longer have to share the public sidewalk with servants and the occasional cow..."

This is India Shining? How are we any different from our caste ridden ancestors? And this is an educated person talking!

Last night I got ripped off by two BSES (Electric Supply) guys who came to check why our lights had gone off at 11.15 pm while everyone else's were doing fine. They came and looked at the meter - said the problem was not with the meter downstairs but with the one upstairs which I would need to get seen to. At midnight! They looked expectantly at me...I gave in and offered them cash for fixing the problem. They tinkered with the connection, the guy at the main meter suddenly called out his version of "Eureka!" and lo and behold the lights came back. This morning I found out that all they did was turn the MCD switches back on. A job they were supposed to do for free!

All this makes me so proud of being Indian.

On asking an auto driver why he wanted to over-charge me, I was told the following. "What memsahib! How will I recover the Rs 2000 I pay the lady when I go for renewal of my license? No money, no licence. And I can't afford that, can I?"

Long live bright and shining India. I don't know whether I should laugh or cry...