The Return of the Native Part I Arrival
Jan 21 2008 | Views 221 |
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Tags: The Native Returns to the Pushes and Pulls of Change Change at Loggerheads with business as usual
Tags: The Native Returns to the Pushes and Pulls of Change Change at Loggerheads with business as usual
Bangalore: January 21, 2008
I arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi by Jet Airways. The first time I flown internationally by Jet Air and I have found it one of the best airlines I have returned home with in over forty years of flying. The service was excellent and the food and drink the best. The flight : New York, Brussels New Delhi was a wee bit long, particularly as I then I had to fly after a six hour hiatus in Delhi, to Bangalore. The quality of service at Jet made up somewhat for the long delay.A total flight including layovers of about 28 hours.
Once we landed, I looked for a ATM to get some Indian Rupees. There was none at International Arrivals. I found a Thomas Cook's open which was willing to exchange the $50 that I thought would be sufficient to pay for a Taxi in Bangalore and leave some money for the morrow. I found the exchange rate was a measely 37 odd along with a service charge of Rs 185, for a total Indian rupee payment of about Rs 1875.The fact that there was no ATM coupled with being asked to pay this service charge ,looked suspiciously to me to be an imposition bordering on a racket.. I curtly turned down the Thomas Cook offer.
Even though the in flight service was fine, the arrangements to move the passengers from the international to the domestic terminal had a comedic aspect. After a long delay, Jet asked us(about 60 passengers) to troop out of the terminal to a waiting bus. The bags were placed on the bus and about 45 passengers got in. Then the bags were ten unloaded to a waiting truck and still the bus did not move . The passengers started getting restive, the Jet Air Rep was harrangued by two recalciterant passengers and there was a general commotion. One passenger started demanding refreshments. Finally the 45 passengers left with the bags(including mine) Those left behind were assured that our bags would be placed on board as they had been tagged directly to Bangalore from New York. It was strange that though the bags were tagged to Bangalore, we were made to clear customs in Delhi then made to lug our own bags to a truck and were left twiddling our thumbs waiting for transportation with our bags sent on a truck to a trip(we dreaded) to nowhere, No one could tell when the second bus would arrive to get us to the domestic terminal. The bus finally did arrive and we moved on to the domestic terminal.
Once we reacheded the domestic terminal, I still could not find an ATM that would take my VISA debit card. When I asked for an universal card ATM, I was told that I would have to go outside the terminal on the other side of the wall. I wondered why the ATM should be on the outside. When I asked fo permission to go out to cash some money, I was told that I would have to get permission of a functionary who had a long line waiting on his convenience. I decided I would bide my time and not stand in line for the functionary.It looked as if that I had finally arrived to the India that I had known all my life.
Despite the India that was careering into the twenty first century with pretensions of great powerhood, here I was, not being able to change $50 at an ATM. Finally I changed my money on my arrival in Bangalore, with a money changer as the ATM there only took Master Cards.
I shall write future blogs on my trip to India, an India that is no doubt heading towards modernity. But ,the very act of metamorphosis appears place challenges that are mind boggling to the average visitor. I will try to highlight these changes and the challenges faced by a visitor where modernity is challenged head on by business as usual.
I arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi by Jet Airways. The first time I flown internationally by Jet Air and I have found it one of the best airlines I have returned home with in over forty years of flying. The service was excellent and the food and drink the best. The flight : New York, Brussels New Delhi was a wee bit long, particularly as I then I had to fly after a six hour hiatus in Delhi, to Bangalore. The quality of service at Jet made up somewhat for the long delay.A total flight including layovers of about 28 hours.
Once we landed, I looked for a ATM to get some Indian Rupees. There was none at International Arrivals. I found a Thomas Cook's open which was willing to exchange the $50 that I thought would be sufficient to pay for a Taxi in Bangalore and leave some money for the morrow. I found the exchange rate was a measely 37 odd along with a service charge of Rs 185, for a total Indian rupee payment of about Rs 1875.The fact that there was no ATM coupled with being asked to pay this service charge ,looked suspiciously to me to be an imposition bordering on a racket.. I curtly turned down the Thomas Cook offer.
Even though the in flight service was fine, the arrangements to move the passengers from the international to the domestic terminal had a comedic aspect. After a long delay, Jet asked us(about 60 passengers) to troop out of the terminal to a waiting bus. The bags were placed on the bus and about 45 passengers got in. Then the bags were ten unloaded to a waiting truck and still the bus did not move . The passengers started getting restive, the Jet Air Rep was harrangued by two recalciterant passengers and there was a general commotion. One passenger started demanding refreshments. Finally the 45 passengers left with the bags(including mine) Those left behind were assured that our bags would be placed on board as they had been tagged directly to Bangalore from New York. It was strange that though the bags were tagged to Bangalore, we were made to clear customs in Delhi then made to lug our own bags to a truck and were left twiddling our thumbs waiting for transportation with our bags sent on a truck to a trip(we dreaded) to nowhere, No one could tell when the second bus would arrive to get us to the domestic terminal. The bus finally did arrive and we moved on to the domestic terminal.
Once we reacheded the domestic terminal, I still could not find an ATM that would take my VISA debit card. When I asked for an universal card ATM, I was told that I would have to go outside the terminal on the other side of the wall. I wondered why the ATM should be on the outside. When I asked fo permission to go out to cash some money, I was told that I would have to get permission of a functionary who had a long line waiting on his convenience. I decided I would bide my time and not stand in line for the functionary.It looked as if that I had finally arrived to the India that I had known all my life.
Despite the India that was careering into the twenty first century with pretensions of great powerhood, here I was, not being able to change $50 at an ATM. Finally I changed my money on my arrival in Bangalore, with a money changer as the ATM there only took Master Cards.
I shall write future blogs on my trip to India, an India that is no doubt heading towards modernity. But ,the very act of metamorphosis appears place challenges that are mind boggling to the average visitor. I will try to highlight these changes and the challenges faced by a visitor where modernity is challenged head on by business as usual.
© Girdhar Gopal., all rights reserved.
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