Its the little differences

Chennai looks, in almost all respects, like a modern mega city.  But there are interesting little differences between Chennai and the typical US city.  The first, and perhaps most obvious, is there are lot of Indians in Chennai.  A lot.  A whole bunch.  Not too surprising when you consider that India has four times the population of the US and one third of its land mass.

Of course because of British influence they drive on the wrong side of the rode, and the steering wheels are also on the wrong side.  I say wrong because if America does it a particular way then any deviation, by definition, must be wrong.

The real difference on the roads, however, is the techniques employed by the drivers. First, the lines between sides of the roads seem to be interpreted as suggestions.  Sidewalks are off limits to cars, but an excellent way to speed up travel if you are on a motorcycle.  And it is particularly quaint when you see a man driving, with his wife sitting side saddle behind him.  Auto rickshaws (imagine a motorcycle crossed with a golf cart) are also numerous and functional as less expensive, and more maneuverable taxi cabs.  More than the vehicles themselves, however, the real difference is how people drive.  Everyone one drives extremely close (barely inches from other vehicles) and weaves in and out of traffic with an almost effortless abandon.  And there is almost continual horn honking.  Unlike NY, where a horn blast roughly translates into ‘#$@%# you’ in India it’s more an indication of your presence.  And despite what looks like utter chaos and even a subtle form of population control, everyone rides a long with beatific expressions of calm.

Like the city, the office is modern in every way.  The air conditioning is excellent (and given the fact that a typical day is 90 degrees with 90% humidity, you can imagine why I found this a great relief).  The interior of office is the typical cube city.  There are some particularly nice touches.  One is the guard on each floor (many of whom a retired military).  They run (one practically leapt half a flight on stairs) for the door to let you in.  This is followed by very jaunty salute.  During the day tea and coffee is periodically delivered to your desk.  In the US you would expect a disposable cup.  Here it comes in a lovely tea cup and saucer.  And the coffee is absolutely killer.  If only starbucks could make coffee half this good.