Safety

Indian men have a sense of superiority which although it's patronising at times, and a nuisance on the pavements (they won't adjust their trajectory at all), has its resassuring side.

If you are in the business, home, or car of an Indian man, or have asked for help, you are under his protection - and this tends to affect both physical safety and also the chances of being ripped off.

I exploit this most of all over taxis. Usually I ask a doorman or passer by to find me a taxi, and while this has the disadvantage that usually you need to tip them, it has several advantages, including
- they explain your destination to the driver in Hindi or local English
- they advise you on a fixed price for the journey
- this price is typically only slightly inflated, occasionally it's a bargain
- the driver takes you straight to your destination by the shortest path

Local English isn't quite the same language as UK English - in fact, it's probably even further apart than US vs UK. I am starting to get the hang of it a little, but still have to be careful because the current vocab ulary isn't quite the same as we would use - some very oldfashioned words crop up frequently, and for example "present" is unknown - you have to say "gift".

I have lost count of the number of Indians who have failed to fleece me of even the smallest sums when they easily could. Only recently I was called back for an extra 5 rupees of change.

In my current accommodation, I think because they know I am a longterm resident, the staff will not even take tips (I eat in for breakfast every morning and dinner every other evening). I plan to settle up weekly and hope they will take an extra note then.