Dogs Balls

OK i always figured i’d stand out, and i mentioned earlier I was stared at in Gurgaon a but, but today was the clincher.

OK so you need a little background, but in India it seems you need a ticket to get inside the terminal.  So inside a terminal is only passengers, at least that's the way it was at Delhi and again on arrival in Bangalore.  Now both those terminals are amazingly big and new and clean, so with only passengers in them, they aren't necessarily “full”.  So as i walk off the flight from Delhi and across the vast arrivals hall, i look outside and can see literally hundreds of people with names on boards – oh dear i think – how will i find the driver, even assuming there is one…

However, and this is the bit where i realised i stand out a little, the delightful man from Bangalore Taj West End Hotel approaches me as asks if i am Mr Fraser.  Was it that obvious?? – obviously yes.

So Bangalore is a little different to Delhi, but just as chaotic, for a start it is more tropical and i am glad it was only February, i suspect it gets a bit warm in the next few months.  A lot cleaner, but also more of a British Raj feel to it.

The Taj West End – wow where to start.  Well for starters every review on Trip Advisor is correct, it is an oasis amid the chaos with its sprawling grounds and colonial buildings.  I was dropped by the driver at the front door where i was met by a hostess clearly briefed on who i was with room key ready, i was garlanded, and got a red dot on my forehead and straight to my room, none of this messy “checking in”.

 

So…. here i am in Bangalore at the ITechlaw conference.  Lots of great people and a conference at which Australian lawyers seem underrepresented.  I knew the India IT industry was doing great things, i dont think i really appreciated how great.  All the talks were very relevant to what i do and hearing lawyers from around the world speak about them was interesting.

The people who were organising the event were great and very friendly.  Sajai, Rahul and Malavika in particular were very warm and gracious hosts throughout the conference.  The dinner was fantastic and the presentation on India’s NUID went well as far as you can ever tell.  I will certainly be interested in how it goes.  Bumped into an old colleague from G+T days, now working at Voda in Bombay (seems that many Indians prefer that name to Mumbai).

Very few pictures, mostly because i barely left the hotel.  I would love to have gotten some more and as always regret not doing so.  Although i wanted to take a lot of pictures of people, i was conscious to to be too invasive, or when with my hosts, to nerdy.

I did manage to sneak in a yoga class before breakfast on my last day, probably fairly westernised, and it didn't really push me, but great to do and also reinforced the importance of doing simple things well.  It doesn't always have to be pushing to the next thing harder and stronger.

I got out for a brief shop with co-panellist Alan, and managed to find a few things for the girls including a sari – picture of the shop in the middle of nowhere below

and then to the Bangalore Palace, summer residence for the King notable for its British architecture, but, although not in the picture, its spectacularly and sadly dilapidated state

Friday night was sheer madness – i was invited to Sajai’s along with many of the genuine dignitaries from the conference, it was an honour and tragically too short.  The cab ride was 1.5 hours through some of the worst traffic i saw, i arrived after 8:30 and needed to leave by 9 (well 9:15) but did manage to meet even more people, see the house have 2 glasses of french red and eat a beautiful meal.  The cab ride was something else, through regional/rural Bangalore in total darkness – just surreal.  But i have rabbited on long enough now. 

The journey home was all you’d expect and completely uneventful, I am safely home and may post some final thoughts in due course.

Delhi for a Day

Wow, a whirlwind day of Delhi.  The morning was spent working (as that’s when Australia is online).  i did go for a brief walk outside Neil's building, and the locals weren't shy in just staring at the big white guy – quite confronting. Some shots from Neil's balcony give some limited sense of the bizarre high rise region of Gurgaon.

Traffic to Airtel was my first real exposure to serious traffic (i dont think 4:00 am counts).  Pictures don't do it justice and yes you hears its chaos, but it is ridiculous.  Here are some highlights…very few traffic lights, people merge by just pulling out, you let people know you are there by tooting your horn, lanes are irrelevant, there are lots of motorbikes (not  as many helmets), lots of women sit side saddle, tuk tuks (not called that but cant remember what they are called), lots of push bikes some loaded up beyond belief, trucks (all sizes) and busses, people walking, animals (dogs cows, camels, and horses) i wont go on, but i could – here are some picks…

It was great to meet Akhil again and he very kindly arranged meetings for me with Airtel staff.  The Airtel Q and A was pretty intense and i have some homework to do.  But great to meet them and i think Airtel is going to do some work in Australia.

Curiously Neil mentioned that he had met a few Airtel lawyers and they were very good and i would agree with that.

Akhil took me to the Oberoi Trident in Gurgaon for lunch – courtyard shot below…

Just beautiful food.

The schedule for the day blew out completely, but late in the day a guide took me round Delhi for about 2 hours.  I managed to et out of the car briefly a few times but mostly it was just spent in the back seat of the car gob smacked.  I ended up doing some shopping in Connaught Place markets (lots of bracelets Annabel!! and a few things for your sisters too).  Just about impossible to get pictures that convey the chaos especially from the back of a car. 

The abject poverty and slums are of course real and just beyond belief.  these are people with families hopes desires and aspirations like we all do, living under a piece of cardboard alongside a busy road.  The kids cross the busy street to stand at your window and shamelessly beg for money, it is truly heartbreaking.

Old Delhi too is indescribable, but dirtier and denser, but in a way more alive.  Words fail me but there was no doubt that things changed.

Dinner at Bakhara in ITC Sheraton was again stunning food.  In fact its fair to say that time has not really allowed a lot of real tourism, but i do have to eat and the food has been stunning.  Of course i have had one (pretty crappy) coffee. But i didnt come with any expectations i would see any.

More from Bangaore.  A few shots below from the car trip

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Travel to India

Flights to Singapore are nothing that surprising anymore and Singapore is such a sterile airport, but Singapore to Delhi was unusual, and just a precursor to Delhi itself. 

However the trip to Singapore was surprising for one reason, namely i saw 2 guys from Optus i know.  Small world.  As near as i can figure it i did manage between 2 and 3 hours sleep.  Also saw District 9, great movie.

The plane was only small so “pointy” end is not that special but the food was indian curries and really good, so that was a bit of fun.  And the seat was big enough to get a little shut eye, again,between 2 and 3 hours sleep – probably closer to 2 this time.

Of course you don't expect a huge queue at passport control when you arrive at 2:30 am (well 2:40 when the bus has to travel a couple of km from the plane to the terminal) but it seems that is a popular time to land here and the queue was as big as I've seen.  Must be a time zone thing.

Raju (Neil’s driver) collected me at the airport – a very nice young chap and even at 3:30 the traffic was amazing.  Outside the Airport was chaos. 

Raju left me for 5 minutes while he went and got the car.  problem was having only just met him, i suddenly realised i might not recognise him when he came back, there were drivers everywhere, and they all honk their horns.

Driving down from the Airport to Gurgaon was just surreal, the mix of old and new is hard to explain. There were hundreds of those overloaded highly decorated trucks on the highway, i think they are all only allowed on at certain times.

There were labourers working on the airport road, which was about as busy as Mascot at 7:00 am, but little if any protective clothing or signs.  I saw the obligatory 3 people on a 100cc motorbike.  And would not want to drive here without having lived here a while – almost no signs telling you where to go, but they could do with a few

Neil, the consummate host got up at 4 and had a cuppa with me got me wireless and has my agenda for the day all booked.

The apartment, like everything is amazing and then surprisingly poorly finished.  the lift was marble floor and walls that belonged in a locker room.  My room below is a good example, looks as good as any hotel with an ensuite, but look at the trim in my ensuite!

Anyway this doesn't do justice to the few short hours thus far, i expect sensory overload tomorrow (actually that's today i think)More from Bangalore i expect today will be tight and i expect i will be tired!

Beginnings

 

On 2 February I am travelling to India to speak at a conference in Bangalore (http://www.itechlaw-india.com/conference.htm), see Friday at 11:30).

This is an exciting trip for me and a bit of an experiment and leap of faith for our firm.  We would very much like to develop stronger links to lawyers and businesses in India that are looking to do business in Australia.

On the down side, I am only in the country for 70 hours – quite silly really, but if it works well, perhaps I can do it again next year an make if for longer.

I have never been to India and very much looking forward to it, although a little apprehensive about picking up some sort of belly bug.  To that end I had my shots yesterday and need to get some malaria tablets.   On a personal level, i would very much like to try and fit in a little tourism and maybe even a yoga class – that would be pretty cool.

On a professional level, I will be staying in Delhi (or just outside at a place called Gurgoan i think) with my friend and colleague Neil Pollock who is working for a year at, as it happens my client AirTel.  I am also hoping to meet lawyers from AirTel and lawyers from a few different firms in India.

The conference is in Bangalore and i will fly there on Thursday morning.

That is all for now, next update from the plane perhaps – although I do hope to sleep a bit – my fly arrives in Delhi at 2:00 am (although 8:00 am Sydney time)