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Day 55 (March 2, 2000) GOING VISITING IN THE SILICON VALLEY OF INDIA The Kamat's of Kamat's Potpourri (kamat.com) greeted us with enthusiasm. The "love of labor" that goes into the e-zine has nothing to do with the love of technology. The Kamat's have neither a television nor a refrigerator. If not for their son, who lives in Alabama now, they wouldn't even have a telephone. They type their articles on a 1958 Remington typewriter and develop their own photographs, and send a weekly package to Alabama where their son and his wife enter all into a computer, then send a weekly package containing the printout of the site, back to their parents. Otherwise, they are as lively and eccentric and extremely likable. It was so difficult to leave. We had tears in our eyes as they garlanded Marcia and me with sandalwood and made us promise to return one day. The next stop was Surekha's house on a tree-lined street in the same area. The apartment was quite western, in contrast to the Kamat's there were all the modern conveniences, a large-screen tv, modern kitchen, and a computer in the spare bedroom. Surekha, elegant in a beige silk salwar kamese, served us samosas and sweets, and we chatted and took a look at her jewelry designs. My favorite was a sapphire strand with a pendant holding four small diamonds in the rough. Her sister popped by with one of her sons. It was all very much like visiting in the U.S., a day with the Kamat's and with Surekha, and by the end of it, I was homesick. Cell phones, laptops, men in kakis and striped shirts, women in saris it could have been lunchtime in Silicon Valley. But I am in Bangalore at the Taj Residency buffet with my e-mail buddy Surekha who I met in person for the first time today. An elegant woman in a burgundy salwar kameese the long dress-over-pants that most modern Indian women wear. Like everyone else in the room, we talked tech. I began in computers in 1988. She’d concentrated in home studies in college. That's the time when I regretted that I should have done something in engineering, you know, because the foundation should be there and I had no clue. We were interrupted by an outburst from the four French businessmen next to us, suddenly aflurry with crisscrossing cellphone conversations. For a moment their laptops lay dormant amongst the plates of chipati and gourmet dahl cooling on the table. We waited for them to finish and continued talking about work, marriage, children, travel, and everyday life in India and abroad. Surekha begins her day on the Internet. I get my cup of coffee and go to the computer. My sister-in-law in Seattle is on at the same time. Then I look at some websites Journeywoman, Lonely Planet, Women.com and a few hours have flown by! After having traveled through rural India with its bad roads and backwardness I was extremely surprised at the vibe of this city. An outer crust of industrial parks and truck-jammed expressways hides a sophisticated center where young women choose their dress, if not always their destinies. I feel much more at ease in Bangalore, no one stares or yells HELLO in my face, grabs my arm or pushes their baby to be startled at the sight of the foreigner. Here, young Indian women wear tight jeans and T-shirts or saris and outrageously tall platform heels. Men are fashion-conscious, too, in western-style pants and wraparound sunglasses. Hardly anyone notices as I walk down Residency Avenue toward the trendy shops and cybercafes. There are at least 10 of them in a block here, filled with people of all ages. A glimpse reveals e-mail conversations and a LOT of Indian movie-star fan sites Today I also gave Patience up again to an Enfield dealer for a checkup before the last stretch of highway. There is no time for glitches. Friday Marcia and I will take off again toward Madras, stopping at Sri Kalahasteeswara Temple to celebrate the Shivarathi festival on Saturday with the masses. Sunday will be spent at the temple at Tirupathi, the holy hill of Tirumala, which is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in India and the busiest in the entire world, even taking Mecca, Jerusalem, and Rome into account. This is the place where Hindus often shave their heads, offering their hair to the gods is considered particularly auspicious here. The computer also got fixed at a very capable Mac shop here, so I'm back in the business of writing dispatches and processing digital photos though my PCMCIA card adapter for the camera card is a bit flakey. We'll see what happens. BACK TO HOME |