A Small Change in the Life of a Waiter in a Restaurant

While living in Delhi for almost a year, I had to change places to live. After I started living in Lajpat Nagar, I chose to have my dinner in a small restaurant in my neighborhood daily. Although the place is not a huge eatery, it serves mouth-watering food, at least for a few things in their menu. A boy, maybe 14-15 years of age, diligently works at the place, and manages the huge crowd single-handedly. The office-goers are regular visitors of this place, even the locals who do not want to cook at home sometimes. So the crowd is always quite much and this little boy is always busy running from one table to the other.

When I first started going to the restaurant, the name of which, I still do not know, it took the chotu ages to deliver the food to my table. However, the food was delicious, so I could not complain of the delay at all. While I enjoyed the meal comprising kadhai paneer with naan, I heard people calling the chotu with names like bhaiya, hello, bhai, etc. He did not feel angry at even a single customer and served everyone with patience and a pleasant smile, and he impressed me for sure. I kept going to the restaurant for a while and then asked for his name one day. He said, “Krishna”, and ran away to serve other customers.

Although it was not a big deal for me to call him by his name, I saw him smiling even more whenever I called him Krishna Ji rather than Krishna bhaiya. Calling someone bhaiya sounds derogatory to me, so I always called him Krishna ji whenever I had to ask for something. I would call him and ask to place an order rather than being plain rude to him. He would stand at my table for a couple of extra seconds, smile, and then run to the kitchen to tell the cook what I wanted. My order would be on my table in not more than ten minutes.

I had to go for a week-long trip on two Self-Drive Cars in Delhi with my seven colleagues to Kasol. When I returned to the restaurant for a dinner on Sunday, I saw a tremendous change in everyone behavior. Everyone at the place had begun calling him Krishna ji instead of using random belittling names. Krishna came running to me and presented a large Cadbury chocolate to me, which he had bought a couple of days ago. He said, Thank you Sir, English me isse zyada nahi bol paunga”. (Thank you Sir, I cannot speak more English than this)

I could not resist hugging that innocent child and I could feel my eyes slightly welling up with tears. I could feel that he wanted to attain a respectable position in life, but was stuck with a meager job where people did not even call him by his name. He felt immense respect when he heard his name with a Ji as a respectable suffix. He thanked me for starting the custom of calling him by his real name, and I returned the thanks for honoring me.

How I Get Free Stuff Abroad Just By Being an Indian

Sometimes, you realize the value of being an Indian only when you are away from your motherland. I live in Pune, but I realized that we should value our identity when I started traveling abroad. We Indians ourselves have an impression that we always look for freebies while shopping. We tend to negotiate for practically everything possible, and even a penny we save is a penny we earn. Nonetheless, we also have an impression that freebies work only in India, not abroad. However, a couple of episodes on foreign lands amazed me, so much so that I started feeling proud of being an Indian rather than taking my nationality for granted.

I can specially recall two incidents from Munich when I went there last year. I got free stuff at a few places; why? Because I am an Indian! I could not believe the words of those acquaintances when they explained their positive gestures to me. Let me begin my experiences in Munich by mentioning that it is indeed a fabulous city. You get clean roads, brilliant infrastructure, recreational activities to do, and the best part is the presence of fantastic people in the city.

When I was there in Munich for quite a long time, my parents would visit me after a few months. My parents love to have dinner in restaurants whenever possible, and my father is a great fan of South Indian food. So there was this weekend when he said that he felt like eating Uttapam, which is not an easy find in Munich. Yet, I googled about South Indian food in the city, and found a restaurant called Kerala. As we entered the place, we felt good about it, especially the Indian sculptures that added a lot of charm to the ambiance.

The service

The waiter who took our order hailed from Kolkata and we shared great vibes. Before he took the order, we talked about India and our respective cities. We might not talk about our culture a lot in general, but it feels good to do so when you are abroad. So we did the clichéd Indian thing and discussed about the latest movies, politics, and our various cultures. After about 20 minutes, he took our order for spinach corn soup for starters, and then the main course.  The steaming hot soup was super delicious, and then we went ahead with our meal of loads of Indian food. The waiter asked us if we would like to have some tea, to which we all agreed. The tea arrived and we asked for our bill.

Here comes the twist. Surprise! Surprise!

The Indian manager of the restaurant had waived off the charges for the tea and soup, and gave us a discount of 50%! Woaahhh! We asked about it and the manager said that he loved doing it for his own countrymen. I had never come across such a generous person in India, probably they become humble towards their brethren when they are away from their country. We talked to him for half an hour and had a great time.  We told him that we get such discounts in India only when we take a car on rent in Pune. Else, everything else comes for a heavy price most of the times without any discount.

This incident was followed by another one when we visited another Indian restaurant. The owner of the place, again, was too kind, and he treated us with a huge discount on the meal, free cups of tea, and a great session of chatting. Blew my mind!

How My Friend Made Me Jealous on Our Road Trip

By falling asleep as quickly as a baby! Yes, my friend Shreya made me feel so jealous of her just by sleeping so promptly at every place possible. When we were making a plan for our trip to Spiti Valley, I had told her that this might be the most inconvenient trip of her life as she would have to manage without many resources on the hills. She had not-so-confidently replied that she will be fine and that she will try her best not to complain. To my utter surprise, she never whined about anything, but it was I, who was always complaining about the mosquitoes in the mountains.

The beginning

When we began planning the trip, I went to Shreya’s home. We live in Ahmedabad in a peaceful society, so we meet often. In her room, where I went for the first time, I found quite a mess there. I did not mind as it was none of my concern to tell her to clean her room. Anyway, as I sat there with her to discuss the itinerary, she said that she was feeling sleepy and wanted to take a nap. I was okay with it as I sat with her Mom and she slept for half an hour in her room. However, it was just a beginning of what I would call pure jealousy, maybe not negative in literal sense.

As we began our trip by going ahead towards the airport, she fell asleep in the cab. It was again fine as people often sleep when tired, and it was already 11 pm. I have seen her sleeping at the airport, in the airplane, in the cab, on the rocks, on the ground, and at every impossible place. Once Shreya is asleep, it does not matter to her whether she is in a theater, at the railway station, or among the terrorists playing with their guns! She would keep snoring so loud to put even the bravest men on shame.

As soon as we sat in our Car Rental Ahmedabad, she was excited to drive, but I was anxious about her sleeping while driving. I raised my concerns to her, but she assured me that I could take rest peacefully and sleep for a while as she drives. She promised that she would drive carefully without falling asleep. I must mention that her slumbering problem had become the butt of our jokes by then!

What makes me jealous?

I hate to admit that I need quite a few, or many comforts to fall asleep properly. I need my two pillows with perfect size, a perfect place, and perfectly matching with each other to begin my sleeping process. Even when the entire world is conspiring to make me dead to the world, I have to wake up one last time to pee! And when I finally sleep after struggling for like an entire lifetime, I see weird dreams throughout the night! What on earth do I need to sleep as beautifully as Shreya does? No, she does not snore; I was kidding, but I am jealous for sure.

It is not that I don’t get tired enough to fall asleep soon. Despite feeling exhausted after a long day, I don’t feel like sleeping so soon. And here is my friend who dies for the world for eight hours every night. I don't know when I will figure out the mystery behind such a quick and sound sleep. Till then, let me be green-eyed, probably for the rest of my life!

What Motivates Me to Travel Every Month

For me, travel does not necessarily mean that I should go out of the city every time. I live in Mumbai and I love to explore every corner of it, which might take a year or more. Even then, I feel I would not be able to grasp everything in the city owing to the versatility of the city. Nevertheless, I want to share how I find the motivation to leave the house every weekend and explore a new place or even a new café.

Tiredness from work

Exhaustion from the routine of weekdays is the first thing that bores many people. Still, they keep slugging for weeks and months to go for just one vacation. However, I don’t like to sit at home on Saturdays and Sundays. I make sure that I have my plans ready before Friday strikes so that I do not feel too confused to decide upon the destination. I plan my weekend for a new meet-up, visit to a historical monument, or eating at a new place. If I cannot find anything, I make sure that I meet someone from office, college, or school. I just cannot spend time sleeping at home throughout the weekend.

Curiosity to explore

This reason may or may not work for others, but it does wonderfully work for me. I love to learn about new places, especially the historical monuments. I have deep interest in history and politics, so I love to explore more and more places as soon as I can. I have been to several museums and monuments to learn about the culture and history of India. 

Meeting people

When I know that I have to meet an interesting person, my heart comes abound with joy. Talking to a new person gives me a reason to get dressed and find topics to talk to him or her. This trait of being so communicative came in me from my husband. I used to be a little reserved whenever I would meet someone. However, as soon as I observed him after marriage, I noticed him talking to everyone he met. He is not an MBA graduate or a marketing executive who knows how to strike a conversation with people. Still, he is a pro at making people comfortable with him and he can extract a lot of positive information out of anyone.

I and my husband often take Car rental Mumbai to go to places that we can visit together, based on our personal interests. Nevertheless, it is completely my choice to be out of the house every weekend while he prefers to relax on both days. During my journey of so many weekends in and around Mumbai, I can proudly say that I love the way I live. Life would not have been better than it is today. Although I have seen people talking about travel a lot, but when it comes to actually doing it, they have broader plans than they can accomplish. Nevertheless, I would keep doing what I am pursuing at present.

How I Prepared for a Road Trip around Pune

The first advice I took regarding a backpacking road trip is to get a good quality backpack. I asked the vendor about the kind of bag that I should buy and he suggested that I should go for a comfortable one with a couple of mesh pockets on the outside. The mesh is helpful to store water and wet clothes, which dry as I walk.

Things to keep

·         When I started packing for my first road trip from Pune, I was confused about the things I should keep in my backpack. I did not want to make it too heavy so that I could carry it around comfortably. The first thing, however, was a compact single-bed sheet. I knew that I would be sleeping in hostels where I might not get clean beds, and this bed sheet would come in handy at such times.

·         I had to prepare a folder that contained all my original documents, and the other with the copies of it. Travel tickets, hotel bookings, and driving license are just a few things that I kept in my folder. I also kept the soft copies of all other crucial documents so that I can at least get a print out in case I needed.

·         I also kept a foldable plastic bag so that I can put all the things that I purchase in it, and store it in my hostel. I wanted to keep the weight of the backpack below 15% of my bodyweight at all times.

·         I prepared myself to wash clothes while staying anywhere on my road trip. I kept the minimum clothes possible, which included a pair of jeans, three T-shirts, a few undergarments, and that’s it. No extra fuss in my bag regarding clothes. I needed space for the other things in my bag. 

The purpose of a road trip

Although I gave a lot of thought into packing my backpack, I knew that I will be buying a lot of things. The only thing that I had in mind was that I had to enjoy my time at its best. A road trip is meant to be on your own, whether you are with your friends or alone. Since I did not have any company of friends this time, I could do anything I wanted and go whichever place pleased me.

I thought of taking a car on rent in Pune, but postponed the plan for my next trip when I would go around with friends. This time, although it was my first solo trip, I did not feel any anxiety before boarding the bus. I got onto the bus as if I were a pro in road trips, and that I have been doing it since ages. The previous experiences of being with friends on the hills was significant support for me. In the eight hour journey from Pune, I thought a lot about my life, and felt grateful for it.

On my return journey, however, I was a little tired. The only best thing that happened when I was waiting for my luggage to arrive was that I could see my fiancé. A tight hug with him was all that I needed to express my love and longing for him. Without saying anything, I knew that I was in the best place in the world. My luggage sat behind me as I felt cozy inside his arms. No matter how far I go, I can never escape the love that he showers on me. I wait to go for many more road trips with him.

How Beggars Can Be Funny in India

The scenario of beggary is quite bad in India as it is in many other developing countries. Although I do not like the behavior of beggars with the locals and tourists, I cannot ignore their immense sense of humor and sarcastic tone of language. There have been several incidences when the panhandlers have turned sarcastic if their stubbornness to fetch money does not work. One such instance comes to my mind when I was traveling to Pune with my friend.

My college friend, Shikha, is a gorgeous looking girl, and she has been in touch with me for more than seven years now. In most parts of India, if a man is just standing with a girl, almost everyone assumes that they are in love. I am not talking about the hamlets of the country; this judgmental thought process prevails even in the metropolitans. We had planned a trip to the mountains with a couple of more friends, and we were to meet them on the Hong Kong lane in Pune. Since Shikha could not think about anything but shopping in the market, I decided to devour on some pav-bhaji.

I was silently enjoying my food while admiring the young crowd in the bazaar. Even though I had no intentions of entering even a single shop, I could not help but visit a couple of outlets that looked promising. However, I was tired of shopping in just a few minutes, and I decided to call Shikha. She, thankfully, answered and promised to stay with me until everyone else came.

As we were talking while enjoying our glasses of watermelon juice, a little child around seven years of age comes to us. He has a beautiful smile, but his clothes reveal that he is a beggar in the market. As he asks for some money, I cannot help but refuse since I do not encourage beggary, no matter what. He starts pulling my pants and says, “Bhaiya, paise do na." His act irritates me, and I try to shun him to go away while saying sorry to him.

He again pleads and blesses us saying, "Aap dono ki Jodi bani rahe” meaning may God bless you two to be together. I laugh at his words and tell him that the girl is not my girlfriend. He stops smiling and shows sympathy towards me saying, "Bhaiya wo to lag hi raha hai” meaning it was quite obvious to him. I ask him shocked what he meant by his words. He walks away while uttering, “Didi kafi achi hain” (Sister looks quite good).

I stood fixed in the ground while the savage child walks away, and I can hear Shikha in the background, laughing and rolling on the floor. I knew that I was slain for the day, and she will narrate this incident to everyone coming to meet us. Even I could not help, but feel impressed by the high levels of sarcasm running through the veins of every person in India, or Pune, I would say. I rested on my Self-Drive Car Rental and waited for the time when everyone would come and make lame jokes on me. Pheewww!

Travel Tips That I Learned From My Elder Sister

When you are young, many factors play a role to transform your personality. You always have someone in your life whom you admire and look up to become like that person. This admirable person in my life is my sister, who is eight years elder to me. She has done such unconventional things in life that have inspired many others around her. She is a great academic learner who has learned three foreign languages on her own just by traveling to different countries. While seeing her go around the world, the travel bug bit me when I was in my first year of college. Since I had her backing, there was no one to stop me from traveling unlike her initial days of struggle. She has given me, through her actions and words, such tips to sustain my life that I find it incredibly effortless to deal with life while traveling.

Protect your skin

Just because you are traveling, it is not an excuse not to take care of your skin. Whether you are a male or a female, you ought to protect your skin from harmful elements around us. Since India is a polluted country, especially in urban and semi-urban cities, we must pay attention to the health of our body from inside and outside. I resort to natural means to rejuvenate my skin every Sunday, just like she does.

Eat healthy foods

Only outer protection is not enough for the body and skin. Didi has taught me to cook myself so that I can eat healthy whenever I am out of the house. I make it a point to buy fresh vegetables and fruits so that I don’t have to depend on the fast food on the streets. I cut the fruits, mix them, and put them in at least two tiffin boxes that I can carry comfortably. Whenever I feel hungry, I have great stuff to fill my stomach.

Do not gossip

Whether I am in my city or traveling outside, I do not indulge in gossip, no matter what. Unless I am sure about facts, I make sure that I do not talk about vague facts. It is essential to stay away from such things because they pollute one's mind and lead to unnecessary brawls.

Think carefully and take your decisions

When I was growing up, just like other adolescents, I would crave for one thing on one day, and some other stuff the next morning. Didi educated me to think clearly about things before making efforts to achieve them. She wanted me to think clearly about a situation and realize if I wanted it in reality or not. When I wished to pursue my dream to become a travel blogger, she hired a car rental Indore for me, took me for a road trip. We discussed the upsides and downsides of long-term travel so that I can make an informed decision. I cannot thank her enough for that road trip, because of which I have a great life at present.