Landing In Delhi
I have no doubt that to land in any major city in India as a newcomer is an overwhelming experience unlike any other. Mine was in Delhi.
The heat hit me first, the swarm of hustlers second. I moved briskly through a wall of taxi drivers who chased my scent painfully far. Only once in the Uber waiting zone did they give up. I stood there under a misted ceiling fan - a gift from God. Being unfamiliar with the currency I was sure I would overpay for a taxi no matter how hard I haggled. Uber was my safest bet.
Quickly I was thrust into Delhi traffic, a ceaselessly moving world - a total assault on the senses for a newcomer. The driver slowed at an intersection and I heard a wailing nearby.
A woman was behind us on foot, overflowing with tears, in total panic, her voice screeching in desperation. Assuming the driver hadn’t noticed I motioned to him and he slowed. The woman caught up and thrust herself halfway into the tuktuk and the sight of her completely shook me - mascara ran down her cheeks in a torrent of tears and she breathed in laboured gasps; her whole face twisting with pain. “Help!” she screeched, “Please, help!” while waving a document in one hand. Gauging my confusion she elaborated “Sick! Hospital!”. Now sensing my hesitation she broke further into dismay. “Money!” the word coming out in fractured sobbing panic. I couldn’t bear to see a human being so distraught. I reached into my pocket and handed her a 500 rupee note (5 US Dollars). For a fraction of a second surprise overcame her, she seemed completely still, then she caught her breath and charged with new energy, screaming “More!” but the driver was speeding up and she rolled unsteadily out of the vehicle.
I turned forward to see my driver’s arms in the air, swearing, shaking his head and looking back at me. “Why?” he said. “Why?” I repeated. “Actor, actor! Not sick!” He was shouting. The words sunk in slowly. “How much you give?” He asked. When I told him 500 Rupees he just shook his head and went immediately silent. His brow remained fixed in a knot and he did not say a word for the remainder of the hour-long journey into the city. This was the only time during my trip in India I saw any local display anger. At the end when I handed him the fare, exactly 500 rupees, I realised I’d learnt my first lesson in India very quickly and I wondered who had worked harder for their keep, the driver or the actress.