Call Center, Kamal Kishor Singh, Rishikesh

Yesterday was my last day in Delhi and after checking out of the Youth Hostel I went back to the call center in Gurgaon. I spent the next twelve hours speaking with the kids who are being trained to take calls as well as those who are already "out on the floor" working. My guide through the office was Mitali Chowdury. She bought me lots of food and Punjabi sweet Lassi. Later I met with each group for about 30-40 minutes and fielded questions relating to American culture, history, politics, etc in an effort to give everyone a better understanding of America in general as they are dealing with Americans over the phone every day and most rarely get the opportunity to interact in person with one. It was truly a rich and exciting experience. One of my favorite questions came from a man who asked about whether or not it was true that if one visits America they must carry a pistol with them when they go out at night. He was also curious to know if witch craft was a real thing that people practice in America. Several individuals in each group were curious to know about my interest in Indian culture and what brought me to the country. When I mentioned Hindi films everyone became very excited. One girl in the second group beckoned me to sing a song to them all. So, I sang:

"Kabhie Kabhie Mere Dil Mein
Khayal Aata Hai
Ki Jaise Tujhko Banaya
Gaya Hai Mere Liye
Kabhi Kabhie..."

(from KABHI KABHIE, 1976)

&

"Tujhko Dekha To Ye Jana Sanam
Pyaar Hota Hai Deewana Sanam
Ab Yahan Se Kahan Jaye Hum
Tere Bahon Mein Mar Jaye Hum"

(from DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE, 1995)

They all went crazy. Both groups also made me speak some Hindi. This, however, was only a small fraction of our discussion. We went very deep into some complicated subjects and I think learned much from each other. Truly a very rare opportunity.

Between the meetings and afterwards we spent a lot of time in the cafeteria and I had lots of good food to eat. The building is very new and is still being constructed on several floors. It was most interesting to be walking down a fancy office hallway with meeting rooms and workers in crisp work clothes, then you round a corner and there were guys in the hot sun laying bricks. Another employee that I spent a good deal of time with was Preeti Vasdev. As I later learned she is actually the cousin of "Rishi Rich" a hugely famous star of the Bhangra music scene in the UK. This was crazy... But that aside, Preeti is in charge of culture, language, and experience training. She showed me several slide shows and presentations that she uses when teaching the kids about American culture. She wanted me to look over what she had compiled and see if it was accurate, or if it could be edited in any way. One of the techniques they use to teach the kids about American culture is to have them sit in a room for a few hours and watch some episodes of "Friends".

I left the call center at 11pm. My last day in Delhi, and maybe my best. I made some great new friends on this day, James Abraham, Mitali, and Preeti. I also met a man, Jupiter Singh. Now when we go back to Delhi there will be plenty of friends to spend time with. Hopefully friends for a lifetime!

Forever and always,
Grant

(This is Garrett writing now)
I arrived in Delhi last night around 11:15, went through immigration, got my one bag that I had checked, and headed out to meet Grant. I found him and we headed outside to meet our driver, Kamal Kishor Singh. Our ride was arranged earlier by the call center Grant visited, and was paid for by them. Kamal arrived shortly and we were off down the road, headed for the rail station where we planned to wait until our train at 6.55 am. But Kamal suggested going to his house instead and resting for a few hours, he asked if I was hungry, etc. So he drove us to his apartment where his wife fed us kheer (milky, sweet treat), chai (tea), and some baked chips. We enjoyed the food while Kamal showed us photos of his family and his subscription to a magazine having to do with a Guru with whom he was connected somehow. Kamal offered his bed to Grant and I, while he and his wife slept on the small balcony outside. We stayed up all night, Grant telling me stories of his time in Delhi. It was warm, but comfortable, there was a ceiling fan on. Sometime really early in the morning before Kamal and his wife woke up, I had to pee really badly so I took a stab at going in a squatting toilet. I went in the dark because I didn't know which light switch was the right one and I didn't want to accidentally hit the light for the room adjacent to the bathroom where a Sikh man was sleeping. At the time I thought the body I saw was Kamal's wife. But then later in the morning we came out of the Kitchen/bedroom and saw this guy standing there smiling. We woke up around 5:30 and took a shower because Kamal really wanted me to feel refreshed. and I did. He poured 3 large buckets of water, of which I only used about half of one. I wasn't sure how much I was allowed to use so I just used as little as possible. Feeling quite refreshed, I went out and sat on the balcony with Grant. We looked out onto the rooftops across the narrow street and saw lots of families still sleeping on their roofs, cows meandering down the street, stray dogs and cats walking around, and people getting up to go to work, etc. Kamals wife prepared us an amazing breakfast of puri (really thin fried dough in sort of a round, puffy, hollow form), with spicy potatoes and some kind of sauce. and tea. Kamal kept refilling the plate until we had eaten quite a bit. He gave us some maps to keep, of Delhi and Jaipur. I asked him about the string he wore like a sash across his chest. He explained how it was used when praying to God, taking it in his hand and putting them together in a praying fashion. Then he wound it around his ear and explained that when going to the bathroom, it is wrapped around the ear like that and functions as a reminder to keep the mind centered, focused keenly on the present and whatever action is being performed. I asked if it was used for that purpose at any time other than going to the bathroom. The answer was a bit unclear but I believe it was no.

Soon it was time to go to the station, so we said goodbye and thank you to his wife, and headed down to the street, where upon exiting his building a couple of cows strolled by in front of us. I forgot to mention that his wife also gave us some Puri and potatoes to take with us for lunch. As we were driving to the station Kamal told us that we can call him anytime if we have any problems, and to call him when we return to Delhi and he will drive us around. He said it pleased him to serve us. When he dropped us off I gave him a picture of myself in front of the Eiffel tower.

We boarded the train for Haridwar, and were on it for about 4 hours or something like that. Food was served on the train, and tea several times. We were on a nice train with a/c, so the ride was very comfortable. When we got to Haridwar we were quickly found by an autorickshaw driver who got us on our way to Rishikesh, probably about 26 km away. We got dropped off somewhere in Rishikesh and walked around for a bit until I asked a guy who looked like a westerner if he knew of any good places to stay. He was staying at a place called the Swiss Cottage, which is where we are now. We have a room with two beds and a bathroom attached. no a/c because it is not very hot at all here and we'll only be here for the night. When we first walked up to the place there was a snake charmer playing a tune for a cobra. I could keep going but I am deciding to stop here. I took a bunch of pictures while we were going from Haridwar to Rishikesh, but it costs extra to upload them so those will come later on. Until then, goodbye!
-garrett