Courtesy of Nargis Jamal
The lights on the hub flickered orange again indicating that broadband had dropped off. But even when they returned to a steady cobalt blue, there was no connection. So … I find myself talking to Yaswin, a BT tech buried somewhere in New Delhi, he said. To my delight, he was not only polite and courteous but managed to sort out the problem in a matter of minutes. And checked in twice over the next couple of days to ensure that all was still well.
More often than not, the operators in call centres on the subcontinent are cursed rather than praised but how many of us speak Hindi or Urdu? Or have a clue about the proximity of South Dum Dum to the centre of Kolkata? Nevertheless, many a word has been written about what westerners think of Indians. Which prompts the question – what do Indians think of westerners and expats?
Talk to expats about their experiences in India and there are similar groups of mixed sentences. In the same paragraph, they’ll talk of pollution, appalling traffic and corruption while lauding the magnificent landscapes, the wonderful people and the fascinating culture of the place. Time to get the Indian viewpoint, to find out the Indian perception of western expats and the attitude of the west to their country.
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