Getting the Staff
It’s both an advantage and a headache of India that, with such a huge population, the wealthier classes can make use of the masses as servants and helpers.
In one way it’s a method for keeping the poor in employment, but in another it reinforces the unhealthy system of caste and social immobility. And finally, it really can be a pain.
Today’s adventure began smoothly enough. My cousin Bacchu hired a driver and a car to take us to Corbett Park: it seemed a relatively simple and economic method compared to the rigours of tackling Old Delhi station.
However, halfway through the journey we began to feel suspicious. The driver had merrily sped past an obviously-marked turning for Corbett Park, and my assumption that ‘he knows what he is doing’ eventually began to crumble.
By the time we reached Haldwani and our man began asking for directions to Naini Tal – significantly out of the way of our intended destination – I knew something had gone wrong.
Of course, the driver spoke no English, as had been promised: for all I know he had not even been told the correct place to go to.
The problem with hiring people is that if you need something done properly, you have to do it yourself. Ironically this is one of the major difficulties in India. The attitude of my family is very much that ‘there are jobs for us, and there are jobs for other people’ but this is not helping me get from A to B, or even get food when I want, get my washing back when I need it etc. etc..
I really do feel like a bumbling colonialist all of a sudden.
