Business and Pleasure

Hello from Chandigarh!
Again, there are too many adventures to sum up in a quick blog post. I've been in the Punjab\Haryana for the last few days with my friend Yogesh and his delicate Italian friend, Claudio. We've joked many times about the potential for our threesome to be the basis of a blockbuster Bollywood (comedy) film.

I met Yogesh (or Yogi, as his American and UK friends call him) on the plane from London to Paris. He was sitting one seat away from me and we realized that we both needed to transfer to the Delhi flight. He is from Chandigarh and has been in Boston and the UK for the last 11 years. He comes back to Chandigarh about twice a year to visit his family here and told me that he would be happy to show me around the Punjab. He has been a fantastic host, to say the least. Chandigarh is unlike other Indian cities in that it a planned city with a grid-system of streets and many, many parks.

Claudio is a friend of Yogi's from the UK. Claudio and his girlfriend moved to the UK about a year and a half ago and Claudio was tutored by Yogi for the GMAT exam. From what I can gather, Claudio's father was a very olive oil and wine businessman in Italy. Claudio is eager to start a business and along with our tourist adventures, we've met with a number of factory owners and textile business people (men, all) to discuss the possibility of Claudio's (very vague) idea about starting a high-end t-shirt business in Italy. We've met with people in Ludhiana- the textile capital of India where there are "tax-free" zones and shops that make product for Nike, Reebok, Tommy Hillfiger and other big-name brands. It has been extremely interesting to learn a bit about how business is done in India. Yogesh also set up a meeting with his uncles in Amritsar. One of his uncles is essentially the Godfather of the textile industry in Amritsar. His role is acting as a commission agent between manufacturers and buyers and his family is the only deal in town. To meet him, we were led down allyway after alleyway of small stalls full of his product and employees. At the centre of it all was his office where he met us, in a suit, and was the only one able to sit on a chair (which is a sign of his status). The rest of the uncles and employees sat on the floor. He talked to Claudio about the business and gave us a small tour and showed us some of his products.

Amritsar was an amazing city. We saw the spectacular Golden Temple as well as the border ceremony at the Wahah border between Pakistan and India. Words cannot describe the spectacle that occurs twice a day (during sunrise and sunset). Crowds gather on both the Indian and Pakistan sides of the border. The ceremony began with loud music being played on both sides of the border. About 50 women began dancing and singing beside the border gate (and a one woman grabbed my hand and dragged me down to dance along with the others). Then the cheering began. Neither side is allowed to insult the other - but each can proclaim its own greatness. The Indians cheered Long live Hindustan, where as the Pakistanis shouted that Pakistan was supreme. Then soldiers in elaborate costumes begin stomping and kicking towards the gate separating the two sides. For a brief moment, the gates open - there is a lot of shouting and grimacing. And finally, a shaking of hands before the gates are once again closed. It was truly theatrical and fun to be with hundreds and hundreds of proud and cheering Indians.

This morning Yogi's mom taught me to make chappatis (and said, in Hindi, that I was very good for a first timer (but I think she was being kind- my bread was more of a square than perfect circle)). This afternoon Yogi and Claudio are going back to Ludhiana to talk more business and I'm heading to the famous Chandigarh rock garden with his family. Tomorrow I'm flying to Hyderabad and will be saying goodbye to Yogi and Claudio.

Gotta run- once again I'm leaving out many stories and descriptions of events and funny stories. Oh yes- I ended up flying Air India on the way to Chandigarh. After a hair-pulling mixup at the airport in Delhi, I discovered my flight to Chandigarh was cancelled and I had been rebooked on Air India. While the landing was - um- abrupt- it was overall an okay flight.

Miss you all!

Luv Nadine