An Expat In India

Neither of these photos are authentic, obviously... but I had to include the images just for fun! I DO have an actual photo of the real "copper"--British slang for police officer, in case you are unfamiliar with this archaic term--which I took on the sly, but thought not to post it in order to protect his identity. As for the doctor in this story...well, I certainly did not take a photo of him. I imagine that,  if I had even attempted such a thing, he would have smashed my phone at the very least and possibly even beaten me up! (No, I don't really think so... but of course I would not have even tried for a photo of him.) Intrigued?! Read on.... THE COPPER India is SO strict about its ongoing lock down policies, rules and regulations that the prospect of traveling anywhere, for any distance, is a major ordeal, involving much leg work and paperwork.  To begin with, one has to apply for a document known as an E-pass. This online form is...

Sketching!  What a delight this has been... whiling away the long hours of lock down, busily being creative with a medium I hadn't touched in many decades.  This is definitely one VERY positive side effect of being sequestered for so many weeks! (As you will see, I have two favorite subjects: animals and colorful scenery--the places I would love to be right about now!)  Here you have my favorites:

As we all are observing in these strangest of times, one of the few positive side effects of the pandemic we find ourselves in is the resplendence of nature all around us. With few exceptions, all of the cities of India are normally quite polluted, and one is lucky to see any blueness in the skies at all. When clean air IS present, it is generally following a good dousing of rain. No longer the case! As I am sure you, dear reader, have also witnessed, the drastic reduction of vehicular traffic has resulted, gloriously, in the reduction of air pollution. As such, we have been rewarded with the most magnificent skies, have we not?!? Well, at least I have, and this is not the norm for Pune at all. But in the past two months, the skies have been consistently gorgeous. There is just something about a deep blue sky filled with white and grey, puffy clouds that brings immense joy to the heart. This IS my experience, unfailingly, and why I cannot stop photographing them! Add to this bea...

In this surreal era of the Covid pandemic, the appearance of children out in public has become something of a rarity. You saw the boys I encountered playing street cricket in a recent post: it was newsworthy precisely because such a phenomenon is now, sadly, unusual. Meeting my neighbors--grandmother, son and grandson--a couple days ago (when their coconuts were being harvested) was also an unexpected surprise. So you can therefore understand my delight every time I am graced with the presence of one of these precious youngsters; most of all, the young lady you see in the photo above.  I have seen her from time to time in our society. She is always alone, which is surprising enough, being so young. Equally so is her ethereal, fairy-like, self-assured countenance, her fancy, fluffy dresses and her stunning, other-worldly smile.  She is completely enchanting and immediately captured my heart. She always smiles, always says "hello" to me, but no other words. When I tri...

What an eventful day this has been! Isn't it remarkable that, even in this era of Covid and lock downs, the most interesting adventures can still occur?! Maybe not SO remarkable...this IS India, after all! And, as always, the reasons to count one's blessings are ever present. To begin with, I set out mid-morning to buy some vegetables from the little local market that is a two minute walk from the front gate of our society. Today is thankfully the last day of the strict, ten day lock down; during the last five, though, Pune residents have been allowed to go shopping, but only in the mornings.  When I reached the front side of the market, a large, black cow was trying to nose her way up to the vegetables on display; large boxes full of enough delectable produce to entice human and bovine alike!  This particular creature was quite beautiful and, without a moment's thought, I did what I always do: made my approach with a little coo'ing noise to invite her for a sc...

Despite the mild disillusionment with India which I was experiencing when I wrote  the last post, it is nonetheless with great sadness and a heavy heart that I must soon take my leave of this magical land. My visa expires on July 31st. It is a ten year tourist visa, but has to be "renewed" by exiting the country each 180 days. My original plan was to jump down to Sri Lanka and visit a Facebook friend in the capitol city of Colomo for a week or so, before returning to India. The other possible choices of nearby, inexpensive excursions out of India included Nepal, Thailand, Bali, Vietnam, Maldives, and so forth.  All before Covid, of course. Sri Lanka has recently suspended any visas for entry into their country indefinitely. So have most other countries: borders are basically closed to all except for each country's own citizens. I COULD get a ticket to Thailand--no visa required for Americans--but I would get stuck there: India has suspended its visas--even ...

THE GOOD:  At least SOMEONE who thought of this wall art project in Koregaon Park had the right idea and best of intentions. I don't know if children painted this or it was MADE to look like children painted it, but the idea is wonderful, yes?! We ALL want to do right by our beautiful planet...how could it be otherwise? Yes, being mindful of conserving water...important worldwide, as it will soon be our most precious resource. In many parts of the globe, a shortage of clean water has already become a dire issue.  Sad fish...polluted waterways...uncool, people!  There is SUPPOSED to be a drastic reduction of the use of plastic here in India. Good in theory ...yet still I see plastic bags and containers in use and discarded EVERYWHERE!  Well, duh...of COURSE we use proper bins to dispose of our garbage, right?? Common sense and second nature, right?!?!... read on.... I thought about an alternate title for this post: "Homesick"! Every...