Getting haircuts...

So I found a barber shop around the corner from our flat. It's very reasonably priced--30 rupees. It's a lot like any other barbershop experience, except that I don't understand 99% of my conversation with the barber. Last week, he asked if I was from England--I said U.S., and he told me he was from U.P.--a small state in the north of India. He also did a lot of talking or whispering to himself. I felt it would be (more) strange to ask the subject of his conversation.....

Of course, he stuttered a bit when he spoke in English, so I wonder if the self-talk was just his way of practicing conversational English?? Any stutterers out there willing to weigh in on this theory?

The barber shop also offers shaves and head massages. I tried the head massage--once. The guy strapped some sort of massaging, vibrating machine onto his hand and then oiled up my hair and went to town on my scalp with his rapidly buzzing, vibrating hand. It was all very pleasant until he JAMMED HIS FINGER INTO MY EAR! Yes...that's right...he apparently thought I might enjoy feeling his fingernail rattle against me ear canal and ear drum at several hundred oscillations per minute. My ear ached for several days, so I really don't recommend that technique.

On an only vaguely related subject, India recently received its own "remake" of the film Memento--titled Ghajini. I watched a friend's DVD copy of very dubious origins, and I can say that the film is absolutely nothing like the original. If I were forced to reduce this...experience into mere words, I would say that the film gives Charlie Kaufman a serious run for his money in the weird movie department. Ghajini is a musical, a revenge action movie, and a love story all rolled discordantly into one. You may ask, how could anyone possibly make that work?? Well, I've learned that the key to making a "romantic action thriller" is to open on an improbable love story starring Bollywood hottie Aamir Khan as a vigilante amnesiac whose entire history (and love story) is being recounted by nosy supporting players thanks to his detailed journals. This is still very weird--after all, you know almost from the very beginning that the female lead is going to get bludgeoned to death. I can't even describe the musical numbers--you just have to see this one for yourself. Apparently Ghajini will be airing in 22 countries with English subtitles. I strongly suggest that you find a time that you will not be taking any decongestants, antihistamines, or prescription painkillers, and sit down with this bizarre film. I can't promise that you'll be glad you watched it, but you'll definitely be entertained!

For folks in the Seattle area, this is apparently showing at Totem Lake Cinemas. Don't miss your chance! Folks in DC will just have to flood their local theaters with petitions, I guess....

What is the vague relationship between Ghajini and my barbershop? Ahmir Khan had a really crappy haircut in Ghajini, and film promoters had clippers outside theaters on opening weekend, offering teenagers the chance to receive a similarly terrible haircut. In his defense, he was supposed to have an enormous scar from being whacked in the head with an iron pipe...

Free Deliveries...

So, upon reflection, I have decided that my blog posts may leave the impression that I see nothing positive in Mumbai, so I've resolved to highlight a few fun things.

Andrea and I enjoy the fact that almost every business in Mumbai will deliver their product for free. We are currently enjoying membership in Librarywala, an online library (somewhat like Netflix) that charges us about $4/month for 6 books per month. Librarywala delivers them to our door via courier, and often makes the delivery or pickup within one business day of our request. Since we don't own a television, have no English language radio, and the only other way to get books is to buy them for ~$10 each, the library option is desirable.

Our local grocer, butcher, and newsstand deliver their products to our door. The big hypermarket delivered the ~$10 power strip I needed for free, from about an hour away (they also called about 6 times to confirm that the order had been delivered successfully).

I work late pretty regularly, but thankfully, all the local food we often order is delivered to our door for free. An order of chicken tikka masala and rice is delivered to our door for less than cooking our own food at home!

On the downside, there is apparently no structured address system either for Mumbai in general, or perhaps just for this part of town. Instead, our address includes two lines that basically give the postal workers landmarks within our PIN code (zip code). Getting deliveries from outside the neighborhood can get interesting, because I think the folks often end up driving miles of back roads until they spot the name of our housing cooperative. They arrive to our door sweaty and apologetic, having raced up 6 flights of stairs.

I need to figure out whether the older section of the town also lacks addresses.
GPS would really be handy here!