At dinner a few days ago in Varanasi we met Brad from Seattle. That day he was kind of frustrated with his experience that anyone in India seems purely interested in your money. You expect everyone to charge a higher than usual fee just because you are a foreigner. At some point you become reluctant to engage in another conversation because you anticipate being offered something to buy or being asked for a tip or donation. We are only too familiar with this one face of India which is probably very often shown in famous places like Varanasi.
Today in Allahabad we have encountered examples of the other face of India: the guy in the park who stops his bicycle to tell you about all the places you absolutely must see in his city - just happy to practice his English; the young chap who asks if we had any problems in India - “if you ever have, just ask any Indian and he or she will help you”; and finally the old man at the corner eatery where we have dinner who embraces Simon, asks for our names, welcomes us to India and provides us with his blessings for our further journey.
May our minds (and Brad‘s) remain open for the second face of this unpredictable country.