Our driver Sanjeev turns out to be quite shifty. A bit of a wheeler and dealer and always out for a quick buck on the side. He’s always ready to turn on the charm when it suits him and in fact I think he’d make the perfect Indian game show host. Despite that though – my car rides with him are never boring, we have good chats and he comes out with some classic stuff at times. Yesterday he told me that he has worked for some very important people – including a representative of the United Nations. “It was my responsibility madam to install small fridge in back of Range Rover and always make sure there was beer in there for boss – many villages we travel to have no availability of beer”. Seems Sanjeev really is indispensible. Today he told me that knows many famous Bolliwood actors. “Madam I had job in Mumbai for 9 years and it was my responsibility to drive very famous movie producer. In fact I have acted in 2 Bolliwood movies. I could have taken that path but actors life is full of shame. Big actors do not care about people, only money. I only care about relationships. You are my madam and when you leave here in years I will love you and my boss”. Steady on mate. It’s only been a few weeks!!.
Sushil the lobby manager – AKA “the oil in my wheels” – was in form again today too. He organised a part time maid for me. She works in a neighbouring tower for someone from 11am each day and he did well to hijack her one morning and ask if she could come and work for us from 8am for 3 hours. Turns out she’s actually pretty good – apart from her breaking and entering tendencies which I’ll explain in a minute – so today when I told him job well done he was off. “Madam this is where my administrative capabilities come to the fore. Anything you need I can arrange. I pick only best people to work in my tower and I can assure you she is best lady for your job. Other workers not have administrative skills like me”, I’m not sure I’ve ever met someone quite so desperate for hero worship status but he’s so entertaining I don’t mind humouring him. Drives Steve crazy at 8.30 when he’s coming home from a 12 hour day but I’m usually up for it.
So back to the maid. She turned up at 8am on the first day without a problem. Speaks not one lick of English but I am very confident I explained correctly in Hindi that she would take the next day off (it being a Sunday and the usual maid day off) and return on Monday. So Sunday morning the 3 of us were reading a story in bed when we heard jingle jingle jingle sounds followed by a loud “namaste” and then a woman in a sari with an anklet adorned with bells appeared at our bedroom door. Quite a freaky way to start the day. Turned out that although we had dead bolted our front door the previous night, we hadn’t put a bolt from one of the doors into the ground and when we didn’t hear the door bell she just pushed the 2 doors and they opened. She didn’t think anything of it and just announced she’d get to work!! Then today she rang the doorbell, knocked and re-attempted to break in by force at 7.20am. Steve was a little shocked but she stayed until 11 and did great work and then I had the house to myself for the rest of the day so I’m willing to work with her time and entry impairments. Will see what way she comes in tomorrow.
Nomads on the frontier 