The best part about people watching in India is that you can blatantly observe them and they think its normal. Having had so many people ogle at me (cos of course there is something about me that makes me stand out in India. Wish I knew what – I would bottle it and sell it to desperate singles and attention seekers and make a fortune), I returned the courtesy through this granny at the Good Friday service.
About the granny – she is old, slightly bent over but still strong, barefoot, as tall as my chest, probably widowed, very pretty and the brightest eyes that seem even more alive when set in a dark chocolate coloured, wrinkled face. When she was young she must have made guys fall off their bicycles and chase after her when they saw her walking through the paddy fields. Or something.
Another memory from back in the day is of the chick who, for every church service, stood right in front. She was the unofficial lead singer in the congregation and she relished that role with her loud and extremely nasal voice. 19 years down the line and she is still there. She has a more mature face but that’s about the only change in her. Same height (turns out she is a dwarf), same shrill voice, same outstanding knowledge of the songs and phrases to chant in church.
On a different note, two adverts that made an impression. Ad One shows a baby tiger sleeping with his head and front paw on top of a log. Serious awwwww factor. Then right above its head, numbers start counting down and eventually its says something like “there are 1421 tigers left in the world. Save our Tigers, kill tiger hunters etc”.
Ad Two was very tongue in cheek and could raise an old Indian eyebrow or two. The entire ad was an animated cartoon sketch telling a short and possibly-true-but-you-deny-it-if-it-ever-happens-to-you story. Our hero is not having a good day at work and after much squeaking and thumping on squiggly desks, his boss fires him. The hero heads straight to the bar, starts drinking and eventually goes home with a lady. The next morning our hero rolls out of the bed and sees a photo of the lady’s husband, who is.. wait for it.. the former boss. Final scene is our guy heading out with a big grin on his face. “Kick start your morning with a kick ass show”. Hope the radio show is as fresh as its advertising.
