Masala Mix

I had seen a cartoon a few years ago with the father sternly admonishing his daughter “No, you may not outsource your homework”. Well, as it happens, there are quite a few companies in India doing just that. The funny thing is that before completing the assignments, parents are required to submit the students’ previous work and grades so that the teachers know exactly what quality of work to produce!


In Madurai Coimbatore, women were trained to use roller-blades in factories while weaving saris and other cloth. In fact, they were so excited about using this gadget (which most had never seen), that productivity went up dramatically. Quite fascinating!


This time around, I taught my mom how to parallel-park. She thought it was absolutely miraculous how her car fit in sideways. (By the way, readers – she drives a Santro, not exactly a Hummer by any standard). She still insists on saying she “reverse parked”:) This reminds me of the way she drives in Mumbai. Once she was caught by a cop for not wearing her seat-belt. She’s actually gotten away by giving an excuse that her stomach hurts when she wears it! Another incident was when we had all gone to buy some jewelry in Dadar. As usual, she didn’t know how to parallel park, and she parked practically in the middle of the congested lane. By the time we came back, the car had been towed away.