Bombay - Early Impressions - Part 2

Hello India Watchers

Written by Anita, May 13, 1998

(Continued from Part 1)

I need to tell you about another very interesting experience I had this past Monday. One of Gary’s co‑workers who is an FSN (Foreign Service National: an Indian national who is employed by the U.S. government to work at the Consulate) asked Gary if he thought I’d be interested in doing some recording for some friends of hers who have a recording business, mainly doing commercials and music videos. He said sure, I said sure. So, our driver drove me downtown to a studio where I got to do the voice for a TV commercial which is actually supposed to be aired in the US.

The people producing the commercial made three versions of it, one in Chinese with a Chinese chef, one in Hindi with an Indian movie star, and one that was meant to be American. For the American version they hired a black African woman who is a student here in Bombay. I guess they didn’t think her voice sounded American enough so they asked me to try reading the lines which they would dub into the commercial. I laugh as I write this, as I figure you are all laughing too. There I sat in a recording studio, with earphones on, watching a monitor so I could lip sync the script which started with the words: “Let me introduce you to my favorite, Vee‑Tee American Easy Cook Rice.” The commercial probably lasts all of 30 seconds but it took us two hours for me to get each line just right. How many ways are there to say the word: favorite?

One of the guys working on the commercial actually lives in London where he finds companies that want to use the Bombay company’s commercial production expertise, and the other guy is responsible for actually putting together the videos. The low production costs here in India are one reason they can get international business. And in case you’re wondering, no I didn’t get paid. The Indian government, like most governments, has regulations governing foreign workers. I would need a work permit and I don’t know how easy that would have been to get. But the guys were very happy to give me a token which just happened to be 2000 rupees for my time I spent in the studio at my “hobby.” They seemed very pleased with my work and said they would be calling again. Are you still laughing? I am. They said they would give me a copy of the video when it was finished and then we can really laugh as we hear my voice coming out of another woman’s mouth.

Ah, yes, life in India is very interesting and maybe you are even envious. Hmmm. Maybe I should pass on some of the hard parts of life here in what the State Department considers a hardship post.

One of the wives of one of the officers departed last month, and I mean she truly and permanently left. She went back home to her country, leaving her husband and her five year old daughter in Bombay. I don’t think culture shock and life in India is completely to blame. Marriage problems can happen anywhere. But I’m sure living in such a challenging place didn’t help. The local doctor who works with consulate staff and families says half the patients she sees she refers to counselors and psychologists. It’s awfully easy to feel alone and isolated here, especially for the single people, and maybe also for the spouses at home. I have made a deliberate effort to get out and join as many groups as I can such as the American Women’s Club, the Elizabethans, Indus, Scottish dancing, swimming aerobics, a craft group, and a mahjong group. Just getting out and being with other people is crucial for helping maintain emotional health. But I’ve also spent quite a few hours reading and doing puzzles (thanks, Dad, for the one you sent; it got me on a puzzle kick). Especially before we received our car, even when I wanted to get out it was pretty tough to do so. And now with temperatures up in the 90's and a lot of humidity, it’s not fun to be out.

It gets old not having grocery stores or fast food restaurants, and living in a place where movie theaters require buying a ticket in advance to guarantee a seat. Titanic has been showing here for at least a month but we haven’t been able to see it because it’s always sold out. Also there are no grassy areas, or woods, or any place where there aren’t hundreds (thousands...millions!) of people around. What I wouldn’t give for the scent of clean, pine scented air. Heck: just give me a breath of clean air. Come to think of it, just give me a pine tree! And some good beef! I’ve actually gotten desperate enough that I’m paying $3 for a pound of ground beef from the commissary. I’m sorry but I just can’t get used to the taste of buffalo. We could buy a few steaks for $16, but I’m still not desperate enough for that. One positive thing I can say about the food here, (and the usual, accompanying bouts of stomach problems, (you can figure a day at least once a month when your stomach just isn’t quite right) is that it’s helping me lose a little bit of weight. The Indian diet plan for foreigners like me: food that one often doesn’t care for and a bad stomach once a month.

So there! Have I said enough to stop anyone from being envious?

Here is another image I wanted to pass on to you about life here in India. I happened to turn on an old black and white Indian movie the other night. Many old movies, Indian and American, are broadcast here. For example, “Gone with the Wind” has been on all month. I realized after a little while that somehow the feel of the movie was familiar. I didn’t have that sense of it being so old or out of date. And then I realized that was because life here in India is a little like a black and white movie. It moves a little slower. The people all talk a little funny, a little more formal and sophisticated, though. Women dress in traditional women’s clothes and the men all wear hats, or at least turbans. Maybe a nearly constant cigarette in hand is not familiar these days but, at least among the people we interact with regularly, a cocktail is. And when you look around and see how people are dressed and what cars they are driving, if they’re driving at all, you have to ask yourself, “What year is this?”

One treat we’re getting these days is a lot of invitations for dinner. Unfortunately, they usually do not include the kids which makes mainly Katie unhappy. I would say we have dinner out at least once, but usually twice, a week. We’re also doing our own entertaining, hosting a couple of brunches on Sundays (without my maid, I’ll have you know!), a beer and pizza party last Sunday evening, and now I host mahjong on Tuesday mornings and serve tea and cookies and cake. Tonight we’ll be downstairs at our British neighbors’ place for dinner. The only thing we don’t like is how late dinner is usually served. Indians typically don’t eat until midnight (though when guests in an Indian home we eat a little earlier, such as 11). British families serve dinner around 9:30 or 10:00. The Americans around 8:00 or 9:00. But whichever it is, those meals all get late. We’ve also decided the British seem have more fun than the Americans. We had dinner at a British couple’s house last week and were the only Americans. We had the most fun we’ve had in a long time. I think when we get together with Americans we know (mainly from the Consulate), it becomes too much like work. We’re all too self-conscious of protocol and such. This is one reason we are happy to be here in this apartment building where we are the only Americans.

That’s it for now. Keep the letters coming. Some Simpson’s tapes would be great, too.

Love, Nita & The Redheads.