India is a funny place. It's interesting to see the difference in a society when people don't sue one another. For example, safety is all but thrown out the window. We see motor scooters going down the street with a whole family of five on it. Or I saw a car pass me and it looked like a baby was driving (I'm guessing it was just sitting on the driver's lap). Then there are the autorickshaws. I'm often amazed at how many people they cram into one of those. Someday I'll have to get a picture.
A building going up near us. Note the bamboo scaffolding. Without the big equipment we are used to in the States, construction sites are really quiet. I almost forget it's there.
Construction is another area. They don't have any big, earthmoving equipment at all. It's all done by hand and whole families work on the site. There will be women in saris carrying bowls of dirt on their heads. They build scaffolding out of bamboo and the kids run amok. When we first got here, Jason was asked at work to draw a stairway on the side of a building. In drawing it, he put on a handrail. The people in the office were like "Woah! This is India, you don't need a handrail. We built a building that had a stairway up several stories with glass steps and we didn't use a handrail." At this point, Jeremy ( another American) piped up "Yeah, I was on that stairway the other day and it was raining and I thought I was going to die."
Looking out our back door we saw this kid (late teens) walking along this precarious ledge. We were shocked when he started welding.
In spite of this casual attitude about safety, there is lurking under the surface a mob mentality. We read in our travel book that if you are in a car that hits a person or a cow, get out of the car and flee the scene, even if you are not the driver. Apparently if you don't, a mob will form and they will beat you. I have a hard time seeing the people I have met doing this though because they are all really nice. I guess that explains why everywhere has a security guard and they all have guns.
A building going up near us. Note the bamboo scaffolding. Without the big equipment we are used to in the States, construction sites are really quiet. I almost forget it's there.
Looking out our back door we saw this kid (late teens) walking along this precarious ledge. We were shocked when he started welding.
1 comment:
Yes! We heard a commedian talk about whole families on scooters. Who needs minivans? Although people who sue can get annoying, I appreciate the resultant safety procedures.
-MaryRuth
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