After my hot, dense Kol street experience searching for safety pins, I plopped down into the Maharaja and eyed the glass shelves in the bar. A peg, shot, of Grey Goose is 150 INR ($2.50 USD). I gave purchasing one long consideration before deciding that no matter how nice a small sip would be not being able to count on ice being made from mineral water would mean that my peg would be at room temperature - & that wasn't such a refreshing idea! (In hindsight it was just as well - by mid-day on the 10th I had realized how little I was hydrating compared to my needs, so was glad I'd bypassed the dehydrating shot the day before.)
Soda may be my savior for now..."Thumbs Up!" cola was the only cold refreshment they had to offer. It was sweet! My own flat will be wonderful for many things - most of all, after only half a day of strolling the city, is my own fridge to lower temps to US grade cold.
The server I spoke with in the morning accepted my apologies for blowing into the quiet, posh restaurant like a Banshee, dropping into a seat & asking for anything cold! He so kindly said, "The heat and noise can make one hyper & to calm oneself is a challenge this time of the year." How very astute and unduly patient with me he was, the crazy lady from the Minnesota, who tromps around with unusually grey hair (most Indian women of means dye their hair their entire life) curly and wild in the humidity, who surprises everyone with even her muted tone, still speaking so very loudly by Indian standards (and US, I know :-), who doesn't recognize, & therefore does not honor, the class or level of the employees, saying "hi" to all, much to the consternation of those in higher levels...in short...no matter how much I try to comport & conform, I seem to still stand out. The sweltering, meandering, safety pin quest was shared with the three other servers who greeted me, one young man interjecting, "Yes, mum, in India the small most certainly always become the large", with affirming nods by all. The main server asked me to stay a moment when I was done with my light lunch of raita & fresh fruit...glancing at the dining room boss & lowering his voice, he whispered that he'd sent an underling to find safety pins for me. I nearly broke into tears! I ordered another soda to run cover for him & within a few moments a small packet of pins was set at my side with a quick slip of the hand & no eye contact. As I paid for my meal I thanked him & tried to add extra to pay for the pins & effort. He simply said, "Please, no, it's ours to you." Held back tears just long enough to make it to my stairwell...such magnificent people.
I'll add other Random Acts of Kindness to the comment section...I know there will be more...West Bengali's are wonderful!
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Location:Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Sept 14 - RAoK....I waited for two lights to try to cross mid-block to get a bottle of mineral water from one of the little stands near the theater yesterday...all of a sudden one of the door guards tapped me on the shoulder and said he'd buy it for me...he strolled over, got the merchant to pull out three sizes and brands from the cooler, held them up for a thumbs up or thumbs down gesture, thanked the merchant, dodged taxis hop scotching across the street again, with a very cold - bless him - liter of water and 35 rupee change from my 50 rupee bill. A small gesture...much appreciated...and offered from a simple space of its the right thing to do.
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