Other parts of the race were pretty much the same as what I’ve seen in the US.  There is a lot of corporate sponsorship and corporate groups running together.  This particular event was the first major public event in Hyderabad since the recent events in Mumbai, so there were moments of silence and words of support for everyone there.  I was impressed that the event had a large turnout despite the Mumbai attacks.

Outside of the conference, I didn’t get a chance for much touring. I booked a bed & breakfast online with no down-payment, so I showed up in Delhi ready for it to be awful or not reserved for me. It turns out Vandana’s B&B is just lovely. I stayed in one of the 3 guest rooms in her home in the park-filled Safdarjung Enclave. She even got worried and called one night when I hadn’t been home all day and it was rather late- very sweet. On the downside, everything you read about Delhi scams seems to be true. For instance, I never succeeded in getting to the Dilli Haat shopping area because the rikshaw drivers all wanted to take me to some place they know of, which is actually an overpriced tourist trap where they get a commission for bringing you. But that’s really the only lame thing I endured.

• It’s hard to get good senior managers: Unlike in much of the US, it is NOT particularly glamorous to work at a startup. In addition, families are very tight-knit and it is likely your family doesn’t look too kindly on risky ventures either.
• Cultural norms affect operations: Our sales associates often recruit vendors into our database from their homes, particularly women who are tailors or beauticians. It is not very acceptable for men to enter women’s homes when they are home alone, so our sales associates work in pairs with one woman and one man (depending on the area the women may not feel comfortable going out alone).
• The office is rather hierarchical: There’s really nothing wrong with this in theory, especially if you enjoy being called “madam” all the time, but it can inhibit an open work environment. It can take some work to get employees to feel empowered to contribute their ideas.
• Lunchtime is awesome: Maybe Indians are just better at sharing, or maybe it is because the typical Indian meal has several dishes, but all of my co-workers share their lunch with me and everyone else. This is particularly good for me because the cook at my hotel is not from this area, so I don’t get local food for lunch. And many of the ladies I work with are great cooks. Plus it’s a good time to practice my Telugu.

While I find these figures interesting, I also find it interesting how accustomed I’ve become to poor conditions. I’ve spent only a few days in different “slums” and seen the backside of many communities from a train. I don’t really notice the trash on the streets or the pollution/ dirt on buildings like I did when I first arrived. I was in a “slum area” today (it was really like a lower class neighborhood), and I found myself saying how nice the houses were. I don’t think they had running water or anything, but they looked new and well-kept. I am wondering, am I becoming blind to poverty because I’ve been exposed to it quite a bit lately? Or am I learning to look past the blemishes and see the good parts of these lives? I’m just not sure.