Becoming a Local

When I saw the very shocked faces of recent vistors when I was pointing out a local establishment as a place I wanted to visit it struck me that perhaps I have become acclimatized to life in Mumbai and may be a local. Shops that I passed in my first weeks of arriving that seemed dirty and chaotic and full of cholera and typhoid suddenly seem very respectable and full of good offers. Why pay 100 rupees for a stainless steel bowl in a shop in a shiny mall when The Home Shop in the local market will sell you 6 bowls for 100 rupees?

And it isn't just about the price. It is about the personalised service. When one of my plants died whilst I was away in Old Blighty I sent a photo of the dead plant, via WhatsApp, to Amardeeps Nursery where I had purchased it to see if they had a replacement. They didn't have the same plant but they shared photos of other plants and within one hour someone had come to my flat, with a new Bird of Paradise plant, in a new pot, and had taken away the old plant. They also fed and watered and remulched all the other plants whilst they were there. Left a massive mess on my balcony mind you, but that's a small price to pay especially when you have a Snabbit maid booked for the next day!

I've totally gone local. My local Galleria shopping centre which on my first visit to Powai looked like what my husband would call tat shops is my first port of call now when I need something. It is home to a fantastic pharmacy that I can WhatsApp message with any medicine I need and they will deliver. It also has the best mobile phone accessories shop at which between friend, dad and my collection of 6 phones we spent just ₹4000 resurfacing all the phones with privacy glass and giving each phone a new case.

I also bought two really pretty belts at a stall and when I got home I found only one had a hook at the end but when I popped back to the Galleria on my next visit I asked the man for a spare hook, he remembered me and furnished one with a smile and just said "it happens". And the aforementioned The Home Shop at which I have bought all manner of items which I need for the house here but have no need to bring back to the UK such as laundry baskets, whiskey glasses, and a plastic stool for dad's shower, I can also WhatsApp message and he'll deliver to my door.

The local booze shop also delivers home, so I can pop in there and order my bottles of Sula rose from India's Nashik vineyards, and Kingfisher Ultra, India's finest beer, on my way home from work and they'll have it to my door before I've made my way back to the flat.

I'm also shopping local v global, taking a stand against global brands and choosing Made in India wherever an alternative is possible. Hence the three cans of ThumsUp, a home grown cola, in the photo. Whilst there is never a risk of not feeling like you are living in India, it does add to the other worldliness to be drinking a home grown cola. The expression "You could be anywhere in the world" only applies in posh restaurants and mall, but buying Indian makes me feel as if I am contributing something back to the country too.

Most of the Indian versions have been superb but the jury is out on the Mama Earth Onion Shampoo and Conditioner!