Aurangabad

So i got out of the bus depot with all my bags and as expected four or five men were vying for my attention and to be my rickshaw driver. One of them reached over and motioned to grab my bag. I gave him a stern look. He backed away.

Hahaha. I was laughing on the inside when I gave the look as well. That driver new that he was out of my favour so he backed off and left it to the others. I really wanted to reach over to him and say, tough luck mate, thanks for playing. Getting around in India seems to be filled with little games like this. And iv realized that it makes almost no difference whether you win or lose. If a shopkeeper or taxi driver manages to squeeze a few extra rupees out of me i am usually too impressed by their skill to really care about the money. Although in constant competition, there is a strong sense of respect between any two negotiators so long as they are not incompetent enough to get trampled on.

So one of the drivers made a quote of 55 and I waited, no one made a counter offer so i took it. But then some guy flashed a card in my face and said he was part of some government branch that wanted to see what was in my bags. I laughed and brushed him away thinking that he was trying to steal my stuff. Then he said he couldnt let me leave untill I did and spoke a whole bunch of very fast Hindi, which I don't understand. I asked him to expain it in Marathi but he was too fast again. I was considering offering him a bribe to shut up and let me go, but eventually i understood that he was something like a customs official searching to make sure that i wasn't importing goods into the city to sell. So i complied and everything ended rolsyly, but im very tempted to start a rant on the flawed ecconomics of taxing people who are importing goods. Ill leave that for my personal diary though haha, because knowing me its gonna be super long.

Hedgewar hospital is incredible. Its only 150 beds but the number of outpatient work that they do makes it a lot bigger. One of the Hospital directors (Dr. Pandhare) was telling me that they stop taking new arrivals at about 12 and it takes till about 3 30 to see everyone that has registered by then. There are several models under which hospitals operate in India, there are large profit making private hospitals that offer the best quality care that only the wealthiest can afford. There are large public hospitals that are free and thus cater for the poorest of the poor, but are wracked with corruption and crippled with beurocracy, there are small private clinics set up by individual doctors that can often run very successfully but are limmited in ther capabillities and there is a fourth model. Hedgewar is this fourth model, where a philosophy of dedication to service guides the staff. It was established by seven doctors about 20 years ago who decided to forgo most material benefits of medical practise and focus on service. An unusual fit within a capitalist ecconomy, but it worked. There are 514 staff now and they service an area that is 250km in diameter.

I shouldnt get too excited though but im super excited.