Meeting Foreigners in Aurangabad

I came to India with the explicit intention of becoming Indian. When one travels we’re obviously exposed to a culture and a society that differs from the one that we’re used to. During that exposure we have two choices, view the culture through a closed window, site see, take pictures, and be a tourist; or absorb the culture, become the culture and learn far more than otherwise possible. The second method takes longer and is harder work but in the end is far more rewarding.

When I lived in Canada, about three months after staying near Vancouver I was walking down the main street when a tourist stopped me and asked me for directions. He wanted to know where the Orpheum theatre was. I put on the best Canadian accent I could muster and told him it was on the corner of Smithe and Seymour. Then I told him exactly how to get there, which bus number to catch and where to get off. I had become Canadian. Sure I hadn’t grown up watching Hockey Night in Canada, I hadn’t ever listened to the tragically hip and deep down inside I didn’t wish I was American (=-p), but I was no longer a visitor. I felt like a resident.

The same moment occurred last week when I met two Australian friends of mine in Aurangabad. They were on elective as well in a nearby town and had stopped by the city on their way to see the Ajunta caves. When I met them for dinner I was with two doctor friends of mine; we turned up late on our motor bikes Indian style and went to a tandoori restaurant for dinner. Compared to me, they were now the outsiders, and compared to them I was an insider. I was probably showing off a bit but I was happy to showcase my Marathi when speaking to the waiter, I told them about Indian culture and complained that the food was no where near spicy enough. I had become Indian. I mean, I was always Indian but now I had become Indian Indian.

An unfortunate consequence of becoming a local however, is that I have taken almost zero photos. I never take photos in Sydney because it’s my home. I can see it whenever I want and plus I don’t want to be mistaken for a pesky tourist. So why should I take photo’s in Maharashtra, after all I am Marathi. Plus I’ve been spending most of my time in the hospital and it doesn’t really seem ethical to take pictures there. “Your CT scan indicates that you probably have tuberculosis. Say CHEEEEESE”.