We are being treated most royally here. CMS have provided us with a very modern, well-equipped apartment in a most prestigious district. Arvind, our driver, (which says quite a lot in itself) told us we were in a VIP area, where people of note, such as the Governor, lived. “And me,” I added cheekily. “In India you are VIP,” he replied. Which, up to a point, remains true.
We certainly have something of a novelty value. I have become used, in both my previous two projects, to being the only white person around. (I did see others in Addis Ababa, but not in the area where I was living.) But I had anticipated Lucknow being more cosmopolitan. I know that CMS employs a couple of teachers from the UK, though I have not met them yet. And still there is some sort of legacy from a different era, in that some things are available to us that I suspect are not for some of the locals.
I do feel that there is a change, however, even from the time when we last spent time in India, in 1984. Then, there were still people who remembered the Raj (some with affection, some not) and we benefitted from a sort of residual white privilege, with the expectation of a different standard of treatment. There is almost no-one alive now from that era, so I suspect that whatever difference in local reaction we may find is now more based on economics, and is shared with well-off Indian people.
We are on the fourth floor, but fortunately the lift stops right outside our door, so we do not need to carry bags any distance. Indoors, there is everything we might need: aircon, good wifi, a large modern kitchen. We are also being left alone, which is considerate, though we do hope there will also be a little more of a social life at some point. After several visits to the supermarket, we are also fairly well-set to cook for ourselves, with a couple of meals out. There are two good restaurants within a short stroll (one is right next door), and when we are ready to venture further afield for more variety, we will be able to call upon Arvind. Which may or may not mean I can indulge in a cocktail or two.
We are very comfortable here, very much at home. Living the high life is right.
