Value of Money

What is the rupee worth?  My bank says it’s a little less than a penny.  Seven years ago the rupee from the dollar was a little better for Indians; now it is a little better for me, although things cost more rupees than they did on my first visit.

What is the rupee actually worth?  To those who have drivers and air-conditioning, it is pennies.  To those who have not, it is more.  Street performers and corner solicitors in America would scoff at a couple of pennies thrown their way.  Lepers and beggars in India only ever expect a couple of rupees.
How do you convert the gap between those who find this coin to be worthless and those who use it to count their daily wage into the gap that exists in the land of the dollar?  The bank doesn’t do those conversions.

Space in the Metro

I couldn’t help it.  I couldn’t stop giggling.  I mean really giggling.  The ladies’ section in the Metro is usually less crowded than the men’s.  A couple of ladies were standing because the opposite bench was mostly full--only a small child could have sat down.  At the next station, a woman, the size of two, sat herself in that space.  The ladies rearranged.  No one verbally complained, although contempt could be seen on many faces.  She was literally sitting on the laps of two women and chatting on her mobile.  Space takes on a very different meaning here in a country with a billion people.  Where there’s a will, there’s room. 

I quit giggling when I was the one sat upon two days later.