Brushes through India.(TRAVEL)(Bombay, India)(Travel narrative)

'WHAT'S playing in India?" asked a friend of mine, before I took off. Oh, nothing in particular: just India itself, for two weeks of exploration. My friends and I begin in Bombay, or, as we're all supposed to say now, "Mumbai." I ask a local lady about this; she is a sharp and savvy schoolteacher. She says that "Mumbai" has been forced on everyone by a certain political crowd; she prefers, when speaking English, to say "Bombay"--and why not?

Bombay is a very, very populous city in this very, very populous country. People are everywhere, tucked into every nook and cranny. If traffic is moving--which is a very big if--they fly about on motorcycles, without helmets. There are children on those bikes, too, carefree, as well as helmet-free. You hear that India is a heavily regulated country. Yes, but it's interesting what they choose to regulate, and what not. Here's a little political-economic note: I buy a packet of cracker-like things, and it says, "Less taxes = more biscuits." Oh, lower taxes mean a lot of good things, my friends.

Before I came here, several people who know the country told me one thing, independently. They said, "You've heard about the burgeoning middle class, and it is true. But bear in mind that India is still a very poor country--it may shock you." Poverty is a given, yes. The place is not all tech companies and call centers, to put it mildly. And animal transportation--camel-drawn carts, etc.--is utterly routine.

Children beg, saying "Hello, hello," while making eating gestures with their fingers. The adult beggars I see are very few: young mothers with infants; and old, wretched men. I see no able-bodied men beg--as I do where I live, in Manhattan, every day.

A morning walk in Bharuch--state of Gujarat--is enjoyable and instructive. Through the neighborhoods come vendors with handcarts. They sell fruit, or vegetables, or milk. They call out the names of their products as they go, leather-lunged. It occurs to me that this is an anti-WalMarter's dream. There is no one-stop shopping. Everyone pushes his own tiny line, earning pennies.

Girls are lovely in their saris. This is true of richer ones and poorer ones, spiffier ones and scruffier. Are girls here more attractive than elsewhere? You may think so; it's more likely that they're attractive because they're so feminine. They seem to enjoy being female, and carry themselves that way. They sort of sashay along. I doubt softball here is much good.

Generally speaking, men are almost as style-conscious as women. You might even say they are vain, matching their clothes, frequently combing their hair, Fonzie-style. Whether they have money or not, they want to cut a figure.