Archive: October 2005
Life Goes On
The roads were uncharacteristically clear and free of traffic. Officers at checkpoints peered into our SUV with flashlights. But people also laughed, danced and played cards tonight in Delhi as Diwali festivities went on, hours after the bombings. As I...
By S. Mitra Kalita | October 29, 2005; 07:55 PM ET | Email a Comment | TrackBack (2)
Holiday Bombings
The scenes have been eerily familiar: the news consumed with images of people running and crying, my mobile not working, family and friends trying to get through any way they can to check on me. Three bomb blasts shook Delhi...
By S. Mitra Kalita | October 29, 2005; 12:35 PM ET | Email a Comment | TrackBack (0)
Bangalore Dreams
On the day I arrived in Bangalore, one Sunday talk show dedicated its entire program to dissecting the question: Is the Bangalore dream dying?I watched as IT workers debated non-IT workers about everything from congested roads to rising prices in...
By S. Mitra Kalita | October 26, 2005; 09:50 AM ET | Email a Comment | TrackBack (1)
It's Time to Party
That people ate, drank and danced at swanky joints across Delhi this past weekend might not surprise you. But it wasn't always this way. Years ago, most urbanites looking for a meal outside the home had choices at opposite ends...
By S. Mitra Kalita | October 24, 2005; 04:55 PM ET | Email a Comment | TrackBack (0)
The Thinker
I saw something this week I rarely see in India, let alone the United States. Someone gave a beggar money. Atanu Dey, who made a brief appearance in an earlier post, says it's standard practice. I have always been advised...
By S. Mitra Kalita | October 21, 2005; 11:45 PM ET | Email a Comment | TrackBack (0)
Outsourcing for the Small Fry
Everyone's going offshore ... except for smaller-sized companies, entrepreneur Rajesh Shah observed a few years ago. So in 2003, his information-technology firm abandoned India's domestic market to earn dollars, albeit from smaller fish than household names like IBM, Dell and...
By S. Mitra Kalita | October 19, 2005; 05:44 PM ET | Email a Comment | TrackBack (0)
Middle Class Sticker Shock
'); document.write(''); document.write(''); document.write(''); } //--> <p class="error">JavaScript is required to display this interactive graphic. If it is turned off, please enable JavaScript in your browser preferences.</p> The price of globalization is much higher than I expected. I don't...
By S. Mitra Kalita | October 17, 2005; 03:43 PM ET | Email a Comment | TrackBack (0)
High Hopes at the Mall
A red carpet, dozens of candles and endless strands of white flowers paved our entry to the opening of a new mall in Delhi tonight. Because this week marks Durga Puja, a Hindu holiday celebrating good's conquest of evil, it...
By S. Mitra Kalita | October 12, 2005; 04:05 PM ET | Email a Comment | TrackBack (0)
Arriving
'); document.write(''); document.write(''); document.write(''); } //--> <p class="error">JavaScript is required to display this interactive graphic. If it is turned off, please enable JavaScript in your browser preferences.</p> South Asia was the lead story in most major newspapers the day...
By S. Mitra Kalita | October 11, 2005; 02:34 AM ET | Email a Comment | TrackBack (0)
On Our Way
[Editor's note: This post was written before Mitra's trip to India began and before the scope of the earthquake disaster in India and Pakistan was fully known worldwide. Her first post from India will be presented as soon as she...
By S. Mitra Kalita | October 8, 2005; 12:34 PM ET | Email a Comment | TrackBack (0)
