Rural washing machines and Urban Haircuts

Rural Washing Machines

Some weeks back, in early October, I drove to Mysore from Bangalore. . Unfortunately it was the day that the farmers in Mandya/ Ramanagar were agitating over the Kaveri water dispute with Tamil Nadu. The Bangalore Mysore road was in-accessible after Ramanagar and the police folk diverted us to a Malavalli to reach Mysore. It took an extra two hours (with a few barricaded points) and some bad roads but we reached in one piece.

The agricultural prosperity of the area around Ramanagara/ Malavalli is amazing. The greenery is breathtaking. No wonder the farmers are so agitated over a reduction in the supply of water for irrigation.

The other thing I noticed as we drove through small hamlets, settlements and villages is that a lot (probably most) of the womenfolk wash clothes by hand. I am sure it takes a considerable amount of time and energy. Wonder why the washing machine guys haven’t reached there? The basic models don’t cost much and if a few families joined together they could afford a washing machine. A social (and marketing) revolution is crying to happen. I even thought of writing a short story on this.

Haircut (W)  Vs Haircut(M)

My haircut used to cost Rs 40/- till a couple of months back and now it is Rs 50/-. The barber I go to is admittedly not high-end, but the place is closeby and it’s clean. In contrast a woman’s haircut in Bangalore costs at least 250/-. I have often wondered why there should be so much difference. Someone mentioned a supply-demand situation is responsible, but there are two reasons why this is not correct. Firstly the demand for women’s haircut in Bangalore or any other city in India is about 10 percent of the demand for men’s haircuts. So the demand cannot be pushing up the cost. Secondly there are no barriers to entry of new players and the investment is not high. So a supply constraint is also not the cause for the price difference.

On more thinking, I came to the conclusion that it is a brand thing. For some reason in India a man’s haircut is considered to be a utility whereas a woman’s haircut is fashion.

Anyone else can shed some light on this? And just for the record, women’s haircuts cost   more (usually twice or more) also in USA, Canada, UK and Switzerland.

And never the twain shall meet

And never the twain shall meet

The east is east and west is west , and never the twain shall meet. ..So said Rudyard Kipling. The subtext to this in the modern times is that we in India see the West as cold and impersonal and we see the East/ourselves as warm and hospitable. Perhaps…

I had been thinking about this in the last couple of months , but what got me writing today is the headline in the day’s newspaper. An Indian working in Saudi Arabia smuggled himself on an Air India flight to India. His passport (as is usual in the middle east countries) had been kept “in custody” by his employer/ agent and the poor guy had to resort to this rather unusual method to return home, from what one can only guess , must have been very difficult working conditions. The usual noises are being made about lax security and denials and counter charges are being made by Air India and Security Agencies. The man himself has been handed over to the Airport Security Agency.

The east I want to write about is the Middle East. The “Gulf Countries” seem to have a rather large appetite for expat workers. Quantity surveyors, drivers, maids, masons, carpenters all seem to be needed. The locals either do not have the skills, or the pace of growth requires import of labour or they are just plain lazy and have the (oil) money to indulge their laziness. So, many Indians head there, as do Philippinos, Egyptians and others, to make if not their fortunes at least a decent living. Now, one can work a lifetime in these countries but one can never be a citizen, or anything even remotely close to a citizen. The expat worker is always at the mercy of his agent/ employer and has no form of legal protection.

Contrast this with Canada (or USA). Canada has an ageing white population. And they have a life expectancy of 80 plus years. To meet its workforce needs, Canada has been admitting immigrants for a long time. People come from China, Korea, Morocco, Mexico, Lebanon, Algeria, Pakistan , India and Viet Nam to name a few countries. After 5 years of stay they get a “Permanent Resident” status. There are numerous NGO’s that help immigrants on legal and discrimination issues. After another 5 years they get a full citizenship on par with any other white citizen. My figures on the years maybe slightly wrong, but the important point is, that unlike the Gulf countries, Canada treats immigrants with respect and makes them their own.

Nothing prevents Canada from accepting workers in the Gulf Countries model. There will always be enough people from the developing world to provide the required labour. There is some amount of antagonism and discrimination towards immigrants, but they do not follow the Gulf Countries model.

So now , do we still believe in (middle) Eastern hospitality ?