Fun, fun day today and much needed I might add. A small group of us expats have discovered some wonderful tennis courts on the Palace Grounds in Bangalore. They are 2 very well maintained clay courts with a little hut attached with safe drinking water, clean washroom and even a shower. It is quite an adventure reaching them since the way in to the Palace Grounds is through a thick iron gate which needs to be manually rolled aside to drive through. There is an old man who peeks out through a little grill and then grudgingly pushes the heavy gate open. Monty Python keeps coming to mind for some reason...
The Palace Grounds is a large area of wilderness on the north edge of the city center which is home to a couple of riding stables, a small amusement park, some small scale industrial endeavors and some convention/wedding halls. It is also the location of the Bangalore Palace which is one of the residences of the descendants of the Maharajah of Mysore. The grounds are also home to many very poor people scraping up a meagre existence to get by. I don't feel that I am describing it well enough. There is nothing comparable that I have seen elsewhere. The reason I am trying to describe it is to show that playing tennis here, in and of itself, feels like a bit of an adventure when you first start coming. The usual posh tennis club, this is not!
However, the head pro is a very charming and effective young manager and they give some of the poor boys in the area jobs there and tennis lessons. Actually, the manager started off like the ball boys and quickly advanced in both tennis skills and teaching skills. These boys gain valuable skills that they would otherwise never have the opportunity for, as well as learning how to deal with us foreign ladies in very short skirts, improve their English skills and their tips are kept aside for them for clothes, food, and even computer courses. It feels much more rewarding playing there than just adding to the profits of a snooty club.
Now the hypocrite in me comes out; I spent the afternoon sunning myself and lunching poolside at a 5 star hotel! Not only that-I felt a little put out because there were 2 Indian men swimming in the pool in their clothes! How can I be so moved by the needs of the boys at the tennis courts and then immediately go from that to opulence and pampering, not to mention adding to the profits of a large corporation?
This is the kind of contradiction that India presents to you everyday. It tends to highlight our hypocrisy. It tends to "rub it in" a bit too. I think that is why it is said that India will change you.
Lucky us, that we can escape to luxury and comfort when we have had enough.
The Palace Grounds is a large area of wilderness on the north edge of the city center which is home to a couple of riding stables, a small amusement park, some small scale industrial endeavors and some convention/wedding halls. It is also the location of the Bangalore Palace which is one of the residences of the descendants of the Maharajah of Mysore. The grounds are also home to many very poor people scraping up a meagre existence to get by. I don't feel that I am describing it well enough. There is nothing comparable that I have seen elsewhere. The reason I am trying to describe it is to show that playing tennis here, in and of itself, feels like a bit of an adventure when you first start coming. The usual posh tennis club, this is not!
However, the head pro is a very charming and effective young manager and they give some of the poor boys in the area jobs there and tennis lessons. Actually, the manager started off like the ball boys and quickly advanced in both tennis skills and teaching skills. These boys gain valuable skills that they would otherwise never have the opportunity for, as well as learning how to deal with us foreign ladies in very short skirts, improve their English skills and their tips are kept aside for them for clothes, food, and even computer courses. It feels much more rewarding playing there than just adding to the profits of a snooty club.
Now the hypocrite in me comes out; I spent the afternoon sunning myself and lunching poolside at a 5 star hotel! Not only that-I felt a little put out because there were 2 Indian men swimming in the pool in their clothes! How can I be so moved by the needs of the boys at the tennis courts and then immediately go from that to opulence and pampering, not to mention adding to the profits of a large corporation?
This is the kind of contradiction that India presents to you everyday. It tends to highlight our hypocrisy. It tends to "rub it in" a bit too. I think that is why it is said that India will change you.
Lucky us, that we can escape to luxury and comfort when we have had enough.
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