I used my first few days in Bangalore to get acclimated. I also needed a bike bag. So I headed out to the market and walked into a fabric shop. Mohammad’s fabric shop has been located on a side street in the main Bangalore market since 1964. His father owned a fabric shop. His uncle too. Mohammad himself is gentle and slightly reserved. His great pride was the fact that he had pilgrimaged four times to Mecca.There’s no secret to the business, he said. It’s all about connections. He buys wholesale from large merchants in Bangalore, not directly from China. He said he needs to see the products directly to be able to guarantee the quality of fabric he sells. Cotton used to be high in demand by his customers but now its too costly. Customers prefer synthetics.
What’s so odd to me in – my Western eyes -, is that Mohammad had several competitors – right next door. The have very similar products and similar prices. Rather than fighting to kill off each other’s businesses, Mohammad said, they just learn to deal with each other. They’re neighbors, for better or worse.
I bought some synthetic fabric from him for my new bicycle bag, and he was super nice to tell me where to go to find a tailor.
While in Texas, I decided to fly to India. So many friends – Giovanni, Zsuzsa, MJ, Viola, Anke…. they had ALL had travelled to India and came back with eye-popping stories. Also my grandparents had travelled to Indian in the 1980’s. They came back deeply touched with lifelong friendships.
On the 30th of January 2014, I arrived to Bangalore in the middle of the night. I remember the smell. The air was thick and moist and spicy.
Just the next morning, right outside my window at the YMCA, I saw a new world. A group of kids were playing cricket.
India would about to throw out a lot of things I thought I knew about the world….
OXLAEY