Indian Electrics - Not Very Switched On

I find the way our apartment has been electrically wired-up bewildering.  And from speaking to other expats, we are not alone in experiencing the typically poor workmanship and logic than can be applied to any aspect of Indian housebuilding (I am convinced that this is not a sweeping statement!).

Whilst in India, we have never even been 100% sure which plug is a standard Indian plug and which socket is a standard Indian socket.  A British three pin plug seems to work OK in our sockets (if you push it in hard enough and ignore the sparks) - but then again, so does a European two pin plug.  All the lamps we have bought in India have spindly two pin plugs (and I guess no fuse!) but our kettle and iron have a special chunky three pin plug which goes into a different type of socket.  I suppose that this goes some way towards preventing electrocutions by ensuring that such appliances have fuses.  Thanks for that.

A typical Indian plug - not much to look at is it?

A typical Indian socket - in which to fit our typical Indian plug.  However, you can also get a British three-pin plug into this socket as well as a US, European or Japanese plug (no promises!)

If you end up having to buy an adaptor to combine all the different types of pluggage available, the contacts within the adaptor often don't work correctly - so you have to wiggle your plugs again until you make a connection (again, ignoring the sparks). 

An adaptor - and a British plug...

...we don't need the adaptor here as the British plug fits right into the socket (with a spark or two)
Note all the switches - one for each light fitting and one for the fan.

Buying light bulbs is a bit of a lottery too - sometimes you think you are buying a genuine Philips screw-in light bulb but when you get it out of the packet you realise that the metal screw bit is held on to the glass bulb by means of a bit of card wedged in between.  Not good.  Although it doesn't matter which bulb you buy in the end, because they all blow within a few days of use anyway.  

No recessed lighting - but an ugly light fitting in each corner (each with its own light switch)

Because there is no such thing as central heating here - and in fact because using hot water is not the norm for the majority (for bathing, showering or washing-up) - we have to preheat our water by flicking on a 32 amp switch at least 15 minutes before it is required.  I have seen this in France before so perhaps it's not so unusual.  And at least you are only using energy when you need it.  But what makes me laugh (but should make me cry) is that these switches are located right within the bathroom, along with light switches and three-pin plugs!  When I say located within the bathroom, I mean right next to the sink or shower!  It's not like back home where you have regulations about placing electrical fixtures a minimum distance away from a source of water!

Exposed water heater in the bathroom - so ugly

32 Amp shower switch, light switch and socket right next to the shower

With regards to electrical design and ergonomics, you can forget making any sense of it.  In each of our rooms, there are at least four light switches (although there are 17 in our sitting room!).  This is because the builders have provided one switch for every light fitting (doh!) - of which there are also many.  Then there are the switches for the fans, a switch for the intercom and then innumerable switches with no purpose at all. As it is virtually impossible to remember which switch is attached to which light fitting, you can be flicking the switches on and off for some time before you hit the jackpot (whilst at the same time putting the fans on by accident and turning off the TV in error). 

In the kitchen - the white plug is for the sandwich toaster which we have not been able to extract from the socket for six months.  The black plug on the left is for the kettle or iron which both have special plugs.  We can not boil a kettle or iron at the same time as it is the only such plug in the flat.  The other switches are for each of the internal cupboard lights, the water heater, the fan and goodness-knows what else!

Whilst the builders have been very generous with light switches, they have been equally mean with sockets (which are also placed high up on the wall ruining any aesthetic goal you are trying to achieve).  We have only four sockets in our sitting/dining room, which means that we have had to insert the dodgy adaptors described above which are capable of holding two or three more plugs each.  And no wires are ever chased into the wall - so we have cables coming out from our TV/DVD machine/Digibox, ruining the appearance of the room.  And then there are the random sockets high up in the middle of the wall...roads that lead to nowhere. Doh again.

The wiring mess under our TV.

If you applied the same Building Regulations that we have in the health-and-safety-mad UK - India would come to a complete standstill.  Every home would be condemned and made to rewire (and provide an electrical certificate); every office would be emptied of their staff until rectifying works had been done; our schools would be evacuated due to impending danger to teachers and children; manufacturing would have to be halted - and I am sure the power stations themselves would be shut down until proof that electrical regulations had been met!

The cable used to wire in our wireless router is barely long enough and you can just see the bare wires to the left.  Below, the black socket is slightly raised out of the adaptor - we had to wiggle it this way to make it work (sparks again)

Mr Jules and I are grateful to have not (yet) electrocuted ourselves...what do you think to it all?

Random socket high up in the middle of the wall - meaning I can't hang pictures up there.

A socket for the AC - inexplicably placed in the middle of an adjacent wall

Please see my post about construction works going on near our apartment - the general ignorance about Health & Safety takes my breath away!

Cameras for the Dharavi Photography Club

You may remember that in my post about 'Bandra Scences Photographed by a Dharavi Kid' - I made a request for people to send in their old cameras so that the Reality Gives Dharavi photography club could increase their supply of equipment to children wanting to learn the art.  

Well, I had a lovely response - especially through my father-in-law and a lady called Nathalie Quantrill back home in the UK.  Between them, they gathered up nine used cameras which Mr Jules was able to squeeze into his suitcase on the way back from his last business trip to the UK.

Last week, I put them into brightly coloured gift bags and took them along to one of the daily art classes in Dharavi - so that the students could get their first look at the fruits of our efforts. Unfortunately, the monsoon rains chose to strike at that moment, so there were only a few students there - but fortunately one of those students was Suraj, the immensely talented teenager that took all the photos in the original blog, and who prompted the donation of cameras.  I was delighted by this, as I wanted to make sure that he got a particularly fancy Sony camera donated by my father-in-law which would enable him to take his talent to the next level, and ensure that he would have his own camera on hand at all times.

Suraj took this amazing photograph on my Canon Powershot on the Bandra tour.
It impressed a lot of people!

The children were so happy to receive these cameras, there were delighted looks all round - from the youngest to the oldest -  and they couldn't wait to try everything out.  It will make so much difference to their progress, to have access to more equipment.

Here are the pictures from my visit - thanks to Nathalie, my father-in-law and all those who donated through Nathalie - as well as Adina at Reality Gives who arranged my visit to the club.  I will be going back after the rains to check progress at the photography club and post more photos of the cameras being used.  Thanks again all!

Suraj checks out his big Sony camera for the first time

This child may only be 3 or 4 years old, but she knew how to operate this point-and-shoot!

A very happy Suraj

Another picture of this child who amazed me with her ability!

After playing with the more complicated cameras for a while, they decide it's a good idea to read the manual!

Another girl from our Bandra tour - delighted with this new Fujifilm camera

Some art painted on to the wall - by kids from the art club.

The Gift Bags

The generous donations

The Faded Beauty of Matheran

We had two gaps in the rain during our weekend away, each lasting for about two hours.  In one of those gaps, we walked from our hotel to the car park on the way back home.

These respites from the monsoon weather gave us a small insight into good old days of Matheran, when the hill was filled with handsome British and Parsi bungalows and the place was litter and tourist free.  Hailing from the UK, I am always fascinated by places that are clearly influenced by the British. In Matheran, I imagine elegant Victorian or Edwardian ladies in the latest fashions, escaping the unbearable heat of the city. There would have been parasols, carriage rides, High Tea, parties on the verandah and walks in the country. The men would have smoked cigars together in drawing rooms while the ladies fanned themselves and played cards. Simply delightful!

Unfortunately - as with so many old places in and around Bombay, things have been left to decline and rot.  I was dismayed to see so many of the old bungalows falling into dereliction. Now, these historic buildings merely provide homes to the hundreds of feral monkeys to be found in Matheran. 

A sadly mouldy, rotting bungalow

Whilst the paths were generally well maintained - I was also disheartened to see (that as usual) the main viewpoints were filled with rubbish.  Water bottles, sweet wrappers and meal containers carelessly flung over fences and on to steep inclines that would make it impossible to clean up (if indeed, the desire to clean up existed). 

Come on India, why do you have to do this?  Why can't you respect your beautiful old architecture and open spaces? 

Some photos:

Many of these gateposts to be found in Matheran - a sign of more beautiful times

A fine old bungalow with a big verandah up front - closed up and decaying

Rickshaws resting

Matheran high street -  buildings falling apart in the background

TV repair men on Matheran high street!

Every where we walked - dogs accompanied us!
Pre-rain mist preventing good visibility

Miserable rubbish

This is the view if you were to look up from the rubbish.  So sad to see this trash in the foreground

Beautiful Art Deco detailing

Imagining finer times - partying on that beautiful terrace

The monkeys are happy though - they live in the lap of luxury!

More grandiose but decaying Art Deco gate posts

This one is about to completely tumble over.

The Verandah in the Forest - Agatha Christie Style

Last weekend Mr Jules and I escaped the city by visiting Matheran - a hill station in the Western Ghats, about two and a half hours drive out of Mumbai.  In India, many hill stations were built by British colonialists as refuges from the oppressive summer heat of the city - most being between 1,000 and 3,000 metres above sea level.  Of course we chose not to visit Matheran when the immense heat of April and May was affecting us - but instead when it was pouring with monsoon rain.  But no matter!

Getting through Vashi and Navi Mumbai to reach the outer limits of the city was easy.  We were soon driving through lush green paddy fields on a road that was relatively well tarmacked (for India). Then there was the steep hill climb up to Matheran itself - a first time experience for our driver who hadn't even been in the countryside before.

When you reach Matheran, you have to leave your car behind and walk the rest of the way to your final destination.  Or take a horse.  Because there was a bit of a hill involved and at least another 60 minutes to get to our hotel - Neemrana's Verandah in the Forest - we opted for the latter.  This is certainly no walk in the park if you are not used to riding.  Thankfully they provide you with steps to get up on to the horse but then you have to clutch on with your thighs and hold onto the saddle with your fingernails as the horse progresses up a long, stony incline.  Coming in both directions are well laden mule trains carrying supplies up and down the hill - you have to hope that their galloping motion doesn't make your horse want to bolt. 

By the way, the reason you can't go all the way by car is because Matheran is an 'eco-sensitive' region where vehicles are not allowed.  So you can at least be sure of very clean air in central Matheran!

The verandah of the Verandah in the Forest

After a butt-clenching journey, we finally arrived at our hotel.  A large 19th century colonial house with a huge verandah (as the name would suggest).  It was dingy and seemingly empty except for one lady sat out front, reading a book.  Eventually someone scuttled out from the back and made us sign in and hand over our passports (even though we'd only come 90kms to get here).  Then a kitchen boy brought out a couple of welcome drinks. We were shown to our room - 'Petit' - with high up windows and a lovely big colonial style bed.  What sun that there had been during our horse ride was already beginning to fade. 

'Petit' - full of colonial charm

As we started to unpack, the rain began to come down in earnest.  Monsoon rains tend to start with a a pitter patter for a few seconds, and then before you know it - an earth drenching downpour is upon you.  We sat on the bed in the failing light, and it was like someone had placed us at the bottom of Niagara Falls - with the water crashing against the corrugated iron of the roof above us.  We wanted to go out for a walk, but after an hour of waiting there was no improvement in the weather.  There was nothing for it - we'd have to have a cup of tea.

Niagara Falls

In actual fact, even though tea and coffee is supplied in the room, afternoon tea is served free of charge at the hotel (consisting of a tea of your choice and a few biscuits).  At first we were alone on the verandah. But as we huddled up with our cups of Earl Grey, a few more people began to emerge from their rooms.  There was the young Intellectual Couple with their laptops (on holiday ??), the Tall Couple (presumably Punjabis), the KD Lang Lookalike with her mother (not her lover as I first thought!), and the Well Balanced Family consisting of mum, dad, son an daughter. 

The light was very dim by now and the electricity weak - the lights were flickering on and off... on and off - sometimes going out altogether. Just like in the movies, when something bad is about to happen. We all looked warily around at each other, trying not to raise our voices to an audible level (also very unusual in India).  

The rain completely failed to abate, so we managed to string out tea for over an hour.  The mosquitos buzzed around our ankles and made a meal out of us. Then it was almost time for our dinner.

Amusingly, we were each told that 'dinner would be served in the dining room at 8.30 on the dot' by one of the hotel staff. I was surprised he wasn't wearing a butler's outfit and carrying a gong.

Long long dining table

We later went through to the colonial style dining room with a long dining table (capable of seating 14 people) at which all us guests would have to sit around. On the table were three large silver candelabra which would provide the only light to eat by.  As we sat down, I could hear the dull sound of thunder in the distance as the rain continued to crash down.  With all the atmosphere of a murder-mystery weekend, I imagined that any one of the party could have been slain in their rooms whilst we sat here - had their screams been masked by the sound of the thunder?  Perhaps we would all be picked off one by one, until someone would eventually clonk me over the head with one of the silver candlesticks.

Deadly Silver Candelabra

Thankfully, all the other guests arrived at dinner unharmed and with all limbs intact.  We were served a set 'Continental Style' four course meal consisting of a rather good garlicky-oniony soup, followed by a crispy pea fritter and a rather strange main course comprising pasta, cheesy potato, chicken in mushroom sauce and a spinachy thing. Fabulously, dessert was an excellent apple crumble with English style custard. 

Dinner was a very muted affair - but nobody left the table and didn't come back,  there were no distant screams or gunshots.  There were no cries from foxes or owls. And I awoke unscathed from my sleep the next morning...of course!

On horseback - stuck in mule traffic

Elegant Sofa

 These chairs are called ...Bombay Fornicators! (Look it up!)

The front of Verandah in the Forest - with its monsoon blinds partially furled.

Very sedate sitting room - there are no TVs at this hotels so bring a book or two.

In my next blog, I will post pictures of Matheran - from when we did eventually get out for a walk!