Host Family Photos

http://picasaweb.google.com/GSETeam1080/HostFamilies#
During my time in Bangalore I was hosted by five different couples. They all had children but two of the couples lived on their own as their children had grown up and flown the nest.
1. My first host Mr P.N.S (it is a sign of respect to call elders by their initials in India) had built up a property empire and his youngest son manages this. His elder son is a wizard on computers and worked for a multinational in the C.B.D (Central Business District for the non-Geographers amongst us).
2. My second host, Mr Reddy (he didn’t give me his initials which I think meant he didn’t want my respect?) was a millionaire on account of Real Estate deals which was a leisurely pursuit as he informed me. His trade was the Sugar Industry where he had worked hard to ‘earn his position in society’ as he put it. His son was an Orthopaedic Surgeon who had trained and qualified in Manchester and lived with his family in a house the floor above.
3. Mr B.N.K and his wife are a lovely couple in their 60’s and their two children are successful doctors who live in the States. Every morning I met my third host at 05.30 for a quick coffee and then we went to the local outdoor pool to join the 06.00 batch for an hour’s dook (swim for the non-Scottish amongst us). His children are successful Doctors in the States.
4. Kapil Cupta is an International Manager for IBM and turned into a good friend after four days staying with him. His wife is a Power Suit and manages her own Tutoring Consultancy which requires her to work seven days a week. They are a successful and affluent couple with a young daughter who lives at home in Palm Meadows, a gated community. In fact, they don’t actually live there but in the fenced housing estate next door (the name of which escapes me). They bought a house in Palm Meadows so that they can use the superior club there; the building is rented out to someone else.
5. My last host Noah is a Christian which was a change after living with devout Hindus previously. His house was aptly named ‘Noah’s Arc’ and all three of his children lived in it. His eldest son (27) was a Psychiatric Doctor who practised locally and the younger two children (a boy and a girl of unknown ages) were both involved in computing: he was a Software Engineer and she was a lecturer at a local College.
I really enjoyed staying with Rotarians in another culture and feel it is possibly the best way to experience a new country. The hospitality I was shown was immense and my life has been changed dramatically by this experience in two ways:
· Firstly, I’ve become a committed Vegetarian after Mr Reddy explained the supposed mind-set change that happens once you stop eating meat. The thinking is that there is a lot of bad karma involved in eating slaughtered animals which gets passed on to the consumer. ‘I can do without anger and aggression in my wee life’ I thought and am having a go at living on the green stuff.
· Secondly, on a more personal level, I’m getting a tattoo of Hanuman the flying monkey God on PNS’s recommendation but I’ll bore you with the details face to face when I see you.
All the best for now, Magnus