Rakhee Ghelani

Tag: Learning

  • Is it too late to save Majuli Island?

    Is it too late to save Majuli Island?

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    Majuli Island, in the remote North East Indian state of Assam, is the largest river island in the world. It is rapidly being lost to the savage effects of climate change. Surrounded by the mighty Brahmaputra River, scientists predict that Majuli Island will be entirely reclaimed by the river within 20 years, and along with…

  • The Toilets of Japan

    The Toilets of Japan

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    I know, I know, toilet humour really is the lowest common denominator. But this post isn’t about toilet humour I promise, but rather it’s about toilet etiquette in Japan. You see the Japanese are incredibly clean people, and their obsession with ensuring everything is pristine starts with themselves and in particular their toilets. From my…

  • Expats Behaving Badly

    Expats Behaving Badly

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    Something happened this week that made me so mad I felt compelled to write about it. Of all the things that annoy me about living in India, the thing that makes me most upset is when I see someone with means exploit someone without. In this instance it’s an Australian expat in India. The income…

  • Life in a Refugee Camp: Thailand

    Life in a Refugee Camp: Thailand

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    I was fortunate enough to spend New Year’s Eve and Day visiting two refugee camps on the Thai / Burma border (Burma is officially known as Myanmar now). A friend that I have been visiting in Thailand works on the border and offered me the opportunity to visit the camps and experience Karen New Year.…

  • Becoming a Writer: Bali

    Becoming a Writer: Bali

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    The island of Bali in Indonesia is one those places that every Australian ends up visiting eventually. For me, that time came when I made a rather last minute and decadent decision to treat myself to a weekend away.  I had had a rather rough time, and just needed to escape, so I took two…

  • The Day India Nearly Broke My Spirit

    The Day India Nearly Broke My Spirit

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    I finally had that day where India nearly broke my spirit. It’s the end of monsoon, which means the air is thick with moisture and oh so very hot. Not the kind of weather where you want to be shuffled around from one government department to another, made to wait around cramped offices or having…

  • Bollywood: Where Heroes Can Be Villains

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    There is an interesting thing I have observed in Indian culture, if someone is admired, lauded or dare I say worshipped, for some reason they seem to be above the law. They can do as much wrong as they want, but very few seem to care. Worse still, if you are poor, then your life…

  • Potluck Me: Starting a Business in India

    Potluck Me: Starting a Business in India

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    One of things I have always said that I love about India is that anything seems possible. Two years ago when I was leaving my job in a bank, if someone had told me I would be earning a living as a freelance consultant and writer, and setting up a couple of start-up businesses of…

  • Geek Post: The Fascinating Lean Process of The Dabbawalas of Mumbai

    Geek Post: The Fascinating Lean Process of The Dabbawalas of Mumbai

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    The Dabbawalas of Mumbai are legendary. These 5,000 people deliver over 200,000 lunches a day to the workers of Bombay, and have done so for almost 125 years. It is not so much what they do that is remarkable, but the process in which they do it. As someone who has spent years of my…

  • Keeping the Poor Down: India’s Growth Strategy

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    I really struggle with seeing the poverty in India, and I have posted before about my struggles with poverty, charity, apathy towards the poor and my observations of some of the middle class. I have come to the conclusion that here in India it is not in the interests of anyone with power or money…

  • Why I Choose to Stay in India?

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    I get asked all the time, “Why do you choose to stay in India?”.  I am asked this by my Indian friends, by friends overseas, travellers I meet and most recently by my parents who are here visiting me for a few months. It is not an easy question to answer, but whilst reflecting on…

  • Finding Home

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    I recently went through the rather stressful experience of trying to find somewhere to live in Mumbai. The options are overwhelming and also very varied in their quality and price.  Coming from a country where you look up some places on the internet, view them and sign up… I discovered its all a very different…

  • Class or crass: India’s Middle Class

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    One of the biggest culture shocks I am now experiencing relates to what is considered to be “class” or behaviour that represents economic and social status.  It isn’t something I saw much of when I was backpacking, but now that I am settled into a rather middle class life in Mumbai, I am really struggling…

  • Is the real India Invisible? – Andhra Pradesh

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    As I made my way down the east coast of the country, I decided to stop in a few places in Andhra Pradesh along the way, which gave me quite a “real” Indian experience.  First stop was Visakhapatnam, otherwise known as Vizag.  This is a beachside city that is touted as the best beach on…

  • Inspiration: Travel and Parkinson’s Disease

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    Travelling around India, I have come across all types of people; hippies, spiritual seekers, cultural aficionados and just those who are interested in seeing India. In Puri, I was lucky to meet the most inspirational couple I have met in my travels., a Canadian couple who have spent a lot of time in India over…

  • Life in the Indian village

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    I was fortunate enough to spend my Christmas and New Year break with friends in a small village in the Punjab.  Getting to experience the true village life is not something an outsider gets to do usually. In some places I have traveled to village experiences have been offered, but I find these usually to…

  • Guruvayur and Thrissur: How do you prove you are Hindu?

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    How do you prove what religion you were raised to someone you just met? A Christian can wear a cross, although anyone could do this relatively easily. A Muslim woman can wear a Hijab, but not all do. A Jewish woman can shave her head and wear a long skirt, although only the orthodox do.…

  • The Differences Between North and South India

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    I have only been in South India for a couple of weeks, but I immediately felt that there was a huge cultural shift between North and South. It’s not just the food and climate though that makes South India like a different country to me, it is the people and the environment. I appreciate I…

  • Pictorial Post: Dharamsala

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    Dharamsala is the home place of His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet in Exile. It’s a town of contradiction. On one hand it is peaceful and calm.  It must be the only place in India where people apologise if they accidentally bump into you, and don’t try to swindle you out of too much…