It occurred to me some time ago that I stopped converting rupees to dollar's. My definition of value has now become relative to other goods and services consumed here in India. For example Rs.30 (approximately = AUD$0.95) will get you further in a rickshaw in Gujarat then it will in Rajasthan. I find it expensive when a meal costs more than Rs.100 (approximately = AUD$3.30). I'm loathe to stay in a room for more than Rs.300 (approximately = AUD$9.00) a night. Even though my numerical supremacy in Hindi can be matched and surpassed by a preschooler, I ensure that what I am being charged is really what it costs.
My point is that it's very easy to become stingy and to stretch your money to as far as possible. I am from a different background and I am more privileged than many people here, so what's the big deal if I pay a dollar or two more than the going rate? The deal I guess, is ensuring that the distribution is not skewed. Chances are that the person who has just profited from me has done the same from many others. It's the wretchedly homeless who are in dire straits.
I think also that i've matured in what I see day to day. Once upon a time, I would have snapped a picture of a tractor with too much hay than what was humanly possible, but now, by virtue of having seen it that many times, am not so impressed!
And finally to the paranoia: it still lurks in the dark corridors but has been quietly sedated by the passage of time and the experiences of a vast number of lands.
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