“T.I.I : This is India” - Discovering India

Mimicking the phrase “T.I.A: This is Africa” from the 2006 movie Blood Diamond, “T.I.I: This is India” was coined by former Global Impacters in order to describe the unfamiliar and sometimes bizarre things they saw or experienced while in India. Upon arriving to Chennai on May 27 (at 3am in the morning), I had my first “T.I.I” moment- before even stepping out of the airport!

I had just gotten off the plane, retrieved my luggage, and was heading for the exit door. As I stepped out, I was greeted by a sea of brown faces, all staring directly at me. I stood for a few really long seconds and took a left. Walking down the narrow pathway, I couldn’t help but notice EVERY single person looking at me, which made me even more uneasy. I continued walking and before I knew it, the hot and humid air of the night sky had already filled my lungs; I was in the street, alone, and in the dark. I didn’t know where to go, so I went back into the airport. I paced back and forth a few times and kept asking myself “What should I do? What should I do?” I really had no idea. I was supposed to meet two of my friends later that day, but didn’t have a cell phone to call them on or the address of the hotel we were planning to stay at. All I knew was that I didn’t want to roam too far from the airport, get lost, and miss my friends flights. Luckily, an English speaking Indian man saw me and offered to call me a taxi that could take me to Mount Heera, a nearby hotel (As I later learned, this would be a bad idea because the hotel that the taxi would take me to would have really high rates and would give the English speaking Indian man part of the profit- one that I’d be paying for). I was a bit hesitant, but felt like I had no other options at the moment, so I agreed. The taxi ride was less than 10 minutes, but seemed much longer than that. It was uncomfortably quiet inside. I didn’t say a word and the driver didn’t say a word- I just kept my eyes on the road.

India seemed a bit scary and chaotic from the safety of the car. I noticed three things as the driver navigated the unlit and bumpy streets of Chennai: 1) The amount of trash and debris that littered the city was very unwelcoming 2) Every corner seemed to have some type of animal on it, whether a dog, chicken, or cow 3) Even at 3am in the morning, men were walking the streets. I didn’t know where I was or what I had gotten myself into. I could only remember one thing- “This is India, this is India” as the taxi drove off into the night…

- Zlatan

Sketch of Mount Heera hotel room