This reference will be lost on most HN readers, so I'll explain for everyone else.
In many situations, you are better off being white and American than a PIO (this is a very commonly used term). You will get better treatment and are less likely to be cheated by a price-gouging merchant or bureaucrat.
Mendicants are much more aggressive with PIOs. Merchants are similarly more aggressive. I've had one tell me that it would cost $20 to tell me how to get to the security line[1]. When I shook my head and walked away, he yelled at me, 'That's nothing to you - you're rich!'. (He was basing that statement entirely on the fact that I was a PIO, nothing else).
On the other hand, Indians pride themselves on being hospitable as a culture, so they would never treat a white person (a clear foreigner) this way.
When I go to India, I'm very careful to adjust my clothing, hairstyle, etc. so that it's less obvious that I'm a foreigner (trust me, they know). It's better to travel with a local (you probably have relatives there) and not to speak at all - even if your accent is flawless, your vernacular and fluidity is probably subtly off just enough to tip them off. Or, speak in a language that is native to another region within India (so that people think you're traveling from another region, and it will be harder for them to notice your accent).
[1] It's not unusual to have private citizens step in and fill the gaps where there aren't enough public employees to do the job at hand, so yes, this was more or less this guy's entire job. Other people charge to 'watch over' your car in public street parking, etc.
I've been out of India for 6 years now. I instantly stand out on the streets of Bangalore as distinctly "NRI" (Non Resident Indian, and apparently a term that means that I cannot criticize anything about India ever, especially on messageboards like hacker news [see argument in the thread above between some poor hapless PIO and resident Indians].)
I don't why you left India. But most people I know leave because of one straight thing- 'money'. Although a more soft term used is 'better life'. But two to three counter questions and it becomes clear that it was always about money.
I am not saying that is wrong. Hell we Indians have a wrong notion about money. We think rich people are evil, I understand that we have a cultural back drop behind this.
I am not saying going to another country to make money is wrong. But it must be stated that way.
'Hey, I am going away because I need to make cash'
is a lot better than.
'Hey, I am going away because this place is crap'.
The latter is a statement designed to hide your intentions and convenient point to a another reason which people feel makes them look good compared to the former.
>>apparently a term that means that I cannot criticize anything about India ever
Aha, that happens when a person contributes nothing back and still expects things to fall in place like magic.
How do you manage to achieve that - instantly stand out on the streets of Bangalore as distinctly "NRI"?
Is it the clothes? Or something else? Please elaborate.
Becasue I met a nice person in Costa Coffee a few days back and after chatting for some time he revealed he was an NRI here for some falimy affair. He went to UK when he was 15 (he looked 25-30). To me at least he didn't stand out like an NRI. Neither his language or the accent. He was a Kannadiga (Kannada his mother tongue) and me being a north Indian (Hindi my mother tongue), we talked in clear and crisp Hindi for about 15-20 minutes.
> How do you manage to achieve that - instantly stand out on the streets of Bangalore as distinctly "NRI"?
Now I will throw a claim which I am not going to back - I would like the other side to back theirs. It is impossible to stand out as NRI, let alone distinctly NRI. There is nothing in your clothes or hairstyle that marks you as such - it's in your mind. I would be happy to be proved wrong, but all I have got till now from two posters is they are distinctly NRI, without stating where does that distinction come from. One post did mention clothes and hairstyle(seriously?). If there is a distinct clothing and hairstyles for NRIs, I am unaware of it.
It is impossible to figure out who is a NRI by just looking. But it becomes obvious who is a NRI by the 'Topics of their discussions'. Which are generally how awesome things are outside India and how horrible they are here.
Hint: HackerNews and streets of Bangalore (refer original comment) are two entirely different platforms and mind readers were not aplenty on streets of Bangalore the last time I checked.
Now, please do not say he meant once I start about the clean lanes of USA talking to someone on streets of Bangalore then I instantly stand out.
You are not an Indian, you are a "Person of Indian Origin". Big difference.