Same same but different

I love my early morning walk to yoga class.

Sadar Bazaar road is practically empty, except for the cows (smaller herd to pass than on the ghats in Varanasi, still disconcerting) sari-robbed street cleaners, a few chai stand operators and some restaurant owners setting up shop. Some small crowds along the way are heading for Pushkar Lake, to make their offerings.

Some times someone will call out "Chai?"

Me: "No, thank you"

Affable fellow: "Mountain?"

Me: "No, no, yoga,"

Affable fellow: "Yoga!"

One chai seller said "Morning, Madam, chai? Paani, water? vodka?" I try to say subh prahbat ji! (Good Morning, Sir!) to him every day, but he continues with "Morning!"

Today, walking back from yoga class and a young man falls into step with me.

Young Man: Which country?

Me: Canada

The young man produces a loonie and says, "from Canada."

Me: Yes

I keep walking. Let me tell you right now, if you make it to India and hand out coins from your country, and I find out about it, somebody gonna get hurt real bad. To solve the mystery right here and now, it ain't gonna be me.

Because here's the shakedown: I had kids from every state asking me for Canadian coins for their collection. I was on the verge of thinking that after cricket, coin-collecting is the national sport in India, when one kid in Varanasi shows me a Canadian quarter and asks

"How much worth?"

"Maybe ten rupees," I say

"You exchange, okay?"

"No, no exchange, no okay."

So this young man today says "How much worth?"

"35 rupees," I tell him.

"You exchange?" he says

"No," I say "I no exchange. I'm not a bank."

"I know you not a bank but this from your country," he tries again.

I keep walking, he keeps my pace.

"Your name?"

"Mia." (Babu decided I best ditch the moniker Maya, which means 'money' in Hindi and 'cosmic illusion' - how appropriate - for Buddhists and Hindus, and go back to Mia, which means Sir in Urdu. The latter turns out to be just as confusing but commands more respect I think. I want to learn how to say "When I say jump, you say: 'how high?' " Just so I can hear the reply, "yes, Sir!" which would be "Hah, Mia!" isn't that swell? Life is grand.)

"What is your name?"

"Giorgio Armani."

"Giorgio Armani?"

"Is Italian name."

"I know," I reply, with a tone like you have know idea who you've chosen to engage with buddy. Go ahead, make my karma. "If your name is Giorgio Armani, you don't need my 35 rupees."

"Need still need."

"Where do you live?"

"In the desert."

"I see."

"You change money."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because, like I said, I'm not a bank. I can't."

"Change money."

"No, mafkeje, really, mafkeje." (That means I'm sorry. No one really uses thank you, please, sorry and excuse me here, you have to really want to learn these words and seek them out, and even then your Hindi teacher will tell you "We don't talk like that." No kidding? I hardly noticed.)

The young man corrects my pronounciation and then says "No say sorry, change money, not be sorry."

"Really, no, you don't understand."

"You not understand, I think-"

"Here's what I understand," I tell him, as I keep motoring along, "since I landed, everyone is following me and asking me and asking me for money. I've been really fleeced several times since I got here, and you don't see me. You see a walking bank machine. You and I are the same, the same, you understand? Atman, you and me, atman*. But you can't see me, you can't see this, and this way, here, I find hard to see you too."

*Atman is the eternal self, the soul. The same, same no different aspect of us all, according to Swamiji. Our bodies, our experiences, our childhoods, our backgrounds, our financial position, our income, our devastating consequences, our true loves, our preferences, our hatreds, our favourite pasta dish, all different. Our souls however, are the same, from the same source. So it has been, so it shall always be. I know it now, possibly knew it then. Even when I forgot, even when I didn't believe it, it was always the Truth.

He stops walking with me, "maybe later," he says, "you change the money."

It's very unlikely.