Unusual Vegas Similarities...

More than once this past month I was reminded of LasVegas...drawn to similarities from two unrelated places I visited.

I flew Kingfisher airlines about a month ago from Bangalore to London, the 5-star airline. Plush red seats, individual touch screen monitors with a variety of entertainment options (Bollywood, Hollywood movies, local and US Sitcoms, games, news and you name it), models handpicked by Mallya as flight attendants , all in a spanking new aircraft.

As you enter, greetings galore every 30 feet by a variety of attendants. The flight was largely empty with many vacant seats in the economy class - the 5 star airline is not really making star profits. After take off and an hr or so into the journey...I wanted to get up, stretch and head to the designated stretch zone in international flights - next to the washrooms. I had one of the front seats before the business class and the restrooms were be a few 10 rows behind. I got up, walked back to the rear of the aircraft to stretch. From the rear, noticed rows of red seats each with brightly lit LCDs hosting the various entertainment menu, organized like a pack of open cards (3 in a row with 3 in each) looking nothing short of casino slot machine displays. Interestingly many empty seats had all their individual montiors in the read side of each seat lit and active. Red seats each with bright slot machine display and attendants serving beverage - How can one not be reminded of LasVegas.

Few weeks later, we drove to Chennai to have children spend time with grandpa and grandma. I had a working week. During my 25+ years of living in Chennai, we have never shopped in the famous T.Nagar area except many be once for my sister's wedding. My wife picked a holiday to go saree shopping with my mom - Day of Vijayadasami. This year Deepavali was just 3 weeks away. I concurred. Why do I need to concur, you may think. Filled with guilt to have come on a holiday to chennai and had to work every single day, I agreed to take them shopping. Yes, my wife, mother and I went to T Nagar for their saree shopping. If you thought the rest of this blog is about me between wife and mom taking sides awkwardly on selections and choices, you've been watching way too many soaps and movies in India lately. The wise one decided to keep the kids and stay back home - for all that grey hair he made this one right choice.

We left at about 1pm to T.Nagar. For those of you in Chennai you know what I am talking about.
This is a stretch of shops, Nalli old and new, Pothys, RMKV, Kumarans and few other lesser known names. Each store having its own architecture and interiors, all posh and flashy in and out. Huge chandeliers, Deities in xxl frames, work force greeting as you enter. Some with tie and badge, some with trousers, some in saree and some others in traditional Dhotis, men and women from the store every 10 feet greeting and running to take the purchase to the counter for payment, sorting out short lists and selections, helping customers pick the right aisle based on what silk from which part of India you want to shop (Mysore, Kanchipuram, Khota, Blah Blah Blah...). I took to a corner to observe as that was the best I could do given the situation. Crowds throng these stores - will be an understatement. People walking all over the T.Nagar main road stretch, hopping from one store to the other...varying building architectures and lightings, posh interiors, greeting staff and extravagant luxury. T.Nagar reminded me of the Vegas Strip.

KingFisher and T.Nagar were my little Vegas look alikes, minus the slot machines and the shows, ofcourse.