The Razor’s Edge at Khan Market
Olaf Griese has spent six years with Dezan Shira & Associates in Shanghai and has just recently relocated to Delhi. In this series of articles, he will detail the differences, as well as the pros and cons, of living in both China and India.
Apr. 17 – My normal Sunday routine is watching the F1 Grand Prix or going out to enjoy the sunshine and have a coffee in a nice café. This weekend I was able to do both. After watching the Grand Prix taking place in Shanghai, which finished at 2:30 p.m. New Delhi local time (time difference between New Delhi and Shanghai is only 2.5 hours), I decided to have a stroll around Khan Market.
The distance from my hotel to the market is about 4 kilometers. For such a short distance, a rickshaw was sufficient with a taxi representing the second-best choice. After the usual bargaining procedure (surprisingly similar to China), we agreed on a price off US$1 and we were heading south – passing the India Gate – towards Khan Market. Personal transportation costs are much cheaper in India than in China. For example, you can hire taxis for US$15 per day in New Delhi which includes traveling 40 kilometers within eight hours.
Khan Market is a small, U-shaped, well-established market, where you can find branded outlets like Celio or Levi’s, as well as reputed Indian brands. It is not like the fake markets you see in Shanghai where you can go and buy knock-off French or Italian luxury products.
One of the best things about Khan Market is its interesting book shops, a paradise for literature aficionados. Books in India are much cheaper than in China, and the overall selection is incomparable to those on offer at any bookstore in Shanghai. Conveniently, some of the bookshops at Khan Market have coffee shops on the top floor, occasionally even featuring a nice terrace. Wi-fi is usually complimentary and food and drink prices tend to be cheaper than similar places in Shanghai, such as Ferguson Lane or Tianzifang in the French Concession. At Khan Market, an order of oven-baked aubergines with tomatoes accompanied by a fresh lime soda will run you about US$10. Similar fare in Shanghai would cost at least double that. Additionally, as mentioned previously, the overall service level in India is generally better as the staff tends to be more aptly trained.
It was also about the right time to get my hair cut, so I went about finding a suitable place within the market. Going to the barbershop/salon in either China or India is a memorable experience with hairdressers in both countries providing unique services that generally can’t be enjoyed in Europe. For example, most of the hairdressers in India are male and it is not unusual to get a shave with a haircut.
It is one of the rare and unique pleasures for a man to be shaven by a professional. The face and the beard are first cleaned with water and then foamed. After the first shaving, an additional second foaming is applied. The razor is upgraded during the second shaving with the sharp beard-hair removal apparatus being replaced by a precision tool in the hand of the barber. He uses the razor’s edge to make sure that the beard is symmetric on both sides and the beard-hair is cut evenly. After the shave is complete, the final step (similar to the haircut when a scalp massage is given) is a face massage. After-shave is then applied to complete this unique experience.
At first glance, New Delhi may appear to be less hygienic than Shanghai, but my first haircut and shave in India was far more clean and professional than any I’ve had in China.
This is Part III of our ongoing Expat Transitions Series. The rest of the series can be found below:
Olaf Griese is a partner with Dezan Shira & Associates in India. He is based in the firm’s Delhi office providing corporate establishment, tax planning, business advisory and on-going tax, accounting and related services to foreign investors throughout the country. The firm has five offices in the country. Olaf can be reached at olaf.griese@dezshira.com.
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