The money is in place, and we're off right away.

Ren Pingsheng and An Qi took 11 hours to arrive at Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport on an Air India direct flight to Mumbai, and they just got rid of the curry smell of Indians in the cabin and immediately plunged into the bustling big city.

Located in western India, Mumbai is the capital of the state of Maharashtra with a population of 21.04 million, making it the second most populous city in India. Mumbai is a coastal peninsula that is not only a natural deep-water harbour but also the capital of business and entertainment, and is home to the Indian film Bollywood, in addition to the headquarters of the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Exchange, and many large corporations.

Walking out of the airport, the two were surrounded by enthusiastic taxi drivers, among a bunch of dark-faced Indians, Ren Pingsheng and An Qi were like two flat boats in the sea, and they were involuntarily pulled around, the enthusiasm of these drivers sometimes seemed to be similar to robbery, and a few of them really started to grab the duffel bag, and they were pushed down by Ren Pingsheng before stopping.

Although English is the official language of India, but these Indian drivers can't understand what they say in their mouths, Ren Pingsheng's English can only cope with reading and writing, I heard that it has never been his field of expertise, fortunately there is an An Qi next to him who graduated from Hanwai Chinese University with an English major, although the other party's accent is very strong, but after her bargaining, the two finally negotiated a driver, and the others saw that the business was robbed, and they were not angry, shrugged their shoulders and dispersed.

The driver he talked to was Rajeev Raja, a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing the Punjabi tunic and pleated trousers that Indian men usually wear, and he still wore the sandals that Indians love to wear.

Rajiv's car is an old-fashioned Indian domestic TATA brand car, both from the appearance and the interior of this is a classic car more than 40 years old, so that after we put the luggage into the trunk, the trunk lid immediately struck and could not be closed, although Rajiv Raja promised not to lose, but the fine work of An Qi still preferred to carry the luggage in his hand and sit in the back of the car together.

As soon as Rajiv Raja started the car, the huge roar made people think that they were sitting in a pickup truck, and the sofa riding effect of this car was only a little better than that of a pickup truck, as soon as the vehicle hit the road, we were intimidated by Rajiv Raja's crazy driving skills, under his driving, this TATA classic car is like a racing car constantly shuttling through the crowd of traffic, it is simply a needle at the seam, and the plug is added when it sees the air, and there is no concept of traffic rules at all.

Of course, there are no rules on the Indian roads that go with it, there are no lanes on the main roads, and cars and tricycles, motorcycles, pedestrians, and livestock are crowded together, completely relying on their own instincts, and from time to time, there will be one or two Hindu gods - bulls or monkeys - on the side of the road, at this time, both drivers and pedestrians will reverently and humbly make way for the bulls and monkeys.

Rajiv Raja's facial features are quite good, but his greasy hair has not been washed for a long time, his skin is lighter than the average skin tone of an Indian man, his beard is cleanly shaved, and there is a circle of fat under his smooth chin, he looks honest and loyal, but his eyes are wandering around, constantly observing us through the rearview mirror, most of the time he stays on An Qi, and his mouth keeps talking to An Qi.

"Hey, where are you from China and why are you coming to India. ”

An Qi told him that we were from Hanhai City, but did not say our purpose, only that this visit to India was a trip.

"Hanhae, I know, is the best city in China, just like Mumbai, Mumbai is the best city in India. When Rajiv Raja heard that the passengers were from Hanhai, he began to praise his city as if he had been doped.

Although his words have their own boast of the characteristic Indians, Mumbai's status in India is indeed the same as that of Hanhai in China, although it is not the capital, but it is the most economically developed city.

There was even a saying during the British colonial period that described the Han Sea as the Mumbai of the East, but now this sentence should be reversed, and it is almost the same as saying that Mumbai is the Han Sea of India.

Although Mumbai plays an important role in India's economy, there is still a big gap between Mumbai and Hanhai in terms of economic aggregate and urban development, except for the CBD (Central Business District) and a few high-end residential areas, most of the city is still at the level of the end of the Han Sea at the end of the century, but in line with Hanhai, Mumbai has many colonial-style buildings left in Mumbai, these Western-style buildings with oriental elements are sandwiched between high-rise buildings and slums, although they are not harmonious but can coexist peacefully, which may be a reflection of the current situation of the Indian nation。

"You know, our Raja family was a big landlord in Mumbai in the last life, and if it weren't for my grandfather's laziness and spending all his possessions, I wouldn't have driven a ......taxi here," Rajiv Raja recounts his so-called family history along the way.

In his mouth, the Raja family was originally a branch of the higher caste Kshatriya, and his grandfather's grandfather once owned a large piece of land from Sandanaga to Oshwara, and hundreds of people served him in food, clothing, shelter and transportation; after the British arrived, the Raja family was deprived of their land and social status because of their refusal to cooperate with the British; in his grandfather's generation, India gained independence, but the Raja family had little land left, and the remaining wealth was also squandered by him, so when the grandfather died, the wealth of the Raja family was also wiped out.

Rajiv Raja's father, Rajiv Raja Sr., was a very hard-working man, he was well educated under the British, participated in the Indian independence movement, and obtained a good position in the government of Maharashtra, but because of his opposition to the Indo-Pakistani war, he was removed from office soon after, and soon fell ill and died, leaving only a son and a daughter.

Apart from the story of the glory of his ancestors, the elder Rajiv Raja did not leave any inheritance to his children, so Rajiv Raja grew up to be self-reliant, he worked as a policeman, a shopkeeper, and a tour guide...... It can be said that he was engaged in all walks of life, but in the end, he drove a taxi on the streets of Mumbai with the descendants of Vaishya.

To be fair, Rajiv Raja is the right driver, although he has been listening to his endless memories along the way, mixed with some dissatisfaction with current affairs, and he will open the windows of some people who affect his driving, but this is still quite smooth along the way, maybe you have to drive like this on the streets of India.

After sending Ren Pingsheng and the two to their destination, Rajiv Raja took out a Motorola V998 from his pocket and enthusiastically left his mobile phone number, saying that he was familiar with Mumbai's food, drink and entertainment, and that we could always look for him if we wanted to go anywhere.

Ren Pingsheng thought in his heart, Motorola V998 was released in 2000, which was a very trendy machine at the time, but now it is 2006, Rajiv Raja is still using the mobile phone 5 years ago, it seems that India still has a large market in basic telecommunications, no wonder the previous life of Bu Sheng, rice and other mobile phone brands like to open up the Indian market, here is indeed a good track for corner overtaking.

There is a great opportunity in India, which will be a direction for global business expansion after Ren Ping's birthday.