Health and safety does not rate very highly in India culture. I have already said much elsewhere about the driving. Gas run in cheap clear plastic pipe and electrical fittings hanging off with exposed wires is all perfectly normal. In one hotel they had telephone wire wrapped around the prongs of a plug and rammed it into the socket and were using it as a long extension lead. It was not a surprise the lights kept tripping out. It turned out this had been done by electricians working on the hotel. I offered a very reasonable rate to supervise but they considered it extortionate, even when I pointed out that my wiring won’t kill people and guests get kind of upset when you electrocute there relatives, but they weren’t budging. The problem is that educated people want to work in nice air conditioned offices and there seems to be a complete absence of site engineers and supervisors with adequate underpinning engineering knowledge. Site staff start as the lackie for the tradesman and eventually take over, but without the underpinning knowledge they just perpetuate the seriously bad practices. There is also a pervasive culture of it sort-of-works some of the time so it-will-do. There is no concept of do-it-right, do-it-once. If you had to work there it would drive you bonkers. The Indian government have announced plans to build some high speed railway lines. I really hope they will partner with western engineering firms to instil some discipline in construction practices or it could go horribly wrong. In another example I went out in this little town in the evening to find something to eat. The street market seemed to be the place to be, so I picked a busy curry stall. Out front they are cooking on what looks like an open barbecue. You go beside this to get to the seating which is in a little building resembling a lock-up garage. The only way in or out is through the open front. Inside is pretty dark, the only lighting is from candles on the tables. I take the only seat available at the back table. I lean back and it is cold so wonder what I have leaned against. I pull out my head torch and find the wall is stacked from floor to ceiling with gas bottles. I think “Better hope that Ganesha is on-side tonight and none of this lot is leaking or we will all be turned to strawberry jam”.
When asking for directions or asking if a person/company can do something I found it necessary to ask open questions that require a descriptive response. If you ask “can you….” or “is the Temple this way...” the answer will invariable be yes, yes, even if the real answer is no or they don’t know.