I am a master in India

Chapter 350 Public Welfare
As one of the many ordinary people in Mumbai, there's really only so much you can do.

Everything has to go through someone else to get it done. Ticket clerks won't loosen their fingers unless you have a personal connection. This applies to buying train tickets, movie tickets, renting apartments, or even discussing marriage.

To achieve your goal, you must go through friends of friends, acquaintances of acquaintances, and relatives of relatives.

Without this network of relationships, you will find it very difficult to get by in Mumbai.

You can't skip over those faces and go straight to someone you don't know. Nor can you simply ask a complete stranger to fulfill your requests through a phone line.

If we strip away all relationships and only consider supply and demand, then what remains is a transaction of money and goods, not an exchange of favors.

When you want to book a hotel room at the Taj Mahal or buy movie tickets at the shopping mall, you'll inevitably have to ask around: "Does anyone know so-and-so's so-and-so?"

So despite all the downsides, people who built networks and gained influence here still chose to stay in Mumbai.

Akash is a returnee from India. He spent nearly six months adapting to the lifestyle in Mumbai to be indistinguishable from that in Manhattan.

They had mastered various life skills: how to bargain with grocery store owners, taxi drivers, and relatives.

The wife's Hindi gradually became fluent, she no longer allowed the servants to mistreat her, and they learned never to attend someone else's dinner party before 9:30.

When they first arrived in Mumbai, they followed the New York custom of arriving at eight o'clock and then had to sit and drink tea while the hostess was busy getting ready, going into the kitchen to cook, and also making polite small talk with us from time to time so as not to neglect us.

They found the best place to buy screwdrivers, bed sheets, a gas stove, and a television.

They are used to all sorts of unexpected situations, and if the maid doesn't come for a week, they do the housework themselves.

If the toilet tank cracks, they've mastered the trick: call someone to fix it, but not a plumber, but an electrician, someone honest and reliable.

The electrician would bring a plumber with him when he came to the house. If he saw that the latter was trying to cheat on the bill, he would send the dishonest person away and repair the water tank for them himself. He would use cement to glue the ceramic tank back together.

It's not that they've definitely stopped being taken advantage of, but rather that they're no longer newcomers. They've already paid their dues in dealing with money and have abandoned the traditional American ways.

One night, Akash even tricked a taxi driver into taking him home just after midnight. The driver said the fare would be higher if he took the road at night, but Akash's watch was a few minutes slow and was showing 11:57.

He showed the meter to the driver, who charged him the fare based on the rate before nightfall. Akash only realized how cunning he had become in Mumbai when the child corrected his mistake.

Akash could only console himself that this city had no integrity whatsoever.

He could have continued enjoying the elite lifestyle in Manhattan and been a programmer.

But the elderly at home miss him terribly, and his childhood friend has said more than once on the phone: "Computers have a bright future in India."

He's back, but putting his career aside, just adapting to life in Mumbai sometimes leaves him feeling incredibly frustrated.

Fortunately, the trivial matters of daily life are no longer a problem, but the children's frequent illnesses are a headache.

Mumbai has poor air quality, bad water quality, and unsanitary food, which is a huge challenge for children.

This country has a population of over a billion, a population of over a billion thin, sickly but alive people, who are plagued by all sorts of diseases.

Medical resources in Mumbai are strained, and to receive timely medical care, one can only rely on connections to get into an expensive private hospital.

The public hospital is practically useless; patients have been waiting here for two months, with makeshift shacks erected at the entrance.

God knows whether the disease will completely consume him when it's his turn.

Akash was deeply worried; his child hadn't fully adapted to life in Mumbai and might contract dysentery at any moment.

I still remember his eldest son, Gautama, who contracted amoebic dysentery as soon as he returned to Mumbai. For two whole weeks, he would have diarrhea anytime and anywhere. Akash couldn't bear to see his skinny little body.

Mumbai, India's most modern city, suffers from fecal contamination of its food and water, and amoebic dysentery is transmitted to humans through feces.

The children eat and drink from feces and filth. They eat mangoes, go to swimming pools, or even use their own taps, all of which are filled with viruses.

In some communities, the sewage pipes and the parallel water inlet pipes are even connected in series, making it impossible for people to guard against.

In this city, all pollutants are recycled, and virus-laden sewage is poisoning children, yet people are powerless to stop it.

Elsewhere, you either get sick or you recover. In Mumbai, you get one illness, then you get another.

Akash's family is constantly in a cycle of illness; both he and his wife have developed granular pharyngitis. If you don't want to get this disease, you'll have to stop breathing.

Particulate pharyngitis is caused by pollution, and pollution is ubiquitous in Mumbai.

Whether indoors, in a train carriage, or talking to others, your pores breathe in the air of this city, and your nasal cavity filters the particles of this city.

Air pollutants caused Akash to overgrow connective tissue in his throat, resulting in a constant runny nose and sneezing.

Every morning after sweeping the floor, a thick layer of dirt, dust, fibers, and feathers would accumulate on the broom.

His children played in such an environment, breathing in dirty air with lead levels ten times higher than the standard, which could cause stunted growth.

Akash was so worried that he couldn't even sleep.

Sundays are supposed to flow by slowly, with people sleeping until noon, having a hearty brunch, a chilled beer, cuddling with their loved ones, and then drifting off to sleep.

Akash, however, had to get up early. He would browse through the newspapers one by one, marking them with a pencil.

Those medical advertisements were his main focus; despite spending so much time in Mumbai, he still hadn't found a satisfactory hospital.

Children's education is also a top priority, and Gautama found it difficult to integrate into the Gujarati language school.

He was not fluent in Indian languages ​​and only spoke English.

His wife, Foy, turned on the television; Sun TV usually broadcast the morning news at this time.

"Mr. Sull announced the establishment of a special charitable fund in the name of Sull Electric Appliances, dedicated to investments in areas such as healthcare, education, and social security, with an initial fund of 5 million rupees."

"Huh?" Akash looked up. "A charity fund?"

"They say it's 5 million rupees." Fuyi was also somewhat surprised, her eyes glued to the television.

"These rich people aren't faking donations, are they? They're experts at that." "I don't think so, at least not Mr. Sue."

"why?"

"Because he is Mr. Sue, everyone in Bombay knows him and says he is a good man."

Akash was skeptical of such claims, having met many wealthy people in America who were two-faced.

At that moment, the television camera switched to footage of Ron signing documents at the founding ceremony of his charity foundation.

The enormous 500 million rupee check is clearly visible in close-up shots.

"Cash?" Akash exclaimed.

"The accounts of the charitable foundation will also be made public regularly and subject to supervision by international organizations and domestic NGOs," Fu Yi repeated the announcement from the television.

"Wow, is this Sur also an Indian immigrant?"

Akash believed that only elites who had received a good education abroad possessed this sense of charity.

“No, a true Indian.” Fuyi said proudly.

Charity is largely absent in India, with few super-rich individuals showing enthusiasm for it; they would rather buy more sports cars.

Mr. Su not only did it, but also provided 5 million rupees in cash.

This enormous sum is beyond the imagination of ordinary people; many large companies may not even have such a large amount of cash reserves.

The promotional video on the television continued, and Ron gave a speech in front of the camera.

This charitable fund will first be used in the medical field, with the first step being the purchase of three poorly managed private hospitals in Mumbai.

They will be reorganized into public hospitals, with all medical fees waived and only the cost of medicines charged.

Of course, if the pharmaceutical company is willing to donate free of charge, then that part of the medical expenses will also be waived.

Currently, pharmaceutical companies such as SunPharma and Lanboxi have indicated that they will donate some of their dysentery and influenza medications.

The new hospitals, named after Sur, are located roughly in the east, west, and north of Mumbai.

South Mumbai is the most prosperous area and has no shortage of medical resources, but other areas need public hospitals like Sur more.

Akash and his companions listened with great interest; their apartment was in West Mumbai, and one of the hospitals was just a few blocks away.

Most importantly, the television screen was showing the renovation of the new Sur Hospital.

It's bigger, more spacious, and more advanced than before, and the camera work is superb, practically cinematic.

If you didn't tell him, Akash would have thought it was a five-star hotel.

"This hospital will open in two months? That's fantastic!"

“It used to only take us ten minutes or so. Mr. Su said the hospital can accommodate thousands of patients at the same time. Appointments can be made a week in advance, and the three hospitals share resources.”

"I won't have to wait ten days or half a month to see a doctor anymore. I just don't know if the large number of people will cause difficulties for the hospital's operation, since many treatments are free."

“Look, Mr. Sue has considered all of this.”

Medical expenses alone cannot support the operation of a hospital, since the salaries of doctors and medical staff are a considerable expense.

Therefore, the funding for Sur Hospital mainly comes from two sources: donations from the community and profits from Sur Advanced Clinic.

Suer Clinic is not open to the general public and focuses on high-end private medical care.

This is a for-profit hospital that employs all of India's top doctors, and even renowned international medical researchers.

The equipment is on par with the world's most advanced levels, and the decor is up to the standards of a five-star hotel.

The clinic has very high entry requirements, requiring members to be either very wealthy or influential, and operates on an appointment-only basis.

There's no need to worry about a lack of patients, because the hospital's best calling card is its doctors and research direction.

Ron spent a fortune to hire top medical experts from both China and abroad. In addition to their high salaries, they also received a share of the profits.

The Sur Advanced Clinic plans to specialize in two areas: liver diseases and encephalitis.

India's sanitation conditions are well-known; bacteria and viruses can spread through sewage in the sewers, as well as through sexual contact and the use of contaminated syringes.

India has a high incidence of hepatitis B and a high rate of hepatitis B carriers, and even the wealthy sometimes cannot escape infection.

Another troublesome disease is encephalitis, which is mainly transmitted by mosquitoes. India's climate is extremely suitable for the growth of this virus.

The clinic's decision to focus on these two research directions was entirely based on local conditions.

Of course, other common diseases are also no problem for them; Suer Advanced Clinic has a top-notch medical team.

This hospital is located in southern Mumbai, and its clientele consists of the city's wealthy residents.

The Sur Charitable Foundation has invested as much as 3 million rupees in the medical field alone, with only a small portion going to affordable hospitals and the majority to high-end clinics in Sur.

Akash understands the existence of these VIP private clinics, since affordable hospitals always need funding to operate.

Yes, using the rich's money to treat the poor. That's good, isn't it?

After finishing the section on healthcare, Ron moved on to talking about investing in education.

"Mr. Suer, you're actually planning to open an elite school?" Akash's interest was piqued.

His son, Gautama, needed a suitable school, a good one.

(End of this chapter)