So we like looking at people. That’s what I wrote earlier on. But what I prefer is talking to them. Unfortunately, the economical difference between poor people and me causes troubles in contact. This problem has become very acute during this India tour.

There are lots of beggars here, of course I knew that before I came. Also, I was instructed not to give them anything, not even go buy food for them, because they will find a way to convert it into money and do bad things with it, like bring it to their bosses, who control gangs of beggars, people that sometimes have been mutilated to facilitate successful begging. We see a lot of deformed people here. It’s for crying out loud, and most of the time I cannot resist giving some money. But what I find really tragic is the fact that begging seemingly is part of poor man’s culture here. They all seem to do it! No matter what they do for you: point you the way, walk up with you, ask your name, age, country, family or background, they will hold up their cupped hand afterwards. This contaminates every possible contact, because it reduces my openness. I cannot relate to people if they act unequal to me. I don’t want to be treated like a mobile money dispenser. Is this an Indian thing, or have I just become more sensitive to it?

Travelling with a group of male musicians means - besides a few other things of lesser importance - looking at and commenting on people, more particularly women. Currently, we are a group of eight, three more than what I am used to. This results in a cumulative percentage of women talks. It is not 3/8 (37,5%) more. The total amount of interactions in a group of eight is much more, also the ones of this kind. With Calefax we are five, so the number of possible interactions is 1+2+3+4=10. The Tony Overwater Trio added however, interactions accumulate to 1+2+3+4+5+6+7= 28. An increase of 64,3%! I don’t know why men do it, but recently my wife has had a couple of days out in Paris with seven other women, and she told me they do the same. Nothing to worry about…! Surely the talking prevents the acting. We are getting our share of female beauty here, but funnily enough I am particularly taken by the Indian men. It is not difficult to understand why they are so successful, not only with women, on a global scale. They are good-looking and well-groomed, they have an elegant style, a tender mixture of Asian smoothness and British coolness and they are generally very educated. We all try to copy their sweet wiggling of the head as sign of approval. If it is true that we reincarnate, please let me become an Indian man. Raaf

Here are the results of unbiased, profound  and scientific research on Chinese linguistics regarding the widely spread misuse of the letters l and r. It is commonly known that the Chinese have difficulty pronouncing them, however they do have these sounds in their own language.

Words and names with syllables ending on an l are pronounced thus:
football – foot bore
hotel – hot air
concert hall – concert whore
gentlemen – gender men
Alban – Arban
Jelte – Jerte
Wim Kegel – Wim Cake air

Names with syllables starting with an r:
Maurice Ravel  - Maurice Love air
Bolero – bo le lah
Raaf – La fuh  (f is not favored as a closing consonant, so a random sound is added [but I’m not complaining: fuh means prosperity])

Words that sometimes cause problems . The pronunciation of these words  depend on whether the l is regarded as closing or starting a syllable:
No problem – no peroberem or no ploblem
Calefax – Carefax or Calefax
Trio – tlio or terio

names that do not cause problems:
Maarten
Ivar
Oliver
Tony Overwater

These examples support my earlier assumption (publ. in my thesis for De CaleFAX Sept. 2007) that the Chinese prefer the l as a starting consonant and the r as a closing one.

Dr. Raaf Hekkema