On my part, I was just plain worried. It is one thing to have served in Beijing, Moscow and Hanoi among others, but quite another to be the first ethnic in the halls of western diplomacy in Delhi. After all, in the broader geo-political context, I had to work closely with other western missions there. And then there were the unknowns of working in the Indian environment. I sought counsel from both local and foreign observers of the local scene. The unanimous advice was to reject the appointment. Reason? Given the petitionary mores of Delhi's political, bureaucratic and business elite in a still closed economy, I would be inundated with demands for "assistance" with visas, foreign alcohol and other objects of desire, invitations to dinners and events. Why? Because I would be seen as one of them and expected to behave the Indian way—and all that it implied. Still, reassured of support at the highest levels, off I went. 

On the ground at the Australian High Commission, it was par for the course in working with Australian colleagues (apart from an Australian spouse who kept introducing me to Indians, well-meaningly but disconcertingly, as "believe it or not, this is our DHC"). The notable difference from serving in other Australian missions was the reaction of the local (Indian) staff, long used to taking orders from Caucasians. I learnt later of their anxieties at being saddled with an Indian-style babu, but these dissipated within weeks. 

The reaction of the diplomatic community was tellingly a mixed bag. It was then de-rigueur for an incoming senior diplomat to call on his counterparts in missions of interest to Australia. I covered about thirty. Presenting myself for the appointment at the British High Commission, much confusion ensued: it had all been a "mistake" and the meeting was politely "postponed" (inevitably followed next day by profuse apologies and a sheepish call on me instead). The appointment with the US Embassy kept getting delayed until presumably they had 'cleared' me as a genuine article. New Zealanders and Canadians were warmly welcoming.