The Oneals in India

Almost Heaven

2007-06-03T16:02:00.001-07:00

We ran at 12,000 ft elevation!

Cherry season at lower altitude.

Back-tracking to Pakistan

2007-06-03T13:08:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to write about my five day experience in Pakistan in April, but time did not permit. I went as part of a Fulbright meeting to provide orientation for 200-300 Pakistani graduate students and faculty who are U.S.-bound as scholars for the coming year. Since there are no American academics in Pakistan at present, the Fulbright organization brought in many of us from India and Nepal. Overall my interactions with the Pakistani scholars were positive--they are thrilled at the opportunities that await them outside of the constraints of Pakistan's academic milieu. A few graduate students, both male and a few female, had some very "indoctrinated" views of America's imperialist political agenda, our behavior "just like the terrorists" in Afghanistan and Iraq, and quite distressingly, some of the young men were convinced that the 9/11 attacks were self-inflicted by the American government as an excuse to launch an new world order. Those were long and heated discusssions!

The living atmosphere in Islamabad was tense and high-security. We travelled only by State Department vehicle with appointed drivers. We couldn't step outside the home in which we were housed. Everything was on high alert. Islamabad itself had wide streets with amazingly free-flowing traffic, something I hadn't seen anywhere in India. There were large private homes, too. Make that enormous private homes. The house next to ours housed a man, his four wives, and 43 children! Apparently government officials, centered in Islamabad, make a fine living at government expense. That type of spacious private housing I also never saw in India.

The photos below show sculptures at the new National Art Museum of women in burqas; it's uncertain whether the sculptures will be allowed to stay on exhibit. Next, a colorful market in Islamabad--all the men in "Muslim" attire, quite different from the diversity of attire in India. Then, the wildly colorful trucks of Pakistan, surely the descendents of the gypsy wagon! Finally, some Fulbright friends.

Four Heavenly Weeks in the Himalayas

2007-05-28T04:08:00.000-07:00

It has been six weeks since I posted to the blog! For 10 days I was writing an article and finishing my duties at JNU. For 5 days I was travelling to Pakistan and back. Then for four heavenly weeks, we travelled in the state of Himachal Pradesh, the location of India's Himalayas.

I will write about Pakistan separately--it was a trip full of insights, challenges, and pleasures.

But for now, my mind is on the natural beauty of the Himalaya region. At times we would wake up in the morning, look out the window, and have to think hard to remember if we were in the Smokies, the Rockies, Norway, or the Badlands! Himachal is covered with beautiful evergreen forests, snow-covered peaks over 14,000 feet, bleak, rocky, barren river valleys, a the most winding roads you can imagine.

We travelled only every third of fourth day out of our 27 days on the trip. Our favorite stops were in Kalpa, a lovely village looking up at snowy Kinner Kailash; Tabo, site of a 1000 year old Buddhist temple complex and delicious Tibetan bread; Keh Monastery, reached by hiking down a sheer rock face; Gushaini, on the roaring Tirthan River, and Taragarh Palace, a secluded heritage palace-turned-hotel. As you can tell, almost everything on the trip was "our favorite."

We took a short white-water rafting trip and where one really big wave pushed both Adelaide and Owen into the icy river waters. We ate handfuls of cherries straight off the tree; we built a fire in the fireplace and ate dinner nestled next to it. We found glow-worms luminescing in the dark; we saw at leat 15 species of beautiful Himalayan birds including the Paradise flycatcher, Indian hornbill, red minivet, green bee eater, and more. I'll have to let the pictures do the talking now.

Our Final Two Weeks in Delhi (Sob!)

2007-04-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

We will move out of our luxurious Delhi apartment with our friendly staff of 6 or so houseboys on May 1. The extremely high heat will keep us from being too nostalgic about leaving, but we will miss this very happy life we've begun to lead here. Then we'll have four weeks of travel in the Himalayas--cool weather, few people, majestic mountains. We definitely won't be in Delhi anymore!
Because of the time crunch to get everything done, here are a few photos that I haven't posted yet. There's no story line to these photos, though each was a memorable moment.

Two Weeks with Family and Friends

2007-04-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

We've had a wonderful two weeks with the Thomas family and Liz Hardy. Bill Thomas returned to Amman after one week, leaving Leslie, Gray, and Natalie to explore more of India...and explore they did! Leslie boldly made plans to travel to Goa, a beach area south of Bombay. They flew there, went to a resort, played in the sand and surf, ate seafood, and visited a spice plantation. We were so happy to see them return last evening, delivered to us by the ever-reliable Mr. Singh. I have been paid the highest possible compliment by Natalie and Gray: they've begun calling me Aunt Fran! Gray has shown incredibly polished manners and helpfulness around the house, and Natalie is always sweet and sunny.

Liz and our family travelled to Jaipur while Leslie and crew were in Goa. We stopped at the Neemrana Fort Palace en route at the suggestion of one of Liz's friends. What a wonderful tip! It is a 15th century fort that was converted to a five star hotel during the 1990s. We decided after stopping there for a tour and drink that we would return on the way home from Jaipur. We did so, and it turned out to be one of the most pleasant, luxurious, relaxing, and interesting days of Liz's visit.

In Jaipur, Liz fell victim to Delhi Belly and had to miss the tour of the City Palace and Amber Fort. Our family went on the day-long tour with a most excellent private tour guide, Sandeep. I have his business card and will HIGHLY recommend him to any visiting this jewel among India's cities. The Amber Fort boasts the most beautiful mirrored chamber that I've ever seen. As striking and dramatic as the fort is today, it's impossible to imagine how sumptuous it must've been when every floor was lined with vast Oriental rugs, the walls were painted with frescoes and decorated with tiles, and candlelight and music filled the air.

Touring the City Palace was like stepping into the Raj era and glimpsing how the Maharajas of Jaipur had lived. There were Oriental rugs measuring 50 feet by 20 feet, thrones, red velvet and gold sedan chairs, two famous silver urns--five feet tall--which once carried Ganges water to London for a Maharaja to drink, and more luxuries than one can describe! We have purchased A Princess Remembers at the suggestion of our guide and have begun reading this memoir of a Maharani born in 1919.

Our return trip to the Neemrana Fort including an impromptu walking tour of Neemrana village with two young shopkeepers as our guides. Apparently the number of tourists is low this time of year, so they were willing to walk for 45 minutes with us--giving very interesting commentary--in order to oblige us to visit their shops. After making our purchases, one shopkeeper told us we were his first customers in 3 days!

Now we're all back together in Delhi and looking forward to a wonderful buffet lunch this afternoon. Both Liz and Leslie & Co. will depart Monday morning, so our exciting two weeks with guests is coming to an end.

Blog Entry for Rick Omlor!!!

2007-04-14T06:45:00.000-07:00

Visitors from the U.S. of A.

2007-04-05T05:16:00.000-07:00

It's been a wonderful week for us with our visiting cousins from the U.S.A, via Amman, Jordan. Bill, Leslie, Gray, and Natalie Thomas arrived on March 29 and will be with us for two weeks. They're in the middle of Bill's stint as a Peace Corps administrator in Amman.

Unfortunately, the weather decided to turn beastly hot on the very day that they arrived. We've been at 95 degrees and up to 100 degrees every day since. We had already planned in a four day trip to the foothills of the Himalayas, so that was a welcome reprieve from the heat.

Here in Delhi we've taken them to see some of our favorite sights including the Qtub Minar, Humayun's Tomb, the National Museum, as well as shopping at Dilli Haat and strolling in Haus Khaz Park. Bill and Leslie have something nice to say about everywhere we go and interesting parallels to draw with their experience after more than a year in Amman.

It is a challenge to find cuisine for their two young ones that is not too unfamiliar or too spicy. We've had some hits--sweet lassi beverages--and some misses--minced mutton and chicken kebabs that were too spicy. Thank goodness ice cream tastes the same no matter where you are in the world!

We had a fun rooftop party on the second night the Thomases were here. The building staff really rallied around and prepared the terrace for our event. The caterer arrived rather later than planned but then moved in an entire kitchen on our fourth floor terrace--a grill and a tandoori oven, no less. Our guests were various colleagues of mine, my 5 M.Phil. students, some Fulbright students with their friends and girlfriends, and an Embassy family. The appetizers circulated around by the waiters for well over an hour, by which time the tandoori oven was hot and the chef began to bake the naan bread. All the dishes turned out to be exceptionally good, both by our taste and in the opinion of our Indian guests. We finished the evening with watermelon slices and fresh pineapple.

The Thomases have now ridden off with a driver for a three day trip to Jaipur and Agra. The most important part of their plan is the fact that both their hotels feature a swimming pool. I predict multiple dips into the water while the temperatures play around 100 degrees.

It's wonderful to have family members among us and to show them what has become, in just three short months, "our" town.

Banares Hindu University

2007-04-05T03:07:00.000-07:00

Through a lucky exchange of business cards, I was invited to speak to the Center for Peace Research at Banares Hindu University in Varanasi. John and Adelaide had been to Varanasi but I hadn't yet. I was eager to see this city that is especially holy for Hindus. I flew there on a Sunday afternoon, arriving in time for a walking tour of the Assi Ghat [wide stairs along the riverbank] and ghats north of it along the Ganges River. I was accompanied by a young history professor at BHU, Thanu, who seemed very eager to be a tourist in her own backyard. One of the ghats is famously known for its cremation of the dead and the committing of their ashes to the Ganges. We saw two cremations in progress.

Thanu also took me to see the large temple on the BHU campus, where, barefooted, we approached the Shiva statue and were offered a small necklace of flowers by the priest.

The BHU campus consists of 2000 heavily shaded acres with unusually designed buildings all painted in a creamy yellow and red color scheme. The are long avenues of towering Victorian academic buildings, student hostels, faculty housing, a medical college, and athletic fields all spread under the wide branches of tall old trees.

The most charming sight at BHU is the steady stream of bicycle rickshaws ferrying students and faculty around the campus. They are gaily painted metal rickshaws with a high seat and a low back, causing the ladies in their sarees to sit up especially straight while be conveyed along the lanes. The rickshaws look so like carriages that you feel you are transported back 100 years in time.

I gave a lecture on Monday to a group of students and faculty in the social sciences in the un-air conditioned auditorium. Except for the beads of perspiration trickling down my back as I spoke, the lecture went extremely well. The most difficult part of my address was thanking my host, Prinankar Upadhyaya, by name and not stumbling over it! I hope to have a few photos of the event to add to the blog. The faculty in the Peace Research center are focusing non-traditional, 21st century threats to human security and peace such as environmental degradation and poverty. We had several wide ranging conversations on this topic.

On my second morning in Varanasi, another nice young history faculty member and his friend drove me to the downtown area to view a controversial mosque/temple sight. Because of rising religion-based disputes, the site is heavily guarded by the military. I found the winding narrow streets of the city center fascinating. I would have found them intimidating had we been there later in the day, but we purposefully went early when few shops are open and the streets are relatively empty.

I left with a rather sad feeling about the ghats--they seem so poorly treated by those who come to give reverence to the Ganges--and a wistful feeling about the blissful life enjoyed by the faculty and students at Banares Hindu University. I also feel gratified that it is so possible to make connections and new friends with like-minded people,

Settled in and not wanting to leave

2007-03-24T03:05:00.000-07:00

We are feeling very settled in here in Delhi, so it's with hesitation that we think about the end of our time here in six weeks and then our four weeks of travel in the Himalaya region. We're feeling so settled in that:

we have our "regular" autorickshaw drivers to Green Park and back.
the ironing man on our corner greets us with a happy smile each day.
we know which of the 20 little local grocery shops carry certain brands of foods.
we know where to go to buy bananas that are green and firm, not overripe.
the ice cream vendor knows that we like chocolate chip.
we have perfected the art of "walking away" from haggling in order to clinch the deal.
we have seen plants go from bare branches to heavy with blooms.
the boys in the neighborhood stand beneath our balcony and call out for Owen to come play.
I felt entitled to chide a boy in the street who taunted me for being a stranger on his block, but then made the mistake of touching me on the arm.
I recognize certain street families and their children, and wonder where they are when missing.
I know how much to offer to pay for rickshaw rides without guessing.
we know the channel lineup on our satellite tv service.
we know not to expect people to move out of the way as we approach from the opposite way on the same sidewalk; sharing the sidewalk isn't a known practice here.
when we travel and then return to Delhi, we say, "It's good to be home."

The Fulbright Conference in Aurangabad

2007-03-20T05:50:00.000-07:00

The USEFI Foundation gathers all Fulbrighters in the region together every six months. This spring's locale was Aurangabad, a city slightly northwest of Mumbai. It's noted for two World Heritage sites--more on those in a minute. About 40 Fulbright scholars and students, some with spouses or families, gathered for three days a hotel in Aurangabad. They chose the location well--outstanding swimming pool, gym, grounds, tennis courts, and other sport activities were available for the family members.

The essence of the meeting was to allow each Fulbrighter to discuss the work that he or she was doing or was getting underway, and to discuss ideas for longterm collaborations that could grow out of the Fulbright experience. It was extremely inspiring to learn about others' projects: water management in the Himalayas, domestic violence education, traditional dance and music, caste and identity, fund-raising for the arts, translations from Sanskrit, and more. I did my part by describing the "pleasant time" I was having lecturing about and being lectured to about American foreign policy.

After two long days of discussion, the group loaded on buses and went to the Ajanta cave complex. Starting in 200 BCE, Buddhist monks began carving man-made caves out of a sheer rock face above a bend in a river. Then they began painting the interior of the caves with vivid, detailed frescoes describing scenes in the lives of the Buddha and other saints. After 800 years, Buddhism lost out to Hinduism and the religion of the land, and the caves were abandoned and forgotten!

In 1819, a British hunting party pursuing a wounded tiger stumbled upon the caves and their reclamation began. The paintings are remarkably preserved--despite some setbacks and fiascos. They are kept in dim light, flashlights and special illumination only, no camera flashes. It's essential to have a guide who can explain everything that's depicted. We toured them for about 2 hours before retreating to the buses for a picnic lunch. First we had to pass through the gauntlet of trinket stalls and parking lot vendors. I bought two (very nice) handcrafted items for $1.00 each just to quiet the vendor who was pestering me!

On the final day, several groups of us went to the Ellora Caves, Hindu successors to the Ajanta Caves. The most miraculous structure here is a temple, more than 30 meters high, carved out of solid rock from the top downwards! Imagine Michaelangelo carving the statue David from above, working from the part of his hair down to his toes. Now magnify that hundreds of times over--and that's what they accomplished in 800 C.E.!

Below are some photos of both sights, but with this disclaimer: I dropped my lovely digital camera and it's now in the shop for repairs. On this trip (and the Mahaballipuram trip) I had to use a regular camera with--gasp--film! Some fellow Fulbrighters will be sending me their superior digital photos to make up for my poor little Kodak efforts.

Enjoy, nevertheless! First are Ajanta shots (no interiors of the paintings, yet) including a Fulbright dance student posing artfully; then Ellora; then some folk dancers who entertained us in Aurangabad.

A Trip to the South Coast

2007-03-16T04:21:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to be invited to speak at Pondicherry University for two days last week. I flew from Delhi to Chennai (formerly Madras) and then took a scenic three hour drive along the Indian Ocean coast to Pondicherry. I did my reading in advance and so had the driver stop in Chennai at the Kapeeleswarar Temple and the tomb of St. Thomas, then on to a fantastic world heritage site, the Shore Temples and 5 Rathas at Mahaballipuram.

The temple at Chennai is a large, multicolored tower covered with dancing, posing, warring, and meditating gods and goddesses. Like all of these sites, you must remove your shoes to enter. There were several shrine areas and some available volunteer guides to explain matters to the uninitiated. Non-Hindus were not allowed in one of the central worship room but the rest we could view fairly closely. There were many devotees filing past the priests asking for blessings and receiving a red smudge and a white ash smudge on the forehead. Two Hindu weddings were just concluding and a crowd of poor people were assembling for the free lunch. A Hindu temple is a busy place!

The tomb of St. Thomas who reported came to India in the first century AD and was martyred here is near the temple. It's a plain Catholic church with an attached musuem and a chapel near the tomb in the basement of the museum. The devotees here, some prostrating themselves on the floor, were similar in every regard to the devotees in the Hindu temple. The iconography and the stations of the cross inside the church were very reminiscent of the cast of characters and stories told of the lives of the gods at the temple. It certainly makes one think long and hard about all beliefs.

It was striking as we drove out of Chennai that Catholic and other Christian churches are common along the coastline. So, 2000 years later, it's clear that one disciple came along and left an imprint on this Hindu culture that still quite discernible.

The villages along the highway in the south are so scenic. The people live in simple hand crafted shacks as they do in the encampments in Delhi, but here the homes are made of palms leaves and palm wood. Their appearance has a tropical feeling that's more pleasing to the eye than their urban counterparts.

The Mahaballipuram site is a stunning sight. It's an elaborately carved structure jutting out into the ocean, surrounded by a sea wall, palm trees, and clear blue skies.

It was built between 600-700 AD. The architecture is clearly influenced by East Asian design motifs (like the lions shown here). The kings sent architects to the East (Cambodia, Thailand, and China) to bring back this new style of building.

The amazing part about the amazing shore temple and its surrounding 50 bull statues is that there were SIX other shore temples and 30 more bulls at the same site. All are now underwater because of shore erosion or washed out to sea, in the case of the bulls. Divers can see them, intact and standing, under 200 feet of ocean. Hard to believe!

The remaining shore temple would have been destroyed by the Asian tsunami of 2005 if the government hadn't built a seawall in 2000. The tsunami killed about 3,000 people, mostly fishermen and their families, right in this area of shoreline.

After the lovely drive along the coast we arrived at Pondicherry, a former French outpost and bustling commercial town. I gave two lectures at the university here and otherwise enjoyed a pleasant 3 day beach side stay. I found that everyone walks along the ocean front sidewalk in the early morning hours. I went in my running shorts and sleeveless t-shirt (knowing that the high would be 90 and the low 70 degrees) and almost caused a riot. Not really, but there wasn't a person who didn't stare. It takes great discipline on my part not to make eye contact and just ignore what I'm seeing with my peripheral vision. In Delhi I wouldn't think of wearing shorts, but at the beach I figured they've seen it all. Well, if they hadn't seen a woman in shorts before, they have now.

Along with my graduate student guide, I visited a nearby commune of sorts, called Aurobindo. It's a cult-like but benevolent society with a cosmology and religion all of its own. One has to watch a video (indoctrination video) before being allowed to walk to the giant gold sphere that is the concentration point of cosmic energy and site of much meditation. I was underwhelmed by the philosophy but completely pleased by the delicious vegetarian fare they served!

One last word about the trip to Pondicherry: I was hosted to dinner at the home of an Sri Lankan exile whose four children are now professionals in the U.S. (how this dinner came to be is a long story...). She and a friend of hers, Parmilla, offered to take me jewelry shopping in the evening. After we returned at 10:00pm, my driver and I took Parmilla around to her home. Nothing would do but that we would come in at that hour. The house consisted of a wide hallway, a bedroom, and roughly made kitchen with a cooking pit on the floor, and full room for the home altar. Ten people make up the household. The children scrambled up off their straw mats on the floor as we entered. We were offered hot, sweet milk, warmed up over the kitchen fire. They opened the door to the house prayer room. I'm so glad I knew not enough to enter, but to stand at the door and admire it. The centerpiece of it was a yellow painted rock with a face drawn on it, and a red rock as a topknot, surrounded by other Hindu statues and pictures. It was a colorful sight to behold, and obviously of great importance to the family. They devote at least 1/5 of their house space to it.

It was a very memorable three day trip to the South!

Our Three Day Safari

2007-03-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

We have fallen a bit behind on our posts due to a series of short trips we've taken. As soon as John and Adelaide returned from Varanasi, we took off on a trip to Sariska National Park in Rajasthan State. This park has a bit of a sad recent history, but a good future ahead. Having started life as maharaja's hunting estate, it became a large national park and eventually a tiger preserve for the last twenty years. Unfortunately, a census two years ago revealed that the last 17 tigers in the park had all been poached within a short span of time. Efforts are now underway to move out a village in the midst of the park and re-route a road that cuts through the center. After this, tigers will be reintroduced.

The terrain is hilly and rocky with low scrub trees. In the valleys there are rivers,
palm trees, and greener vegetation. The climate is dry and pleasant in the winter, lush and green in the monsoon season, and scorching in the summer.

We went on an early morning jeep safari to have the best viewings of the wildlife. Visitors are not permitted out of the open-topped jeeps while in the park. This is an excellent rule for many reasons. Our driver was skilled and our driver most informative, to the point of knowing the Latin name, Indian name, and English name of all the plant and animal species that we saw. What we saw were warthogs, crocodiles, several varieties of deer and antelopes, jackals, monkeys, and a great variety of birds. The highlight for me were the kingfishers with such irridescent blue wings, a bright orange belly and a huge, fish-grabbing beak! It was a memorable safari even without the large cats. Several species such as leopards and "jungle wild cat" (a kind of bobcat) do still live in the park but are nocturnal.

John and I took a walk in the evening after the jeep safari. We came to a cluster of farmer's cottages near our lodge and approached the compound slowly. Our presence created quite a stir, much as a man in a dhoti and a woman in a saree might create if they walked down a street in our neighborhood! Children, men, women, babies, dogs, and goats all milled around us. We asked (sign language mostly) if it was ok for us to pass through and if we could find a walking path. One fellow turned out to speak reasonable English and "volunteered" to be our guide for the walk. It was good that we had him. He answered our questions about the flora and fauna and farming practices. He also helped us steer clear of the next cluster of homes in which there were biting dogs, according to him. We climbed a hill and had a nice panoramic view of this corner of Rajasthan.

In the end, he invited us to stop at his house for a cup of tea. Not wanting to offend, we agreed. His house, like all the others, was thatched-roofed mudwalled hut, plastered over with white paint. He gave out orders to everyone who was milling about, and soon two string cots (the main type of bed here) were brought out on to the front porch. We sat down with him on the cot and waited for tea to be brought. Meanwhile, a few steps below us, a herd of goats was prodded along, cows were milling, and one was being milked. Barefooted children circled around to stare and gawk at us. We were the subject of much amusement for them. Eventually, milky tea was brought to us in ceramic cups while everyone else had tea in the metal cups. By some miracle we didn't get ill from the water and the fresh milk in the tea we were served. Our host then invited us inside the house, which consisted of one room with a packed earthen floor, a tiny fireplace with no chimney set in the corner for cooking, and nothing else. The one piece of furniture had been brought outside for us to sit on. This is simple living at its barest.

The second day, our jeep safari guide took us on a hike up a fairly dry riverbed that rushes madly during the rainy season. There was enough water that we viewed interesting birds all up and down the riverbanks, caught frogs, and spotted some fish. The scenery was wild and lovely, and even included a rather remote temple crawling with monkeys. Owen thoroughly enjoyed exploring the riverbanks and lifting the rocks (we found a "nest" of 10 or more baby frogs!) until the guide warned him about big bad scorpions in the area!

Our meals were provided by our lodge, and being the only guests for the last 2 days of our trip, we received plenty of good attention. The dining hall was an open air structure with a 15 foot ceiling and splendid views on all sides. We could tell that the loss of the tigers in the park had weighed heavily on this area as a tourist destination. The return of the tigers will certainly be welcomed by everyone in the park's vicinity.

My next posting will talk about my three day trip to South India, complete with palm trees and rice fields.

Varanasi

2007-03-08T04:58:00.000-08:00

John and Adelaide visited Varanasi, February 27 – March 2, while Fran and Owen attended to business in Delhi. Varanasi (or Benares) is as central to Hinduism as Jerusalem is to Judaism, due largely to its position on the Ganges River. It is one of the oldest cities of continuous habitation in the world. For millennia people have come to bathe in the river at its ghats and worship at its temples. Shiva is the preeminent aspect of God worshipped here. Pilgrims to Benares have included Gautama the Buddha and Mahavira, the founder of Jainism.

On the evening of our first day, we took a boat ride at sunset to see the celebration of the river. People put lighted candles with flowers in cups made of leaves and set them drifting with their prayers. We went again the next morning to watch the sun rise as people engaged in their devotions.

One of the most memorable of the ghats is Manikarneka, which is pictured here. It is one of the two used for cremations. To be cremated in Varanasi and to have one’s ashes scattered on the Ganges is an especially auspicious end to a Hindu’s life. We did not take pictures of a cremation out of respect, but the wood for the fires is clearly visible. Most Hindus are cremated but not all. Holy men, lepers, those who died of small pox, and children under the age of 10 among others, are weighted down with rocks and dropped in the middle of the river.

Holy men come to the cremation ghats to meditate on the impermanence of life, much as St. Jerome is portrayed in Christian iconography contemplating a skull. Some of the worshippers of Shiva, called Nagas, do not wear clothes and cover themselves with ash to indicate their renunciation of worldly concerns. Most do not go to this extreme, of course; but worship and meditation are the essence of life on the ghats. The follower of Shiva whose photograph is here had washed the stone lingam with water, yogurt, and honey before garlanding it with flowers. To the left of the lingam is Nandi, Shiva’s faithful bull.

On the third day, we visited Sarnath, where Buddha preached his first sermon after enlightenment, setting in motion the wheel of Dharma and outlining the eight-fold path by which suffering can be overcome. On the morning of our last day in Benares, we walked along the river and took the opportunity to visit the Shiva temple at Kedar ghat. Non-Hindus are not permitted in some temples, but we were graciously shown around Kedareshwar temple. We watched devotees worship and pray and the priests perform ceremonies honoring God.

Children in India

2007-02-26T04:34:00.000-08:00

In the mornings as I am driven through Delhi's streets to JNU, I pass hundreds of uniformed school children on their way to school. Each school has its own color combination: Blue blazers, maroon blazers, green sweaters, traditional kurta-style uniforms in navy and white, and on and on; the boys have short, neat haircuts, girls have tightly braided hair. Some ride to school 8 or 9 to a van, some ride big yellow school buses, some ride crammed 2 or 3 boys behind their father on a motorcycle. Most of the ones I see are walking to school, and it's a lovely sight.

But as in most poor countries, some children in India don't go to school and have to live in makeshift "housing." Many work hard for a living; many don't have shoes or pants or a hair comb.

For many weeks, I watched a family living on the sidewalk on the commute between the Adelaide and Owen's school and the university. They were camping out in the midst of the city, two tents side by side on a wide section of sidewalk. In the mornings, the mother would be squatting on her heels near the opening of her tent, making tea over a small fire. Three or four children would be waking up and stretching in the adjacent tent, the 6- or 7-year old girl tending to the little ones. After a heavy rain a week ago, I worried about them. We couldn't pass their sidewalk on the day of the rain because the street was flooded. When we passed by the next day, the tents were sagging and few pieces of cloth (or clothing?) were hung on the fence railing. The next day, the family was gone altogether and some dogs were asleep in the sagging tent.

Another family seems to live on the corner of Africa Marg and Olaf Palme Marg on my ride home. They don't have a tent, just some thin blankets (not mats or mattresses, as many do). There is a baby in the family, a small one who can sit up but not walk yet. The baby seems to stay put, seated on the sidewalk while the adults (3 women and a man, I believe) sit or squat nearby and talk to one another. Friday, the baby was sitting with a small thin branch in his hand, tapping the sidewalk. The adults were asleep. Today again, three adults were asleep at about 4:00 in the afternoon, and the baby was sitting there, alone, with six lanes of traffic whizzing by.

On the JNU campus, there are many campsites of construction workers. I understand that many of them are from the poor state of Bihar. They are building a new structure at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. The women work on the construction site wear saris and plastic sandals. Each seems to have a gold nose-ring or two and perhaps some gold bangles. Their job is to mix sand and a reddish dirt for mortar and carry it in baskets on their heads to the bricklayers. When the bricklayers need a new shipment of bricks, the women in their saris carry bricks on their heads, 9 to a load, up the wooden ladders to the men. Children are on the worksite, with no one paying particular attention. This morning at 8:30, two little toddlers (walking or not quite yet) were positioned on a bench, playing with the flowering bush behind the bench. The adults were busy on the worksite and apparently expected the toddlers to stay put where they were placed.

Older children work, whether as street beggars, street performer/beggars, car-to-car vendors of books and magazines and trinkets, food sellers, ice cream sellders, or animal tenders.

The beggars are typically barefooted, dusty, and wild-haired. The street performer/beggars may have some black face makeup on and might have on bright (but dirty) clothes while they perform some acrobatics or drumming. They work in heavy traffic, coming out to the cars during the red lights and darting back to the median when the light turns green. They work in groups, most often groups of sisters, who might range in age from 3 to 10. The oldest sister often carries a little one on her hip.

It's very tempting to hand a few rupees to these children. They are taught to smile and be persistent. Some of them enact the fact that they are hungry; some indicate that their baby sister is hungry. We don't want to encourage the children to make a living on the streets, and we certainly don't want to encourage the parents to allow their children to make a living running in and out of traffic for them. So, 3 times out of 4 I ignore the child beggars, and about every fourth time I give in and hand out a few rupees.

Like children everywhere, they smile and laugh at the coin in their hands, then run off to "play" some more.

Workaday Delhi

2007-02-26T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today was another work day in Delhi--for some. Nehru University, where I'm teaching, was on strike today as it was one day last week. The university students are known to "embrace the culture of protest." The object of their protest this time is the JNU administration which they allege is paying its maintenance workers less than the minimum wage. 10 student leaders were suspended last week in regards to their protest activity, so the strikers now oppose the payment policy as well as the suspensions.

I was one of three faculty members I saw at work today--I promised the strikers I would not teach class--so the professors are either in accord with the students and laborers, or are taking a holiday. You decide.

Below are some of my favorite protest posters here at JNU. Most are virulently anti-American, as you will see. I definitely have a mission to accomplish here!

Anti-globalization is a theme, and opposition to the "UK-US-Israeli Axis of Imperialism."

Note the large poster showing a US gunship lobbing cans of Coke and TV sets on frightened, brown-skinned people. You can pick out logos of Disney, Shell Oil, Nike, Windows, and McDonald's, as well a Coca-Cola.

The Pictures Say it All

2007-02-22T07:43:00.000-08:00

We arrived at the Taj Mahal at 6:15 a.m. It was still dark, hushed, and misty.

When we left at 8:30, the sun was up and the colors were bright.

Magical, mystical Taj.

More About Agra

2007-02-20T07:27:00.000-08:00

After our tour of the Agra Fort (complete with "secret" tour of the Mirrored Palace!) we got back in our taxi to cross over the river to the Baby Taj. Crossing the river turned out to be quite an experience. The bridge consists of two narrow lanes suspended under a railway crossing. Three-wheelers loaded with up to 8 or 9 passengers, horsedrawn carts, overloaded trucks, daring cyclists, zigzagging motorcycles, and taxis full of tourists all vie for space in these two lanes. Staying on the correct side of the rode is only for timid drivers. The assertive ones push their way through traffic very opportunistically!

The Baby Taj Mahal is a tomb in the Mughal style, burial site of many members of the royal family.

The intricacy of the marble inlaid stonework is breathtaking. Chamber after chamber is decorated from the tiled floors to the arched ceilings.

The grounds of the Baby Taj are a pleasant garden.

Like all parks and monuments we've visited in India, a small entry fee guarantees a small crowd and no beggars or vendors. Burial monuments require that one remove one's footwear, and there is quite a lucrative little trade carried out by the Shoe Watchers. All in all, the Baby Taj and its grounds were a green and welcoming oasis after the immensity of the Agra Fort complex and the madness of the bridge crossing.

Finally, our driver took us to an lookout point on the riverbank where we could view the Taj Mahal by sunset. Here, with no entry fee charged, were both hawkers and beggars, but not too, too many. The sun was obscured by a cloud at this point so we didn't have the best viewing conditions, but I think that even in a monsoon, that view of the Taj would be magnificent.

On our second day in Agra we decided to visit Fahtepur Sikri, about 30 miles away. Fahtepur Sikri was built by Akbar as his trophy city (some people have trophy homes; he had a trophy city in mind). Perched on a ridgeline overlooking the fertile Gangetic plain, Fahtepur Sikri--palace, religious buildings, housing for 3 wives and 300 concubines and 5000 harem girls--was a great success...but only for 15 years. Then a drought and bad ground water made it evident that Akbar had invested poorly. The capital had to be relocated to Agra, and Fahtepur Sikri was abandoned and more or less forgotten. Thank goodness it was fairly out-of-the-way, since it remained fairly unscathed by the years. It's now a World Heritage Site (our fourth in India!).

The drive to Fahtepur Sikri was interesting on many accounts. The driver that day was particularly cautious (not a professional taxi driver, we figured out by the end of the day) and our progress was markedly slow. The road was in dreadful condition, yet it serves as the main link between Agra and Jaipur, two key stops on the tourist circuit. The villages were humming with activity--cows, goats, pigs, camels all part of the mix. We did in fact see several camel-drawn trucks hauling goods up and down this particular highway!

Our final stop on the second day was to Akbar's Tomb. As we learned by heart after several tour guides instructed us, there were 6 great Mughal kings: Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and the evil Aurangzeb. Akbar was the first really, really great king, and of course Shah Jahan was the Taj builder. Akbar's Tomb is a lovely yet immense structure (what were they thinking?? If everyone had a tomb like that...??) set in serene parkland. There are plenty of monkeys roaming about as well as some very interesting antelopes with spiral-curved horns. The pictures (soon, I promise) will show Owen feeding both the Good Monkeys and the Bad Monkeys. Luckily, the Bad Monkey was satisfied with the banana he received and didn't exhibit his bad side.

And so ended day 2 in Agra. I will finish with the description of our actual trip to the Taj Mahal tomorrow! I have so many pictures of Fahtepur Sikri that I'll have to put them on a separate page.

The Quintessential India: A Weekend at the Taj Mahal

2007-02-19T06:31:00.001-08:00

We have just returned home to Delhi from a long weekend in Agra. John planned our travels to see the Taj Mahal and surrounding sights, and he did a super job! Friday we arrived with plenty of time to visit the Agra Fort and the Baby Taj, then see the sunset view of the Taj Mahal from the opposite side of the Yamuna River.

The Agra Fort is a misnomer--although it does still serve a military function, it is a splendid complex of 16 different Mughal palaces.

(As best we can tell, Mughal, Moghul, and Mogul are all the same term with different spellings.) Thanks to our friendly and helpful taxi driver who took care of all of our getting-around from Friday through Monday, we also made contact with a guide to the Agra Fort who had 35 years' experience at the site. He really made it come alive for us.

The architecture is magnificent, the tales of palace intrigue are exciting, and the image it evokes of Mughal splendor are vivid. We also were able to see the Glass (or Mirrored) Palace, the bathing place of Mumtaz, the queen whose tomb is the Taj Mahal. With a little bakshish to the man with the right keys, we were hustled into the locked Glass Palace. It consists of three chambers completely lined with small, intricate mirrored panels. Each chamber has a bathing pool (hot, cold, and rose-scented) and a place for dancing girls to dance and musicians to play music. By the light of flickering candles reflected thousands of times over, it must have been an overwhelming sensory experience for Mumtaz to take a bath!

Latin Salsa Hip Hop in Delhi

2007-02-15T07:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read the title correctly. On Tuesday night I went with my mom to see Ozomatli, a "Latin Salsa Hip Hop Band" (according to the ticket) from Los Angeles.

My mom had heard about the concert in an email from the Fulbright office. Admission was free; all we had to do was pick up the tickets from the American Center. Though I had never heard of "Latin Salsa Hip Hop" much less Ozomatli, I thought it was not an opportunity to pass up. My brother and my dad were skeptical and ended up staying home so Owen could study for a chemistry test. They sure missed out!

When we arrived at the Ashok Hotel, the concert had already begun. We were scanned for bombs or guns or somethings, and I had to turn my cell phone and camera off and on once before the guard would let us in. Inside the tented concert area we discovered an eclectic mix of people. Part Americans, part Indians, some high school or college age and some who looked old enough to be grandparents. Some people wore sarees or Indian dress while others were in jeans and t-shirts.

After a short period of hesitation, my mom and I joined the dancing. The music was, unlike what they play at homecoming and such, smooth and easy to dance to. I guess most people would have felt a little strange at a concert, dancing with their mother, but I just had a good time.

My favorite part of the show was the grand finale when the band came off of the stage and into the crowd. They brought the instruments with them and formed a cross between a soul train and a congo line snaking through the audience. It was fun to see the band up close. In face they stopped right next to us to play one song.

All in all an unexpectedly fun night. I'm planning to get the CD soon!

Festival Time!

2007-02-12T07:35:00.000-08:00

This Saturday we attended the Cathedral's Garden Fete in central Delhi. It turned out to be a very soggy day indeed. We went along at the invitation our friend Christopher Raj who is both my colleague at JNU and an Anglican priest at the Cathedral. Owen played each game of skill and chance until he'd won a prize at each. Adelaide and I sampled the vegetarian goodies and baked treats until we'd tried one of each! John just sampled everything, period. After that, we came back to the apartment to dry off, read books, and drink tea for the whole afternoon.

Sunday, John's friend Scott from Norway was in town. We invited him along to the Suraj Kund Mele Festival just outside of Delhi. It threatened to rain all afternoon but did not. We enjoyed the spectacle of folk dancing, acrobats, costumed performers, and singers. Oh, and yes, we shopped in about 147 different handicraft stalls. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here a few thousand:

The Cost of Living (Very Well) in India

2007-02-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

The average Indian worker earns about 60,000 rupees. This is $1,360 at current exchange rates, but prices here are lower for products produced locally because the cost of labor is so low. For example, an egg costs $0.06 and a banana $0.05. You can get your shirt ironed for $0.09, or have a cup of tea for $0.11. Consequently, the average Indian worker lives as if he earns $6900. Because we convert our dollars into rupees at the exchange rate but enjoy the benefit of low wages, we live very well indeed. Typically, we spend about $1 each when we have a nice meal out. A gourmet meal is $10. To get to the restaurant in a three-wheeled autorickshaw, which runs on compressed natural gas, costs less than a dollar. Handicrafts--beautiful handicrafts-- are also inexpensive, of course. Not everything is cheap, at least by Tuscaloosa's standards. Our apartment costs about 3x as much as an apartment of similar size would cost in T-town, but of course this is the big city! Our rent is half of what it would be in NYC or London. Things are really cheap in the countryside. According to a recent report, in order to get snake venom to create anti-venom, villagers in one part of India are paid 44 cents for each cobra or kraat they capture alive.

Delhi is a Village

2007-02-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

I have decided over the past few weeks of observation that Delhi is a village...a village of 14 million residents. Why do I say this?

Here are some signs: people build small campfires on the sidewalks, in parks, on the roadside, wherever they happen to be, then squat beside them to keep warm; women walk through parks, campuses, and undeveloped land to gather dead branches for heating and cooking, carrying them back to their homesites on top of their heads; charcoal and wood are common forms of fuel, used for a street-side ironing stall, cooking popcorn on snack wagons, and selling warms snacks in the park;

small 1-2 story brick buildings are built completely by hand, with no tools beyond a trowel and a ladder made of tree limbs lashed together; animals of all sorts roam wherever they wish--cows, goats, pigs, dogs; dried cow manure, shaped into cowpies the size of hubcaps, are used as fuel--after they've been left to dry along a fence on a road or highway; small clusters of tents and improvised homes are set up on medians and alongside roads, each a small society of its own; women cook over campfires; children collect water in plastic jugs and carry them back to their settlements; public spaces are used for bathing (clothed), toothbrushing, and shaving; barefooted and bare-bottomed toddlers run around freely, under the care of 4 or 5 older siblings.

All of these daily sights, seen here, there and everywhere in Delhi tell me that it is, in a sense, an overgrown village.

Two Days in the Hot Seat

2007-02-02T06:42:00.000-08:00

I was pleased to be invited to present and participate in a two-day National Seminar on India-US Relations, hosted by JNU and Delhi U. Little did I know that I would be the only American presenter and participant! Well, that's a slight exaggeration. The keynote speaker (15 minutes, speaking and gone) was a US Embassy official, as was the moderator of my panel. They, however were not in the Hot Seat!

As the only American face in the audience, each speaker gradually shifted his body angle, gaze, and gestures entirely in my direction. It was as if each speaker felt compelled to address me directly as the sole representative of 300 million Americans. The man sitting behind me on the first day wore a t-shirt picturing "George W. Bush: International War Criminal. Dangerous: Armed with Nuclear Weapons." A man also asked one presenter on the first day "Can we really believe that the U.S. is fighting a war against terror? They ignored our cries for help against terrorists here and never joined the war against terror until they were attacked! They never even joined WWI or WWII until they were attacked!" You'd better believe I cornered that man the minute the session ended and demanded that he answer for his outlandish statements. He was very sheepish looking when I indicated that I meant to speak to him (a "Who Me??" look on his face). I definitely did my diplomatic-but-incensed best to call him on the carpet.

The second day, I was a presenter. On my panel, even my fellow speakers gradually angled their presentations and eye contact towards me, as if addressing me alone instead of the auditorium full of listeners. After my presentation, my questioners asked if Americans weren't hypocritical for saying that they opposed the war but then re-elected Bush, if we weren't ethnocentric for believing that we were superior to all other nations in the post-Cold War era, and weren't we concerned about squelching India's culture with our bombardment of media, entertainment, and sports? Wouldn't you call that the HOT SEAT??

Finally, in one of the afternoon sessions, one speaker went to so far as to qualify one of her statements by looking right at me and addressing me as "M'um." There was no doubt that she was addressing her whole speech towards me and me alone. I was certainly ready to be out of the spotlight (interrogation lights??) by the end of the day.

I must say that in general, the Indians are very gracious in these settings. Each keynoter received a bouquet of flowers and a golden Buddha in an acrylic box. And every presenter began his speech with "Respected Chairman, Esteemed Panelists, Dear Colleagues: ... ." I'm not sure sure that I fell into the category of a "dear colleague" at this particular conference!

I will just make sure that the next time I agree to participate in any type of conference, I will not be the only American in the hot seat!

F.

Hardly Laissez Faire

2007-02-01T04:02:00.000-08:00

Each day's newspaper brings fresh evidence that economic reform in India is producing results and that India is emerging as an industrial power. Today The Times of India reports that economic growth for 2005-06 was 9%, the second highest ever. Growth was 7.5% the year before. The headline, however, was that the Tata family had purchased Britain's Corus Steel, making Tata Steel the fifth largest producer in the world. Only last year Lakshmi Mittal, another Indian, bought Arcelor Steel for $32.4 billion; it is the largest steel manufacturer in the world by far. Yesterday the news was the upgrading by Standard and Poor's of the Indian government's debt to investment quality.

There is still room for additional reform, however. Laissez faire is not the rule yet. I recently went to the website of Indian Railways to reserve seats to Agra. The site asks if any concession is applicable. Among the sixty-eight concessions listed are reduced prices for artists (lower and higher class), circus artists (lower and higher class), professional artists (lower and higher class), research scholars (that's all right, of course!), sports (lower class, national, and international), youth, unemployed youth, boy scouts, cancer patients, mental patients, doctors, nurses, students, and teachers. There is the usual senior citizen discount and a discount for polo players! The next time someone in the U.S. complains about government regulation, just smile.

Another Week Begins in Delhi

2007-01-30T07:12:00.000-08:00

We begin our third regular week in Delhi--if there can be a regular week here! Today was a Muslim holiday (Muharram), the start of the Islamic year. The children's school and the university were closed. Unlike Republic Day last Friday, most people went to work as usual today and shops were open. Adelaide and I shopped in the morning, then were joined by John to visit the government-run craft emporia that represent each state in India. Jewels, rugs, silks...it's all so tempting!

On our drive home after the Fulbright tea, we encountered a Muharram parade featuring colorful crepe paper and papier mache "mosques" being carried through the street and young men waving, whacking, and wielding wooden poles. That seems a bit odd, since fighting is forbidden in the month of Muharram.

The other consequence of Muharram for us was that the beer and wine store was closed. India is the least alcohol-oriented society I've seen among countries that permit the drinking of alcohol. There just aren't any bars except in the major 5-star hotels. The legal drinking age is 25! American college students might be discouraged from studying overseas in India by this law...but then, if the American laws don't prevent them from getting their hands on a beer, India's law won't either.

Owen continues to have fun playing soccer in the local park with boys who miraculously appear there when he shows up with his ball. I don't think he talks much with them, but he does play out there long and hard. It's definitely the world's sport.

Our Saturday Outing: Humayun's Tomb

2007-01-27T08:03:00.000-08:00

This Saturday we managed to pry Owen off the comfy leather sofa and away from the plasma screen TV and go on our planned outing: Humayun's Tomb. We learned that not only is it a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but so is the Qtub Minar, last Saturday's destination. Two World Heritage Sites in two weeks! Humayun was the second Moghul ruler of Hindustan in the early 1500s. The first was Babur, who is now buried in Kabul.

The tomb is notable because it is an early version of the architectural style which would 100 years later be perfected in the Taj Mahal. It is a blend of Persian and Indian designs and motifs. Instead of pure white marble (the Taj), it is built principally of red sandstone with white and black marble embellishments.

The site was not crowded at all when we arrived. We paid the visitors fee, 250 rupees, instead of the locals' fee, 10 rupees. We approached the site through a series of courtyards and gardens. At one side tomb area, a retired history professor offered to give us a five minute description and explanation with a tip as payment. He was interesting and fast talking, and apparently quite accurate.

When we arrived at the main courtyard, another guide volunteered to accompany us. He took us all through the building and added a lot to our understanding. He also took a picture of the four of us at a nice spot. At the end, he wasn't happy with the 120 rupees tip we offered (he asked for US dollars, and I offered him $3, which is about 120 rupees). He did take it in the end, no surprise there.

After taking in as much as we desired, we left the site, stopping in the parking lot to buy two peacock feather fans. We paid half the original asking price, and presumably could've bargained harder.

We then chose to go back to the Khan Market to a restaurant we'd enjoyed during our first weekend. It has eclectic nouvelle cuisine--American, Mediterranean, Asian fusion--that's a nice break from Indian fare. We enjoyed appetizers, mango/yogurt smoothies, main dishes, and three delectable desserts. Interestingly, a young woman at the table behind ours recognized me from the Fulbright orientation meeting in late June. She is a Fulbright student scholar, a recent graduate of Yale. We invited her (Molly) to join us for dessert, and gained lots of tips from her since she's been here since October. We'll see her again this week at a Fulbright event.

After lunch we bought Owen a soccer ball and Adelaide a pair of lavishly embroidered leather flats, so we all went home quite happy. Owen worked up a game of soccer in our small local park and game home sweaty and happy two hours later!

We are doing our best to see all that Delhi has to offer while planning our travels farther afield in February and March.

Hope you all had a great Saturday, too.

Morning Running

2007-01-26T02:15:00.002-08:00

I've always preferred first-thing-in-the-morning runs, but our current schedule doesn't permit that. However, I was able to work from home on Wednesday, and today is a holiday--Republic Day--so I have been able to ride to the park and run early in the morning twice this week. I've discovered an new aspect of Delhi: the morning exercise rituals. In Green Park, Deer Park, and Rose Park (three adjoining areas) the grounds are filled with morning exercisers. The majority are vigorously walking with a partner or two, and they're bundled up against the early morning chill (45-50 degrees!). Many groups are involved in yoga--sun salutations, poses, stances, and stretches. Still others are meditating, some in the classic "Ohm" position, some seated on benches, all with their eyes closed. Some of these are pushing on various pressure points on their heads and faces.

A few small groups of men are engaged in calisthentics and warmup drills. And in several spots, couples and foursomes are playing badminton, a favorite Indian sport.

As you might imagine, I'm in the small minority of runners. I infer that Indians don't look favorably on heavy breathing or perspiration. Who can blame them, with the type of temperatures they have here 6 months per year. So they look at me as if I'm an unusal circus performer doing stunts in their placid park.

Yet, running in the parks in the early morning is a delight. Delhi has a light fog every morning which lingers especially in the parks. This particular set of parks is filled with eucalyptus trees, bougainevillea, lantana, and rich green foliage. Parrots, peacocks, and other birds fly and call among the trees. Most striking of all is the quietness: there seems to be an unwritten rule that there is no talking in the park in the early hours. All those couples and groups excercising together do so silently (well, an exclamation or two comes from the badminton players). The result is a green, misty oasis in the midst of a city of 14 million.

What pleasure!

Photos of our local parade

2007-01-25T22:28:00.000-08:00

A few pictures to enjoy...

India is One of the World's Most Rapidly Growing Economies

2007-01-25T04:20:00.000-08:00

India like China has been enjoying rapid economic growth as a result of economic reforms begun in the late 1980s, and that is expected to continue and to accelerate. A recently released report by Goldman Sachs indicates that incomes in India will quadruple between now and 2020--an annual average growth rate of 11 percent! By 2050 India is expected to be the world's second largest economy, ahead of the United States and behind China.

Festivities in our Enclave

2007-01-24T01:34:00.000-08:00

Lately there have been a few musical events in the evening at a building on one corner of our small square. Singers and musicians have performed in a tent outside the building for a few hours, and neighbors have strolled by to have a look and a listen. Inside the tent there have been carpets and cushions for the guests and an array of statues of deities displayed on the stage.

Last night, a marching band in crimson and white regalia played on that corner for an hour before we walked out to dinner. (A dinner, which, by the way, was tasty, freshly made, served with courteous service, and cost the four of us less than $10 including the bottled water.) As we returned, the marching band was setting forth accompanied by six or eight young boys about 10 years old holding aloft lighted electric chandeliers, a group of dancing celebrators in fine attire, and capping it all off, a prospective groom. The groom was dressed in white with a Mogul style turban and spangled shoes. He and his two very young groomsmen rode in a white carriage covered with white flowers and pulled by two horses. A rather noisy truck drove behind the carriage, providing the power for the chandeliers.

These two encounters with wedding parties thus far in India may have set Adelaide's expectations of her future wedding a bit too high!

You never, ever know what you'll see in the streets of India--good or bad. The great majority of the time though, it's something colorful, exotic, and unexpected.

Personal Testimony for a New Diet

2007-01-23T07:01:00.000-08:00

We recently received the following testimonial with our copy of The Times of India: "PESPI diet give most necessary boost to health having its cleaning power as Soft drink defined by Swami Ram Dev flushing dirtiest filthy Toilets, is not incorrect. Whereas myself discovered the way to live longer than 76 yrs. by God given blessing for me for my living over 100 yers. by my daily drinking PEPSI diet is helpful for me after adopting pepsi as a health drink discovered by me. This secret of living long healthy by me gave me power to work very hard at this age of 76 yrs. by overcoming all types of stresses of Export business & my family affairs, after my earning many Crors paid Income Tax over 50 lacs in 1996 by Exports to Gulf Countries by my Renowned company is offering big deals in 2007. Exporter (Senior Citizen) Mr. O. P. Arora

Now you know.

Mount Carmel School

2007-01-22T05:42:00.001-08:00

A Day at the Qtub Minar

2007-01-21T06:14:00.000-08:00

This Saturday we jumped in two autorickshaws and puttered south through the streets of Delhi to the Qtub Minar. It's the site of the tallest minaret in India, and was built in the 1100's and early 1200's to celebrate Islam's victory over the last Hindu kingdom. The Muslim ruler decided to reuse existing Hindu and Buddhist structures to build his victory tower. He had to deface some graven images (by whacking off their sandstone faces) but many decorative details remained and many were added. It was another sunny, mild day in Delhi. We're enjoying the weather while we can--heat is on the way.

The Delight is in the Details

2007-01-19T03:20:00.000-08:00

Most of what we see as we move around Delhi is very mundane and ordinary, but when you look closely, the small details of daily life are delightfully different. The street sweepers use brooms made of twigs, not motorized blowers like the groundskeepers at UA. My office is swept and dusted not by a high-powered Hoover but by a woman wielding a duster that looks like it’s made of a horse’s tail. Her mop is a towel attached to the end of a pole.

Around JNU, the construction workers wear plastic sandals with socks, not steel-toed safety boots. The builders push to mortar into the bricks by hand, not with a trowel. The female construction workers (in saris and sandals) deliver the sand and mortar to the bricklayers via basketloads on their heads, not wheelbarrows.

On every street corner and sidewalk and in every neighborhood, kiosks sell all the items one might find in a convenience store. Here, though, they sell for pennies instead of inflated 7/11 prices. Fruit and vegetable carts are piled high with fresh, brightly colored foods. The carrots here are red, not orange! A bag of carrots and tomatoes cost us just 25 cents.

At the lunch hour--2:00pm, not 12:00 pm--men stop for a quick lunch beside the road, eating a small bowl of vegetable curry instead of a NY hot dog. Each man in the group eating lunch at the roadside vendor's cart drinks directly from a pitcher of water by holding it above their lips and pouring it right in.

Men and women walk to work in the morning wrapped in shawls or draped in light blankets instead of fitted sweaters, coats, or jackets. The look of many layers and colors of draped fabric is so appealing to the eye, and seems to practical where the temperature varies a great deal. How did I ever think of leaving the house during winter without a wrap?

Milk is delivered right to our door in plastic pouches with half a liter in each. We snip the corner of the pouch and pour it into the plastic bottles that fit in a shelf on the refrigerator door. Each day we request skim milk, and the building's attendant says, "Yes, ma'am," with a smile; then each day we're delivered more whole milk. How much plastic and landfill space would we save in the US if we bought our milk, juice, and soda in thin plastic pouches and then used the same bottles again and again?

India and the U.S. have much to learn from one another, all the delightful details of daily life!
...
Adelaide and Owen have finished their first full week at Mt. Carmel School and I've met with both of my classes of graduate students at JNU. We're all looking forward to this weekend's events, sightseeing, shopping, and of course, eating!

Our Morning Commute

2007-01-16T05:47:00.000-08:00

A taxi pulls up in front of our building at 7:30. The gatekeeper swings open the gate for us, and we come out and get in the taxi. The driver does a U-turn and wheels out into traffic, very light at this early hour. Only school children leave home at this time. The only adults out are street sweepers and other cleaners. As we drive out of our enclave, it’s hard to see other people’s homes and apartments because every block and every home is behind a high wall.

Out on the main street, we drive by shanty towns here and there. These homes are all improvised—one wall of stacked bricks, a plastic roof, some canvas walls, a wooden pole in the center—but they have the look of permanence. You can see inside some of the shacks where there are cots piles high with thick blankets. In one or two places, a cluster of people has been spending the night on the sidewalk, their blankets spread on the pavement. We pass by several small impromptu bonfires built right on the sidewalk from castoff lumber and cardboard boxes; a person or two is warming himself by the fire. We may see a man or two bathing next to his shanty, squatting down, wearing big loose shorts, and pouring water over his head, dipped from a large bucket.

As we get on the large Ring Road, we see a man on the opposite side of the Ring riding on an elephant. It is the first elephant we’ve seen here. We have seen several men using a horse as a normal means of transportation, right in the midst of city traffic.

It’s too early for the sidewalk barbers to be set up and shaving their customers. By 9:00, they’ll be out on the sidewalks, with a chair for the customer, a mirror hung from the fence railing, and an upright box on which they put their basin of water and soap. At this hour, we may see some of yesterday’s laundry left out to dry on the fence railings. The fence that divides one side of the traffic from the other is a many-mile-long clothes line for those with no yard of their own.

Getting off the Ring Road and onto neighborhood streets, the sidewalks, driveways, and doorways are being swept by men and women with long-handled twig brooms. There is a never-ending fight against dust, dirt, and litter here. After sweeping, they’ll swab the sidewalk at the doorway with a bucket of water and the twig broom. Then as passersby come along, the day’s littering begins again. No one seems concerned about using litter baskets.

There are dogs out in the street, most of them browsing through piles of trash on street corners. The dogs aren’t fierce and don’t come up towards people. Most of them are a medium size with either golden fur or black and white mottled fur.

Cows are out on the street, too, though only here and there. They, too, eat from the garbage heaps. The heaps aren’t smelly (though it’s not warm weather yet) and don’t look like old garbage piles, they seem to get renewed daily. The cows are completely unperturbed by the flow of traffic around them. They walk slowly down a street that flowing with the traffic of cars, bicycles, cabs, and motorcycles.

As we approach the school, we see more and more students arriving by foot, car, or bus. They’re all in the maroon and grey Mount Carmel School outfits. Many of the girls have on additional leggings due to the cold winter weather (45 degrees low, 68 degrees high). Many boys and girls are wearing a hat or knit scarf; this degree of cold seems to make them very uncomfortable. The very young children are quite bundled up by their parents.

Adelaide and Owen get out at the school and tell me goodbye, their first day in their uniforms. They are relieved to be wearing the same clothes as everyone else today. The cab driver will return for them at 2:00 this afternoon when school lets out. Mr. Singh, a cabby near the school, has become our driver for now. We have a regular arrangement with him, and we’ll see how it works out after a week or so.

He drives me on to JNU, only 5 minutes’ farther from the Mount Carmel School. Many of the workers are arriving on campus by foot. The taxi stops at the security gate and I call out, “School of International Studies.” They note it in their ledger, and we drive on. Mr. Singh drops me at the Administrative Block, where the only persons in sight are the grounds crew. They all wear warms scarves around their head and winter jackets. The sweeping and raking begins for the day, and will continue all day long.

I enter my office building, dark and unheated. It’s the coldest place in Delhi so far. I am the only faculty member or student in the building. The housekeeping staff look at me questioningly. I feel somewhat embarrassed to be here at 8:10, but here I am. I unlock the padlock to my office door, turn on the light, and look at the bare walls and desk. I’ve arrived. Time to work on my first comments for Thursday’s class. The day has begun.

The Wedding Festivities

2007-01-14T05:59:00.000-08:00

Here's a post written by Adelaide, describing today's activity:

I think it is unusual to go to a wedding when you have never met the bride or the groom. It is a little more unusual when you don't even know their names. Well, that's what I did today, but don't worry I was invited... One of my mom's friends from Tuscaloosa's cousin was the bride. I still don't know her name or the groom's. Considering the circumstances, I thought it might be a bit awkward. We were the only non-Indians in attendance, and only one person there had met us before. I was pleasantly suprised.

The bride's father welcomed us with open arms like we were old friends; he was so kind.We arrived at 11:00 and the wedding was supposed to start at 11:30 with the arrival of the groom's party. Predictably, however, it started 30-45 minutes late. Like the rules of the road, start times are just suggestions.

The groom's party congregated outside the giant tent and the bride's party blocked the entrance. There was some singing and chanting which I couldn't follow, as it was in Punjabi. They "argued" for a while and then the groom offered some money to the sisters of the bride, which they threw to the ground. Finally, the two parties "reconciled" and exchanged garlands of marigolds and checks. Then, one of the groom's brothers burst through the crowd spraying everyone with fake snow. Pranks seem to be an essential part of the wedding.Then, everyone went in the tent to eat breakfast which consisted of a vast array of fried things and some fruit.

After a while, the bride arrived and was led in under a canopy of roses held up by relatives. She and the groom were seated on two thrones on a platform. Pictures ensued.The bridal color here is red instead of white. Many of the relatives wore pink sarees or turbans. The bride shone with gold adornments. Everywhere you could put jewlery or gold embroidery, it was there. Nose ring. Ear rings. Necklace. Bangles up to the elbows. There were even little jewels above her eyebrows. She also had henna all over her legs and arms. The groom wore a suit and red turban with a full length sword. Sikh men carry daggers as part of the "5 Ks" of their religion (uncut hair, dagger, bracelet, special underwear, comb) , but this was a very ornate and large one.Then, it was time for the actual ceremony. We adjurned to nearby temple.

Only a small portion of the guests could come because it was so small. The father of the bride was kind enough to invite us; I was interested to see what would happen. Before we went in, we took off our shoes and put scarves over our hair. There was a basket outside of extra scarves, but I had one with me. My brother and my dad had these orange, napkin-like things to tie on their heads since they didn't have turbans. It gave them a pirate look. The ceremony seemed long to me because I couldn't understand the Punjabi prayers, speeches, songs, etc.

We sat for a very long time while the bride and groom slowly circled the silver altar; she holding onto his scarf. All of sudden, everyone stood up. I'm not sure what happened after that. I just remember my knees feeling funny (I thought my kneecap was out of socket), and then I felt dizzy and tried to grab my mom's arm. I fainted. When I came out of it, my first though was not to make a scene. I hated to think I had disturbed the wedding. Before I said anything, I put my scarf back over my head. I don't think anyone cared, but I just wanted to be respectful. They let me into their wedding even though many close relatives and friends couldn't come in. Luckily, I was near the back, so most people didn't notice and the ceremony went on. I guess I'll have to go to another one to find out what happens at the end!

After the ceremony, it was time for more food! Lunch! A full vegetarian buffet. Mmmmmm... Fainting sure didn't dampen my appetite. We didn't leave until nearly four o'clock, and most people were still there then. Tomorrow, there is a reception! Yes, the eating is not over yet. Indians sure know how to celebrate!

We have a home in Delhi!

2007-01-13T07:58:00.000-08:00

Thursday afternoon this week, we moved into our apartment for the duration of our stay in Delhi. Our address is A2/147 Safdurjung Enclave, and yes, we have trouble pronouncing it, too! We had chosen another apartment because this one was too, too expensive...but the landlord preferred us to take this one, and offered it to us at a rent that we just couldn't refuse. S0, we now have a 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom, marble-floored apartment with daily service and 24 hour security. We feel a bit like we're living in a luxury hotel! The apartment is entirely newly fitted and decorated; the bathrooms are especially stylish. The young men who work here and clean the apartment are very friendly and helpful. They don't understand as much English as we'd like. They answer all questions with a smile and a "Yes, Ma'am!" even if it's not a yes or no question.

We had a lovely day today exploring the park nearest to our apartment. It will be a great running option, given that JNU is a 15 minute taxi ride away. We also got Owen's hair cut (prinicipal's orders) for school on Monday, and bought an Indian outfit for Adelaide to wear to a friend's family wedding tomorrow.

Today is Lohri, a Punjabi festival that's much like Halloween. People have made bonfires on the sidewalks and are eating peanuts and popcorn. It's fun to watch the festivities from our balcony.

We can't wait for our coming visitors to enjoy our beautiful apartment with us. We are ready to welcome and share this 5-star experience with Cade, Liz and Rick, the Thomases, Ted and Ericka, and all others who visit us in Delhi!

So, How's the Food?

2007-01-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

We've already been asked by email about the food, the water, and the state of our health in India. Good news...no, great news! The food is delicious, inexpensive, varied, and oh so tasty! Bottled water is also readily available everywhere. "Mineral water" is what you request in a restaurant, shop, or canteen. As a result, none of us is even slightly ill (yet?).

We stayed in a Guest House (3-star ; fairly modest; excellent service) for the first 4 nights here. There were many restaurants to choose from in the market--or shopping street--10 minutes' walk from the Guest House. There was also a perfectly wonderful French bakery! Guess where we had breakfast for four mornings in a row??!! Otherwise, we ate South Indian, North Indian, and Thai food. John and Owen were bold enough to eat a grilled chicken gyro from a street stall, with no ill effects.

For the last three days, we have been staying in a Guest House on the JNU campus. We've learned that the cost of living for all students in India is heavily subsidized. Not only is food ridiculously inexpensive here, but the dormitory costs $1 per month and the tuition is similarly low. One professor told us that graduate students prolong their studies excessively because of the low cost of living that can't be found anywhere else in India.

We have been eating in the student canteen which serves South Indian food. We all love a masala dosa: a large, thin, crispy crepe filled with curried potatoes and served with a small cup of delicious soup. The cost of this delicacy at the student canteen? 24 cents!! John and I ate dinner there last night and spent less than a dollar between the two of us, including the liter of mineral water!

We hope to enjoy many tasty meals, student-style, while we're here.

This afternoon we're moving into our permanent apartment. What's that like? Ah, that will require a separate blog posting!!

Catching our Breath after 5 Days in Delhi

2007-01-08T20:53:00.000-08:00

We have spent 5 days and nights in Delhi now, and though I can't say that we're accustomed to it, I can say that we're adjusting well to it! We are staying at a guest house on the JNU campus, slightly spartan hotel-like accomodations. The best part is that the guest house is in the midst of the JNU campus, 1000 acres of virtually no traffic, winding roads through a park-like setting, fresh air, and quiet surroundings. It will likely be the best place for the four of us to do our running throughout our four-month stay in Delhi. I've met many of my new colleagues in the Center for Canadian, American, and Latin American Studies in the School of International Studies at JNU. I'll be team teaching two courses, which will give me the opportunity to travel elsewhere outside of Delhi to lecture or meet with Indian academics. JNU will no doubt take advantage of John's availability and get a lecture or two from him, as well.

Life in Delhi is very, very colorful, as I tried to hint at in my first Delhi blog entry. Every taxi and bus has a vivid painting on its rear side, saying, "Honk Please! Stay back! Stop!," and featuring a blackhaired, tongue-protruding gargoyle-like creature who must be the deity of all traffic mischief. Every street is an impromptu bazaar of vendors of everything from fruits to coconuts to houseplants to large basketry to pairs of new socks! The beggars are everywhere, some just begging and some doing tricks for money. Mostly we encounter them when in taxis. The one or two lepers we've seen begging have been truly sobering sights.

We hope to move into our permanent apartment and have schools selected by the end of this week--but that may just be the efficient American in me speaking, not the person who must now be operating on Indian Time.

I'll post pictures as soon as time and technology permit! For now, all's "thik-thik," OK!

First Sights in India

2007-01-07T04:52:00.000-08:00

We have been in India just over three days. The sights and sounds are overwhelming--but in a good way. I can't compose at length at the moment (the power in this internet cafe may blink off again) but here is a montage of what we've seen in just three days: sacred cows, peacocks, monkeys, & parrots, all just walking/leaping/flying around in the open; horse-drawn carts; a family of four in heavy traffic riding on one small motorcycle; sidewalk barbers with straight edge razors; a traffic island that's been turned into a permanent settlement of ramshackle houses; a barefooted, three-year old girl turning backflips in the midst of traffic beside our taxi, then tapping on our taxi window for alms; pedicabs, cars, vans, trucks, taxis, three-wheeled autorickshaws, & motorscooters that give a whole new meaning to the term "bumper to bumper traffic"; a delicious plate of food for 25 cents; sidewalk vendors of anything; crumbling Moghul tombs; every color combination of sari, salwhar kahmeeze, scarf, and shawl that you can imagine; tiny shops that hold 100 square feet of goods in just 50 square feet of shop space; Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus in acts of devotion and worship; flowers, flowers, flowers; and more!

I have to stop here, but I hope to expand on these first impressions as soon as time and the electricity supply allow.

Three Selected Photos from Jordan

2007-01-03T05:54:00.000-08:00

I hope to post a photo gallery elsewhere, but here are three fun photos from our trip in Jordan!

Days 2-7 in Amman

2007-01-02T22:05:00.000-08:00

We have been busy! Leslie, Gray, and Natalie took us on a drive down to the Dead Sea and then up to Mount Nebo on Thursday. The view of the Sea was magnificent, but I'm not sure that if I'd been Moses, I'd have found the Promised Land so promising looking. Thousands of years ago it must have been a more lush and green setting. We enjoyed a long, lingering lunch at Leslie's favorite restaurant in Madaba, called Haret Joudna. We ordered nearly everything on the menu just to sample all the Middle Eastern delicacies. We returned home that evening to pack for our big excursion to the south.

Friday, Bill was off from work as usual and able to help us load up for the four day excursion. Our trip to the Dana wildlife area was cancelled due to impassable roads covered with snow and no electricity!! We decided to add on an extra day in Petra. We arrived at Petra late in the afternoon (about a 3-4 hour drive from Amman) and walked around the city for a view. Gray, Natalie, and Owen were busily engaged in snowball fights! With a long evening ahead, we ALL decided to try a Turkish Bath. The hotel clerk recommended an establishment...which turned out to be the ONLY co-ed Turkish Bath in all of the Middle East, I'd guess. The hotel clerk had assured us it was separate-genders, but it wasn't. After we got there and found out, we shrugged our shoulders and decided to take the plunge. It was crowded with Europeans in their swimsuits who didn't bat an eye at the co-ed situation, but knowing the Middle Easterners' sensibilities, it was probably a scandalous setting. We enjoyed the steaminess for over an hour, kids included. Leslie and I skipped the full body loofah rubdown and massage, but everyone else partook. What an adventurous bunch!

The next morning dawned crystal clear in Petra, picture-perfect conditions. The temperature was cool but not cold, with not a puff a wind. We started the long walk into the chasm about 8:45 am. It's such an exciting place to visit, there's nowhere like it in the world. John read that the narrow winding canyon that leads into the valley was actually cleft by an earthquake, not erosion as you'd guess. That makes it all the more incredible.

We all experienced that moment of wonder when you emerge from the mile-long walk through the canyon into the wide open view of the towering Treasury building. It's unbelievable that workers 1700 to 2000 years ago could've carved such towering majesties out of the stone.

I won't go on and on about all the fabulous sites we saw in Petra--I'll try to post a powerpoint show to do justice to them--but I will say that we spent two full days there, going from height to height and sight to sight. The little ones, Gray and Natalie, did a fantastic job on our long and arudous upward hikes, encouraged along all the way by Adelaide and Owen and regular infusions of potato chips and oranges.

Monday morning we headed out of Petra on the high road towards the Wadi Rum desert. Much to our surprise, the road was still quite snowy, and got down to a single lane of tire tracks along the ridgeline. After an hour, we saw stranded cars ahead and decided to circle back. We didn't have to backtrack the entire way, but we were a bit late meeting our guide at the village entrance to Wadi Rum. We grabbed some bag lunches at the village and scoured the mini-market for snacks, then jumped into a red-scarfed Bedouin's four-wheel drive vehicle and headed out overland. This desert with high sandstone mountains is every bit as beautiful as any parts of the U.S.'s desert southwest I've ever seen.

At our tented campsite, we met up with another family of four, friends of Bill and Leslie's. Part of the group jumped in a jeep to go for a hike, and part stayed at the based camp for fun and games in the sand. We undertook an almost two hour upward hike to a breathtaking view of the desert for miles around. We actually stepped over into Saudi Arabian territory at the top of the mountain, no passport needed. Ha, ha, there was not one human being in sight from that vista at the top of the mountain. We could also see the tip of the Red Sea from the pinnacle. I promise to post pictures once I download them--unbelievable views!!

We spent the night like bedouins in a large tent for 12 persons. Bedouin men cooked a full meal for us (men do all the work, including shopping, women stay at home almost all the time here) which we all enjoyed. The temperature plunged below freezing after dark. We slept on thin mattresses under thick heavy blankets, once we all stopped laughing and telling stories in the dark inside the tent. I for one stayed cold, especially on my nose and toes, but everyone else claimed to be warm enough. Breakfast was pita bread toasted over a campfire, inedible jelly (think cough syrup in jellied form), and hard boiled eggs. We all took a two hour morning walk (no more hills, thank you) and then loaded up the jeeps.

Back in the village we bought nuts and chocolate for the return drive. We left behind the specatacle of Petra, the wondrous desert, and the unexpected snow for the comfort of Bill and Leslie's spacious apartment, Kimani's warm soup, and some tasty foods from the chicken and falafel stalls. We just went from one great thing to the next.

Today we're off to see one last site near Amman, then prepare the five hour flight overnight to Delhi. We'll be sleepy but the jet lag will be much, much less with the adjustment to Jordan's time zone over the last week.

Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and the first few days of 2007---we certainly did.

Onward to India!

Day 1: Arrival in Jordan

2006-12-27T07:43:00.000-08:00

We had a smooth trip from Tuscaloosa to Jordan, over 24 hours in all. We had time to take the Tube into London and take a walk along the Thames. Just FYI, Boxing Day is a real holiday in England, everything's all "boxed up" for the day! It was nice to see the streets empty of the usual crush of traffic.

We arrived in Amman near midnight and were so happy to see our cousin Bill Thomas waiting for us after the Customs station. We all piled into his large SUV (including our 7 bags!) and headed home to their spacious apartment.

After a marathon sleeping session, we awoke at noon and have spent a fun day with Leslie, Gray and Natalie. The surprise of the day--snow! The foods in Jordan are delicious, especially the various breads. The Atkins Diet would fail miserably here.

We're eager to drive out to Mt. Nebo tomorrow. It's going to be a week of adventures in Jordan before beginning the major adventure in Delhi.

Happy Holidays!

Where's New Delhi??

2006-12-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

Here's a map of India so you can see where we're going. New Delhi is in the north of India, relatively close to Pakistan. Mumbai (Bombay) is a larger city but New Delhi is the capital. The weather is mild there now, about like Alabama, but will warm up rapidly during the time we're there.

2006-12-20T14:33:00.000-08:00

We'll miss our family!!

Ready, Set, Go!

2006-12-20T09:20:00.000-08:00

It's mid-December, exams are in full swing, Christmas-ness is swirling all around us, but the main thing on our minds is the TRIP TO INDIA!

Plans are just now falling into place--we're clearly operating on "Indian Time." Suddenly, we're departing on Dec. 25, not Dec. 26. This last minute planning and change of plans is good practice for us. We'll need to be very flexible over the next five months!