Dhobi Ghat - the world's largest outdoor laundry (Mumbai)
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
An unconventional Thanskgiving
Minh and Jake visited us for Thanksgiving so we celebrated by going to Mumbai where we had a Gujarati feast before going to the Ellora caves, which were built in the 7th and 8th century and depict Hindu, Jain and Buddhist carvings out of a hillside.
Dhobi Ghat - the world's largest outdoor laundry (Mumbai)
Dhobi Ghat - the world's largest outdoor laundry (Mumbai)
Goa
The Portuguese influence was quite remarkable still in the music that Goan people listen to, in addition to the architechture and the predominant religion (Catholic). However, there are still many Hindu temples beause it is India after all!
For my peeps that visited India and know firsthand how fun autorickshaws are - look! The ones in Goa have doors on both sides and a cuttle little ladder on the back.
 |
 |
| This was really impressive - the only ruins from this Portuguese church from 500+ years ago was this sturdy looking tower thing. |
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Pakistan border ceremony
I had no idea what to expect when I decided to go to check out the closing of the border ceremony at the India-Pakistan border outside Amritsar, known to many Indians as a “must-see.” The ceremony itself was underwhelming and cheesy, but the energy and comedy provided by the before and after were definitely memorable!
First, waiting in line for an hour to get a good seat, I noticed that Indians were policing themselves with line jumpers. This is unusual since usually these things go with “no problem” (one of the two most ubiquitous phrases in India, alongside “not working” – the pair make an interesting statement, eh?). But after waiting in a relatively peaceful and organized line, as soon as the gates opened, people rushed forward with so much intensity that I'd say it is probably in the top 3 most violent moments of my life.People were running, pushing and shoving, falling down and nearly trampling small kids. It was remarkable how quickly organization can be thrown into chaos. I will never understand why Indians are in such a rush to get on planes only to sit for a really long time, cram into temples to get their prayers in before God goes on His lunch break soon, or do other things in a hurry only to have no real benefit from the chaos involved. But that’s just the way it is.
In the middle of the stampede, we had to get “organized” in yet another line for security check. No bags were allowed, even the popcorn bags people bought while waiting in line. The military personnel yanked the bags from people’s hands (including a 2 year old) as we rushed through the PVC pipe “metal detectors”and threw them on the grass so that it was all littered with food. The 2 year old cried and reached for her beloved popcorn, but to no avail.
The main highlight is that the ceremony turned out to be a giant pep rally for India- Indians competing with the Pakastani visitors on the other side with how loud we could clap and chant "Long live India" and "Praise India." Our side blasted Bollywood hits on the sound system, all of which were patriotic in some way. A strange mean-looking man who looked like an Indian Hitler, complete with the mustache was our head cheerleader. I didn't see him crack a smile once. He would just point at us, point at his mouth, clap, and then point at the other side. Apparently we needed to be louder so the Pakastanis would hear who is better. Then, all of a sudden, loads of women and children from the stadium ran to the runway to dance to the music, apparently they were really pepped up. This giant dance party lasted for about 20 minutes. I was so confused and surprised, but it was hilarious. I’m pretty sure everyone on our side of the border, except for Indian Hitler, was smiling. Indians sure know how to have a good time.
First, waiting in line for an hour to get a good seat, I noticed that Indians were policing themselves with line jumpers. This is unusual since usually these things go with “no problem” (one of the two most ubiquitous phrases in India, alongside “not working” – the pair make an interesting statement, eh?). But after waiting in a relatively peaceful and organized line, as soon as the gates opened, people rushed forward with so much intensity that I'd say it is probably in the top 3 most violent moments of my life.People were running, pushing and shoving, falling down and nearly trampling small kids. It was remarkable how quickly organization can be thrown into chaos. I will never understand why Indians are in such a rush to get on planes only to sit for a really long time, cram into temples to get their prayers in before God goes on His lunch break soon, or do other things in a hurry only to have no real benefit from the chaos involved. But that’s just the way it is.
In the middle of the stampede, we had to get “organized” in yet another line for security check. No bags were allowed, even the popcorn bags people bought while waiting in line. The military personnel yanked the bags from people’s hands (including a 2 year old) as we rushed through the PVC pipe “metal detectors”and threw them on the grass so that it was all littered with food. The 2 year old cried and reached for her beloved popcorn, but to no avail.
The main highlight is that the ceremony turned out to be a giant pep rally for India- Indians competing with the Pakastani visitors on the other side with how loud we could clap and chant "Long live India" and "Praise India." Our side blasted Bollywood hits on the sound system, all of which were patriotic in some way. A strange mean-looking man who looked like an Indian Hitler, complete with the mustache was our head cheerleader. I didn't see him crack a smile once. He would just point at us, point at his mouth, clap, and then point at the other side. Apparently we needed to be louder so the Pakastanis would hear who is better. Then, all of a sudden, loads of women and children from the stadium ran to the runway to dance to the music, apparently they were really pepped up. This giant dance party lasted for about 20 minutes. I was so confused and surprised, but it was hilarious. I’m pretty sure everyone on our side of the border, except for Indian Hitler, was smiling. Indians sure know how to have a good time.
 |
| The crowd after the floodgates opened |
 |
| Cheesy flag running |
 |
| Bollywood dance party |
 |
| Dancing! |
Friday, November 19, 2010
Golden Temple
For me, this was one of the most anticipated sights in India. The Golden Temple in Amritsar is near the border of Pakistan. It was built in the 1500's and is literally covered in real gold. Like most things, the photos don't do it justice. It was one the most moving experiences.
Minh and I taking it all in. Head coverings were mandatory for men and women. We also had to wash our hands and feet before going in.
This adorable baby was being dragged around by her feet by her sister just seconds before I snapped this. She didn't seem to mind the dragging.
Minh and I taking it all in. Head coverings were mandatory for men and women. We also had to wash our hands and feet before going in.
This adorable baby was being dragged around by her feet by her sister just seconds before I snapped this. She didn't seem to mind the dragging.
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Obama visits Delhi
Through Dan's work at the Embassy School, we got invitations to a "meet and greet" with the President and Mrs. Obama during their visit to Delhi. We did not know how many people would be there and whether we would get a chance to shake his hand or have a photo opp. It turned out that about 300 people, mostly Embassy staff and Embassy schoolteachers and their families, were invited. We wanted to give him advice on how all sorts of stuff, but we had to stand in a line behind a rope and settle for a handshake.
I managed to shake both of the Obamas' hands, Dan got to shake the President's.
These precious children had some special visit time with the Prez.
Obama just about to shake Dan's hand
And just finishing shaking mine..(that's my arm with the bracelet)
I managed to shake both of the Obamas' hands, Dan got to shake the President's.
We were very close - just 5 rows of standing people behind the line.
Saturday, November 06, 2010
Friday, November 05, 2010
One man's mission to rid India of its dirtiest job
Even though manual scavenging was banned in India in 1993, thousands still perform the task of cleaning, by hand, human waste.
By Mian Ridge, Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
Alwar, India —
Usha Chaumar, a gregarious 40-something with an enormous grin, can pinpoint the exact day she stopped being one of the "untouchables," the Hindu caste that was supposedly abolished in 1950.
It was 2003, and Ms. Chaumar was on her way to work when Bindeshwar Pathak stopped her. She recalls being amazed that a "nicely dressed" man would even speak with someone like her: a manual scavenger. As such, it was her job to clean human waste, by hand, from homes that lack flushing toilets in this dusty town in the state of Rajasthan.
Usually, neighbors crossed the street when they saw her coming with the tools of her trade: a metal pan and wire brush. And even when she had finished her gut-churning work and scrubbed her body clean, she was treated as a pariah.
But Dr. Pathak asked her why she covered her face with her shawl and why she seemed ashamed to talk to him. At the time, Chaumar had no idea she was speaking to the man whose mission it was to end manual scavenging and who would eventually change her life.
Pathak founded an organization called Sulabh in 1970 to eradicate the practice by replacing unplumbed toilets with affordable flush ones, and by giving scavengers training for other jobs.
"Shopkeepers would drop the rice to me – they wouldn't touch me," Chaumar remembers, losing her smile for a moment. "And they made me put my money down, away from them. They threw water over it before taking it."
Today, she earns a living selling homemade pickles and embroidered cloths.
Manual scavenging was banned in India in 1993, by a law that forbids the construction of dry toilets and requires existing ones to be destroyed. But in India, such laws tend to be implemented slowly. There are thought to be several hundred thousand manual scavengers still working; a recent report found there were over 1,000 in Delhi alone.
Sulabh has built 1.2 million affordable hygienic toilets throughout India and helped 60,000 former manual scavengers move into other jobs.
All those jobs are held by members of the Valmiki community, a substratum of the Dalit caste – formerly known as untouchable – at the bottom of the ancient Hindu caste system. The term untouchable – along with, theoretically, the stigma attached to it – was made illegal by India's Constitution in 1950.
In Alwar, in 2003, Pathak set up a retraining program for the town's manual scavengers which has given more than 50 women vocational training. The center, where women learn to read and write, make clothes, and train as beauticians, is housed in a prosperous area of Alwar.
"At first they felt uncomfortable coming here, but we wanted to give them a different perspective," says Suman Chahar, who runs the center.
In one room, Lalita Nanda is making wicks for oil lamps in Hindu temples. The priests who buy them did not let Lalita into the temple until recently, she says, smiling.
One of the first things Pathak did with Alwar's scavengers was usher them into the town's biggest Hindu temple. He also took a group out to dinner at the Maurya Sheraton, a five-star hotel in Delhi.
The manager was so appalled he tried to stop the women entering. Pathak promised to pay for anything that was broken or stolen; nothing, of course, was; and as the party left, the manager apologized to them.
Sulabh's transformation of manual scavengers would not be possible without the other part of its work, the development of cheap hygienic toilet technology.
"The toilet is a tool of social change," declares Pathak, who defies the stereotype of the scruffy Gandhian activist dressed in rough-spun cotton. He is wearing, instead, a starched white pajama suit with a smart jacket; his hair is dyed black, and he wears a fine gold ring.
Born into a family of Brahmins – the highest of all the castes - in a village in Bihar, Pathak remembers, as a little boy, being intrigued by the notion that the ordinary-looking woman who sold kitchen utensils to his family could be "untouchable."
"So I touched her," he says, "Just to see. And my grandmother made me drink a mixture of cow urine, cow dung, and Ganges water." That combination is meant as both cleanser and punishment.
Later, Pathak joined a committee established to celebrate the centennial of Mahatma Gandhi's birth. During this period he was struck by what Mr. Gandhi had said about scavengers: "I may not be born again, but if it happens I will like to be born into a family of scavengers, so that I may relieve them of the inhuman, unhealthy, and hateful practice of carrying night soil."
Curious, Pathak went to live in a community of scavengers for three months. At this point, he says, he was not yet inspired by their cause. But two experiences changed this.
The first, he says, was when he saw a newly married girl being forced by her mother-in-law to clean human waste by hand. "I can't describe how awful her crying was," he says. The second was when he saw a small boy being attacked by a bull. People rushed to save him, but when someone cried out that he came from the Valamiki caste, they left him, and he was killed.
"These things still happen," says Pathak. "But we have everything we need to change things. It is so, so simple, if people only have the will."
Even though manual scavenging was banned in India in 1993, thousands still perform the task of cleaning, by hand, human waste.
By Mian Ridge, Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
Alwar, India —
Usha Chaumar, a gregarious 40-something with an enormous grin, can pinpoint the exact day she stopped being one of the "untouchables," the Hindu caste that was supposedly abolished in 1950.
It was 2003, and Ms. Chaumar was on her way to work when Bindeshwar Pathak stopped her. She recalls being amazed that a "nicely dressed" man would even speak with someone like her: a manual scavenger. As such, it was her job to clean human waste, by hand, from homes that lack flushing toilets in this dusty town in the state of Rajasthan.
Usually, neighbors crossed the street when they saw her coming with the tools of her trade: a metal pan and wire brush. And even when she had finished her gut-churning work and scrubbed her body clean, she was treated as a pariah.
But Dr. Pathak asked her why she covered her face with her shawl and why she seemed ashamed to talk to him. At the time, Chaumar had no idea she was speaking to the man whose mission it was to end manual scavenging and who would eventually change her life.
Pathak founded an organization called Sulabh in 1970 to eradicate the practice by replacing unplumbed toilets with affordable flush ones, and by giving scavengers training for other jobs.
"Shopkeepers would drop the rice to me – they wouldn't touch me," Chaumar remembers, losing her smile for a moment. "And they made me put my money down, away from them. They threw water over it before taking it."
Today, she earns a living selling homemade pickles and embroidered cloths.
Manual scavenging was banned in India in 1993, by a law that forbids the construction of dry toilets and requires existing ones to be destroyed. But in India, such laws tend to be implemented slowly. There are thought to be several hundred thousand manual scavengers still working; a recent report found there were over 1,000 in Delhi alone.
Sulabh has built 1.2 million affordable hygienic toilets throughout India and helped 60,000 former manual scavengers move into other jobs.
All those jobs are held by members of the Valmiki community, a substratum of the Dalit caste – formerly known as untouchable – at the bottom of the ancient Hindu caste system. The term untouchable – along with, theoretically, the stigma attached to it – was made illegal by India's Constitution in 1950.
In Alwar, in 2003, Pathak set up a retraining program for the town's manual scavengers which has given more than 50 women vocational training. The center, where women learn to read and write, make clothes, and train as beauticians, is housed in a prosperous area of Alwar.
"At first they felt uncomfortable coming here, but we wanted to give them a different perspective," says Suman Chahar, who runs the center.
In one room, Lalita Nanda is making wicks for oil lamps in Hindu temples. The priests who buy them did not let Lalita into the temple until recently, she says, smiling.
One of the first things Pathak did with Alwar's scavengers was usher them into the town's biggest Hindu temple. He also took a group out to dinner at the Maurya Sheraton, a five-star hotel in Delhi.
The manager was so appalled he tried to stop the women entering. Pathak promised to pay for anything that was broken or stolen; nothing, of course, was; and as the party left, the manager apologized to them.
Sulabh's transformation of manual scavengers would not be possible without the other part of its work, the development of cheap hygienic toilet technology.
"The toilet is a tool of social change," declares Pathak, who defies the stereotype of the scruffy Gandhian activist dressed in rough-spun cotton. He is wearing, instead, a starched white pajama suit with a smart jacket; his hair is dyed black, and he wears a fine gold ring.
Born into a family of Brahmins – the highest of all the castes - in a village in Bihar, Pathak remembers, as a little boy, being intrigued by the notion that the ordinary-looking woman who sold kitchen utensils to his family could be "untouchable."
"So I touched her," he says, "Just to see. And my grandmother made me drink a mixture of cow urine, cow dung, and Ganges water." That combination is meant as both cleanser and punishment.
Later, Pathak joined a committee established to celebrate the centennial of Mahatma Gandhi's birth. During this period he was struck by what Mr. Gandhi had said about scavengers: "I may not be born again, but if it happens I will like to be born into a family of scavengers, so that I may relieve them of the inhuman, unhealthy, and hateful practice of carrying night soil."
Curious, Pathak went to live in a community of scavengers for three months. At this point, he says, he was not yet inspired by their cause. But two experiences changed this.
The first, he says, was when he saw a newly married girl being forced by her mother-in-law to clean human waste by hand. "I can't describe how awful her crying was," he says. The second was when he saw a small boy being attacked by a bull. People rushed to save him, but when someone cried out that he came from the Valamiki caste, they left him, and he was killed.
"These things still happen," says Pathak. "But we have everything we need to change things. It is so, so simple, if people only have the will."
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary
Outside Delhi. I was a little more interested in the other wildlife here.
But Dan likes the birds:
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Inga and Julia visit us in India!
We could not have been more thrilled to host Julia and Inga on their first trip to India. In 2 weeks, we did so many fun things including finding a cockroach in our food, jumping onto a moving local train, getting into a fender bender, driving an autorickshaw (unrelated to previous item), bargaining like champs, meeting the most wacked out bartender in Kerala, and battling a bat and unfounded fears of dengue fever in our houseboat.
Many more better quality photos can be found here
 |
| Red fort |
 |
| Inga piques the interest of these young men |
 |
| Qutub Minar |
 |
| Arriving in Kochin, Kerala for an awesome Ambassador car journey |
 |
| Chinese Fishing Nets, Kerala |
 |
| That is a lot of ginger! |
 |
| Houseboat! Coconut water out of a coconut! |
 |
| Dan steers the houseboat |
 |
| Lots of variety in the banana department! |
 |
| Chennai temple |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)