India Reflections

So now my four years in India are over. I've met such wonderful, warm people, both at school and within communities around the country. I've had the opportunity to experience glimpses all over "Incredible India" –from the temples and churches of Tamil Nadu to the lush coconut backwaters of Kerala, to the deserts & fortresses of Rajasthan to the snowy mountains of Kashmir. I've been fortunate to have witnessed a variety of handicrafts being made. It never ceases to amaze me how India's artisans are able to transform simple threads into masterpieces; zardosi, silk saris, bandini tie dyeing, ikat weaving, and endless types of embroidery. Such a rich artistic heritage. Reflecting back though, I would have to say that India's greatest wealth is its people. I will miss the many citizens of India who were my colleagues for four years, as well as the many others I have met while living and traveling in the incredibly diverse subcontinent.

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Ponki and other Kolu Dolls

For the festival of Navartiri in South India, each state has a different type of doll. For example in Andhra Pradesh, dolls of village life and deities are made of soft wood and are known as Poniki wood dolls. In the city of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, the delightful Tanjore dancing dolls move their heads and waists as any proper bobblehead would. Dolls in Rajasthan are made of colorful cloth and wood. In Karnataka near Bangalore, colorful wooden dolls are made, some depicting life in a village.

Above is an example of a Poniki wooden toy made in Andhra Pradesh.

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Education: Extra Obstacles for Indian Girls

Girls in India, particularly in rural India, face extra obstacles that make it not only challenging to go to school, but to stay in school. Rural families, unable to afford the cost of educating all their children, choose to send their sons instead. For those girls that do make it to school, puberty brings with it extra problems. In many schools, toilets are either dysfunctional, inadequate in terms of numbers, lack water, lack privacy, or don't exist at all. In a survey of 80 schools  conducted of a district in the state of Andhra Pradesh (north of Tamil Nadu), 52 had no drinking water facilities, 57 had no toilets, and five had toilets but without doors or water. In the latter case, children had to use the open space behind the school, and since that was used by boys, social norms meant that girls did not feel comfortable using the same space. Girls sometimes deliberately dehydrated themselves to avoid relieving themselves at school. For those living in dormitories also without adequate facilities, girls sometimes skip the evening meal hoping to avoid going out in the dark and defecating.

When such basic needs are not being met, how can we expect India's girls to stay in school, particularly for those whose home issues already makes it challenging? 

Last year, our elementary school's Roots & Shoots program raised money to build toilet facilities at several schools in Tamil Nadu.

Note: More information from the survey can be found in the Hindu Newspaper, Dec. 12, 2010.

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Get your Peanuts!

Like the country itself, there's always something going on in Indian trains. Here we have a photo of a woman selling nuts and small bags of fruit. She hopped on during a stop at one village and quickly made her way through the cars, announcing the contents of her basket balanced expertly on her head. Still other vendors walked by the open (glass-less) windows of the train, exchanging bags of water, fruit, and snacks with passengers through the window. 

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Charminar, Hyderabad

The next morning, having showered (shared a bathroom with pigeons) and eaten at the hospital’s canteen, I took a public bus down to Charminar, located in the heart of Hyderabad’s old city. My first destination was the building of Charminar, a triumphal arch now Hyderabad’s city symbol. It was built in 1591 to commemorate the elimination of the plague in Hyderabad. As its name suggests, Charminar has four minarets, each 56 m (184 ft) high. There was a mosque on the roof, but it is no longer being used. The surface of the structure is slightly yellow in color, having gotten its color from a special stucco made from marble powder, gram, and egg yolk. Massive arches occupy most of the bottom area, each about 11 m (36 feet) high. Above the arch on each side is a clock, installed in 1889. Looking through the arches, I could see free-standing arch structures a short distance up each of the four streets. I tried to imagine what the streets going through these arches must have looked like hundreds of years ago, once being royal streets. Perhaps some of the same items were being sold, transactions occurring much like today. The area back then was likely still a gathering place.

Ascending the winding, narrow stairs up the tower, I had great views of the streets that passed through it. On one side, hordes of autorickshaws clustered together. The Mecca Masjid was within easy sight, with pigeons regularly ascending and descending onto the structure and its pool. Off other sides, I could see bazaars, streets specializing in pearls, and another with produce. Looking through the small arches of the structure afforded different views. Light streamed in from the large arches below, illuminating the pigeons that had gathered along the ledges of the opening. A few pigeons rested on top of the head of a relief dragon-like creature carved along with some Arabic writing. On the round ceiling above, a circular relief design echoed the graceful, ornamental look of the structure.
Next I walked down Lad Bazaar, one of the oldest streets in Hyderabad. It is the place to go if preparing for a Hyderabad marriage. Here you can find jewelry, spices, clothes, copper kettles, trimming for wedding dresses, and more. At 10 am, things were pretty quiet yet, many stores not yet open. Walking farther, I reached Mahboob Chowk, a market square featuring a mosque and Victorian clocktower. I continued to wander through the streets, watching Muslim men making lac bangles (including very sparkly ones that took 1-2 days and were made for weddings), a man making kites, stores selling burquas, pearl shops, dental booths promoting creation of dentures, and stores selling gorgeous saris.

While walking towards the bus station, a man on a tricycle pulling an empty flat cart approached me and asked if I could take his photo. So thankful, he insisted that I ride on his cart to the bus station. Riding on the cart afforded me a unique view of the now-bustling market streets. People waved to me and said hi as they passed by on their motorcycles and bikes. Out of the back of a crammed autorickshaw popped the heads of several women in burquas, also sharing their greetings. One Muslim woman on the back of a motorcycle pulled out her cell phone and began recording the scene.

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Golconda Fort, Hyderabad

Although the light was fading, we went to our final destination, the Golconda Fort. Located about 11 km (6 miles) west of Hyderabad, it took a while to get through the traffic to reach the fort. Once the capital of the seven Qutb Shahhi kings who ruled from 1518 through the end of the 16^th century before the court moved to Hyderabad, Golconda is quite large. We had a short time to explore the complex, so I decided to head up to the top, up its many stairs. The guidebook stated that the fort is one of the best-preserved forts in India, but I couldn’t really see this from the part I visited. You could still see portions of the wall, once 18 m (60 ft) high. On the way up we passed a Hindu temple that had a painting on a rock of the goddess Kalli. We also passed by some rainwater collection pools (now dilapidated and/or full of garbage), the mosque of Ibrahim Qutb Shah, and the three-storey Durbar Hall located on the top. From here I had a great view of Hyderabad and the setting sun. The walls of the building were scrawled with people’s names. Several people asked if they could take a family picture with me in it. Now I was the celebrity…

That evening the two eye doctors and I visited a pretty Hindu temple located high on a hill. To get up there, we ascended steps which were bordered on both sides by booths selling religious items, cheap Chinese trinkets, bangles, pearls, and more. Like all Hindu temples, we had to remove our shoes. Here we also had to turn in our cell phones, cameras, and other items. Ascending marble stairs, we joined the queue snaking around the temple. This temple seemed to be a mixture of Hindu temples found in various states; a gopuram seen in Tamil Nadu, a more plain Andhra style, A bit of Jain elements, and still another similar to what I saw in Orissa.

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Sudha Car Museum - That's Some Car!

We then visited the Sudha Car Museum, which prided itself on its eclectic handmade vehicles, including the world’s largest tricycle. A worker from the museum (the first and only handmade wacky car museum in the world) gave us a short tour, explaining what some of the vehicles were – all labors of creative dedication by K Sudhakar. Within the sheds, one could see dune buggies, modified cards, and really wacky vehicles such as a cup & saucer car, computer car, one in the shape of a bed, soccer ball, camera, lotus pond – and even a condom!

Our next destination was the Nehru Zoo Park. Too bad it wasn’t Monday (when it is closed). Thankfully it was only a 20 rupee entrance fee. The grounds were mainly picnic spots for locals. The color black was the dominant clothing color, worn by most Muslim women in the form of burquas. Despite the sign prohibiting plastic, picnic-goers carried much of their items in plastic. Bags tumbled about in the light breeze. We all took a rickety zoo train that chugged along and toured some of the zoo. Not many animals were to be seen though.

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Hyderabad City Tour - Nizam's Museum, Salarjung Museum, Chow Mohalla

Boarding a green bus that looked like a caterpillar (along with antennas), we began our city tour. As usual, I was the only non-Indian. One of the first places we visited was Nizam’s Museum, a sprawling 19th century Neo-Classical complex of buildings once the main residence of the 6th Nizam (ruler). The exterior of the buildings were in need of restoration. Herded to the far end of the main building, we then went inside where we saw the Nizam’s gigantic wooden wardrobe – a 73 square meter (786 sq feet) room with two levels of closets and a mechanical elevator. In addition to the large wardrobe collection, silver objects (many of buildings and maps given to the Nizam for the silver jubilee), china, and photos were displayed.

We also toured the Salarjung Museum, which contained an eclectic collection of over 40,000 objects once belonging to Hyderabad’s Prime Minister (1899-1949). Some of the items were quite beautiful (and likely expensive), while other items bordered on being kitsch. In a large open room, people sat in rows of seats, waiting for a clock to chime the hour and display its animation. I particularly liked some of the marble sculptures (European), Indian bronze sculptures, and miniature paintings such as those I saw in Udaipur. Once again we were not given enough time to truly see and appreciate the massive collection.

Moving onward, we visited the Chow Mohalla Palace. Designed in a mixture of Mogul and European style, the palace was built in several phases between 1750 and 1869. A beautiful garden surrounds the complex. In one section, a large pool reflects the classical style yellow building. Fountains spout in other areas. The Durbar Hall was particularly beautiful, with its huge glass chandeliers imported from Belgium, tall ceiling, white marble floors, columns, and walls also containing white and golden marble, topped with decorative flourishes. The Chow Mohalla Palace gives people an idea of the opulence once enjoyed by the Nizams.

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Hyderabad - Arrival

This is the first of several postings pertaining to my short trip to Hyderabad and on to Agra.

After a pleasant overnight train, I arrived in Andhra Pradesh's capital city of  a bit ahead of schedule. While waiting for a doctor friend (whom I met while traveling in Vizag) to arrive, I took in the scenes before me. Probably around 70°F (21°C), many of the locals were dressed for winter. Many had on the striped caps I so enjoyed seeing in Chennai. Others had on stocking caps. Earmuffs were also very common. Babies were snuggled in fleece sleepers. Some women had on winter jackets over their saris. As in any public place, autorickshaw drivers flooded the area, descending upon people as they stepped out of the train or past the exit. Taking an uncrowded local bus (which was much nicer than most I’ve ridden in Chennai), we arrived at the grounds of the public eye hospital my friend worked at. I was to stay in the guesthouse there. After washing up, we headed out to get some south Indian breakfast, accompanied by a doctor from Orissa who was there for training. We signed up for a local tour of Hyderabad, which would take the latter part of the morning and to the evening.

Hyderabad’s nearly equal proportion of Muslim and Hindu residents was immediately apparent – so very different than Chennai. Mosques, far from being rarities tucked in a few places as in Chennai, dominated the skyline. A large number of women wore burquas and hijabs. Saris were also present, but not nearly as prevalent. White caps of Muslims were perhaps even more noticed than the forehead markings of Hindus. Signs were often marked in Telegu (local language of Andhra Pradesh), Arabic, Hindu, and English. In Chennai, one would typically see Tamil and English.

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The People of Vizag Fishing Harbor

Passing by the grounded submarine which the city claimed and then turned into a museum, we went to what would be our final destination – a boat ride from the fishing harbor. Nearing the area, I noticed tiny dried fish lining the edges of the paved road. Vehicles, apparently used to this practice, simply moved closer to the center of the road or swerved to avoid running over the fish. Turning into the harbor road, I was greeted with a sight that caught my eye and a smell that turned off all the Indians in our car. Yes, the smell of fish was quite overpowering, but I didn’t care. What I saw were “real” people with wizened faces, triple-pierced noses, and scarves amidst large piles and baskets of dried fish. The scene was a bustle of activity, people laboring much the way they probably did a hundred years ago. I intended to head back to this place when the others in the car did the boat ride. Alas, between the 60 rupee ($1.28) fee and strong fishy smell, no one was interested in taking the boat ride. Sadly the car once again drove past the fish workers. Upon hearing that the tour had ended albeit nearly 3 hours early (several museums were closed due to holiday), I asked the guide to take me back to the fishing harbor. I could tell that the driver and guide were a bit impatient, but I was determined to spend at least a few minutes here, a scene so rich in photo documentary possibilities. Between meeting the people, witnessing their excitement as they saw photos of themselves, and being offered a stogie by a woman (of which I politely refused), this was my favorite part of the entire Vizag tour.

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Rushikonda Beach, Vizag

After lunch at a hotel overlooking the beach, we had about half an hour to spend at the Rushikonda Beach. It was quite a bit cleaner than the ones in Chennai and would have been a good spot to enjoy. Not having swim clothes, I just pulled up my pants legs and walked in a bit. Women walked in with their saris, enjoying the time with their children. Men and boys went in with their boxing shorts. The water was nearly the temperature of a bath. Standing in one place, at times I was on wet sand, then shallow water, and suddenly the water was close to my knees. I was surprised that there weren’t more tourists here, but perhaps it wasn’t the right season yet. I can imagine that the area would be good for water sports. After posing for several photographs with a group of people, I decided I had enough sun and went towards the fishing boats. Here, a man was busy repairing nets. Running a span of the beach were some stalls selling hideous sea shell crafts, many incorporating Hindu gods. Nothing even remotely appealed to me. Once again I was asked to pose with some young people, as they eagerly took a number of photos with their cell phones. Such a celebrity this red head is getting to be!

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Thotlakonda, Bhuddhist Complex

Our next destination was Thotlakonda, a Buddhist complex 16 km from Vizag. Also on a hill, the complex which was active between 200 BC and 200 AD offered beautiful views of the sea and surrounding hills. Although there wasn’t a whole lot left to see, I can imagine how tranquil it must have been for the Buddhist monks who meditated here and visiting monks who came from as far away as China and Burma. One could see foundations of a kitchen, tiny dormitory rooms, stone-cut troughs, stupas, a dining hall, and eleven rainwater tanks. Destroyed by Hindus, the site was rediscovered recently via an aerial survey and excavated in the late 1980’s and early 90’s.

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Kailasagiri, Vizag

Located on one of the main hills overlooking Vizag is Kailasagiri. From here, one has a panoramic view of natural harbor of Vizag, the sprawling city, and bay. Well maintained with plenty of shade trees, grassy areas, flowers, and well-manicured shrubs, this would be a great spot for picnic. In our short amount of time, we took the rope car down for a pretty (but similar) view, walked around a bit of the area, and admired the 40 meter high white statues of Shiva and Parvathi. I would have liked to walk through the park a bit more but didn’t want to be late back at the vehicle. It turned out that I would have had plenty of time, as the others slowly wandered back over 20 minutes late – grrr.

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Simhachalam Temple, Andhra Pradesh

The next day I took the Vizag Heritage Tour. The first destination was the Simhachalam Temple, located on a picturesque tree-covered hill known as “Lion’s Hill” about 16 km away from the city. This Hindu temple is dedicated to Lord Varaha Narasimha, an incarnation of Vishnu. According to several Internet sources, it is the second richest temple (after Tirpati) in India. It is also Andhra Pradesh’s most famous temple and is a common pilgrimage for devotees. The newer entrance tower was painted white and was in a similar style to the gopurams of Tamil Nadu. The real treasure was the ancient temple, constructed some time in the 9^th or 10^th century. The place was abuzz with people, many of whom had just-shaved heads. Women were selling orange petals. In the parking area, one could choose from a plethora of religious trinkets, snacks, and cheap Chinese toys.

After placing my sandals in the holding slot (shoes are prohibited in temples), I walked towards the stone temple. Lion-like figures formed the columns, lined up in a row. The surface of the temple was covered with mythical creatures, men doing heroic deeds, dancing figures, and a central boar-like headed creature named Vamana. The morning sunlight cast itself right on a smooth column containing inscriptions of ancient-looking writing that probably was in Telugu. Next to it, people were giving doing pujas to a bull figure, offering flowers, bananas, incense, and coconut. I would have liked to have stayed to admire the scene and the beautiful exterior of the temple, but the tour guide ushered me through a gate in order to see the interior. There were two lines – one free (which had a long slow-moving line), and the other paid. Different ceremonies were going on inside. I passed by the sacred statue of the main deity covered in sandalwood paste that is revealed in its true form only 12 hours of the year, but didn’t understand its significance. I was also allowed to enter a tiny temple in which a Lingam was placed in the middle and worship underway. I preferred watching briefly through an open door, decorated with hanging garlands of marigolds. Next to that was a large circular open-air thatched structure with a short wall. Inside were several calves, each with a brightly beaded necklace.

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Araku Valley Tour

The bus took us to our first destination, the Tribal Museum. The spiral walkway inside the small museum took us past diorama type displays of life-sized tribal people, tribal tools. jewelry, and musical instruments. The bus then ushered us to a rather disappointing botanical garden with a toy train, and then to a hotel for lunch. After a traditional South Indian meal eaten with our fingers, we went outside and watched a Dhimsa dance performed by one of the 17 indigenous tribes of the region. It was rather challenging photographing the dance, as the women dancers wove in and out, abruptly changed directions, and alternated between full height and nearly crouching. Capturing the faces of the fast-paced tribal women was further complicated by the tourists who joined in the dance.

Moving onward, we stopped at a scenic vista to absorb the view of the valley and then drove past coffee plantations along the steep sides of the road. The yet-unripe coffee was shaded by trees. Was this co-existence needed for the coffee or was it simply a way of maximizing land use with multiple crops? Also present were groves of cashew nut trees. Located about 29 km from the Araku Valley were the Borra Caves. One of the largest and deepest caves in the country (80 m depth), the opening of the cave was impressively wide. A paved path and well-maintained series of steps led visitors through the cave, with its varied sizes of stalactites and stalagmites illuminated by carefully spaced lights. Contrary to most caves I’ve been in, the temperature inside wasn’t noticeably cooler.  With several minutes to spare, I sat on a plastic chair and enjoyed the picturesque valley with its fast-moving stream below.

With the light quickly fading, we boarded the bus once again and headed towards Vizag. Considering the severe turns, narrow road and size of the bus, the driver moved at a rather fast pace through the mountain roads. At around 8pm, we finally were back to Vizag. It had been a long, but enjoyable day.

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Train Ride to the Araku Valley

While it was still dark, I got dressed, took an auto rickshaw, and arrived at the train station with time to spare. At 6am, the train would depart for the Araku Valley, a hill station about 115 km away from Vizag and located close to the border with Orissa. With an elevation of between 600 and 900 meters above sea level, this hill station of the Eastern Ghats lures visitors with its scenic beauty and pleasant climate.

I had been told by others who had taken the trip that the ride to the valley was a treat in itself, and they were right. Through the open windows of the train, one could see the lush landscape of Andhra Pradesh. For the first couple of hours, the terrain was quite flat, dominated by rice paddies, palm trees, and fields of millet. Abruptly, the train began to climb. On one side of the train one could see the tree-covered hills and valley below. The view on the other side was mostly obscured by the stone hill around which the train tracked hugged. We passed through the first of many tunnels somewhere around 46 in all. From another train car we could hear the excited screams of schoolchildren as the length of the tunnel blocked out all light. A few tunnels after, the tour guide in our car turned off the light inside the train car, making everything totally dark. Occasionally a small waterfall cascaded down the rock surface. Once in a while things opened up and one could see the landscape from both sides of the train. Trees of the nearby hills were a dark green, while the distant ones were shrouded in atmospheric haze. Rivers and streams accented the green land. Pockets of terraced plots dotted the hills, eeking out available farming land. Hampered by the bars across the windows, some began standing next to the open train doors, really taking in the scenery. I also did this for a while, admiring the unfettered view. A few times the train stopped at small stations. Women balancing wide squat woven baskets on their heads emerged on the train, selling snacks and fruit. Young men carried their metal pots of coffee and chai, pouring the hot sweet liquid into small plastic cups for customers. 

Between the scenic ride and conversations with the pleasant Indian eye surgeon sitting next to me, the time went by quickly; I could have gone on for a while. Alas, we were at the last station, with the tourism busses waiting for us.

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Diwali Celebration in the Streets of Vizag

Much as in Chennai, the people of Vizag celebrated Diwali with plenty of firecrakers and fireworks. While the lead-up to Diwali included lots of bangs and lights, this night sounded more like a war zone. Looking outside the balcony of my hotel, I could see children in a neighboring house carefully lighting the small clay lamps – a tranquil scene amidst the chaos. Knowing that sleep was impossible, I grabbed my camera and headed outside.

Despite the dim street lights, the street was rather lit up. Firecrackers were lit and set off on the roads and side streets. Fireworks boomed above. Sparklers illuminated the faces of jovial young people. The noise was rather deafening. Even in the night, I drew attention. People eagerly lit one sparkler after another, with others crowding around them to be in the picture. Giggles emerged as I showed them the camera’s LCD. People excitedly encouraged family members inside the house to come out to be in the picture.  Some even invited me for dinner, but I replied that I had already eaten (which was true).  Finally, after midnight things calmed down a bit, enough that I was able to go back to the hotel and use the air conditioner to drown out some of the remaining noise. Looking out the window, I could still see brief bursts of light. Some terracotta lamps still glowed – a peaceful symbol I tried to focus on as I went to bed.

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Train Ride to Vizag

Safely aboard the Howrah Express Mail Train bound northward towards Vizag, I settled into my berth in the 2-tier AC sleeper car. Ah, this was so much better than the non-AC 3-tier traveling that we had done in Rajasthan; no desert sands spewing in, a climate-controlled environment, less people, and even a pillow and bed sheets provided! Checking out the bathrooms, I was pleased to see a fairly clean (by Indian standards) Western toilet with toilet paper – a big step from the scary toilets in the 2^nd-class non-AC trains we previously took! I turned on my iPod, hoping that the music would drown out the cell phone talking by the two men in the upper bunks, one of who switched between two phones.

The train rocked back and forth during the night, crossing the Tamil Nadu border and into Andhra Pradesh. Every once in a while the train would stop, rather briefly in small villages and longer at larger stations. Dawn revealed a serene landscape, the soft glow of the emerging sun behind the fog rolling over the paddy fields. Palm trees silhouetted against the increasingly warm-colored sky. Already in early morning, farmers were out in the fields, with rice being the dominant crop. The train tracks went past thatched huts with cows in the yard and mounded piles of hay in the fields. Men bathed in rivers and pools of water. Women washed clothes by hand in the rivers, laying out the cloth on the nearby fields.

Soon the vendors began walking through the aisles of the moving train, calling out chai, coffee, omelet, and other Indian breakfast items. As the train continued northward, it relieved itself of more passengers, with a few boarding. Finally, around 1pm, we arrived at the railway station of Vizag, otherwise known as Visakhaptnam.

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