Reflections on Delhi

As we leave Delhi for other parts of India, I leave with the following…
India is now engaged in national debates about several critical issues, and from all accounts they seem to be attacking them with great enthusiasm.
At the end of a panel discussion on religion, a conversation between panelists became quickly animated when a person representing one faith tradition tried to tell the group what another person’s faith tradition was provided for exactly in India’s constitution. They were both quoting lines from the constitution and had absolute faith the constitution held the answers for their bigger philosophical questions. I was impressed by that kind of faith in a political document. This was not the first mention of what was and wasn’t allowed for in the constitution, which I found quite interesting.
Indian food still rocks my world, and is definitely one of world’s most interesting and delicious cuisines. In addition to several great meals along the way, I had a one GREAT meal one evening with a friend who is a R2I (returned to India) who was a former Iowa City resident. We had a 10 course tasting menu that scored 10 out 10. We both voted the dessert, KULFI, an almond ice cream, as our favorite, although the mutton and stuffed shrimp and tamarind sauce were all high up on my list.
The Delhi Disco, that unconscious way Delhi residents have of moving through the traffic and living to tell about it, is quite a fascinating dance. All the Americans had a very difficult time moving through the traffic, as our rhythms simply didn’t match theirs.
China Mention Count: I noticed early on, way back in Madison, that India sees China as the guy to beat. I started to keep track of how often lecturers would mention India’s superiority, or inevitable superiority, to China, and it was amusing. People from such varied disciplines as dance and political science had much to say about China’s even demise, although I’m not ready to count them out yet!
The word SECULAR in India means equal respect for all religions, but the word SECULAR outside of India means not following a religious tradition. That semantic difference says a lot about the extent to which Indians are exposed to various spiritual practices, I think
John Galbraith’s quote will end our time in Delhi: “Whatever you say about India is true, but the opposite is also true.”

Religiousity

What can I relate that is meaningful about the panoply of religions that India hosts? The most meaningful word is diversity. I’ve never studied world religions much, so much of the information on Jainism, Sikhs, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism was new to me. One interesting statistic: India is the 2nd highest concentration of Muslims in the world, second only to Indonesia. We in the West tend to assume Middle Eastern countries win that competition, but not so. Here’s my conclusion about all these religions in one country after visiting several of their houses of worship, and attending several lectures and a panel discussion about religion: India is remarkable in its ability to have all these religions co-exist peacefully to the extent they do. Also, the more I heard about the tenets of their faiths, their holy books, etc., the more confused I got. I finally came to the conclusion that perhaps I was unable to sort it all out because (a) I’m a little addle brained in general, (b) the jet lag lack of sleep is fogging up my grey matter, or (c) there is so much overlap between their spiritual beliefs that I heard the same information several times applied to several of the religions. I chose (c) and felt much better about myself. Indeed, many, not all, but many of tenets of faith I heard could have easily come out of the mouths of the Sisters of Mercy who were my Catechism mentors so many years ago. Food for thought. However, I did think it might be fun to award some prizes, so here goes:
Best iconography: Hands down, the Hindu deities are the most fun to check out. Who doesn’t love elephant trunks, 8 armed goddesses, and 3 headed gods?
Best signage: Sikhs. They put a flag at the top of their houses of worship, and it’s a life saver for those of who haven’t learned the exterior architectural clues that would help us in identify. Way to go.
Best threads: Well, that’s a hard one. There are lots of great clothes associated with these spiritual practices (that’s one thing I learned, not all are religions, and Indians prefer to be accurate by calling all spiritual practices. Don’t ask me which are and aren’t, I’d have to look at my notes, and I can’t really trust them all the time.) The Sikhs have those great turbans, and in many colors. The prayer caps for the Muslim men are cool, and the golden or crimson saffron robes of the Buddhists are fantastic colors. I have to declare a 3-way tie on that one.
Good works: I know I am still very ignorant about all these spiritual practices have to offer, but the Sikhs have an open house in Delhi that feeds anyone who comes in a free meal. ANYONE. They feed over 1,000 people/day, and I find that pretty impressive, so kudos for the mega soup kitchen.
Most Inclusive: Jainists are the winners. They accept everyone. EVERY ONE. They are like the Unitarians of the Eastern Traditions; anything goes, and it’s all cool. I’m a fan of the concept.

Best Dancers: The Sufis, of course. I’m still hoping to see a whirling dervish demo before I leave the country… Stay tuned!
Most gorgeous edifices: This is a tough one, because quite frankly, they all have beautiful things to see. However, I’m a huge fan of floral and geometric designs, and the House of Islam is all over it. Add to that the gorgeous script of Arabic on the walls, etc., and tilework to die for, and the winners have to be the Muslims.
That’s it, and I hope if anyone disagrees, they’ll let me know who THEY would have picked, and why. Remember though, it’s MY competition, and so you know who gets to be right, right?
Today’s Hindu deity story should be about the wonderful Parvati, because you’ve already met the other 2 members of her family, Shiva, and her son, Ganesha. Parvati is also known as Uma, Guari, and Shakti, but that’s all a bit much for our purposes. There’s a great love story here…. Parvati fell in love with Lord Shiva, but Shiva was playing hard to get. She visited Shiva’s cave every day, filling it with flowers and fruits, but he wouldn’t even look at her. Finally, she figured out two could play that game. She retreated to the forest and went into a meditative state that generated so much energy he was drawn out of his cave and into her arms. Isn’t that sweet? Look for the lotus blossom in the hands and at the feet of Parvati.

It's too darn hot

I must devote a blog in testamnt of bubbling inferno called Delhi in July. I need more intense words to describe Delhi heat, but actually, heat’s not a concept you can describe anyway, you have to experience it, so let me give you an example of how hot it is. (110 degrees F says something, but again, I’m looking for some tangible translation for you.) One day we were walking around Old Delhi, trying not to get run over as we walked in the street, and I reached into my bag to take out my camera. When I withdrew my fingers, they seemed to be filled with chocolate. Now almost everyone reading this blog knows that it’s very probable that I would have a bar of chocolate in my bag, and it wouldn’t be surprising to think it melted in 110 degree weather. However, it wasn’t chocolate, it was a hard Werther’s caramel that had succumbed to the heat and was reduced to a liquid state. That’s the kind of intensity I’m talking about.
How hot is it? It’s so hot the government postponed the opening of Delhi’s schools for another week in hopes the monsoons would come and cool it off.
It’s so hot that today an Indian woman told us not to walk outside, just before we proceed to do a forced march for about 20 minutes in the sun.
If you know the expression “Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday Sun” (Noel Coward lyric maybe), I think he must have been writing about Delhi. I’m an Iowa native, so I know what hot feels like. This is NOT hot, this is simply beyond the pale. And it’s just not heat. It’s humidity, it’s smog, and an unrelenting sun (don’t they have any clouds around here?). Here’s the ultimate question regarding the heat: What crazy person invented the sari for women who have to live in this heat? Ok, there’s a little open skin between the short bodice and the waist, but there are yards of material, and draping here and there, and it’s a miracle Indian women aren’t seen dropping like flies as a result. Also, I think all Muslim women should get a dispensation from the covered head and arms edict because of the heat, but that’s not really the faith that deals in dispensations, is it?
We did a walking tour of Old Delhi the other day, and the term throng of humanity kept crossing my mind as I tried to weave my way in and out of the people, the cows, the auto rickshaws, and motorcycles. I thought of throng of humanity because I’m not sure what a throng is, exactly, but it sounds oppressive, intense, and out of control. Old Delhi is a throng, and then some. In the video attached, check out the wires going everywhere and nowhere above the walking area. It keeps you on your toes during a lightning storm, I would imagine. When I first came out of the subway (new to Delhi since 2002) I was reminded of the Canal Street Subway stop in Manhattan, but really, that is child’s play compared to this cacophony. The Chinese community in NYC needs to step it up about 50 notches to be in competition. For a Hindu Deity today I looked for someone who handled fire, because it seemed appropriate…. I couldn’t find a fire wielding god, but I did find someone who can serve as an analogy to the heat: Bhairava, one of the manifestations of Shiva. Bhairava is Shiva at his most terrifying; his most fierce (get the analogy?). Bhairava has sharp fangs and is a manifestation of Shiva’s anger and vengeance toward Lord Brahma (long standing feud that involves one of them cutting off the head off of the other over a dispute. Not to worry though, Bhairava had a few heads to spare). Bhairava wandered around in a daze, begging, for a long time, until he reached the holy city of Benares, where he begged forgiveness and began again. He is painted in village to ward off evil spirits. Could the heat count as an evil spirit????

The Taj and Dance

Our weary band of travelers arrived at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Delhi about 4:00 a.m. on Friday morning. Upon entrance to the hotel we were greeted with a garland of jasmine, an individual bouquet of flowers, and cool drinks of many colors. The opulence and hospitality of this five star hotel (see photo) offers a fusion of warm Indian hospitality and modern luxury that is simply breath taking, although I'm inclined occasionnally to giggle when I look in the mirror and see that youngest Regan girl from 913 6th Ave in such surroundings. Our beds are adorned nightly with a fresh orchid and an inspirational card (tonight's: "Sleep is the best meditation." HH the Dalai Lama). Are you getting the picture? Seriously out of my league, right? Nonetheless, they let me in and I'm staying until they make me leave. This might or might not be a good time to mention that the Department of Education, funding source for this Fulbright-Hays Seminar, paid over $15,000 per person to send us on this adventure. THANKS so much, tax payers. You can rest assured I'll get your money's worth out of this experience.

After a great night's sleep, I headed to Khan Market with the mission of getting cool Indian clothing, cool in both senses of the word. The clothing shop was a visual feast, with a color palette that rivals Guatemala's in its vibrancy and sophistication. Then, lunch at the hotel's restuarant. Oh my.....where to begin? A picture will have to speak for me, because you all know I can get a little carried away with food descriptions. Suffice it to say, I couldn't decide if the spinach gnocchi or the murgh tikka was more delicious. No worry, though, I had both, AND the 3 desserts the fellow at the dessert bar insisted (really, kinda) that I take to "balance my experience." That's a term I'm appropriating immediately for future use.

In the afternoon we visited the Fulbright Commission and USIEF Office. USIEF (United States India Educational Foundation) is our host here, and has as its mission to promote mutual understanding between Indian and US nationals through educational exchanges such as ours. Our keynote address was delivered by Ms. Shovana Narayan, Kathak Dancer extraordinaire. The lecture began with the lighting of the lamp ceremony, in which she recited a Sanskit poem that asked that with the lighting of the lamp we be led from untruth to truth, from mortality to immortality, and that we receive the light of knowledge and extinguish the light of ignorance. Ms.Narayan is a living legend as a guru of Kathakdance, and her movements as she spoke were all mini performances. I'm attaching a very short video to this blog of her reciting an Urdu poem at the end of her speech, and you'll see what I mean by mesmerizing. She gave us a very brief history of dance in India, and explained the reason for the importance of dance and music in Indian culture: music and dance are meditative aspects of yoga (meaning: to bind), and as such they bind the mental, spiritual, and physical aspects. Consquently, fine arts are the highest forms of yoga and their performance is seen not merely as entertainment but rather an enlightening experience. I'm feeling a cosmic nod to all my musician friends right about now, so consider yourselves involved in a sacred endeavor.

Today's Hind deity story must be mighty Lord Shiva, who has as one of his many incarnations Nataraja, the Lord of the dance. (see clip art at top of blog) Check out the photo to the right to discover his story. The rich icononography of these deities rivals that of the Catholic tradition, and that's saying something. Shiva, a member of the BIG 3, remember, is a devout meditator and yogi, and is the god of destruction, transformation, and regeneration. Consequently, snakes and deer are often associated with Shiva, as they are able to shed their skin or grow new antlers. He is also seen with a trident, which corresponds to creation, protection, and destruction of the universe. Last, but certainly not least, he sports a drum for kicking up his heels when he's done with all that hard work of destroying and rebuilding. Some think when Lord Shiva finishes his dancing, the world will end, so dance on, Lord Shiva!

Indian Economics 101

"For everything that's true about India, the opposite is also true." Sounds like some major hedging, right? I've heard at least 3 speakers use this refrain when talking about their area of expertise within India. So, what's up with that? It's actually a very useful idea when thinking about any group of people in order to avoid over generalizing, and it speaks specifically to both the vastness and complex diversity of India. An official from the Fulbright comission gave us a useful way to speak about our observations about India without giving people the false idea that ALL Indians behave in a certain way, or believe a certain thing, when he suggested the phrase, "In my experience...". It's a great moderating phrase that I might not add each time I blog, but I am now officially stamping globally to all of my observations past and future. When, for example, I wrote that Hindus don't adore idols but ASPECTS of those idols, I actually should have written "Hindus who are inclined to observe one aspect of their faith by praying to idols...." and lots of other caveats, but you can see that's cumbersome, so please mentally insert that moderate qualifying tone to all blogs. Actually,as I reflect on this idea, I think many of you probably already do that with my speech in general, so keep it up!

Tuesday's orientation featured many wonderful speakers. I'm leaving here with a very high regard for U of Wisconsin's South Asian Studies department. First a political science professor, Dr. Aseema Sinha, gave an excellent lecture on meteoric rise of India onto the global scene. She was riveting and spoke as fast as I do, and she was tossing around some economic and political terms that were challenging to absorb at warp speed. I had been wondering just exactly how India seemed to sprint to the forefront of producing nations, and she offered some great insight. It was interesting to hear her constantly compare India to China, and describe differences. As a political scientist and Indian, India got the thumbs up, but she had good things to say about China! The fact that India began its nationhood as a democracy from the beginning was significant, because it meant initially that their GNP was growing slower than nondemocratic nations as it provided welfare and heavily invested in consumer goods and its infrastructure. The State created a private sector through credit and subsidies, and diversified the economy, which set them up for good times ahead. I hope the political science people in the crowd, and you know who you are, are impressed that I can even write a cogent sentence about these topics. Oh... I hope that was a cogent sentence! Anyway, the State controlled almost everything after 1947, and reacted to colonial rule to Britian by deciding to become self sufficient. Then came their financial crisis of 1991, and the IMF stepped in and made some interesting concessions to their usual set of stipulations, and helped them move forward after some downturn. From 1985 to now, there has been a dramatic increase in their GNP (from about 3% to about 9%, before the current recession, thanks USA!) My understanding is (this is where right side of my brain kicks in and wants to learn a language or sing a song instead of think about economics) the liberalization of strict governmental controls on all things economic lead to very prosperous times indeed.

She then spoke about current challenges in India, including the huge population (1.13 billion), the low GDP ($820/capita, or $2,700 PPP, which means how much purchasing power that $820 represents), a literacy rate of 61%, and extreme poverty (I couldn't write quickly enough to grab that statistic, but it's huge, and depressing anyway). There are 23 OFFICIAL languages, in 23 states and 1,600 dialects. Those numbers make my ELL job seem unimpressive, I must say.

For the educators in the crowd, there are some interesting differences regionally regarding literacy rate, which varies from over 95% in the state of Kerala, to less than half that in the upper states like Utter Pradesh. Also, she spoke about an interesting initiative to get more girls to school (can I get a shout out from the females??) by building bathrooms in some schools, because modesty prevents girls from coming if they can't use the bathroom privately. Smart move, I say. Also, they have some money initiatives they are trying in some states, like send a girl to school for the day,and get one rupee established in a fund (FOR HER, yeah, that's right, SHE would actually see the money....these people are thinking) that she could access when she's finished schooling.

She talked about despite all the HYPE of India's boom economy,with a growth rate of 8%, 2nd fastest growing economy (nod to China), very young population, a large middle class, and an urbanization bonus (too political science for me, didn't get it exactly), there is still much inequality and poverty. 400 MILLION people earn less than $1/day, and absolute poverty is high. Women are less literate than men, and their population growth isn't in the areas they would like it to be, i,e, it's in the poorest regions of India. She raised the puzzle that despite all this inequality and poverty,there have been no serous challenges to the democratic institution, except some isolated recent violence against the state. She talked about a 2006 nuclear sales pact between India and the U.S. I'd never heard of (reading the arts section of the paper again, I guess!) and its significance in many areas. She ended with some great news, which was that woman/leader extraordinaire, Secretary Clinton, will be in India when we're there to give some long awaited speech about relations. She thought Clinton might be too busy to have tea, but I'm holding out hope we might bump into her.

WHEW! I was sweating when this lecture was over (only 1.5 hours), but it was a good sweat. I learned so much and she was very engaging. I don't know how you political science people think these big thoughts each day without your head popping off, quite frankly. I'll be glad to start reporting about great meals soon, I can tell you that. We had other great lectures, but another blog, perhaps. I've got to go eat some chocolate and think noneconomic thoughts for a while....

But first, another Hindu deity story.... Today's word is TRIMURTI (say try-MOOR-tee). In Hinduism, God is thought to be made up of 3 gods. This holy trinity (sound familiar, Christians?) is known as the Trimurti. The 3 forms are the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Hindus believe that the gods represent the following 3 aspects: creation (Brahma), preservation (Vishnu), and destruction (Shiva). However, do not forget that behind all great gods are great goddesses to assist them. (I'd prefer the goddesses standing in FRONT of the gods, but it's their story, not mine.) These goddesses are the consorts of the Trimurti: Sarasvati, Lakshmi, and Parvati. That's just an introduction...you'll be reading about each of them in the coming blogs.

And we're off.....

Another full day of orientation today, so much so that I'm too tired to write about it tonight! However, one of my colleagues made a great map of where we're going, so I'll leave you with that tonight, if I can figure out how to upload it here. She's going to be adding hot links to each of the cities we're visiting, so you can get all the facts about the places there. You know I'm all about the story, and let the facts take care of themselves, so this is perfect for me.
Namaste.
Ok, too tired to work on how to paste in this map tonight,so here's the link. Maybe tomorrow!
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=h&source=embed&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=110311315786901465876.000465cc8f2b03abb1d1c&ll=19.311143,81.035156&spn=22.020805,51.855469&z=4

NAMASTE!

NAMASTE from Madison, Wisconsin!

I'm on the first leg of my journey, the 3 day pre-departure orientation in Madison, Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin has an excellent Center for South Asia that is hosting our orientation.

There are 16 teachers total in our group, and there is a wealth of experience and congeniality that promises to be helpful in the next 5.5 weeks.

We had a very full first day, with many guest speakers on topics such as ancient history and its relevance to Modern South Asia, the religious traditions of South Asia, and the Art and Architecture of Indian Cities. We've had beginning lessons in Hindi (I can tell you my name, and also that I'm fine, and an American!) It's been a lot of information, but very well presented, and all very interesting. Some interesting facts from today's lectures....

• the very positive meaning of the swastika symbol in India as representing order out of chaos....take the cosmos, divide into four, and turn it around until it makes sense.



• Hindus don't adore idols, but the ASPECTS those idols represent



• Islamic art is more surface level and flat, more put on the earth, as compared to Hindu art, which is more sculptural, organic, and of the earth



• 10 + 2 + 3: The shorthand for the Indian education system: 10 years of school from grades 1-10, then 2 additional years, then 3 for undergraduate work



• Monsoons are something the people of India look forward to and celebrate when they arrive, as they cool the oppressive temperatures of May and June (It's remained so hot that they've postponed the beginning of the school year a week in Delhi!)



• Music in India is distinguished by its rhythm and melody, and unlike Western music, has no harmony

Enough facts. I promise this will get less teacherly as we finish our orientation and begin traveling, but I rather think those facts are interesting, and hope you'll agree.

Our first evening here we were treated to a musical performance of both North and South Indian singers and tabla (special Indian drum, more later!) player. My project proposal I wrote as part of my application process was to write a unit of instruction about Indian music, so I hit the jackpot on the first night! I spoke with one performer after the concert, and she offered to change her teaching schedule so that I could come watch a children's music class during my free time tommorow. She was very gracious, and her husband offered to pick me up at the hotel and take me to her studio. I may not need to leave the Midwest to get a good start on my curriculum writing!

I would like to try ending each blog with a short story about one of the Hindu deities, because I find them pretty fascinating. Today's featured deity is Ganesha (see both my profile photo and the picture below.) It's appropriate to begin with Ganesha because he is the god who is prayed to before beginning any task, like a journey, or a business venture, or a journey... Ganesha has some famous parents, Shiva and his wife, Parvati, and is easy to recognize because of his elephant head, about which there are several accounts. Ganesha brings good luck and clears obstacles, which is sometimes symbolized by an ax in his hand (he's not messing around!). I also particularly like Ganesha because he is purported to have a sweet tooth, so we are kindred spirits.

BTW, I'm new to this blog world (a reformed skeptic!) so I'd appreciate any tips for improvement. Our next stop is Delhi. We'll leave Madison on Wednesday, July 1, and arrive in Delhi on the 3rd, I believe. I'll have more photos to share when next I post. Let me know if you'd like a notice of when I post. I haven't figured out if there's a way to do that automatically, but I there's a way for gmail users to have gmail give you an alert when I make a new post, I think....Like I said, I'm a beginner!