Slumdog

So I watched Slumdog Millionaire (maybe some of you have heard of it). It is a very well-made movie. The basic story is about this young man who goes on India's version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," but he's accused of cheating when he gets farther than anyone expected him to. He grew up in the slums of Bombay (now Mumbai), so how could he possibly know the answers to the questions asked? So he goes through memories of his life and how he came to know the answers to the specific questions asked of him on the show.

The movie shows a very real, but very sad side of India. Some people here do not like the movie because it only shows the negative or underbelly of India. But there are many different Indias. Yes, there is an India of extreme wealth and power. There's a middle class India, which appears to be growing. The majority India is of people who have enough to live, but are just getting by (in the US, these people would be considered poor, or below the poverty line.) But still there is another India of extreme poverty, where children are put to work, or people are made to be beggars, mutilated to bring in more money. This is the India shown on the screen. While this may not be the India of many, it is an India that exists.

I enjoyed the movie. For those few short hours, it was as if I was back in the US, watching a film about a country I had visited, and certain things made me smile and think "only in India." I could even follow some of the Hindi conversations without needing to read the English translations on the screen. :)

I'm falling in love with India. Which India? I don't know. All of them. I'm beginning to feel like India is a part of me, and somehow I am a part of India. One of my friends here keeps telling me that I'm Indian. I eat extra chilies during my meals, and I eat with my hands. I join in the tribal dances any chance I get. I'm speaking Hindi more and more. In some ways, I feel like I belong in India. And yet, in other ways, I'm totally the foreigner. This country is so complicated. And I'm afraid that my feelings about this country are just as complicated. On that note, I hope everyone had a Happy Republic Day yesterday! :)

Cold!

It’s been cold here. I’m actually wearing socks today, not to mention long sleeves and a shawl. But the hilarious thing is that it’s only cold inside the office. If I get too frigid, I can just go outside in the sun and warm up. Ok, so I guess “cold” is relative. After hearing about Ohio weather being down to –21F and snow everywhere, I don’t think I have any room to complain about the temperature here.

I have to thank Ohio weather right now though. It’s because of that weather that I haven’t worn socks until now. While most people are out in the sun wearing coats, sweaters and caps, I am comfortable in short sleeves and sandals. The only trouble is, I’m a little afraid of what summertime here will mean for me…

I guess I’ll find out soon enough. Summer begins by the end of February. (So much for Ohio’s winter until April, eh?) So by about April, I should be miserable. I’ll keep you posted.

Rajasthan Pics

I have finally gotten my pictures from Rajasthan up. There's a link to the right.

Trip to Rajasthan

During my Christmas break, I went traveling. Liz and I met up with Dan, another service worker, in Delhi, and traveled to Udaipur and Jodhpur in the state of Rajasthan, back to Delhi, and then back to Ranchi together. It was quite a week, and we even changed plans to include one more destination. We did so much traveling that all but 2 nights were spent on trains or buses. Here’s the short version: Christmas Day – Liz and I left from Ranchi at 11:30 pm. Dec 26 – on the train. Dec 27 – Delhi. Dec 28 – Udaipur. Dec 29 – Udaipur. Dec 30 – Jodhpur. Dec 31 – Delhi. Jan 1 – on the train. Jan 2 – Arrived in Ranchi at 8:30 am.
Now for the highlights. The first day in Delhi, we had breakfast with Christina, the other SALTer in India this year. Several of her friends from home have come to visit her, so we got to meet them too. Then we visited Red Fort before catching our train to Udaipur. Udaipur is a beautiful city. We had a very relaxing time for the two days we were there. We stayed in a guest house by the lake. We had a wonderful view of Lake Palace, City Palace, and Monsoon Palace from our guest house. Since we were staying in a “tourist” section of town, we saw many foreigners walking down the street. And all of the shop owners wanted us to buy something from them. But we weren’t usual tourists. People absolutely loved it when we spoke Hindi with them. We decided to go for a walk away from where most of the tourists go. We drew a lot of attention from the children down one street. One little boy showed us a quarter and a nickel from the US and asked us to change the money for him. When we didn’t, he tried to sell us an old clipboard! He may be a successful shop owner one day!
Jodhpur is known as the Blue City, and it is! All of the houses are blue. It is the color of Brahmin (the highest caste in Hindu society), but everyone, Brahmin or not, began to paint their houses blue. Blue is also considered a mosquito repellant. (One lady informed us that it doesn’t work!) The day that we spent in Jodhpur was my favorite day of the whole trip. That was the day I found out that I’m Punjabi…at least I look like I’m from the Punjab (Western India between Rajasthan and Kashmir). We were walking up the hill to visit Jodhpur Fort and many people were stopping us and wanting to talk with us along the way. (I’m sure they also get a lot of visitors up that street!) One man told me that I look Punjabi. I wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not. But then we got to the fort. The guy explaining the audio tour told me the same thing. Throughout the tour (and even in town the rest of the day) people kept wanting to take pictures with me and told me I look Indian. Even as we were walking through the market, Dan overheard several people who were looking at us saying something about a Punjabi. So I guess I believe them. I stick out so much in Ranchi. So maybe to blend in, I should visit the Punjab…
While we were in Delhi New Year’s Eve, we found out that our train was going to begin late. Instead of leaving at 7:30, it wouldn’t go until 11pm. We went to the train station at about 9:30, but as we were waiting, found out that we wouldn’t actually leave until 2am. We were able to board the train at 11:50, and when 2009 began, I was locking my backpack under the seat. Happy New Year! Lol. Instead of reaching Ranchi at 7:30pm on New Year’s Day, we got in at 8:30am on the 2nd. At least we got a full night of sleep before reaching Ranchi!
I’ll try to post pictures as soon as I can!