Birthdays and Sarees

Jessie's birthday was celebrated on Friday the 28th of September. I had secretly purchased some bangles at some nearby shops in Loth Kunta (about 1 km from our house) and a "veg" (no eggs) pineapple cake at Iyangar's Bakery.

But Jessie's real birthday wish came true when Sudha, Dr. Sharma's wife, helped her wear her very first saree. A saree (also spelled sari) is a long single piece of cloth that is tucked, folded, wrapped, and arranged in such a beautiful way. Nearly all married women wear sarees, although some younger women will wear the salwar kameez (female students at my school are required to wear them), which is a style taken from the northen regions of India.

It was a great day - but I'm not sure that Jessie would be able to "tie" one on her own...

Ganesh Chaturthi

Indians really like to party. The 10 days of Ganesh Chaturth celebrate the beloved elephant-headed son of Shiva. There are three primary gods in the Hindu tradition - Brahma is the god of creation, Vishnu is the god of existence (who through a process of 10 significant incarnations also bestowed Sai Ram (Lord Ram) as well as the mischievous yet practical Lord Krishna, often depicted playing the flute or chasing his 14 girlfriends), and Shiva is the destroyer who coexists with creation by necessity. It is Shiva's son, Ganesha, who was beheaded while fighting the demon from Sri Lanka. His head was replaced with that of an elephant.

Ganesh is depicted holding a laddu (an Indian sweet) in one hand and a book and/or pen in the other. He is corpulent (too many laddus!) and has a huge head to accentuate his intelligence - and he is in many ways the rock star of Indian gods.

The Ganesh festival begins with some Sanskrit pooja and the placement of large idols of Ganesh, usually inside a flowered tenthouse on the side of the street, all throughout the city. Communities raise money through door-to-door donations in order to purchase extravagant idols of this deity (we were hit up a few times). Each of the 10 days of Ganesh Chaturthi involves nightly rhythmic drumming and street dancing under the lights.

On one such occasion I was pulled into the melee (it's basically a mosh pit) of dancing and sprayed with pink tikka powder. After busting some serious moves (you would all be very proud - think MC Hammer), I was given "prasad" - a ceremonial offering or gift of lemon rice wrapped inside a banana or beetle leaf. Our landlord, Mr. Banojee Rao took some photos and video of the occasion that I have psoted below. Check out my insane dance moves - I'm a dangerous man!

On most nights of Ganesh Chaturthi we took evening strolls through the neighborhood to admire some of the beautiful idols as well as the merrymaking. There wasn't one such occasion in which we weren't singled out and celebrated as foreign guests - often spending the evening in streetside homes drinking tea, smiling and telling stories (in an extremely limited shared language), bustin' a few moves, and never returning home without pocketfuls of prasad.

On the tenth day the idols of Ganesh are ceremoniously pulled by tractors (think Macy's floats here) to the large lake in Hyderabad, called the Hussain Sagar, in which they are immersed into the water. This year their were 11 large cranes working non stop for about 18 hours dumping all the Ganeshes into the lake. Historically the idols were made from lake mud, but lately plaster of paris has been substituted in order to create larger and more elaborate idols. I'm fairly certain their are significant environmental issues regarding this practice...

In the past 10 days I've learned a lot about Indians and a lot about myself. In 5 years of living at my home in Manchester, NH I have only met a small handful of neighbors - but here, I am invited into everyone's home for tea, "mixture", and conversation. I have danced with my neighbors in the street under the stars and shared food with them wrapped in a leaf. Indians love to celebrate life with each other in a way that I have never learned from my western culture.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE GANESH CHATURTHI SLIDESHOW!

PS - I saw my first cobra (snake) about 200 yards from where the above picture was taken. Pretty sweet!

PPS - You might also be interested in a photostory of the immersions by clicking here.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub

The bathroom experience in India is a bit different from what we're used to in the west. For starters, there is no bathtub. Indians are inclined to feel that soaking in your own bathwater is kind of unsanitary - so I haven't seen a tub in an Indian home since we arrived. Most people bath by filling a large bucket with water and then pouring that water over themselves to rinse in the manner of a shower, more or less. This has taken Evan a bit by suprise - who continues to cling to his western notions of a proper evening bath. His makeshift tub is the bucket and his fairly sturdy frame has a difficult time squeezing in - but he manages nonetheless to carry on happily in his various aquatic games despite the absence of the tub.

Now the commode is another story alltogether - the difference between the "eastern" and "western" versions, and all the associated business, will be left only to be discovered by the adventurous traveller...

Farwell, Hari

Our houseowner, Mr. Banojee Rao, has spared few expenses trying to make us feel comfortable here in our new home of Secunderabad. The flat is well furnished and includes many nice new appliances. He is making a living as a local area general building contractor - both for himself through the development of area residential real estate as well as in the large and sprawling defense "cantonment" area. The cantonment is a term taken from the 200 years or so of British rule (ending in 1947) in which British military garrisons established regional defense stations that were close to but not integrated with the local population. The cantonment included the usual military accouterments - airstrips, barracks, training grounds, etc - but also all support and services including things like officer housing, depots and stores, churches, golf courses, and of course polo grounds. We were able to visit the bungalow that Sir Winston Churchill resided in during the 1880's while he was stationed here during the Raj while keeping an eye on the Nizam rulers of the old city of Hyderabad.

One of Mr. Rao's kind gestures to his new tenants from the US are the constant "check-ups" from one of his assistant's, Hari. Hari is in his mid-twenties and hails from the city of Kakanida on the eastern shores of Andhra Pradesh - this is about a 12-hour train ride from our home. Hari's visits are random - he might show up at seven in the morning or at seven in the evening - it's anyone's guess. Hari is introverted by nature, but like most Indians he is curious about the fair-headed children we have brought with us on this adventure (who are these kids?!?). He'll spend hours playing with Evan or Eli, and both have quickly come to accept him as part of our extended Indian family. This is saying a lot for Evan, who is particularly choosy about whom he lets into his inner sanctum (which for him means simply who might be allowed to talk, or even look at him!).


Hari was our guide during our trip to the old city - the part of Hyderabad which Winston Churchill said "contains all the scoundrels in Asia". Most Indians have advised us to be cautious in the old city as tensions can flare quickly and without much notice (the source of this tension is still debatable depending on who you talk to. It does seem to be based mostly on some mistrust between Muslims and Hindus, but there is also possibly some outside influence from Pakistan). The Mecca Masid, which we visited with Hari, was the source of a terrorist attack in April of this year, and the recent coordinated nearby city blasts during August continue to keep tensions elevated. Of course I take a scientific approach to this and assess the risk in terms of percentages (OK, so I am being influenced by the gun/swimming pool chapter of Freakenomics - thanks Josh!). I am fairly certain that I am taking more risk in the rickshaw ride into Hyderabad than of terrorist attacks. Still, there is some fear - logical or not.

Hari took us into the city and showed us the sites. He helped carry Evan from time to time (again, he is only one of few who is allowed to carry Evan) and he has become our good friend. Hari's English is OK (he seems much better at understanding us) but it's way better than my Telagu (the local language of Andhra Pradesh). I can only say things like "hello!" ("Ella Unaru") and "How are you doing?" ("Baagunaaraa") He helped us navigate the endless bangle and pearl bazaars and took us on a special pilgimage to the Birla Mandir Temple - a gorgeous white marble temple built into the side of a rocky hilltop overlooking the Hussain Sagar - Hyderabad's famous lake. It is dedicated to the Hindu Lord Venkateshwara and was packed with pilgrims.

But Hari was being called back to Kakanata by his parents. We're not sure why, but there was a touching departure when Hari came to bid us farewell. He sat on the couch looking down and Evan and Eli wanted to bond with him - perhaps they sensed the separation. We were all sad - there was something just really cool about what we all had experienced together - and then Hari went home.

Rain, Rain, Rain

When I was a boy I remember learning about the monsoons in my Social Studies classes. Upon coming to India, I have been told that there are three seasons only* - summer, which I've been told is unbearable (when an Indian tells you it's hot, it must be really hot) and lasts from March to June or July, followed by the monsoon season which continues to the end of October and is then followed by the post-monsoon which goes from November to March.

The monsoons basically mean rain every day, ranging from a light sprinkle to the most intense downpours I've ever seen. The most severe rains make muddy red-brown rivers out of the streets and are essentially flash floods up to your ankles. The rainy season is essential to the survival of crops and indigenous flora and fauna, so the land seems well adapted to this type of cyclical and severe weather.

This picture was taken from our balcony before an afternoon rainstorm. It was sunny about 30 minutes before this was taken.

*the use of only is kind of an inside joke here - in the use of English, Indians use the word only at the end of the sentence, so I've kind of inadvertantly adopted this usage. Six weeks ago, I would have said "I have been told that their are only three seasons".

Happy Birthday, Sir!

Serendipitously, Dr. Sharma and I were born on contiguous days - I on the 13th and he on the 14th of September. This has led to a cross-continental celebration of sorts in which my advisory at CHS emailed a video of a happy birthday song and Dr. Sharma's XIIA section sang a "happy birthday" to him.

Charminar & Mecca Masjid

"Char" means four and "minar" means minaret - so Hyderabad's most famous landmark, called the Charminar, is an ornamental structure of four minarets built by Muhammad Qutb Shah to commemorate the ending of the plague in 1591. It is in the heart of the old city and is surrounded by endless markets selling pearls (interestngly, Hyderabad, which is landlocked, is the center of the pearl trade in India) as well as bangles (glass, plastic, silver, gold, gems, you name it). We took a tour up spiral staircase within the cornet minarets and then spent some time in the observation deck above the arches before walking the short distance to the Mecca Masjid.

One of the eight US teachers, Erin McGraw from Rutland, VT who is staying in Hyderabad, joined us for the day trip to the old city. She is teaching English at another regional KV school.

The Mecca Masjid, which can hold up to 10,000 people at a time, is one of the largest mosques in India amd was completed in 1694 by the Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb. It is said that some of the bricks used to construct the mosque were made from earth taken from Mecca - the holiest city in Islam and birthplace of the prophet Mohammed. One side of the mosque contains the marble graves of many of the rulers of Hyderabad, including many of the Nizam family who ruled in Hyderabad until Indian Independance in 1947 (even after which the region had to be forcefully taken from the Nizam rulers by the Indian army when they refused to relinquish their control).

SEE THE CHARMINAR / MECCA MASJID SLIDESHOW BY CLICKING HERE

Himachal Dance

Jessie was able to attend one of the dance competitions at a nearby Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) school. The theme was dance from the northern region of Himachal Pradesh - taking its name from the Himalayas. It is bordered by Kashmir in the north, Punjab in the west, and China in the east.

Students practiced their dance routines, helped create and fit the costumes, and performed in the competition. Of course, KV Tirumalagiri took first place.

SEE THE HIMACHAL DANCE SLIDESHOW BY CLICKING HERE!

Teacher's Day

Teacher's Day here is a big deal because in India the students, ahem, actually respect their teachers! OK, all kidding aside (I think most American students actually respect their teachers too, they're just a bit more subtle about it) the day was really a new experience for me.



In the US, Teacher's Day is celebrated near the end of the year and is usually marked with some cards from those students with whom you've developed a good rapport. I've received some small gifts from students (including my "ashes of teenagers" jar), as well as a card from Mr. McDonough's student government.


In India the tradition of Teacher's Day is a bit different, with the twelfth grade students replacing their uniforms with the dress of their teachers, which is important because they'll be doing the actual teaching that day throughout the school! I was greeted by teems students calling "Good morning, sir - Happy Teacher's Day, sir." Some students gave me flowers and many gave me cards including this gem from one of my ninth grade students:




"To Mr. Kaplo - I'm grateful that you taught me to realize the MASS of responsibilities, you increased the VELOCITY of my thinking, you taught me to RESIST negative FORCE. Finally, I learnt it."

To top it all off, some students got down on their knees to touch my feet and then touched their hearts and heads in blessing as they stood up. I think to fully understand this gesture in the US requires a bit of understanding, as the guru, or teacher, in India is held in the highest regards. I have noticed a more complex system of social value here in India than we have in the US that extends beyond our more simple criteria of salary level alone.

An example of this is the legacy of the caste system which still maintains some purpose here. The Brahman caste (priests, scholars) is the highest caste, followed by Chetriya (warriors, rulers), Vaishya (merchants), Shudra (artisans, farmers), and then Harijan (laborers). In this traditional Indian heirarchy, the Brahman were often very poor when compared to other caste levels, however they were extremely valued within this system because they were considered to be keepers of knowledge.

So after spending time drinking tea all day while the 12th grade students taught my classes, I retired under the large Bunyan tree for some musical and dance performances by the students. A student-faculty volleyball match completed the day - it was the most colorful match I had ever seen, with silk saris on both sides of the court.

Qutb Tombs - Hyderabad

The Royal Cemetery of the early kings of Hyderabad is located nearby the Golconda Fort, some 15 km outside of the present day city center. The tombs have mostly Persian-influenced architecture, since these rulers were all of Muslim origin from the northern borders of present day India. As in most Mughal era structures, there is an inclusion of Hindu styles and motifs as well.

Our visit to the tombs was a suprise hit - we were expecting it to be a fairly quick visit for a few snapshots. We were pleasantly suprised at the quiet setting, well-manicured landscaping, and the impressively large tombs built for these mideval era rulers (almost like a scaled version of the pyramids). Did I mention quiet? I can't stress enough what an arresting sensation India can be for a newcomer - the sheer magnitude of its population and incredible rate of growth and development make India the noisiest place I have ever been by far. It is never quiet here - so this respite from the street din was most welcome.

The boys made friends, as usual, so we meandered through the quiet gardens, views of the city below, fountains, and baths.

It was a great way to end the day.

SEE THE QUTB TOMBS SLIDESHOW BY CLICKING HERE.

Golconda Fort - Hyderabad

So they have a lot of forts in India - it's pretty clear that any established society required the protection of a well located military position in mideval India, and Hyderabad is no exception. We have visited quite a few already in Delhi and Jaipur, so I wan't expecting anything too different from what I had already seen, but Hyderabad's Golconda Fort rises above the city on an interesting hill. The original structure was built in 1143 during the reign of Ibrihim Qutb Shah. The entry gate contains an interesting accoustical feature - the "clapping portico", which is an area in which a guard who claps his hands can be heard a few hundred feet away. There are various structures along the climb to explore - foundary, magazine, Royal Quarters, barracks, and finally at the top there is a mosque and a fantastic temple that is protrudes from the rocks. Hindu temples often have an exceptional flare for finding some sort of balance with the natural environment - some sort of intrinsic architectural zen or feng shui. The structure is juxtaposed against the landscape in a purposeful way that also creates visual balance and harmony. I find this to be a really unique feature.

This temple is perched high on a mountaintop and the color and prayer flags gave it an almost Nepalese feel.

The Fort is close to the old city of Hyderabad and we found it to be predominately Muslim. The married Muslim women will wear the Burka - a complete covering of the body from head to toe in black - sometimes even the hands. Unmarried Muslim girls dress no differently than all other Indian girls - mostly long, colorful dresses, salwar kameez, or saris. Men will sometimes wear a small cylindrical cap, or kufie, on the tops of their heads. When we arrived near the gate we were approached by a large group of women in burkas who were curious about Evan and Eli. They wanted to touch their cheeks and speak with them - it was a nice exchange and they soon removed their face coverings and agreed to a photo with Jessie and Eli.

One of the interesting things I have noted about the general culture in India is the separation of genders in public spaces. Boys and girls sit apart from each other in classrooms, and I have noted that Indian women will keep a large physical distance from me during any type of interaction - even with colleagues from the school. The distance is usually at least 3 steps away, and the conversations are usually short and to-the-point. On the contrary, relationships with men are warm and close, with men openly choosing to shake hands, pat backs, and the like. I don't think I've shaken hands with an Indian woman since I arrived here - only folded hands and a "Namaste" or "Namaskar" greeting. There is no "bubble" space with men.

SEE THE GOLCONDA FORT SLIDESHOW BY CLICKING HERE

KV Tirumalagiri

Kendriya Vidyalaya is the central government school system which has been put into place in order to educate the children of government employees throughout India as they are transfered from one assignment to the next. The Indian Government is absolutely HUGE - so the demands placed on the KV system are relatively large in comparison to school systems in the US. In order to manage the transfer of children between regions throughout the school year, the KV system mandates a tight curricular schedule so that a student's academic experience will not change radically from one school to the next.

KV Tirumalagiri, or KVT, is about 4 or 5 km from where I am staying in Secunderabad and is my temporary home for the next four months. Each school day starts off with a morning assembly in which students form incredibly straight lines by gender and grade level on the large parade field. A student captain calls all 2200 students to order and they begin with the sound of "ohm" which is drawn out to about 10 seconds in order to clear the mind. The next 5 minutes or so is a recitation of a beautiful prayer - one in which students are asking god to open their minds and remove their obstacles to learning for the day. It finishes with "chanti, chanti, chanti" or "peace, peace, peace". I will ask one of my students to translate it for this blog for posting (it is sung in Hindi).

Then students will recite the pledge (it is recited in English on Mondays and Tuesdays, Hindi on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and Sanskrit - the mother language of all 18 national languages of India, on Fridays and Saturdays) which is followed by announcements and then the national anthem which is sung with an accompanying band.

Indian Pledge

India is my country. All Indians are my brothers and sisters.
I Love my country. I am proud of its rich and varied culture. I shall always strive to be worthy of it.
I shall love and respect my parents, teachers and elders.
To my country and my people I pledge my devotion.

Indian National Anthem - Jana Gana Mana

Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya he,

Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.

Punjab-Sindh-Gujarat-Maratha,

Dravida-Utkala-Banga,

Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga

Uchchala-Jaladhi-Taranga.

Tava shubha name jage,

Tava shubha asisa mange,

Gahe tava jaya gatha,

Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.

Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he, Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he!

English Translation

Thou are the ruler of the minds of all people, dispenser of India's destiny.
The name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sind, Gujurat and Maratha. Of the Dravid and Orissa and Bengal.
It Echoes in the hills of Vindhyas and Himalayas, mingles in the music of Yamuna and Ganga and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.
They pray for your blessing and sing thy praise. The salvation of all people is thy hand, thou dispenser of India's destiny. Victory, Victory, Victory to thee.

I am teaching two sections of grade 11 Physics and two sections of grade 9 integrated science. I will often have more than one meeting with the grade 11 students each day (there are nine periods) however I will only meet the ninth grade students three times per week since I only teach the physics section of that course (the Biology and Chemistry teachers will do the other portions of the grade nine integrated course).

One of the things I really like about the school that is different from the US is that the primary school and middle school is all present on the same campus - although there is little interaction between students during the day, it is nice to see the continuum of social and academic progress in the morning for assembly.

The children must wear uniforms while on the grounds of the school - boys will wear blue shorts and a white short-sleeved dress shirt up to grade 8, after which they will replace the shorts with pants. Girls wear long blue skirts with white blouses and must wear their hear in braids or tied up in red bows. After grade 8, girls will wear the traditional Indian salwar kameez - or long top with cotton "pyjama" pants and a white scarf. On Wednesdays students participate in mass physical training in which they will wear white on white in order to keep cool in the sun.

I think things are off to a good start.