USA - India Exchange 2007

Farewell - Part 1 of 3

2007-12-22T17:19:00.000-05:00

The end draws near and it is time to start the difficult task of separation. For all the challenges that the experience has brought to me and my family, we are all in awe of the shear beauty that India has shown to us on so many levels.

On so many of those occasions it has been in the company of Dr. Sharma's two daughters - Virajita, or Veru (or VEE-you as Evan calls her), is the elder and Vipanchika (or Veer - CHEEKA as Evan prefers) is the younger. Both girls have been instrumental in helping us to assimimlate into our lives in India.

Every morning and afternoon I accompany the girls to and from school in an auto rickshaw for about a 10-15 minute ride. On most days I receive Hindi (and on rare occasions, Telagu) lessons from Veru, my language guru. Those have been some of my brightest moments here - watching the busy life of average Indians whiz by from the leftmost seat of the rickshaw, veering around cows and crater-sized potholes and huddling under the canvas doorflaps during the heavy monsoon rains. There are many moments, in the crisp, sunny, and warm Indian mornings where I tell the girls how beautiful the weather is today - "aaj ka mosam bahout acha hai" - only to see their quizzical, sometimes blank replies (maybe it was my accent). If only they had suffered through one New England winter of darkness and cold they would understand. The commute was never boring - I seemed to learn something everyday about Indian society, either from the just watching or directly from the girls. Veru would often explain something without prompting if she spotted me staring - she is a natural teacher.

My language lessons on the commute were often interupted by a few belly laughs from the kids. I think my mispronunciations have been a source of amusement for hundreds, if not thousands.

The presense and friendship of these girls and their amazing mother, Sudha, will be sorely missed. And I can feel it coming.

SEE THE FAREWELL PART 1 SLIDESHOW BY CLICKING HERE

The Streets of India

2007-12-21T13:39:00.000-05:00

Let's be frank - from the perspective of an American, the streets of India are amazingly chaotic. For starters, everyone drives on the opposite side of the road and the road is shared by quite a mix of vehicles, people, and animals. The roads themselves are often in rough shape, with debris, potholes, and what seems like the overuse of speed "breakers" or bumps if you're from the US.

But somehow it all works and people are able to get where they need to go amidst all the chaos.

My mentor teacher, Mr. GS Reddy took me to school one day on the back of his motorcycle (I usually took an auto rickshaw). I used the opportunity to video record the adventure...

Erin's Dance

2007-12-20T18:29:00.000-05:00

Fellow Fulbright Teacher Erin McGraw was able to take Indian dance lessons for the duration of her exchange. Since I have seen a handul of Indian dance performances I can say with some authority, albeit extremely limited, that her performance was outstanding. It seemed authentic and everyone in attendance was delighted to have the rare opportunity to see a foreigner demonstrate some mastery of something uniquely Indian.

Although I love the traditional dance costume, I couldn't get over the thick, black hair extension which had been woven into Erin's golden-blonde braid. In some ways the braid represented the contrasts of our home cultures - Erin could weave herself into Indian culture but she would always stand out as a foreigner. I am of course commending Erin - in fact we have become quite close friends. She is the epitome of the "intrepid traveller" - and I admire her on many levels. In this case she demonstrated the confidence to perform and integrate into her host culture as best as she could - one of the hallmarks of the cultural exchange mission.

CLICK HERE TO SEE ERIN'S DANCE SLIDESHOW

Nayanika and the Veena

2007-12-19T18:53:00.000-05:00

Nayanika is not a student in one of my classes, but she has been a very important part of the exchange for me at KVT. She is one of the brightest students in the 12th grade (the best student in each class is called a "topper") and has routinely engaged me in various aspects of the cultural exchange.

Nayanika agreed to record herself playing the veena - a distinctly Indian stringed instrument - so that everyone back in the US could see what it looked and sounded like.

The Morning Assembly

2007-12-17T01:53:00.000-05:00

The morning assembly at all central government schools in India is quite different than how most American schools start their day.

For starters everything is done outside. I made it a point to greet at least one teacher or student each day with "Aaj ka mosum bahout acha hai!" - which is Hindi for "The weather is very good today!" Indians don't know how good they have it.

The assembly begins at 8:30 AM with each class getting into neat rows while standing in front of a large stage. They start with a prayer which includes some mantras spoken in Sanskrit - the mother of all 28 Indian languages. Soon they switch into Hindi, the national language, and pray for open-mindedness and the willingness to learn. The prayer is followed by a pledge, which is spoken either in Hindi, Sanskrit, or English, depending on the day.

I took a video of the morning prayer which I then had translated by T. Virajita, the elder daughter of Dr. TAV Sharma, my exchange partner. She is 13 years old and a student at Kendriya Vidyalaya Tirumalagiri - my host school.

Warangal & Palampet

2007-12-16T07:31:00.000-05:00

My parents arrived in India after touring the some areas in the north. I picked them up at Rajiv Ghandi (Begumpet) Airport in Hyderabad on Saturday the 15th of December. We didn't waste any time, given that this would be last weekend while teaching at KVT, and decided to hire a Toyota Qualis (SUV) and driver and head out to explore some temples north and east of Hyderabad in the areas. Erin, our friend and US Fulbrighter from another KV school in Hyderabad, joined us for the trip.

We have used the driver a few times in the past - he usually goes by the name Shiva. However during this auspicious time of the Hindu calendar, Shiva had transformed himself into a living god through a collection of cleansing practices and puja (prayer). For example he must rise early in the morning and take a simple bath, pray, and then take a completely vegetarian breakfast while sitting on the ground (tables and utensils are forbidden) - all before the sun rises. He must remain somewhat separated from his family and must never touch women - even his wife for the 41 day period. He, along with other mostly male volunteers, dress exclusively in black robes and decorate their foreheads in thick swaths of white, orange or red paints. For this honor they are only referred to as "Swamy" - one of the temporary incarnations of Hindu gods.

Swamy picked us up early so that we could reach Warangal and the 1000-pillar temple by late morning. Warangal was once the center of Telagu culture and the capitol of the Kakatiya Kingdom which reached the height of its power between the 12th and 14th centuries. The temples that they built are considered masterpieces of exquisite architecture and some of the statues that adorn the pillars at Ramappa could be considered tantric in nature.

SEE THE WARANGAL AND PALAMPET SLIDESHOW BY CLICKING HERE!

The South Indian Food Guide

2007-12-10T05:45:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the definitive source for south Indian cuisine!

Anyone who knows Jessie and I understands that we're huge fans of Indian cooking (I suppose food in general for the matter). I remember the fateful day when we began looking at the Fulbright exchange as a real possibility, and perusing the list of countries that US Teachers can go to. I won't hide the fact that we gave serious consideration to India not because of its insane diversity, warm and inviting people, magnificent cultural heritage, or astounding monuments - rather, we decided to come to India because our bellies would be perpetually filled with spicy deliciousness. India's trump card is its food - and we've rarely been let down since we arrived in August.

Did I say spicy? Chillies are like salt to south Indians - they put them in everything. And of the 28 Indian states, we have come to spicy kingdom. Menus in neighboring states have asterisks next to the words "Andhra style" - implying that the food is heavily spiced as is the custom in our home state of Andhra Pradesh.

Fellow US Teacher Paul Amstutz (he is the crazy math teacher from Yosemite, California who is currently in Bangalore with his family) once generalized Indian food as "loads of insanely spicy goo served over rice" and we have been laughing about it since. Paul's statement isn't entirely off basis, but what Indian cuisine lacks in presentation (from a western perspective) it more than compensates for in taste. The food in India, and I must admit to an inherent subjectiveness here, is undoubtedly superior to American cooking. To speak frankly, we've got nothing on these Indians. They make our food look silly. Really.

Our hosts Sudha, Virajita, and Vipanchika, as well as about every other Indian we have dined with aren't shy about telling us the truth. Fellow teachers at KVT chuckle at my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and boxed oatmeal as they whip out delicate chapathis (flaky wheat breads that look sort of like pitas), myriad of curries adorned with just about every vegetable imaginable, or my personal favorite - masala. Ah - there is nothing on planet Earth quite like a proper masala.

Eating south Indian style involves rice - and lots of it. Typically we sit and eat with only our right hands (to offer your left hand in any matter is considered rude, to EAT with you left would be considered kind of gross) - no utensils. Eating rice with your hands does take some time to get used to, but Sudha has guided us well on these matters. To do it well involved preparing the rice by sort of kneading it with your fingertips before mixing in your dal, rasam, curry - whatever it is. This way the rice absorbs some of the flavor and becomes more easily formed into little balls that you can lift into your mouth.

Some regional dished include the incredible Hyderabadi biryani (a spicy basmati, or long grain, rice served in a small brass pot over chicken, mutton, or vegetables), haleem (a Muslim dish popular during Ramadan - wheat is mixed with mutton (with bone!) and pounded into a paste and then cooked throughout the day and served with raw vegetables), and a special bringal (eggplant) curry.

But south Indian meals don't stop at the main course - can you imagine incredible desserts without a gram of chocolate? Indians often serve sweets with the main course (OK, that part I never really got used to). They are often made with ghee (butter fats) and filled or glazed in sugar syrup (sugar cane grows in abundance in almost all regions of the subcontinent). The laddu (pronounced ladd-DOO) comes in hundreds of forms and is a favorite of Lord Ganesha (he is always pictured with one in one of his four hands) - my personal favorite is the dry fruit laddu which is customarily given for the birth of a child. Not far behind is the juicy kaja and kovapuri, as well as halwah (with cashews, almonds, carrots, you name it!).

Here is a video of a south Indian "buffet" served at our school on the occasion of a three-day regional track and field meet.

For those Americans who haven't tried Indian food - you have no idea what you're missing.

Sarof and Shalem

2007-12-05T05:10:00.000-05:00

A few months back I started what I had hoped to be on ongoing photo project with some students from KVT – the first of which was Saanya, a twelfth grade student. Sarof is also a twelfth grade student here and has participated in the series, but I have been slow in getting his photos up onto the blog.

Sarof is a quiet and sincere boy, and decided to focus some of his photography on the plight of the impoverished in India. This is surely a facet of this experience which can not be ignored and I commend Sarof for wanting to look it so squarely in the face. Actually, quite a few Indians have brought up the subject of poverty with me – I think perhaps that they expect me to be surprised or openly moved by the sight of abject poverty. It’s not that I am unmoved, but I think they are surprised to hear that there are homeless people and conditions of impoverishment in the US as well.

India has the world’s largest population of poor people, with nearly half of the 1.2 billion people subsisting on under $2. per day. The United Nations’ Human Development Report lists India at or near the top of all the world’s countries in child undernourishment and infant mortality rates. Yet this is the same India with the world’s richest person (move over Bill Gates), an insane level of economic growth (about 10 to 12% per year compared to about 2% in the US), and a burgeoning middle class. Disparity is an understatement.

A trip in a rickshaw is not complete without being approached at stoplights or in traffic by beggars, many of which are simply difficult to look at. Some are missing limbs, holding infants, wearing ragged clothes, or even in makeshift wheelchairs. I have seen pregnant women, elderly, children, and the sick on street corners. It can be really difficult sometimes.

Shalem (pronounced sha-LEEM) is a 10th grade boy at KVT who lives down the street from us often drops by to talk or play with the boys. His family has invited us over for dinner and we have spent a few nice evenings with them.

All of the photos in this set were taken by the two of them.

CLICK HERE TO SEE SAROF AND SHALEEM's SLIDESHOW

Lumbini Park

2007-12-04T06:25:00.000-05:00

Lumbini Park is one of the hotspots in Hyderabad - it's kind of an interesting hybrid between an amusement park and a manicured garden. The main attraction is the boat ride out to the Buddha (pronounced "bood - THA", not "BOOD-ah" - which means "old man" in Hindi as my students tell me after a little snickering) which is one of the largest Buddha statues in the world. It was dedicated by the Dalai Lama himself, who currently resides in exile from Tibet in Dharamsala which is in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, somewhere in the mid 1990's. The 17.5 meter high Buddha statue is fashioned from just a single piece of stone and was completed in 1990. Unfortunately, it was so heavy (350 tons) that it sank the barge it was being transported on (hmm... this is a good buoyancy problem). It was salvaged from the bottom of the Hussain Sagar (this is the name of the large lake in which it currently calls home) and placed on a small island in 1992 and is a Hyderabad landmark.

Hyderabad is an interesting crossroads of Indian religions - it has been historically ruled by Muslim Kings, earlier during the reign of the Qutb Shahs (17th century from the Golconda Fort area) to the Nizam family more recently before independance. Even during the British Raj, the Nizam's Hyderabad was considered a princely state by the British, and was given the authority to carry out day-to-day governance of the region. Despite Muslim rule a majority of Hyderabad is Hindu and there are also Christians, Jains, and Buddhists.

The Dalai Lama is the most significant monk of Tibetan Buddhism - a religion which has had significant impact in the southern and eastern regions of Asia. It has waned in popularity over the centuries but has seen a resurgance in the past few decades (especially beyond the borders of India). In the 1959 Chinese invasion, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet for the neighboring mountain regions of northern India and was granted asylum by the first president of India, Jawarhalal Nehru.

Buddhism and the forms of ascetic life that it teaches, began in India in 556 BC with the birth of Siddhartha Guatama to the Kshatriya caste (noblemen and warriors). You can read more about the Buddha from Wikipedia by clicking here (I can feel the Humanities faculty at CHS cringing right now).

KVT Fancy Dress

2007-11-30T04:56:00.000-05:00

KVT recenlty hosted its "fancy dress competition" with many of the students taking on the personas of famous people. Mahatma Ghandi and the Statue of Liberty were in attendance, to name a few.

In true Indian style (this is part of a larger discussion that I plan on addressing a bit later on on December, but in general Indian students and by default their teachers and parents are insanely focused on their "marks" or grades. This competitive academic culture (for example, students are often listed in order of class rank) sometimes reaches levels that seem too extreme from a western perspective) students were graded and ranked on what would otherwise seem like a light-hearted event.

It was a fun way to start off the morning!

SEE THE KVT FANCY DRESS SLIDESHOW BY CLICKING HERE

KVT Sports Day

2007-11-29T09:33:00.000-05:00

Kendriya Vidyalaya Tirumalagiri held its annual sports day a few months ago, but I just couldn't find the time to blog it... so here it is!

Sports play a less significant role in Indian schools then they do in the US. In the US sports teams usually practice daily after school and have regular interschool competitions regularly both during the week and on weekends. In India most practice is done before the school day (but it seems with less regularity) and competition is largely intraschool and on Sundays. Interschool events are infrequent compared to US athletic programs.

Once a year the regional (state) KV organization sets up a large competition which brings athletes from all over Andhra Pradesh to compete with each other. Specific schools host certain events, depending on the availability of playing fields. KVT has a nice track facility, so it was charged with hosting this event for all the KVs in Andhra Pradesh.

Athletes, coaches, and chaperones slept in classrooms while the school closed down for three days in order to host the event. I made friends with a group from Tirupati which is in the very south of Andhra and home to India's most visited religious site - the Hindu Temple at Tirupati. The group sent a video greeting to the US below:

In the following weeks we had a school-wide celebration to recognize the athletes and all the award winners.

Nag Mandir - Snake Temple

2007-11-28T07:22:00.000-05:00

Hindus enjoy the company of thousands of gods and goddesses - some have told me that the numbers are in the millions. Powerful animals are often considered to be forms of gods, and of course the cobra snake is no exception to this rule.

The Nag Mandir, or literally Snake Temple, is one that is dedicated to the snake goddess. We visited the Nag Mandir on the recommendation of Navya, one of my students in standard eleven.

We went in a rickshaw (its only a few kilometers away from where we are staying in Secunderabad) along with Virajita and Vipanchika.

Unfortunately photography is not allowed inside the temple itself, so we were limited to some photos from the surrounding grounds.

Mumbai: Gateway to India

2007-11-26T11:43:00.000-05:00

Mumbai is India's economic heart and most influential city. It is also where the second largest movie-making industry in the world is located, which sort of makes it both the New York and Los Angeles of India.

One of the things which I have really struggled to fully understand during my stay here is the depth and layers of history and tradition in this country. But India is changing quickly. Almost every Indian I have met either knows someone in the US or has been there, and although I can't say the same about most Americans, I can say that anyone who has called for computer technical support or works in technology fields knows Indians are a huge part of the global economy. Visiting India has shown me that the notions of a traditional and largely conservative Indian culture is hardly in a state of harmony with the burgeoning economic growth and western cultural influence. Nowhere are the signs of these mutually exclusive characteristics more evident than in Mumbai - India's most progressive city.

You're just as likely to see jeans here as you are a saree or a salwar kameez. People carry ipods, work on laptops at cafes, and swig fancy coffees. But they also use bullock carts, wear dohtis (this is the handloom garment worn by Ghandi) and wash clothes at the ghats. It is India in transition - for better or worse. I've tried photographing this cultural juxtaposition in a few frames on the slideshow - garment washers in the shadows of skyscapers, rice boats dwarfed by supertankers, etc.

After visiting the Shri Mahalakshmi Temple we spent our second day on the water. Mumbai is India's main port - connecting it economically with the rest of the world. We left the harbor at the famous Gateway to India - one of the monuments left by the British during the 200 years of rule on the subcontinent. Lonely Planet calls it a "bold basalt arch of colonial triumph, derived from the Islamic styles of 16th century Gujarat". Interestingly the British left through the same arch of "colonial triumph" just 24 years after it was finished as they relinquished control of India to Mahatmas Ghandi and company.

We took a boat from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, the site of Hindu cave temples - about one hour's journey through Mumbai's busy shipping lanes in the Arabian Sea.

That night we hung out on Chowpatty Beach - the main cresent-shaped beach that serves as the epicenter for Mumbai's bazaar (I guess in both senses of the word) like atmosphere. You can purchase just about anything on Chowpatty, which makes it sort of like Las Vegas.

The next day we ventured to the Dhobi Ghats - home to thousands of men who rent open air stalls to launder clothes - it was quite a site with the modern buildings in the background. We also visited the Victoria Terminus Rail Station, now called Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, which like many of the buildings in the main "Oval Maidan" area were built in an elegant Victorian style by the British. At times it was difficult to tell whether we were in London or Mumbai.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MUMBAI SLIDESHOW!

Shri Mahalakshmi Temple

2007-11-25T09:57:00.000-05:00

Laxmi (pronounced "LACK-shmee") or Lakshmi, is the wife goddess of Vishnu (who has many incarnations, including various forms of mammals, and eventually the flute-playing Krishna and honorable Ram) and is considered the goddess of wealth. Indians are naturally drawn to her and often make puja (prayers and offerings) to Laxmi. Their are a few festivals on the Hindu calendar that recognize her.

On arriving to Mumbai (formerly called Bombay by the British) we decided to make our way toward the Shri Mahalakshmi Temple - the most famous in town. Mumbai is a city of 16 million people (or 160 lakhs, written as 1,60,00,000 if you are using the Arabian numerical system which is what is used in India). Just to put things into perspective, New York, the largest city in the US is about 10 million people and New Hampshire, our home state, is only about 1.2 million. However the United Nations ranks NYC as the third largest in the world, just ahead of Mumbai if the surrounding urban areas are included.

It took us nearly two hours just to move a short distance in insanely heavy traffic. Upon arriving we walked the gauntlet of stalls selling offerings such as tapestries and garlands to decorate the idols within the temple, coconuts and laddus (Indian sweets) for offerings, as well as some other basic amenities for the huge crowds. We bought a plate of mixed offerings - some fresh cut flowers, coconuts, and laddus to offer the goddess Lakshmi. Photography is not permitted within the temple, so I was only able to take a few snaps on the road there. Things got very crowded as we got closer (pilgrims were divided in lines by gender, so Jessie, Erin and I got split up) so I had to pick Evan up and push my way forward in order to pass my offering plate to one of the Brahman (priests) who assembled the offerings in neat piles. He then gave me a half coconut in return, which I was eventually instructed to share with my neighbors.

It was nice way to start three days in the biggest city I have ever been to.

The Art of Mehndi

2007-11-24T05:01:00.000-05:00

Mehndi (pronounced "meh-HIN-dee") is the application of a henna-based paste to the skin in order to create temporary designs on usually the hands, arms, or the feet. It is quite beautiful, and yet unusual for westerners, to see it.

I mostly notice mehndi designs on women who have recently attended a wedding (the bride always has mehndi). Jessie had some Mehndi applied at a wedding we attended in August which lasted for weeks. Sometimes these henna designs are also put on the hands and feet of men, but I rarely see it.

To get a mehndi "tattoo", if you will, one simply needs a tube of premixed henna and a friend. It usually takes about 20-30 minutes to do, but varies depending upon the skill and proficiency of the artist.

Our friend Erin, also affectionately known as "this one" (it's an inside Indian joke), was sporting some mehndi before we left on a Sunday trip to Ramoji Film City (blog entry coming!) so we went onto the roof for some photos.

Fulbright Conference

2007-11-23T07:51:00.000-05:00

USEFI (United States Educational Foundation in India) organized the annual Fulbright conference in Manipal in the southern state of Karnataka near the city of Mangalore. It was really fun to be reunited with the other seven US Teachers as well as about 50 other Americans who were primarily University Professors, Researchers, and Doctoral Candidates. The theme of the conference was "Evolving Contemporary Fields for Fellowship in South Asia" in which we spent three days in discussions about our various experiences in India (although there were also a handful of participants assigned to Sri Lanka and Nepal).

It was a nice time and Jessie and the boys got to spend some quality time with some other families who have come along for the Indian adventure. We spent a part of the last day touring the Manipal University campus and at an old age home for the elderly doing some outreach.

But the highlight was having Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey and all the fixins at an incredible beach house with our extended American family. It was heartwarming when we all sang "This Land is Your Land" followed by "Jana Gana Mana", the Indian National Anthem. I had tears in my eyes, knowing that this whole thing was coming to an end in a few short weeks. I felt homesick but I wouldn't have stepped onto a plane home for all the money in the world.

Of course I have a lot to be thankful for - a lovely family tops the list. But I took the particular point in time to give thanks for the amazing experience we have been given in India and specifically for the amazing people it has connected us to. My new Indian friends top the list - Dr. Sharma and Sudha and their amazing daughters, my colleagues at KVT like GS Reddy, Mohammad and Elancharian, my neighbors and friends Hemanth, Bhanogee, Lakshmi, Shalem, and Chinu, and perhaps most importantly the warm students from my classes XI A and B and IX C and E. Their faces remind me of my students back at CHS in so many ways - so much hope, energy, and possibility. Seeing their faces lights me up each day (OK, most days, when they aren't sweating their "marks" and Vinay isn't bunking my class) and reminds me of why I became a teacher and why I still want to teach every day.

What is India? I have started asking myself this question lately and am getting somewhat reflective in the final weeks...

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULBRIGHT CONFERENCE SLIDESHOW

Karnataka Dancing

2007-11-19T05:02:00.000-05:00

The family and I traveled to Mangalore with a layover in Mumbai (more on Mumbai to come) for the annual Fulbright Conference (more on that to come as well) which was hosted by Manipal University and USEFI (United States Educational Foundation in India).

Upon arriving we settled in at our hotel and attended a lovely outdoor reception dinner which showcased an incredible performance of one of the cultural dance forms of the southern state of Karnataka (this was our second time in Karnataka - formerly in Mysore and Bangalore). It was somewhat similar to the Kathakali we saw in Kerala, with dramatic hand gestures and facial movements, but unlike the Keralean version this was performed by only women. The dance was accompanied by heavy rythmic percussions, a stringed instrument (not a sitar, but similar) and some mantra-like chanting from a vocalist (not the dancers). The dancers wore thick bands of bells on their ankles that jingled when they moved. As you see, the costumes were incredible - the silk and gold were flowing. In this opening video (see below) the dancers are making a tribute in a form of puja to Lord Shiva - one of the three main Hindu gods and my personal favorite. Shiva and his wife Parvati are notorious dancers - and Shiva once challenged her to a dancing dual (sounds like a healthy marriage!) which she accepted. Shiva did eventually win the competition (but was subsequently beaten by her in a game of dice) and is considered the god of dance. The famous idol (there is a picture of it from the National Museum in Delhi in mu Delhi set) of Shiva pictures him with four hands in an elegant dancing posture while stepping on the demon of ignorance. In this dancing form Shiva is also known as "Natraj". The dancers adorn the idol of Natraj, the god of dance, with flower petals before commencing the performance.

It was really fantastic to see all the other US Teachers again after meeting them for the first time in Washington with the Indian Teachers and then again for our orientation in New Delhi. But I'll be frank, the opening night was about the Indian dancing girls...

SEE THE KARNATAKA DANCING SLIDESHOW HERE!

Camel Vending

2007-11-15T04:51:00.000-05:00

One of the funnier aspects of living where I do right now is the completely random street vendor. By street vendor, I don't mean someone selling hot dogs or falafels (I wish) from a steel cart on a corner in NYC. I mean people walking with giant baskets on their heads, riding their bikes hauling a bundle fabrics, or better yet pushing or pulling a wagon of wares. The best part of it is that the street vendor calls people from their homes in a style not too dissimilar from a vendor at the Fenway selling franks.

Now translate "Git yer Fehn-wahy franks heyar!" into Telagu and that is what we hear from our flat on the third floor.

Sometimes I'm really curious - perhaps because the vendor is just a bit too enthusiastic about what he is selling (it must be good) or perhaps because I just in the mood to know. It's enough to get me to the railing of our balcony to find out. The whole trip usually ends with a disappointed announcement like "it's only papayas", or "just a bundle of carpets".

But every once in a while, usually once a month, the announcement is just a little bit different.

"CAMELS! Evan, quick! Get your shoes! The camels are here! (Evan shrieking) CAMELS!"

And the lot of us rushes down the stairs to admire these majestic animals and their unscrupulous handlers. What is 5 rupees for all the other kids becomes 50 rupees for my kid. After about 10 or 15 minutes of negotiations, a couple of false "walk-aways", and some raised eyebrows, the fare is back down to 5 rupees and the owner brings the camel down to the prone position for the riders to get on.

On this journey Evan was escorted by Virajita, the elder of Dr. Sharma's two daughters. It was a fun day for everyone.

Bibi ka Maqbara

2007-11-11T06:12:00.000-05:00

The Bibi ka Maqbara has the unfortunate pseudonym of "the poor man's Taj Mahal". In some ways it kind of deserves it - Aurangzeb, the last of the great Mughal rulers (their power waned as the influence of European colonial activity increased - mostly from France, Portugal, and eventually the British) had it built as a mausoleum for his wife in 1679. I have wondered who in their right mind would try to copy the Taj Mahal - arguably the most beautiful man-made structure in the world. I assume that before the information age (and photographic technology, for that matter) someone might of thought of pulling it off. What makes it peculiar is that is for the most part an exact copy of the Taj Mahal - except that only some of the materials are actually white marble and it lacks much of the fine detail work found on the Taj.

But it's still an impressive structure.

We finished the day with an afternoon at Aurangabad's general bazaar which included a stop for jelebe - one of the countless delicious Indian sweets.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE BIBI KA MAQBARA SLIDESHOW

The Ajanta Caves

2007-11-10T05:04:00.000-05:00

The Buddhist caves at Ajanta are perhaps the most significant site in the state of Maharashtra outside of Mumbai (formerly Bombay). It, like the rock-cut temples at Ellora, are listed on the UNESCO world heritage sites and are the home to some of the oldest known paintings and frescoes in Asia, dating back to 200 BC. The caves remained in somewhat obscurity until 1819 when a British hunting party apparently came across them in their travels. Although the caves are completely isolated in the hills, I find it hard to believe that not one of the 1.2 billion Indians living here didn't know about them!

We hired a car in Aurangabad (an awesome guy named Aleem) and traveled to Ajanta which is located about 100 km north of the city. We took a leisurely stroll through the 30 caves which took the better part of a day - most of the caves had elegant pillars and statue-type reliefs from the cave walls. Many of the frescoes were in good shape - which is amazing given that they were done using completely natural dyes and pigmentation. The detail in the art is astounding given that much of the work was done on the ceilings (I'm thinking Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel) of these cave temples and the fact that most of them have endured for over two thousands of years.

Evan again made sport of calling out each and every Buddha that he saw ("there's a Buddha and there's another Buddha..."), and it was fun to watch him run around and enjoy the caves since they were nice and cool.

On a separate note I've been corrected numerous times by my students (at KVT) for my pronunciation of Buddha:

"No sir, it's Bood-THA!" (with a strong accent on the second syllable).

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE AJANTA CAVES SLIDESHOW!

The Temples at Ellora

2007-11-08T08:37:00.000-05:00

The festival of Diwali gave us a 4-day break from my teaching responsibilities at KV Tirumalagiri, so we (Jessie, Evan, Eli, Erin McGraw - our travel companion from Malekpet in Hyderabad and Rodney Kleber - US Fulbrighter from the North Hampton, MA area currently assigned to A KV school in Pune, Maharashtra not far from the megacity of Mumbai) booked overnight train tickets from the Secunderabad Rail Station to Aurangabad - which is located in the northwesterly direction in the state of Maharashtra. It is named after Aurangzeb - the last of a line of great Mughal rulers who extended his reign all the way south into our region of Andhra Pradesh (he was the last conqueror of Hyderabad after seiging the main fort at Golconda in 1687).

Ellora is about 30 km from Aurangabad and is a UNESCO World Heritage site for its incredible rock cut cave-type temples and monasteries that date back to about AD 600. It was an absolutely fantastic place, with intricate Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu temples (the area was alternately inhabited by these religious groups) jutting straight out of the sheer rocky cliffs. There was an inexplicable harmony between the natural surrounding and the architecture of the temples themselves, with some of the 34 caves going inside the mountain and some of the solid rock temples, including the masterpiece Kailasa Temple, standing separately where mountain had once stood. The Kailasa Temple, built in about AD 760, required 200,000 tons of solid rock to be removed!

The coolest part was that we were able to walk freely in and around the temple caves with no restrictions. I remember hiking out to the Keet Seel site in 2003, an Anasazi Native American cliff dwelling in Navajo National Monument in Arizona (it's about a 3 or 4 hour drive northeast of the Grand Canyon). We had to get a permit from a US Park Service Ranger, hike out the eight miles and meet a different ranger there who guided us through the ruins of the village. She permitted us to touch almost nothing, and significant portions of the site were off limits. I'm sure that some of it had to do with the frail sandstone in comparison to the granite at Ellora, but it was such a different experience to be able to wander around and explore at your own pace.

Evan made a game of counting all the Buddhas we found in each temple. The lighting inside the temples was very difficult to take photographs in without using the flash (both Jessie and I hate using the flash for a variety of reasons, but primarily because it's just hard to use it with good results). I opened the lens up all the way and bumped up the ISO to the maximum setting and hoped for the best. I've also decided to drop all the color and show them in black and white since most of the images are shot in extremely low light.

After visiting the caves at Ellora we quickly visited the simple marble tomb of Aurangzeb in the courtyard of Alamgir Dargah in the walled village of Khuldabad (Heavenly Abode) as well as the 14th century mountaintop fort at Daulatabad (by the way the very popular suffix "abad" means "home of" - so Daulatabad is literally the home of Daulat, etc.). It was a great day with lots of walking!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ELLORA SLIDESHOW!

Trick or Treat?

2007-10-31T04:38:00.000-04:00

Trick or Treat? I'll take a samosa, thank you.

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays to celebrate, so we decided to do it up in our neighborhood. My mom and dad sent out a package filled with some Halloween decorations (like the stretchy cobweb stuff) and we were able to procure some small to medium sized pumpkins from the local market. Needless to say the neighborhood kids came over to enjoy the festivities. In lieu of bobbing for apples we decided to make pinatas from paper mache. One of the older children opened the pinata with a direct hit and left Evan asking "What happened to that pinata?" while the other kids quickly descended upon the loot.

Evan's costume was a stoplight of course, since his favorite game is "red light-green light", while Eli was a wrapped present (with only his head sticking out of the box).

It was a lot of fun to show off one of the more unique American traditions.

Horn Guy & the Holy Cow

2007-10-29T09:03:00.000-04:00

Did you ever wonder where the term "Holy Cow!" came from? I've been thinking about this lately and I figure that it has to come from India. Of course cows are sacred here and they roam freely in the streets. People sometimes go out of their way to feed them for good fortune.

We have cows in our neighborhood and they hang outside of our house sometimes. They're fairly low key as cows are - just chewing on some grasses and such. They ate the pumpkins that we had carved into Jack-O-Lanterns for Halloween.

The other day this guy came through the neighborhood ("colony" as they call it here in India) and was playing his horn and bringing his cow by for good luck. I tipped him big - 50 rupees, and took a video of him jamming on the horn. The cow is really decked out!

The Art of Rangoli

2007-10-27T04:32:00.000-04:00

Rangoli is a Hindi word for making temporary patterns on the ground with white or colored powder. It is process that is exclusively reserved for women in India, and Kendriya Vidyalaya Tirumalagiri recently had a Rangoli competition as part of its CCA activities (cultural preservation). Although in appearance it might look like some colored chalk sidewalk art you might see at a crowded urban getaway like Battery or Central Park in NYC or perhaps at Faneuil Hall in Boston, it's different in many respects.

The Telagu word for this type of design is "Muggoo" - which is actually done daily in the morning as a sign of cleanliness. It shows that the house has been cleaned and in some ways publically reflects on its occupants. Usually done in only white powder on the sidewalk or street, it is usually barely still noticeable by evening time. I'd like to do more on the local Muggoo in the coming weeks - because it's really cool.

Both Muggoo and Rangoli are creative in their own rights, but the interesting thing is that there seem to be a few set patterns that most of the designs will follow. There is usually a series of dots arranged in a matrix through which a curved and unbroken decorative line will be woven. The pattern is usually symmetrical and is very beautiful. Although I can not say with 100% certainty, I am fairly convinced that the patterns are traditional and offer some underlying meaning or just simply an aesthetic connection to the past.

Red Sox International

2007-10-23T20:36:00.000-04:00

The Red Sox Nation is perhaps more appropriately The Red Sox World. We ran into some Sox fans in Kochin and talked up baseball and for the first time I really felt homesick. We analyzed Beckett's first game performance in the ACLS against Cleveland, we talked about Pedroia's hitting, and we shook our heads about Manny. There is really something special about mid to late November in New England - the explosion of autumn foliage, the crisp and cool mornings and evenings, the crunching of leaves underfoot, the Halloween preparations, and of course, the crack of the bat and the smells of Yawkey Way, Landsdowne Street, and the Fenway.

I turned on the TV in our hotel room one morning to be absolutely delighted to find live coverage of ACLS game 7 against Cleveland, which of course sealed Bostons 3-1 defecit comeback to go onto the World Series. It was a great game and a pleasure to watch, especially given the circumstances. I really realized how much baseball brings us together at home - my parents are huge Red Sox fans and I usually go to their house to watch the games. I could feel the shared excitement with my neighbors back in New Hampshire and my colleagues and students at CHS - I knew everyone was watching.

But after getting a post from Ravi in Hyderabad I also realized that the Nation extends far beyond the borders of New England and the US - he contacted me from my new home city to find out where we could catch the Red Sox.

Go Sox! 2007 MLB World Series Champions!!!

P.S. Isn't there a team from New York too? Or is that a badmitten team I'm getting confused with?

Mysore - Act 2

2007-10-22T11:54:00.000-04:00

Ahhh...the marketplace in India. Nothing in America remotely compares to this experience (assault, really) of the senses. My experience in the marketplace - the mall, for example, is quite plain and sanitized by comparison. Franchises stores selling branded merchandise to over-advertised consumers that look the same everywhere. Teenagers, god love 'em, man the kiosks and cash registers not really caring how much you spend on those jeans or whether or not you buy anything at all, much less even come into the store.

But in India family livilihoods depend on sales made that day and the marketplace, bazaar if you will, is filled with expert merchants who are tuned to the psycholog of buying. It seems like when business is slow that they will stop at nothing to simply get you into the store.

A bazaar simply implies a narrow street of shops sometimes covered by awnings or even the ubiquitous blue tarpaulin. Wares pour out into the streets or even hang from overhead. The smell of street food - samosas, pani puris, fried jelebe (ahhh - jelebe) fills the air. Merchants quickly move masses to and from their balance scales, measuring a 1/4 kg of onions, a 1/2 kg of bringal (mini eggplants), or in my case, a full kg of gulab jamun.

A sale might go like this:

Me: "How much for this salwar kameez material?"
Merchant: "Today special price because no business."

Me: "Really? OK - how much?"

Merchant: "This will look beautiful for wife."

Me: "Thanks. OK, now how many rupees?"

Merchant: "For you, my friend, 800 rupees, only."
Me: "800 rupees!?! You know I live here in India - I'm not some tourist fresh off the plane."

Merchant: ?

Me: "50 rupees, maximum"

Merchant: "Ha-ha-ha! No-no-no - not possible. This is less than I pay. 750 rupees."

Me: "You're not hearing me, friend. 50 rupees only."

Merchant: "OK, OK, then for you, 700 rupees".

And the dance might go on like this for another 5 minutes or so until one of two things happens:

1) He gets annoyed with me because I am seriously lowballing the price and stops talking to me.
2) I get annoyed with him because it's more than I want to pay and I walk out the store, which brings us to Act - 2, where the merchant comes after me into the street.

Merchant: "OK, OK, your price! 300 rupees."
Me: "My price?! My best offer is 200 rupees."
Merchant: "Please, this is not possible. 250 rupees. OK, take it! Take it!"
Me: "220 rupees, maximum price."
Merchant: "OK, OK, take it, 220 rupees."

In the end it's a fun exchange, if you're willing to accept the fact that sometimes you'll walk away with nothing. There is one golden rule to haggling though: Any Indian you tell about your purchase will respond: "Ahhhh... I think you have paid too much for this." (even if you got it for one rupee).

The central market in Mysore is called the Devaraja Fruit and Vegatable Bazaar. It was teeming with photo opportunities around every corner... the hard part was finding the right way to discreetly make portraits. It was the highlight of our third day in Mysore.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MYSORE - ACT 2 SLIDESHOW!

Mysore - Act 1

2007-10-21T04:29:00.000-04:00

The trip out of Ooty to Mysore consisted of only one option - a steeply descending narrow road consisting of 36 precarious switchbacks - elegant, scenic, and terrifying. We decided on booking the "short bus" (how après po), a twenty-seater that would conveniently pick us up at our hotel in Ooty. After hoisting up our luggage to be strapped onto the roof we settled in for what would only begin as a calm and organized trip out of the Nilgiri range. The bus groaned and creaked around the hilly lanes of Ooty for another two hours, collecting more and more passengers who actively negotiated standing-room fares with the driver. Finally, with the mini bus packed to the gills with people and luggage our circuitous departure to Mysore would begin.

After arriving in Mysore we hired a driver to take us to Chumndi Hill, which looms over the city of and is one of Karnataka's more auspicious places. It is here where accirdung to lore, the multi-limbed goddess Durga (one of the many incarnations of Parvati, wife of Shiva) slayed a powerful demon. She is frequently depicted riding atop the back of a tiger, freeing the people from his powerful grip. This action positioned her as one of the patron gods of the royal family - making Mysore the seat of Dussera festivitites in southern India. The ten day celebration culminates with a lavish procession from the gates of the Maharaja's Palace through the city, complete with a golden "howdah" (a traditional covered throne carried on the back of an elephant), costumed performers depicting gods and demons of India, ornately painted elephants covered with rich tapestries, as well as floats depicting various aspects of traditional and contemporary Indian life.

We met up in Mysore with Paul Amstutz, one of the eight US Fulbright Teachers in India who is on assignment in Bangalore. Paul and his wife Karen also have a yound family with them and it was fun to share our unique experiences of travling with kids. They are from Yosemite, California where Karen works as a Park Ranger. They have three girls - Liza - 9, Sylvie - 6, and Lupin - 3. Paul has the most foreign travel experience of all the Fulbrighters, having worked as a trekking guide in Nepal for many years as well as leading a few excursions into Pakistan and the surrounding mountain areas.

Mysore turned out to be eye-candy. More on that in Part 2...

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MYSORE ACT 1 SLIDESHOW

Evan in Ooty

2007-10-20T03:10:00.000-04:00

Ooty is the name of the town (city by US standards) nestled in the tea growing region of the Nilgiris (which means "Blue Mountains") where the British established south India's most famous "hill station" in the southernmost state of Tamil Nadu. A hill station is basically Indian vernacular for a vacation resort area - this one founded by the Englishman John Sullivan.

Admittingly, for the first time in my trip to India I was disappointed. Udhagamandalam, or Ooty for short, most likely barely resembles its quaint and relaxing past. What Ooty has going for it - incredible mountain scenery and emerald green tea estates - is only to be found outside of the city. In my opinion, Ooty is not a destination, but merely a base camp for excursions into the mountain valleys and countryside. Despite promises of elegant British-style cottages and incredible gardens, I found a fairly typical developing city in India - complete with traffic congestion, pollution, and very few remnants of the British summer retreat.

I did enjoy the cool weather, most likely the reason the English established this settlement in the first place. We wore sweaters throughout the day and gathered around a fireplace by night. It rained a lot - perhaps it made the English feel as if they were back home.

I was saved on the second day when we hired a local guide to take us into the forests and tea estates that surround Ooty for a full day hike, or trek as the Indians will call it. The scenery was breathtaking and I can only imagine what this place looked like just one or two hundred years ago. Evan quickly became, as Jessie likes to call it, the "littlest ambassador". You'll just have to see the photos/slideshow to get the idea.

I have been very aware of my race/ethnicity while here in India. When we are in our home in Secunderabad, we are literally the ONLY white people I will see. The dark and beautiful skin of the Indians has become the norm for us, and when I see pictures of myself or look at my family I often think to myself "jeez - we are so pale!" Indians have made comments to us like "you are so white, I can't believe it." When we were hiking in Ooty walking in the hillside farms and tea estates, our Indian guide brought to my attention that we were spooking the livestock. Once he pointed this out I realized that cows and buffaloes were staring at us. And only us - Indians were nothing special to them, but our white skin was completely alien and they would stare or get spooked.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE OOTY SLIDESHOW!

Backwaters by Houseboat

2007-10-18T21:58:00.000-04:00

Kerala is famous for its natural beauty and more specifically the extensive network of "backwaters" which weave through the central coastal areas of the state. These sometimes narrow channels interconnect larger lakes and rivers and are the lifeblood to this primarily agrarian community. The natural scenery is breathtaking - with palm lined canals backdropped by huge expanses of rice paddies and colorful birds populating various environmental niches. Perhaps the neatest feature of the backwaters are the Keralites themselves and the manner in which they live. Small huts are fixed onto long and narrow spits of land or sometimes islands, no more than 15 feet across. Life is spent mostly on the water, either fishing or tending to the rice paddies, and the waterways are the only form of transportation. Long, narrow boats with elegantly upturned ends dot the waterways, mostly propelled by long bamboo punting tended by one or two people. Some have an additional sail attached to a very short mast while the remaining few have loud and smelly small outboard motors.

It's a simple but beautiful life which we got to observe from the luxury of our houseboat - the most popular way of visiting the backwater region. Houseboats in Kerala have the hull design of a rice barge, but everything above the main deck has been rehabilitated into a luxury home - including electric lights and running water in bedrooms and bathrooms. The most important part of the houseboat is the main seating area which is open on the sides but covered by wicker thatch and bamboo from the hot sun. There are comfortable chairs and couches, and even a ceiling fan! The idea is to let the experience just float by, and that we did.

We arrived in Allepuzza from Varkala at about noontime, and after haggling over prices and inspecting a few different boats we were off on our 24 hour adventure. The boat comes complete with three crewmember who drive the boat and serve freshly made food throughout the day. At a few times the experience almost became trancelike - the boat slowly drifting through small island villages in the still air while the sounds of daily life (Keralites speak a derivative of Sanskrit called Malayalam) could be heard.

We parked for a quiet night along a narrow dike abutting some rice paddies and went exploring before it rained. What a great experience.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE BACKWATERS SLIDESHOW!

Varkala Solitude

2007-10-17T07:34:00.000-04:00

Varkala is a small village near the southern tip of India (near the city of Trivanderum, about three hours south by train from Kochin) that is gaining a reputation for its fine beach nestled among the steep cliffs and Arabian Sea sunsets. We rented a small (perfectly round) cottage on one of the clifftops overlooking the beach and pretty much just kicked it back for a few days of well deserved R & R.

It was nice to take a break from teaching and enjoy some of Kerala's scenic beauty. Kerala in many ways just doesn't feel like the rest of India in terms of congestion, noise, and pollution. There seems to be, dare I say, serenity and peace to these coastal towns that I simply have not been able to find in the Hyderabad/Secunderabad region.

We had some great seafood and enjoyed the fine views, but discovered that Indians aren't really beachgoers. The beautiful sands of Varkala were empty with the exception of a handful of fully clothed tourists - some of whom even went in the water with all their clothes on!

Kerala!

2007-10-15T22:43:00.000-04:00

The KV schools have an Autumn break that coincides nicely with the Dussera Festival (more on this to come later) which honors the goddess Durga. We packed up our bags for 12 days and headed south on the Deccan peninsula for what would be a splendid break from my new routine here.

Erin McGraw, another US Fulbright teacher (who is working in Hyderabad about one hour from where we are in Secunderabad) joined us for the trip on an early flight to the southern state of Kerala (pronounced key-air-a-la). Kerala is an interesting place - protected on the east from the "Western Ghats" - a set of mountains that bisects the lower portion of the Deccan peninsula and on the west by the Arabian Sea. This relative isolation has A unique set of customs, food, and language (called Malayalam, a palindrome and one of the many regional derivatives of Sanskrit).

We started our adventure with a flight to Kochin, a coastal town at about the midpoint in the state. We ran into other western tourists for the first time in months, including a few Americans wearing Red Sox hats - you can imagine what we ended up talking about!

The highlight of my trip to Kochin was a three-hour Kathakali performance - the regional Keralean dance. A casual observer might find it akin to sign language - but what it lacks in efficient utility it more than compensates for in fluid, dancelike motions of the hands and face. There is no elaborate footwork, props, or stage - rather the attention of the audience is directed to the face of the performer, his exquisite costume, and the unbelievable, nearly characaturelike movements of the face. The production is accompanied by four or five musicians including two large upright drums, which direct the overall tempo of the song, one bongo style hand-tapped horizontal drum, and an accordion type of instrument which was played by the singer/narrator who juxtaposed a trance-like vocal harmony (similar to mantra) against powerful percussion rhythms.

India as a whole is littered with monuments to its recent colonial past - largely European efforts to control the spice trade and profit from this fertile region, but also in aggressive religious conversion efforts. The Portuguese seafarers of the 16th century established missions and posts in Fort Kochin, but their influence was limited to this small area and the larger northern colony at Goa. Vasco de Gama, the explorer, died and was buried here, but was later exhumed and brought back to Lisbon. The large Portuguese gates and terra cotta rooftops and gables reminded me of this colonial past.

The French also traded from the eastern side of the Deccan just south of Chennai (Madras) in Pondicherry while the English, originally as the East India Company from Calcutta, would eventually colonize the entire subcontinent and rule from the newly established capital city in New Delhi. It would be a few hundred years before eventual Indian independance in 1947.

See the Fort Kochin slideshow by clicking here!

Settling in @ KVT

2007-10-07T09:37:00.001-04:00

I have now really settled into my assignment here at Kendriya Vidyalaya Tirumalagiri. The students are warm to me and eagerly seek out my attention. I still have "new guy" status, but I am also different, an anomaly really, among the staff here at the school. Besides the famous videos of CHS, students are really responding to some Hindi phrases that I have picked up along the way. Most of the phrases I have learned on the way to school in the auto rickshaw with Dr. Sharma's two wonderful daughters - Virajita and Vipanchika. Verajita, or Veru for short, has been my willing teacher on the morning rides to school, often spelling things out phonetically when I am struggling with a particular word. My class eleven students become delirious with laughter when I try out my new phrases on them - either its the outright ridiculous accent I have or I have said something inadvertently - they won't tell me.

My teaching routine is also coming along - I certainly can't compete with the effectiveness of veteran Indian teachers here as far as preparing the students for the national board exams, but I do think I am able to get a little physics into them. I am currently planning the "slice-the-pendulum" lab for them (for all you grizzled physics veterans), which I am hoping will be fun experience for the students.

The morning assembly continues to be a special time of the day for me - I continue to be awestruck by the singing of the morning prayer and the national anthem as well as the overall happiness of the students. They, for the most part, LOVE being at school. I have had students often request additional classes (and not like the random overachiever) - and a willingness to come in on Sundays (our one day off during the week) to do some extra instruction. On the few occasions in which I have made such extra sessions, almost every student showed up for class - making their own transportation arrangements in order to attend. If I close my eyes I can see the tumbleweeds blowing throughout the hallways if I were to proposition one of my American students with their lifelong dream of "extra physics"!

I have promised myself to attempt to capture the morning prayer / assembly in video and post it here later - perhaps in November. Veru has agreed to translate it from Hindi into English, so you will be able to follow along.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE KV TIRUMALAGIRI PHYSICS SLIDESHOW

A Day in the Life

2007-10-04T08:46:00.000-04:00

Saanya is a pleasant and confident 12th-grader here at KV Tirumaligiri in class XIIA - which happens to be across the corridor from my home in the Physics Lab.

I have been showing some videos that I took in the final weeks before summer break at CHS this year to the Indian students so that they can become familiar with how American students look, dress, behave, and carry themselves throughout the day at our school. This was one of those things that knew before I left the US that I simply wouldn't be able to convey to my students here. They have become fondly known around KVT as simply "the videos" and it goes like this: "Sir, will you show us the videos please?" I have been here for nearly two months and I continue to be asked daily about "the videos". I have started asking myself how I will show the kids back in the US what kids are like here in India, and although I know I will eventually turn to video again, I got the idea of a photojournal from Jessie. The idea is simple - keep quiet, give the camera to one of the kids, and just let them tell their own story. As it turns out, our first taker is quite a budding artist and seemed to really take to the camera. What a way to begin!

She tells a great story with her photographs which you can activate in the Flickr menu by clicking on the "i" which appears at the center of the image when you hover over it. You'll quickly discover that the IM and texting vernacular has permeated the life of Indian teens as well - although judging by some papers I've graded in the past few years at CHS, Saanya seems a bit more adept at switching it off during school.

Saanya has commented on most of the pictures (she took all of them, including some nice self-portraits) but still has a few left to do - feel free to check back for some updates.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SAANYA SLIDESHOW

Birthdays and Sarees

2007-09-28T11:08:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-26T10:43:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-25T12:11:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-23T09:34:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-15T12:51:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-09-14T23:20:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-08T13:01:00.000-04:00

"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

2007-09-07T08:57:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-05T10:24:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-03T10:00:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-03T06:03:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-02T07:58:00.000-04:00

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.

Miryalaguda Wedding

2007-08-27T12:31:00.000-04:00

We were invited to attend the wedding of Sudha's (she is the wife of Dr. Sharma) nephew in the town of Miryalaguda, which is about 150 km to the south of Hyderabad. Indian marriage ceremonies are legendary for the extent to which ritual and tradition play an elaborate part. We traveled to Hyderabad from our home in an auto rickshaw, which took about one hour in the heavy afternoon traffic, and arrived at the home of Dr. Sharma's sister and brother-in-law where Evan did his part to disturb the calm (he launched a plastic bowling pin from the top of the stairs into some dinner plates).

A bus had been chartered to take the groom and his party from Hyderabad into the countryside where we would meet the family of the bride. The "village" (population 200,000) of Miryalaguda is the home of the bride and is traditionally where all the festivitities will take place. She is residing with her parents there, but will be returning in about two days time with the exhausted groom and his party. It is custom for the groom to return with his bride back to his family's home before sunrise on the day after the cermony is complete. We barely made it...

The ceremony was conducted in two parts - the first of which was short and sweet on Saturday evening. Upon arriving by bus, the bride's family greeted us at the door (actually, the parents of the bride came on the bus to bless us and adorn us with the first of many tikkas) and feed us after our long journey of heavy monsoon rains accented by traditional Indian songs. The accompanying music was fantastic - an interesting double percussion "tabla" is played with a a pair of sticks, and a variation of a clarinet - a long, slender, reeded woodwind.

The Saturday evening ceremony was capped by a traditional coming together of the two families in which the bride and groom faced each other while surrounded by their families. They then proceeded to beckon the other to step forward, attempting to get the other one to move first in an interesting game of chicken. I have attempted to capture some of this on the video below. This was of course followed by a huge south Indian meal consisting of dal (spiced lentils), chutneys (mango, coconut), idli (rice flour cakes), vada (deep fried donut-shaped rings made from rice flour), and samba (sauce-like tomato and onion mixture).

On Sunday the real ceremony began. The puja (prayer ceremonies) began in earnest in the afternoon. Offerings and blessings were made in what seemed like thousands of different ways - each with the choreographed assistance of elders and brahmen as well as family who provided ample supply of various leafs, seeds, powders, pastes, flowers, incense, fruit, nuts, ornaments, or any other natural object necessary for puja. There were small fires for promises made to the fire god that was managed with a large beetle leaf. It was really something to see.

The final "tying of the knot" occured somewhere around 11PM - this is the actual tying of a large cermonial necklace around the bride by the groom and vice versa. This was preceeded by the bride being carried out to the groom in a large wicker basket by her uncles as well as the washing of the feet of the groom by the parents of the bride. There was a lot of symbology to represent the passing of responsibility from the parents to the groom's family.

Before your nerves twitch about eastern notions of gender equality, you should know that I have found Indian women to be exceptionally well educated and confident about sharing ideas in the public domain. In most ways they are as liberated as the western counterparts, and in some ways, more so!

Afterwards there was a large meal and then - more puja. And then - more puja. Did I mention - more puja. At about 6AM the puja was completed (I had to work this morning at 8:30) and we boarded the bus back to Hyderabad. The room was strewn with sleeping bodies from a long night's worth of puja. But it was worth every minute.

SEE THE MIRYALAGUDA SLIDESHOW BY CLICKING HERE!

Sweet Home Secunderabad

2007-08-22T23:56:00.000-04:00

The flight on Kingfisher Airlines (Kingfisher is a giant brand in India, kind of like Virgin does music, airlines, etc. - Kingfisher does beer, bottled water, travel, etc.) landed in Hyderabad on schedule on Saturday August 20th. I was greeted by Mr. G.S. Reddy, my mentor teacher (he is the other PGT, or post-graduate teacher, in Physics at our school - Kendriya Vidyalaya Tirumalagiri) who was holding a bouquet and a placard that read "Patrick J. Kaplo". This has become my name at the school, always read in full.

"Mr. Patrick J. Kaplo Sir, would you join is for tea?"

"Yes Sir, we do know your name, it is Patrick J. Kaplo, sir."

This is a far cry from being addressed back home at CHS where unscrupulous characters (read Kirk Romein here) might call me by unmentionable names.

Hyderabad simply means the home (abad) of Hyder. The abad suffix clings to names here like ville or town does back in the US. We actually live in Secunderabad - the sister or twin city of Hyderabad. The combined population of this area is six million people. I will write more about the history of this region at a later time.

We were whisked away from the busy airport to meet the building owner, Mr. Bhanogee Rao, at our new home which is a flat on the third floor. It is a new construction, directly behind the home of my exchange partner Dr. TAV Sharma, and has turned out to be a very comfortable place to live. We have marble floors throughout, two bedrooms, and three bathrooms, a kitchen, and large open dining and sitting area. When I asked Mr. Rao about an additional room with a ornately screened door attached to the sitting area, he smiled and spoke to his assistant in Telagu, the regional language of Andrha Pradesh (the state we are in), smiled, and then replied that this was the "meditation" room. I had arrived in the east. The Puju Room, or meditation room, is typical in Hindu homes and serves as a place of offering or tribute to the ancestoral past. We have used it for burning sandalwood incense.

Our neighborhood is awesome. The people are really friendly to us (insanely curious, actually), and often invite us into their homes for tea. Their are 15 or so small shops at the end of our narrow lane, including a bakery, stationary store, a few produce markets, a barber shop, and a sweet shop. The owners of the sweet shop have quickly come to know us as we visit the shop for freshly made Indian sweets almost every night. Although the average shop owner only knows a bit of English (way more than the Telagu I can use!), a flurry of hand gestures and a game of charades can usually get us what we need.

In short, we have an awesome new home for the next 5 months, random cows in the street included.

Note the double entrance in the corner of the room - one for practical use, and the second (double door) is a traditional Hindu architectural element promoting the flow of wealth into the family. Litchfield School District look out!

View from the balcony and clothes drying space during monsoon rains.

Blessings on doorways. Of course the swastika symbol has an entirely different meaning in India than it does in the west.

Kitchen with propane stove.

Our bedroom

Evan's Room

Delhi

2007-08-17T08:26:00.000-04:00

Delhi is hot, smelly, crowded, and fun. If you can stand it, it has a lot to offer. We had the good fortune of being in Delhi on the 60th Anniversary of India's Independance in order to attend the Fulbright India Orientation held at the USEFI (United States Educational Foundation India) headquarters. The orientation was interesting and informative and the eight US teachers were in attendance (name/from/to) - Eddie Grannis (San Fransisco, California / Ahmedebad, Gujarat), Paul Amstutz (Yosemite, California / Bangalore, Karnataka) , Sarah Schmidt (Portland, Maine / Chennai, Tamil Nadu), Erin McGraw (Rutland, Vermont / Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh), Tim Daponte (Houston, Texas / New Delhi), Ashanti Branch (Oakland, California / Chennai, Tamil Nadu), Rodney Kleber (Northhampton, Massachusetts / Pune, Maharashtra), and myself - Patrick Kaplo (Manchester, New Hampshire / Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh). Leading the conference was Dr. Jane Schukoske, USEFI Execuive Director and USEFI program officers Ms. Varrtika Mudaliar and Dr. Garish Kaul. We heard from keynote speakers Mr. Adnan Siddiqi, Cultural Affairs Officer US Embassy, New Delhi and Dr. U.N. Singh, Joint Commisioner of all Central Government Schools (Kendriya Vidyalaya) in India, the largest school system in the world.

India's capital city is just bustling with everything - cars, motorscycles (2-wheelers as they are called here), auto rickshaws (3-wheelers or "autos" as they are called here), pedestrians, and last but not least, random cows roaming the streets. We spent the day after orientation visiting the Red Fort, which has a long and storied history in India and is most notably the site of the Independance address given by India's first PM Jawarharlal Nehru. I have copied the opening remarks here:

"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long supressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.

At the dawn of history India started on her unending quest, and trackless centuries are filled with her striving and the grandeur of her success and her failures. Through good and ill fortune alike she has never lost sight of that quest or forgotten the ideals which gave her strength. We end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself again. The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?"

Full text here: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1947nehru1.html

We also visited Chandni Chowk - the narrow and bustling labarynth of bazaars in the old city, which was quite a spectacal. The human density is astounding and the area is teeming with activity - jewelry makers, tailors, and food vendors making our favorite Indian sweet "goolab jamun" (although the butter/honey/flake of baklava-like "kaja" in concentric ellipses is a close second).

Later on that afternoon we visited the National Museum - which houses some of India's significant national treasures and ancient history. The auto (rickshaw) drivers in Delhi are a tough bunch to deal with - their meters suddenly become inoperable once they see that you are not Indian. It took quite a few interactions (OK - like 10 on the way back) to get a rate that was only twice or three times the actual metered fare.

We enjoyed our time in Delhi and in the north of India overall, but after traveling for the better part of two weeks and rarely staying in the same hotel for more than one night, we were ready to go "home". We got an early start on Saturday morning (August 18th) for the final leg of the beginning of this journey.

SEE THE DELHI SLIDESHOW BY CLICKING HERE!

Samode Palace - Rajasthan

2007-08-15T11:49:00.000-04:00

Staying in Samode, about one hour outside of Jaipur in Rajasthan, was an experience in itself. Situated in the rocky hills is this outstanding "heritage hotel" - elegantly restored to the offer guests a small taste of royalty - Maharaja style. We typically don't stay in hotels like this, but it seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so we took it. After all, despite the high rates, we still couldn't spend a night in Manhatten for what we paid.

The hotel's sprawling grounds are built into the hillside, not long aster entering the walled village of Samode. The narrow and hilly streets were unusual from what we had seen previously in India.

We stayed in one of the royal suites - offered to prestigious guests during the days of the Maharajas (the royal families still live in Jaipur). When we arrived our luggage was efficiently carried up the stairs by no less than eight attendants! A room boy brought cool drinks and remained on call for anything we needed. The room had marbled everything, elegant tapestries and rugs, a four-posted bed with sheer curtains, and the largest marble bathtub I had ever seen in my life (so big in fact, that if you wanted to actually take a bath, you would need to wait for a good 20 minutes or so just to fill it up enough). There was an attached foyer and sitting room, as well as a small balcony overlooking the hillside. Guest could also use the public sitting rooms, with absolutely stunning frescoes and lavish furniture in the styles of Rajasthan.

In the evening, Rajput singers, musicians, and puppeteers would come to the Samode Palace to entertain the guests. Check out my crudely edited video...

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PHOTO SLIDESHOW FROM SAMODE

Jaipur - The Royal City

2007-08-14T11:19:00.000-04:00

I really like Rajasthan. It is in the west of India bordering Pakistan and is largely dominated by the arid and rocky landscape of the Great Thar Desert. Seeing a camel in Rajasthan is about as common as seeing a Ford in the US, which of course makes it really exotic for someone like me. The men traditionaly grow absolutely huge mustaches (this is a traditional sign of age status, perhaps) and sometimes curl them at the ends, although we really didn't see much of it. They are also adorned with oftentimes colorful turbans to keep cool. This is different from the Sikhs who wear turbans as religious requirements to cover the hair at all times (I have Sikh students in my classes in Andhra Pradesh).

Insterestingly, Rajasthan seems like one of the few places where the men can sometimes be more colorful in their dress. All over India it seems like women, regardless of status, wear the most exquisite saris and salwar kameez in a dizzying array of colors. There is something absolutely stunning about the way the sari functions so efficiently - I have seen women adjust it to cover the head during hot sun or light rain, completely cover their heads and faces when street pollution is high, or just the way the extra fabrics flow in the breeze to create a fantastic visual effect.

Interestingly the students in my school are more often from the north of India than the south. When I asked my mentor teacher, Mr. G.S. Reddy about this, he quickly responded that the north has historically often been invaded from Persia, China, etc. and therefore has required large warrior castes. The south, insulated on three sides by the oceans and by large distances along the Deccan peninsula from northern states has had less of a need for these castes. The Rajputs from Rajasthan are no exception and are proud of their long history of not being conquered by the Persian invaders from present day Afghanistan and Iran. Apparently, when faced with certain defeat in battle, Rajput warriors donned saffron robes and rode to certain death into the face of the enemy while the women and children would throw themselves into funeral pyres to avoid the shame of capture. This form of mass suicide was called jauhar.

Also from Rajasthan are many Jains - an interesting group which vows a respect for all life - including insects, worms, etc. This prevents them from eating certain foods, like tubers, which can kill insects when uprooted.

We arrived in Jaipur, the royal city of Maharajas, and capitol of Rajasthan, by eveningtime. We decided to splurge on an insanely swanky hotel outside of the city in a hill village called Samode. The hotel was formerly the residence of the Prime Minister of Rajasthan and was nothing short of the most luxurious hotel I have ever stayed in (Conde Naste nice). Jaipur is a city of contrasts - made rich in the past from the semi-precious jewel trade and jewelry markets - but it has also been tapped by the extravegant lifestyles of the royal families. Rajasthan itself, especially the countryside near Samode, was very poor. Indian educational statistics put literacy rates at about 60% - a massive improvement from just 8% when India gained independance in 1947.

Our Rajasthan experience began in earnest on the 14th, when we took an elephant ride up the ramparts of the Amer Fort - the once hilltop fortress palace of the Maharaja. We then spent the day visiting a 15th-century Hindu Temple and the Royal Palace and celestial observatory of the Maharaja Jai Singh. The observatory was of course a highlight given the precision with which one was able to tell time and date from taking measurements from the sky. One of the sundials was accurate to within 5 seconds.

SEE THE JAIPUR SLIDESHOW BY CLICKING HERE!

Fatehpur Sikri

2007-08-13T13:24:00.000-04:00

About 1 hour's drive from Agra is the abandoned capital city of the great Mughal Emperor Akbar in the 16th Century. Part of a line of seven Mughal rulers of India in the middle ages, Akbar is easily considered the most successful due to his ability to compromise among the many social and religious factions of India. He took three wives - one Muslim (from Persia), one Christian (from Goa, a Portuguese trading colony on the west coast of India), and one Hindu from the south of India. Unlike most of the other Mughal rulers, he was able to functionally include much of this diversity in his administration of northern India - which brought peace and stability during his 16 year reign from this capital city.

Although the city remained in use after his death, it was eventually abandoned due to water scarcity problems.

Our trip to Fatehpur Sikri (translates to "City of Victory") was a difficult one as all four of us were experiencing some form of discomfort due to the transition (food, environment, pollution, etc.). It was incredibly hot out (at least 90F or higher) and after visiting Fatehpur Sikri we would continue to drive for 5 additional hours to the royal city of Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan.

Fatehpur was an interesting place and I "made a offering" at the white marbled Mosque in order to participate in a small prayer ceremony. It involved shedding my shoes (of course) and donning a kufie (Islamic prayer cap worn by men) and spreading a large tapestry in the central sanctum of the mosque. Afterwards I threw rose petals over the tapestry (I was instructed to do this despite not sharing any common language) as prayers from the Koran were being recited by the men behind me. It was a neat experience.

Check out the insane lattice work (done in MARBLE!) inside the mosque here - I can't imagine the painstaking work required to do this. This corridor is just outside the prayer room which I was not appropriate to photograph.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FATEHPUR SIKRI SLIDESHOW

Agra, Taj Mahal

2007-08-12T05:35:00.000-04:00

The Taj recently gained additional noteriety by being selected as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Getting to Agra is an experience in itself, but as we learned, well worth the sacrifice.

Nothing can put it into words - it is simply the most beautiful piece of artwork I have ever seen. Constructed out of a nearly translucent white marble, all of the decorations are not painted (even though they appear to be frescos), rather they are inlaid with precious and semi precious jewels. It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the mid 17th century to memorialize his favorite wife who died during her 14th childbirth. The structure took just 22 years to construct by an estimated 20,000 workers.

The builders used geometric principles to create significant illusary features of the building - the horizon is line is low to create a nearly completely blue sky backdrop to the Taj, inscriptions of the Koran are increased in size as they climb higher away from the viewer with precise rations to eliminate the reduction in text size, etc, etc.

The Taj Mahal is flanked on the east and west by mosques (majhid), however since all mosques must face the East towards Mecca, the second "faux" mosque exists only to maintain perfect symmetry. The Taj is identical when viewed from all four sides. The four minarets are angled slightly away from the main structure to improve it's impressive appeal, as well as for safety in case the minarets were to fall.

Since I could not fit all the pictures reasonably onto this entry, I've linked to a web slideshow (courtesy of Flickr). Click below and you can also click on the center info button to get more info on each image.

CLICK HERE FOR AGRA SLIDESHOW!

URL: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43788174@N00/sets/72157601608978740/show/

Namaste! India, finally.

2007-08-11T05:08:00.000-04:00

We arrived into Delhi late in the evening on August 11. As we descended, the warm glow from the city lights informed us that we had almost arrived. I grew a bit anxious, knowing that I was going to be really out of my comfort zone in a few minutes. I would not be dissappointed.

Complete sensory overstimilation - Sounds: incredibely loud and bustling. Indian drivers use horns at least once a minute (we averaged our driver's use to be significantly higher over a 20 minute data sample). Smells: foods that I had never seen or heard of before are prepared by street vendors. Some on carts shout the names of the food as they move with the ebb and flow of humanity on the street, which is useless to me since I do not speak Hindi. The pollution problem on the street level is astounding - as a matter of fact we could smell it at least 5 minutes before we landed. Sights - the sarees, salwar kameez, kurtas, dotis - are all so colorful and interesting to look at. Soon after we have left the airport we quickly become social anomolies - my blonde son and wife are stared at, sometimes open mouthed. People outright stop what they are doing and just watch. Gazing seems to lack the taboo status it has in the US! Sometimes people will follow us in small groups, closing the distance behind us over time as they become more comfortable.

Although I cannot describe the street-level instensity, this video attempts to do just that. It was taken from the car as we were approaching Agra, in Utter Pradesh (state), home of the great Taj Mahal.

Amsterdam

2007-08-10T11:10:00.000-04:00

Amsterdam suprised us with cold. We blasted out of Boston on a hot summer evening and were pretty much focused on the heat that we would experience in India. The layover in Holland was more of a convenience to break up the long flights into more manageable pieces. It didn't get over 65 while we were there and was more often in the 50's all day.

Regardless, we bought a few heavier outfits for the kids and had a blast! Highlights included a trip to the Rijksmuseum where we saw some Rembrandt and Vermeer and a tour along the Leidesplein and many canals in a boat. The real highlight for me was just walking around - it's a beautiful city with a rich heritage (literally) and lives up to it's reputation for being a tolerant society in just about every respect.

The Dutch LOVE their bicycles and it seems like the junkier the bike, the better. You wouldn't find any fancy suspension systems or even shifting elements for that matter - pretty much brakes, a single gear (including awesome pedal brakes you had when you were a kid), a bell-ringer (critical for negotiating pedestrian traffic). and maybe a basket in the front. I also saw the smallest car in the world.

Jessie and Eli climb the Dutch "knee knocker" stairs. Amsterdam was largely constructed as a port town with waterfront space at a premium, there was no room for normal stairs, apparently. Ann Frank discussed these in her diary (we're going to visit the Ann Frank house when we return in later December).

View down some of the many bridges that cross the canals in Amsterdam.

Dad and the kids on the tour. Evan called out EVERY bridge we went under with something like this - "Look Daddy - ANOTHER one!" There are 1200 bridges in Amsterdam,

The corner at our flat at the interersection of Keizersgracht (king's canal} and Browersgracht (brewer's canal)

Cheese, anyone?

Visit to Beantown

2007-08-05T17:18:00.000-04:00

The first thing I gave Dr. Sharma upon meeting in Washington was a Boston Red Sox hat and T-shirt - it should be noted that I have done what I can in order to set him upon the right foot here! Donning his new cap, Dr. Sharma and I visited Boston together starting at the Museum of Science (where else?) We then walked the city's Freedom Trail, ate at Faneuil Hall and enjoyed a few street performances, and discussed some of the city's many historical points of interest.

Enjoying lunch at Faneuil Hall

Holocaust Memorial

North Church - Memorial to fallen soldiers in Iraq

North End - Festival of St. Agrippina

North End - Festival of St. Agrippina

Paul Revere

Discussing the Declaration of Independance

Bernard Gould Shaw Memorial, Civil War Relief, African-American Regiment

Orientation Finale

2007-08-02T23:54:00.000-04:00

Thursday is the final day of the orientation - we have spent hours discussing things like root cultural differences, classroom and school policy differences, expectations and grading, etc. It has been an enjoyable three days, but I am off before the formal closure of program in order to get my final visa from the Indian Consulate in New York City. It's hard to believe that I need to make such a trip for a single document in the information age, but I am out of time, and must get closure on this.

I will meet Dr. Sharma in Manchester at the airport on Friday afternoon if all goes well.

The final meal includes a cultural sharing piece from all the visiting countries. I had to leave to catch a flight, but not before I was ornamented with a "tikka" - a fine powder of tumeric and sandalwood used to signify a focal point in the frontal lobe.

Wheels in Motion

2007-08-01T22:37:00.000-04:00

After over one year of extensive application and preparation work, the butterflies of anticipation finally set in as I rode the elevator to meet my exchange partner. Ananda Vardhana Telapakalle Sharma turns out to be an instant friend at the door of the hotel room we will share together (that's one way to make fast friends!). Within seconds we are sharing laughs and the formalities and introductions are behind us - we are so similar and yet still different.

The Fulbright Exchange Orientation is set at the Crowne Plaza in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington DC. I had arrived one day early in order to take care of some visa and passport issues which had unfortunately come up at the last second. On the bright side of things, I get to be the only US teacher among the eight teachers from India for this first day as they begin to assimilate into life in America. There are many questions to answer and I enjoy this opportunity to be the first to present our culture. I find myself explaining the finer details of salad croutons, the function of parking meters, and acceptable procedure for safe street crossing. I realize that these differences will be mine to experience when I arrive in Delhi.

The most striking scene is the hotel lobby that is packed with hundreds of foreign teachers and visitors. There are many langauges being spoken, a variety of colorful dress, and people of many nations. I find myself being exceptionally proud of our Government for the first time in a while.

After a morning appointment at the passport office, I spend the afternoon sightseeing with our Indian Teachers. The US partner teachers join us by this evening for the more formal reception banquet.

Fatima, Sheela, and Aprajita in front of the US Capitol Building

Dr. Sharma at the Lincoln Memorial

Dr. Sharma and I at the reception banquet - flags of US and India

Most of the crew have arrived