Bhagawan Bharose

So here I am sitting at the Taipei airport enjoying uninterrupted net access after a long time :) Sounds spoiled eh? Bear with this message because a couple of my keys are not working for an unknown reason. The last two months were an amazing experience and far too much has happened for me to remember all of it. While this entire thing started off being for our public health practicum it turned into so much more. India never fails to entertain---never!!!

Sitting among the chaos at Delhi airport just some hours back (and I mean chaos-that too post-midnight) I realized that some things never change here. Absolutely no sense of discipline (people pushing and shoving for luggage carts)-no sense of professionalism (a poor family was told by Air India they would have to wait a day to fly for no apparent reason)-no sense of punctuality (at 11:00 flights that left at 10:00 still displayed on the massive departures board)---and yet everything just sort of falling into place and working out. A common joke across India is that the nation runs 'bhagawan bharose' a la 'at the mercy of the Lord' and boy is that true---be it the traffic or the million shops on the streets or the local buses which look like they will fall apart any minute (personally I feel even if the buses were to fall apart the people inside would still be sitting in mid-air because they are all so tightly packed in).

My time in Baroda was great as I got a chance to relax and spend time w/family---but even amidst all that I could not help but notice how quickly and drastically it is changing. Malls are springing up around every corner...grocery stores are taking over the vegetable/fruit markets (thank you Reliance)...and people are trying to be as western as they can possibly afford---or in some cases people don't even seem to care whether they can afford it or not. And interestingly---even after being a fairly conservative smaller city (though it is well on it's way to becoming a metro city in a matter of years) one can spot more and more CSW's on the streets. These women work between cities to meet client needs---e.g. Baroda-Mumbai or Baroda-Delhi or Baroda-Ahmedabad. The rates that CSW's earned in Delhi sounded low---but not after I heard the rates here---around 5-10 Rs. to provide services to one client and around 45-50 Rs. to provide services to 4-5 clients at ONCE. Cutting it short---will add on more later...

Bombay Dreams

Balcony Watching and Bombay-Mumbai Dreams...

One thing I have loved at Renu aunty's Mahim apartment has been her balcony from our bedroom....I could stand there for hours (in fact I spend my first few moments every morning just standing at the balcony watching the morning jam below) and just watch the cars pass by and India be India. I won't lie---my favorite part of balcony watching is spotting Mercedes', BMW's and yes even Lexus' though they are not as common here. I have almost spotted as many Benzes here as I used to see on the SoCal freeways. To me that says a lot about the current day India---it is booming!!! Well at least it is booming for some and not so much so for others. Right across from the balcony we can see an old disheveled trashed house (close to a slum in my opinion) and it amazes me to just think about the clear-cut contrast...w/Benzes rolling down the street and a house like that in the background w/trash strewn all over the front yard one cannot but help wonder if India really is booming after all? Or is it simply that the disparities are more apparent now then ever before and therefore just as we're managing to see the struggle of the poor more now then ever before we are also seeing the massive financial boost that others are experiencing?

Bombay in my opinion is truly a city of dreams in every form---it has this feel to it---a feeling that sets it aside from all the other (the few) cities that I have visited across India. I can truly understand now why every year thousands flock here from other cities or towns or villages to make their dreams come true---be it a dream to become the next Shahrukh or Amitabh or to become the next Dhirubhai Ambani (founder of Reliance Industries). I am sure there are millions like me who balcony watch and see these cars drive by and daydream about these bigshots...however we all too often are only interested in the present---when one is at the top...rarely do we take the time to look back and try to understand how Ambani became who he was...for the uninitiated here is the story...

http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/jul/05sld1.htm

Back to my speal-every time I am here I experience such an intense desire to just stay back here---FOREVER!!! Of course that's not to say Bombay is all pretty---with pretty also comes the harsh realities. More often then not people forget that out of a billion only one is lucky to emerge as an Ambani or Tata or what not. The amount of poverty in Bombay is also more then I have seen in any of the other cities. I leave here soon but I already know I will be back soon enough---I don't think a trip to India could ever be complete without a visit to Bombay and who knows maybe someday if I am lucky enough I may find myself living here :):):)

Unexpected Rains (or so it is called by some)

It is quite saddening to see the state of affairs in Bombay in terms of government and official response to the Bombay rains. One cannot help but notice the parallel to the extremely poor response to the crisis during Hurricane Katrina. Day after day newspapers publish stories reporting the struggles of Mumbai-ites and yet none of it seems to trigger any form of response from those who have been elected to deal with these very situations...one cannot but help think of Ray Nagin and Kathleen Blanco and who not. The story here is same as there---just as Nagin and the DC Black Suits are busy pointing fingers at each other same is the case here...actually it's an attitude of sheer ignorance. The mayor just in yesterday's paper has been criticized for lack of response and yet it is apparent that come the time she (the mayor is a female---interestingly she lives in the mayoral house a bit further down in the same row as we are staying) will dismiss the lack of response to unexpected amounts of rainfall...sounds just about right. The question then becomes---what can be done about it? Who are we to sit here and blame the Mumbai-ites for not doing anything??? The same is the case in the US no??? I cannot count how many times people here have brought up Georgie Boy and asked why we elected him in not once BUT twice...do we have an answer??? No!!! Just as we sit helplessly and wonder what exactly is going on---same is the case here...

June Monsoons

Ever heard of 'em in Bombay? Even the Mumbaites have not and yet they are here...it just rains and rains and rains. Day and night. We arrived here Sunday and it's just been raining on and off continuously...we are going to attempt to head out today...lets see how it goes...

India '07 Pictures

I have finally been able to load up quite a few of the India pictures...here are the links...just click on them:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2146118&l=91aa1&id=3429492

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2146138&l=50354&id=3429492

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2146141&l=92dd8&id=3429492

Mission Bombay

Farah and I wrapped up Dehradun w/a bang...as always. The day bfr we left we started off our day lazing at Coffee Day. But that just wasn't stimulating enough for us and we headed off to Sahastradhara---supposedly one of the must see's of Dehradun. We took a Vikram (group rickshaw---mad cheap) to Astley Hall and from there found a city bus going to Sahastradhara---I promise u if there was any method of transportation that had been left untouched we made sure it was touched upon by us. So we arrive at Sahas after an interesting ride (Farah and I were the most foreign creatures that had ever boarded that bus) and follow the crowd that unloaded w/us because they clearly seemed to know where to go!!! So we walk and walk and walk and by God what do we come across??? Yes-a little water stream thing w/tons and tons of ppl bathing...uncles w/minimal clothes...yuck. So after a good hike we realized how worthy the trip to Sahas indeed is and headed back to the bus depot and headed back to Dehradun. The ride to Astely---Rs. 6...the ride to Sahas and back---Rs. 32...the ride home---free as we walked home...so for under a dollar total we explored and adventured for three-hours!!! Farahmeister and Sej never fail to entertain!!!

Public Health Aside: Public Bathing-I am not sure what obsession people have w/that!!! The water is anything but clean and it doesn't help that people enter w/minimal clothes...not sure what exactly must be excreted from their body during the time they spend in the water. I don't like to sound so cynical but having seen it firsthand I cannot help but think that way. Furthermore---it amazed Farah as well as me to notice that at both locations (at Kempty as well as here in Sahas) there was trash strewn all over the place (literally ALL over the place)---however it didn't seem to bother anyone...they just casually went ahead bathing and making merry. At a deeper level that said so much:

-How in America we are conditioned to expect a high level of cleanliness.
-How in general people here have resigned to the fact that throwing trash anywhere is
just an acceptable norm.
-How it doesn't take long for one ice cream wrapper or Lays bag on the ground to turn
into a hundred or even a thousand (when I say thousand I am NOT exaggerating).
-How there are people here who are forced into making a living digging out
trash---contrary to the $15.00/hourly made by Waste Management personnel in the US.

***Clearly what Farah and I define as worth seeing varies from what the public in general seems to like here. We walked back to the opposite side from the bus depot and found very few people and a just a peaceful serene atmosphere which should be the real highlight---atleast in our opinion!!! We took it in for a few minutes before heading off to catch the bus---which I must add was a semi-pleasant experience...as soon as the TC noticed it was two women travelling he had room made for us to sit...very considerate.

Thursday (yesterday) we left Dehradun in the evening on the Shatabdi Express after spending some people-watching time at the Dehradun station. What a train ride...it was definitely living the hi-life...they feed u and feed u and feed u (throughout the 5 and a 1/2 hours)...and all w/a smile on their face. We arrived late in Delhi around 11 and took a rickshaw back to Chandrika aunty's house...this morning we flew out of Delhi to Bombay which was another pleasant experience for more then one reasons. The saying 'you get what you pay for' is indeed very true---I had stressed through all my trip abt how I had far too much luggage to fly domestic...at Kingfisher Check-In I was exempt for the extra weight (thank you SO much lady whose name I do not know) and then we flew in total style on board. Jet Airways has some serious competition cuz the beer moghul Vijay Mallaya clearly works in style and it is apparent through his airline.

We are now settled in at Renu aunty's house---where it is beyond pleasant :):):) Sorry I realize this post has nothing substantive...but what can I say-when is anything I ever say substantive?

Mussoorie (no pictures)

Above: I couldn't help it...so I googled and stole a picture to give a sampling of what we saw...

Before I start...I am a fool and left my camera USB wire back in Delhi and so cannot load pictures...writing abt Mussorrie w/out pictures is as good as not mentioning it at all...

Today we headed off around 8 in a rented taxi to drive up to Mussoorie. For the uninitiated Mussoorie is a hill station located among the Himalayas. The drive up was steep and curvy but the views were AMAZING. Dehradun down below as we climbed above the clouds and it was all just so much to take in. Before taking us to Mall Road in proper Mussoorie our driver took us to Kempty Falls which is another 15 kilometers past Mussoorie. The fall was sorta joke w/people bathing below...disgusting to be quite frank-would rather not think abt the hygiene conditions!!! The drive to Kempty however gave us our first glimpse of the ranges on the other side...we were driving among the Himalayan ranges :) Post-Kempy and a pathetic ropeway ride we headed back to Mall Road which is the center spot of Mussoorie. We walked quite far down Mall Road which is full of shops and restaurants and most of all PEOPLE!!! Throughout the entire stretch of the road however there is a constant view of the Dehradun Valley below as well as the surrounding mountains...Farah and I both found it breathtaking and it was totally worth the time and trip to Dehradun!!!

Public Health Aside: Indian people (my people) are the nicest and warmest people one can meet but they are extremely lacking in terms of hygiene and common decency. At Kempty the water was absolutely disgusting w/trash strewn all around and yet people felt perfectly fine stripping down to the minimum to bathe in the Falls water. At Mussoorie we had the same experience...such a beautiful spot which people have managed to make parts of dirty and filthy. Nonetheless in all fairness it must be said that Mussoorie is one of the cleanest places I have visited anywhere in India...there seems to be some form of an effort to keep it atleast semi-clean...