You know what the best thing about India is so far? The kids. They are so much fun. Whenever I am walking and a bus goes by that is filled with kids, there is a chorus of, "hi!" Enthusiastically waving hands are thrust out of nearly every window, followed by smiling faces. The waving and the smiling only gets more enthusiastic when I wave and smile back. Most nights when Brooke and I step out of the office and into the alley we are greeted by even more smiles from the neighborhood children. Even the toddlers look up and shout out, "hi!" They often stop what they are doing and ask us, "how are you?" That is probably the extent of their English, but they are thrilled to use it. Then of course there are the kids who live in the same apartment complex as I. Whenever I pull out my slack line they immediately form a line. I help them across one by one until the sun goes down. At which point, the kids who can speak some English ask when I am coming back.

I also have to mention the kids Brooke and I have been tutoring for the past few weeks. Everyday around 3:30 p.m. we head into the Maitri office basement where about 20 kids wait. Some days its just as and them down there. We can't really communicate with words with most of them, but that is alright. They are eager for math problems and to sing songs. The ones who can speak English we are able to help more in depth. I spend a lot of my time working with a young boy named Krishna. He is a very intelligent young man with a great sense of humor. He is absolutely fascinated by cameras too. When we pulled one out he immediately began begging to take pictures. They turned out pretty well I think.

So this weekend I did a short solo trek to Humayun Tomb. Honestly I did not really know anything about it before I went other than it was supposed to be cool. I had never heard of it until I saw it mentioned in a travel book I have. One phrase describes it pretty well. Jaw dropping. Seriously. I was completely stunned. One of the most impressive structures I have ever seen. It is made out of white marble and red sandstone. There are delicate stone lattice work everywhere. The craftsmanship is absolutely stunning. It is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun.

The Best Thing

So this past weekend we traveled by train to Amritsar, Punjab. It was a fantastic experience. We went with Mr. Jolly’s, Maitir’s director, daughter Neti. She was a great travel companion and was very helpful. We were very lucky to stay with the General’s brother at the hostel he and his wife run. They have the most fantastic chocolate lab named Bruno who immediately became my best friend in the world.

Our main goal for the trip was to see the Golden Gurdwara (temple), which is the most important temple for the Sikh religion. It really is an amazing structure. However, I actually enjoyed Jallianwala Bagh more. Or at least found it more meaningful.

Jallianwala Bagh is what you could call a park. It is where the 1919 Amritsar Massacre occurred. During India’s independence movement a large group of peaceful protesters gathered here. I am not sure on the exact number but it was well over a thousand. Jallwianwala Bagh is a clearing that is completely enclosed by buildings. You can enter, or exit, only by going through a narrow alleyway. British General Reginald Dyer led over one hundred solders through this narrow passage, stationed his men in front of it, and then without giving warning ordered his men to fire into the densely packed protesters. Six hundred and fifty rounds were fired. The soldiers were instructed to shoot to kill. I am not sure on the exact causality count but it was hundreds upon hundreds. Many of the protestors jumped down a well to escape the bullets. When it was all over something like one hundred twenty people were at the bottom of the well dead. It is now called the well of Martyrs. Just beyond the well you can still see holes in the brick wall created by the bullets the martyrs were trying to escape.

If you have seen the 1982 Gandhi movie then you have seen a cinematic portrayal of this event. I remember seeing it when I was in middle school. I know it was just a director’s interpretation of the real event but it has been ingrained in my mind ever since. It was amazing to actually be there and ponder what had occurred there.

Vrindavan

Vrindavan

Our first couple of weeks at Maitri has been incredible and very interesting. The culture here is very friendly, warm, and welcoming. The second weekend of being in India we had the opportunity to go with Mr. Jolly, one of Maitri’s advisors, to the project for the widows, Project Jeevan. The drive alone down to Vrindavan was a really fun road trip with the others in the car. After stopping for breakfast, we made it to the ashram through many back ways covered with monkeys and cows everywhere. When we got to the ashram we just in time to help feed these widows their mid-day meal. This was quite an experience for both Scott and I. The amount of food that there is and seeing the widows all lined up was kind of a hard sight to see. We were handed the rice in bowls and told to go down the lines piling as much as the widows wanted on their plates. We seemed to have a little trouble in moving through the aisles at first, as the regular helpers swiftly waded through them piling the food on the widows’ plates. After letting the widows eat the meal, we then were able to deliver the sweets to them. This experience, although incredibly hard to see, was very eye opening and rewarding for me. It was great to actually be a part of the groundwork that is going on through Maitri, and I really enjoyed seeing how everything happens with the widows.

Khan Market

The third weekend here we went shopping for my first sari for the domestic violence conference, with a co-worker, Priyanka. Priyanka took us to Khan Market and all of the fabric for the saris was very beautiful and so elegant. We went to an Italian restaurant for lunch and the place was very cute. Both Scott and I tried pear juice and had some pasta, which was a nice little slice of home. After lunch we still had to find me a sari, and so we went back to the store where we finally found one that was purple and blue. I don’t wear purple a lot, so it was kind of funny that this is the one that we found that looked good on me. I ended up buying this sari, and Scott even bought himself a kurta. All in all it turned out to be a pretty good day shopping with Priyanka and Scott.

Lodi Gardens

This weekend we went to Lodi Gardens, which is an incredible place. The gardens are beautiful and the architecture of the tombs that are within the garden is exquisite. There was a bunch of school kids within the gardens and I had a couple of these school kids ask to take their picture with me. It is really funny how my blonde hair really gets noticed over here, and I absolutely love the kids that come up to me. They are so adorable, and they call me “Ma’am” which of course makes me feel old, but it is cute of them to be so polite. After going through Lodi Gardens we ended up going to Connaught Place for lunch, and to see the shops and all. Lunch was really good and we ended up going through Connaught Place and seeing what was all there. It was a wonderful day of exploring Delhi.

One month in India

One month in India. I honestly do not know how to fully express the experience. Watching a day in India go by is like witnessing the full circle of life. The entire human experience rolls past within the short period of twenty-four hours. Life, death, abundance, poverty, education, ignorance, warmth, cold, sickness, and health are all in front of your eyes in overwhelming abundance. It is amazing to ponder that India contains, without doubt, some of the oldest, continuous human traditions. In India history is not a dead thing of the past, devoted solely to textbooks, lectures, and cinema screens. It is as living as the seemingly endless mass, and diversity, of people that call India home.

I must say that I love buying fresh produce from the markets. I know this is a simple thing, but honestly it is so much fun. There is something really satisfying about purchasing fresh produce from a guy sitting in a corrugated tin hut who determines his prices with weights and measures. I guess I enjoy the simple things of life here the most. Like knowing how to speak to an auto rickshaw driver, and finding my way through Delhi.

Speaking of markets. There are established markets with stores, and shops. Then there are the sprawling markets that come up and disappear within a day. They are honestly just stands, metal frameworks, carts, tables, and mats on the side of the road, but they are covered with the widest array of spices, nuts, vegetables, clothes, metal work, and trinkets. From every direction come shouts and cries of men trying to attract customers to their wares. Dogs, and motorcycles flirt between the oscillating throng of foot traffic. Then just as suddenly as they appear they are gone. Leaving nothing but quiet slum neighborhoods behind.

If you are ever in Delhi, make sure to visit Chandni Chowk. It is in the old city near the Red Fort and Jama Masjid. Both of which are worthwhile stops. Chandni Chowk is so far the best old-fashioned bazaar I have ever seen. You can find just about anything there. We stopped by on our first weekend excursion in Delhi. We tried visiting the Red Fort, which is gigantic fort built by one of the Mughal Emperors out of red stone, but it was closed that day. We for sure are going to head back. Jama Masjid is the largest mosque in Delhi and is really impressive. It cost 100 rupees to climb one of the south minarets but it was worth it.

My favorite so far has been the Gandhi memorial. From what I understanding it is the resting place of some of Gandhi’s ashes. Muhatma Gandhi is one of my heroes. It was actually a pretty moving, maybe even spiritual, experience for me.

However, my favorite sight so far been the sole elephant I saw through a car window. It was late at night and it suddenly materialized out of the darkness. It and its driver were plodding along next to the highway on their way to Delhi. Camel-drawn carts are my second favorite.

What can be said of the poverty here? It is unavoidable. It is of course not all that India is, but it is ever present. Having a child run up and hug your leg and beg for food is a deeply disturbing, and awakening, experience.

I try to reconcile having to turn away people who ask for money by trying to devote myself to work. The Maitri staff are a fantastically warm and welcoming group of people. They have been extremely helpful and patient with me, as I have bombarded them with questions. Brooke and I have been working on a training module on domestic violence, a literature review for Winne ma’am, data analysis on one of the last surveys, and a report on Maitri’s last conference on domestic violence. The conference was just last week and I feel it was really successful. There was a wide range of guests and speakers. Of special mention are those from the Military. From what I understanding this was the first time Maitri has been able to have Military personnel participate to such an extent so it was a big deal that they came. The speakers addressed topics including the physical and mental health implications of domestic violence, public health responses, legal framework, military and police responses to domestic violence within their ranks, and the neurological context of domestic violence.

Brooke mentioned some of our other adventures, like when we went to Vridavan, and covered them pretty well. We have some more planned that we will blog about later. All in all, life is good.