Yet another overdue blog post.
Well I’ve been across India and back since I have last blogged so let me catch you up to speed.
Three of four weeks ago our program had our field trip to Mumbai. There we went to the Dharavi and the High Court. Dharavi is the largest slum in Asia, with over a million residents. While we were there we learned that “slum” is a politically incorrect term. Rather you should call it informal housing. Dharavi’s location is prime realty in Mumbai and the “redevelopment” plans for this land is expected to reach something like $500 million dollars per year. However, “redevelopment” of these informal housing areas has a murky past. In most instances, the area is cut in half, and given to the developers. The rest is given to the original inhabitants free of cost, but with one condition. The residents must pay a fee for the upkeep of their new building. These fees are very costly, and usually people end up selling the flat that was given to them, and relocating somewhere cheaper. These informal housing areas are full of a culture of their own and by redeveloping the land their way of life is lost. I’m not trying to romanticize their Dharavi by any means, because they certainly have problems (i.e. access to clean drinking water). Instead of redeveloping, it seems that a better solution would be to improve the infrastructure that is already in place.
As for the High Court, I was really excited that we were able to go in and see a case taking place. However we only were able to stay for 15 minutes at a time, so we either saw the tail-end or the start of a hearing. The building itself was really beautiful.
Apart form that we did a little shopping in Mumbai. I put my Hindi bargaining skills to the test, which was pretty fun. I also went to an art gallery that was featuring some artists from Pune interestingly enough. We also went to the Prince of Wales museum. They had a really cool exhibit on the ancient Harrapan civilization. It was really awesome, because last year in my Eastern Religions class my teacher showed us a picture of these tiny tiles that were supposedly the first appearance of the god Shiva. At the museum I was able to actually see them!
After the Mumbai trip, I had a stressful last week of classes with many tests and assignments to complete. That friday I left for a much needed vacation. Four other students and myself went to Darjeeling and Kolkata for our Diwali break.
Amy Ashley and I left Friday morning. We flew out of Pune, connected in Delhi, and finally reached the Bagdhogra airport. From there we went by car on a very windy half-washed-away road up the mountain to Kurseong. It was so beautiful. Kurseong is like a mini Darjeeling built into the steep mountain side. We stayed in the government lodge which was really nice- it had a little restaurant overlooking the valley with all the delicious veg momos you could every possible want.
The first night we were there we wandered around the little town to find something to do. We stumbled upon a cultural presentation of the Gorkha people. These people identify with the Nepali culture, but seek to be recognized as an independent state from West Bengal. As soon as we walked up, the people approached us and asked if we would like a front row seat. Later they called us up on stage for a formal welcome as “Ashley and friends.” They gave us the traditional Gorkha welcome, giving us this red and black cloth garland. The people also brought us a cup of hot tea, possibly the best tea I have ever had. The people there were all so sweet and welcoming. The presentation was nice too, it included girls young as 5 or 6 dressed up performing the traditional dances. They were so good!
The next day we spent some more time wandering around the little town. Around three we left on the Toy Train, a UNESCO world heritage site. The train was tiny, the tracks may have been half the size of any normal train. The ride took maybe two or three hours total, but while riding it we might have had the most breath-taking views from the entire journey. The sun started to set around 5PM and the way the clouds were surrounding the mountains below us was stunning—heavenly really. The train went right through the center of a couple other villages. Everyone would come outside there house to wave as we passed. By the time we reached Darjeeling, it was dark. We had a nice little view of the town lit up, tucked in away the mountains.
Darjeeling is my favorite place I have seen in India without a doubt. Most of the time we spent drinking tea and wandering around. From observatory hill you could see the white tops of the Himalayas in the distance on a clear day. It felt could to be in the mountains again. If there is anything I miss from home, it is definitely the mountains. After this trip I was actually feeling pretty homesick.
On Tuesday we were actually scheduled for a trek around the Himalayas. Unfortunately, the night before I started feeling really sick from what I think was food poisoning. So I wasn’t able to go. However Spencer, Amy, Ashley and Natalie went for the two say trek and had a really great time. I was pretty disappointed that I wasn’t able to go, but now I have a good excuse to return to Darjeeling again another day. That night I decided to spend some money and I checked myself into a three star hotel. It was really comfortable and well worth it because I felt like hell.
Our last day in Darjeeling was spent wandering some more and doing some gift shopping. We also went to a Tibetan Refugee Center which was actually one of the most interesting parts of our trip. After what seemed like walking forever, we finally found the well hidden refugee center. There we saw men and women hand making woolen socks and sweaters. They were also making other handicraft items such as rugs, coats, ornate wood pieces- all beautiful. I spoke to a couple of the kids playing with scraps of wood and plastic toy cars. I was surprised by their excellent English. They are taught English, Hindi, and their native language.
Later that day we hoped on an overnight train to Kolkata. By the time we reached Kolkata around 7AM I was pretty tired. As soon as we got off the train, the overwhelming heat reminded me I was in India again. Followed by the harassment of 20 taxi drivers all trying to get us choose them to drive us to our hotel. Finally, somehow, we made it to our hotel. Sluggishly, I went along to the Victoria Memorial. They were showing a really interesting art exhibit of some Kalighat artwork. Afterwards Ashley and I sat out on the lawn, where we were routinely approached by families to have our photo taken with them. This is expected at any historical/touristy site in India. The rest of our trip was pretty uneventful. It was Diwali so there were a lot of fireworks and lights. Also, someone set off a firework essentially right in my face. I felt a puff of air across my face and my hearing went for a few seconds. That was fun. In Kolkata everyone worships Kali, the goddess of death. We saw a lot of Kali pujas, some were 15 feet tall at least.
And now I’m back in Pune! It is good to be home. The weather is really nice now- not too hot not too cold. I have been riding my bike everyday back and forth to school which is pretty exciting. Nothing like an exhilarating, life-threatening bike ride in the morning to wake you up. Just Kidding, but when I get back to Richmond I think I can handle anything after my biking experience in India.
Next week I officially start my internship with the All India Democratic Women’s Association. For a month I am going to be working with them and survey the work the have done on sex selection in the past ten years. I will also be conducting interviews in Hindi and Marathi to highlight the personal motivations and struggles of these women of volunteer for the organization.
And next weekend I am going on a short trip to Goa with some kids form the program. We are going to South Goa which is more of a relaxed beach, compared to North Goa where I hear is the place to go if you are looking for fun! I hope to make it to North Goa too before I leave. :)
