transportation

There are many modes of transportation in India. I'll try to describe some that I've seen or experienced. Since I've been doing fairly local excursions, I haven't used the country's airplanes or trains, although I've heard stories.

Personal cars
Middle class people often seem to own a car. Women were the principal drivers among the ones I met, but that is probably not representative. Cars are small (Tata & Varun being two brand names I've noticed). My Honda Civic would seem large here. The streets are very crowded and being able to squeeze (almost literally) among vehicles, people, carts, etc. with inches to spare is necessary. One man I met told me that a few years ago his commute to work was 30 minutes, the next year it was 60 minutes, this year it's 90 minutes. He said "Who knows, maybe next year I won't make it." (btw, his advice to me for surviving in India traffic was "Don't look out the window." I noticed 3 Camrys on the streets during multiple jaunts, and they are largely out of place and not very practical. One of Smriti's aunts, a software executive, was driving her daughter's vehicle (small size) and said she has a larger one at home but doesn't use it much because it's too large to be practical.

Taxis
This is a very handy mode for getting around, and quite comfortable. You hire someone (minimum of 4 hours, maximum of 40 km.) for about 400 rupees (~$10) and they'll take you places and wait for you. The first thing they do is try to exchange cell phone numbers so you can call them as soon as you're ready to go to the next destination. Each taxi has a "song" that plays when he's backing up. When I was first in India, I thought I was hearing cell phone ring tones. I've heard a few I recognized: e.g. "It's a Small World After All" "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" When I went to Osmania University, they sent a car for me (Jyotsna said they should do this, otherwise I'd get lost). I had no idea how long I'd be there, so I was surprised when the driver indicated he would wait. When it was time for lunch, the driver took the director, the professor and I to Suprabhat (a restaurant). Afterwards, he wasn't visible, but the others didn't seem surprised. While we were waiting for him to reappear, I watched other traffic patterns like...

Buses
I was warned not to try these, but here's how it works. There are official bus stops where many people wait. However, if anyone wants to get on or off at any other time, you're welcome to do so as long as you can run and jump on, or exit similarly. I saw it happen many times; it is commonplace. With so much traffic, you can't really drive that fast. Often, there are many people hanging off the side entrances. The buses can get really crowded. Raja (who takes the bus the 25 km to work at Hyderabad University) and Jyotsna's mother (much to the family's dismay, but she is an independent thinker) are the only family members who regularly take the bus.

Autorickshaws
These are so common! They can seat 3 people close together on the back seat, and maybe one in the front. I've seen 6+ people in them. Usually these are for short, quick jaunts. They are open-air and run on a 3 cycle motorcycle type engine. They (and everyone else) sound their horns regularly. This lets people know you're coming and there are even signs on the backs of many trucks and autos that say "Please sound horn." Some "beep" more aggressively than others. The autorickshaws may also be loaded (and I do mean loaded with provisions (grains, vegetables, wood, huge sacks, just about anything)-- more than you'd think can be carried. These work by meter (often broken), or by negotiating a price with the driver before you get in.

Motorcycles and Scooters
These are very common and quite practical for getting around in crowded traffic, but you really do have to watch out for them. It's common to see a man driving with a woman in a sari riding sidesaddle behind him. It's also quite common to see a child in front and a child in back of the couple. Some have told me they've seen as many as 6 riding on one of these. Mark's best man, Greg, who flew in from Minnesota to Mark's surprise (and to Greg's surprise, ended up being the best man and very much a part of the ceremonies) commented "This is India's version of the minivan." These are also seen carrying big loads. I've never seen one lose its balance! It's also rare to see anyone with a helmet on.

Bicycles
Bicycles are common for people of all ages. They can be carrying unbelievably huge loads as well.

Carts pulled by oxen
I didn't see these until I was near the edge of the city, but then I've seen several. These also carry huge, huge loads and move slowly through the traffic.

Walking
This is very common. People walk near the sides of the road, or on the road. Some of the beeping is to warn them. I haven't seen any accidents. On only one trip were the roads free enough of traffic for the driver to get up a speed which seemed fast, but was probably equivalent to about 40 miles per hour.

construction

This is a 4th story being added to a home. The bricks, piles of gravel, etc. get left in the street, maybe in front of the house under construction, maybe in front of a neighbor's house. From the pace I observed, it could be months before this project will be completed. No one seems to mind the supplies in the street.

There are construction sites everywhere. I tried to take pictures of some workers yesterday and they seemed to want them taken. So, I approached closer and they removed the rags they had on their heads (who wouldn't want to look their best for a photo?) and posed. It is the rags that protect their heads from all the dust they carry, etc.

This morning, a couple of the ladies I photographed yesterday saw me. Today they had huge bags they were carrying on their heads. They pointed to the bags and I'm pretty sure they wanted me to get a picture of them carrying the bags. I think the bags were filled with sand. I didn't have the camera with me, and after I went inside to get it, I couldn't find them again. Here's a picture a few days later of the pile of gravel which I saw being carried on a plate balanced on a man's head, and him walking up 3 flights of stairs with it. If you look carefully at the front of the gravel pile, I think you can see a plate of gravel there.

In addition to a lot of construction, I walked through a tent area where apparently a lot of the maids for this area work. It reminded me of the contrast (only rather more extreme) between the Palo Alto/Stanford area and East Palo Alto. Many of the tents are patched together pieces of plastic (the yellow surrounding the "front door" of the tent on the left is an example of this) or fabric. They literally are like the tents we used to play in as children with a blanket over a clothesline. It's no wonder the workers have a difficult time reaching the standards of cleanliness expected by Westerners. Living with a dirt floor and no walls to wash, and no bathroom, how would one know where to begin? Yesterday, one of the cleaners here was sweeping the floor, and I was cleaning off a glass table that had some wax spilled on it and a few days of dust -- it gathers quickly in this area. The cleaner stopped me and indicated that she would do it. Sometimes just knowing what to do is all they need. Many of them do have a sense of pride in their station in life.

in the park

There's a lovely park I pass through a few times a day. Each time has different activities going on. The park is divided by hedges of bushes, and has a central walkway. There are numerous hedged sections. In the morning, there's a relatively large man doing yoga. Yesterday, he was doing the bridge as I passed by. There are also the workers who seem to be weeding. They have small scythes but I haven't seen them in action, other than one lady holding hers up to wave at me. The two ladies in saris were about half way across the area today and behind them were piles of grass. as with most workers, they don't seem to be moving quickly, but must pace themselves as most of them seem to work very long days. 12 hours is not uncommon.

Yesterday I noticed some unusual (for me) butterflies and I was trying to get a picture of them on a flowering tree. There was a boy about 10-12 who appeared to be mentally challenged who was following my activities with interest and trying to find more butterflies for me. After I got all that I could, he posed for a picture. As I was exiting the park there were 3 girls on bicycles who seemed eager to have their photos taken, so I took theirs and showed them afterwards.

In different areas of the park around 5:30 there were 5 men who were chanting while reading from some books -- possibly prayers or the vedas, a group of women relaxing, some young children playing with sticks and the bushes on the center pathway, the same weeders that were there in the morning, a group of young boys playing cricket, some couples strolling together -- each in their own section apparently oblivious to the rest of the sections. It is refreshing to see the green. The people are getting friendlier the longer I am here.

pulse

Pulse has a couple of meanings here. Pulses are the beans in dahls, one of the protein staples. I learned since coming here that not all Indians are vegetarians. The brahmin caste is vegetarian, ksatriya's (warrior caste) isn't because they need the strength to fight), the merchant class is often vegetarian, and the shudras (servants) generally are not. I'm sure there are exceptions to all, and different interpretations to be discovered. A couple of Smriti's friends told me they would really miss mutton biryani if they had to be vegetarians.

Pulse diagnosis is the method the vaidyas (doctors) use in Ayurvedic medicine. When the doctor felt my pulse, in just a few seconds, he told me I had the beginning stages of arthritis (also diagnosed in Western medicine close to 20 years ago), and that there is a history of arthritis in my family (true) and a history of diabetes in my family (true) but that I don't have it yet, that I have back and neck problems (ture) due to an injury about 30 years ago (I don't recall a specific event, but 26 years ago was rear-ended, and about 31 years ago I fell badly enough that I wrote a poem about it). A good ayurvedic practitioner can also feel the seeds of future diseases and offer preventive solutions. This is what I'm here for, continuing to keep disease at bay, or remove it if possible. For many years I've been having yearly treatments when I feel my joints start to stiffen a bit, and find that these have kept me flexible and keep stiffness at a minimum.

Everyday in this clinic, the Doctor feels my pulse and will prescribe treatments based on what I need at the time. Today, my third day he said "very good, more relaxed" and answered my questions. Everyone is quite kind. The technicians are trained for 6 months before they get a job here. One of them I met yesterday said her birthday is today, but that her family never celebrated birthdays. She's from a village in Andhra Pradesh and has 2 brothers and 2 sisters. She was surprised to hear the I have 7 brothers and 4 sisters. Many times, language is a difficulty; sometimes even the accent if a barrier. In the massage room, prezir means pressure. Sleep means lie down. Turn sometimes sounds the same as done, but then I realized when we're done they say "finished". Most of the time, it's quiet and I just relax and enjoy.

Today the doorways are decorated colorfully with Happy New Year designs. Last night there were fireworks at midnight and lots of cheering.

The community I'm in now is outside of town and has a lot less traffic and pollution. The students are dressed in uniforms for school and I haven't seen any Western clothes at all being worn, unlike in the big city where there are lots of saris, salvars and kurtis, or is that kurtas - one is short and one is long and I forget which is which - (aka punjabis by some) and lots of Western style clothing: tops, jeans, etc. Another example of the contrasts in India. And I've only seen one city and its surroundings.

geezers

Since it time for Happy New Year greetings, and there might be someone singing Auld Lang Syne, I think it's time to tell you about old geezers. When I first arrived in India, I was introduced to the geezer in the bathroom. It's a hot water heater, actually quite an efficient way of not having to keep a huge tank of water heated up all the time. You can turn the switch on about an hour before bathing, and then fill up your bucket of water and use the small scooper to rinse yourself. Sometimes the bathrooms also come with shower heads, but the one I have now does not have that. Actually, my geezer isn't working, so I've gotten to experience plumbers in India. Last night, after getting to my new room for Phase III of this trip (my ayurvedic treatments) (Phase I is all the surroundings of the wedding; Phase II were my talks at the colleges) we turned on the geezer to test it out. After a couple of minutes of 'warm up time' it sounded like an explosion, and water was squirting all over the bathroom. A plumber was called, and arrived about 10:30 at night. He couldn't fix it, but he did know how to turn off the water and hook up a hose that would stop it from squirting. He didn't speak English, so the only message I understood was that he couldn't fix it right then. tonight, another plumber arrived. He spoke some English and was accompanied by two younger women in saris with gunnysack type shopping bags. It's the same kind of thing our dinners are carried to the apartment in, and I don't know everyone who works here yet, so I wasn't sure if it was dinner and a plumber, or what. Turns out his tools and spare parts were in the bags. He also didn't have the right part and because of the holiday, said it would be two days before he can get the right part. The women sat on the floor while he worked. Then he wanted to know when I would be in my room in two days because he has to drive 25 kilometers to get here and can't make the trip twice. I just talked to the man who lived in that apartment before me and he said his geezer also blew up. Mine is a new one. In the meantime, don't worry, I have a nice place to take my shower, and the treatments are fantastic! India continues to be a place of contrasts. More next year.

Ayurvedic massage

Yesterday, between the wedding, the lunch served on banana leaves, and the evening reception, there was several hours time, so I booked a 90 minute ayurvedic massage. The therapist was trained in Kerala, a state known for many resorts with this. After a head massage that involved tapping, among other things, she had me lie down on a mat and towel on the ground. After lying down for awhile and feeling the massage, I opened my eyes and realized that she was massaging me with her feet! She held on to a rope from above for balance and was going up and down and pounding in places -- all stokes I couldn't imagine doing so smoothly with feet. She was ambifootrous -- I peeked again and saw that she switched feet. The massage continued on a table using hands, then I spent time in a steam box. Others said there was an I love Lucy episodes about this long ago. The Raj experience and results are much more refined and enjoyable for me, but the price difference is comparative in the quality of results. It was a good experience.

The wedding ceremony

Thanks to Gretchen, the groom's cousin for posting the text to her blog and letting me copy it. Thanks also to the family for preparing beautiful folders and guides to the ceremony for those of us for which it was a new experience. I can't wait to add pictures. So far on this trip, I've taken almost 500 (that's compared to about 100 in the past 10 years). Lots to see and hear.

The Wedding Ceremony

The Hindu wedding ceremony is a sacrament contained in the Vedas (Ancient scriptures), from the Vedic period, which historians place between 5000-3000 BC. The wedding is performed to unite two souls so firmly that although their bodies remain separate, their souls unite and harmoniously become one. The couple embarks on a new life enriched by their union, with the blessings of God, their ancestors and elders, and the good wishes of all of their friends and relatives. The wedding takes place under the sacred altar known as the mandapam. The four pillars of the mandapam symbolize the four parents of the bride and groom and the vital role they have played in raising their children, sheltering them, and supporting them The ceremony embraces the five elements of nature: fire, earth, water, air, and light. The priest reads mantras from the Holy Scriptures in Sanskrit, the root of many modern Indian languages.


The Wedding Rites
Worship of the Goddess Gowri.
In a private ceremony before the start of the wedding, the bride performs a puja to invoke the blessings of Goddess Gowri, the icon of an ideal wife, for a long, prosperous, and happy married life.


Welcoming the Groom.
The groom is escorted to the mandapam by his family members and friends, and is received by the bride's parents. He prepares himself for the ensuing wedding rites by performing a purification ceremony. This ceremony begins with a prayer to Lord Ganesha, who is the remover of all obstacles and symbolizes truth and light. Also, during this ceremony the parents wash the groom's feet, just as they would wash the idol of the God in the temple; this symbolizes that they are acknowledging that on this important day, both bride and groom are manifestations of God.

Bond of Protection.
A sanctified thread dipped in turmeric water, which protects the wearer from harm and trouble, is tied to the right wrist of the groom with the blessings of Durga, the Goddess of Power.

Entrance of the Bride.
Before the bride enters, a cloth screen is held in front of the groom. The couple does not see each other until the auspicious moment, previously determined by Hindu astrology (for Mark and Smriti, this was 10:42 am, and Chuck's digital watch was the official time keeper). The maternal aunts and uncles of the bride escort her to the mandapam, followed by her female cousins and close friends. The bride carries a green coconut sprinkled with turmeric and kumkum (vermillino powder) to ward off evil spirits (in this case, Smriti was delivered sitting in a large red basket...too bad Mark missed seeing his wife-to-be in a basket; he was on the other side of the cloth!). She seats herself between her parents on the opposite side of the screen from the groom.

Giving the Bride away.
The bride's father offers her hand to the groom and declares that on this auspicious day he is giving his daughter away. The groom takes her hand and together they take a solemn oath in the presence of God to remain entirely devoted to each other. They declare that their hearts have been united and that they have become one.

Auspicious Time for the Wedding.
This is the most auspicious time of the wedding, when the bride and groom place a paste of jaggery, turmeric powder, and cumin on each other's heads; the three ingredients of the mixture represent their commitment to share their life through sweet and bitter times. The screen between the couple is then removed, signifying that the two separate individuals are now united in marriage.

Tying the Auspicious Thread.
The groom ties the Mangala Sutra (the auspicious thread with two gold pendants) around the bride's neck, making three knots. These knots symbolize the bonding between the two souls for a hundred years. The necklace that is created is the Indian version of the wedding ring; the bride will wear it always, so that people know she is married.

Shower of Rice.
The bride and groom shower each other with sanctified rice and flower petals, symbolizing a happy, prosperous, and peaceful married life. This is a fun competition, with the onlookers egging on both bride and groom to really let the other have it!

Taking of the Hand.
The couple holds hands and takes their vows in the presence of the Lord and of those assembled. The two then exchange garlands.

Knot of Commitment.
To symbolize their union, the loose ends of the bride and groom's garments are tied together in a knot, symbolizing a firm and lasting commitment.

Fire Altar.
A small fire is lit and the couple offers prayers to Agni, the God of fire, by placing butter and herbs into the flames. Agni dispels ignorance from our lives and leads us to eternal light and knowledge.

Seven Steps.
The couple takes seven steps. With each step the couple takes a vow. The first step to nourish each other and develop our physical, mental, and spiritual powers; the second step to grow together in strength, through the sharing of experiences, and by enabling each other to blossom infinitely; the third step to create and share great prosperity; the fourth step to commit to the pursuit of life long happiness, daily filling our hearts with joy, peace, and spiritual practice; the fifth step to care for and protect the integrity, honor, and well being of our family and friends; the sixth step to help in humanitarian work, lessen suffering, and promote human good; and, the seventh step to be united in life-long friendship and mutual devotion in all phases of our lives.

Auspicious Camphor Light.
The ceremony ends with the offering of good wishes to the bride and groom with lighted camphor.

Reverence to a Legendary Couple.
The priest points in the direction of the binary star, named after the legendary seer couple Vasishta and Arundhati, to whom the couple offers reference and prays for guidance.

Giving the Bride to the Groom's Family.
The bride's family offer gifts and blessings to the members of the groom's family. Chuck and Vicky sat together first to symbolize the Hakkarinen family, and then Gretchen sat to symbolize the Wegner family.

Blessing.
The priest and family bless the newly married couple.