To assure peace with mighty Akbar,The maharaja in Palace AmberDecided that he oughtaBetroth him his daughter.So "Jodaa" married Akbar.Would it cause a rough patchThat their faiths were a mismatch?For Akbar it was no whim,For crucial it was to himThat a son she should hatch.As they married, Akbar was elated.Then patiently he waited and waited.He displayed a big smileAs he waited a long whileTill their marriage was consummated.There was naught, I must say,That she gained by delay.Had she been a bit smarter,She'd have been a prompt starterAnd cozied up right away.Couldn't she have pretendedWhen so much depended?Shouldn't she have cooperatedWhile instead her husband waitedFor a period so extended?I guess it wasn't easyFor a Hindu to love a Ghazi.We shouldn't be surprisedThat when he gazed into her eyesShe felt a little queasy.After quite some time the empress,Naked and with tenderness,Came on to the emperorAnd, just then, likewise he to her,And it led to success.For the truth did not escape herThat otherwise he might rape her.So they loved hot and heavyTill with child she was heavyAnd that caused them to taper.If the film's suggestion be true,"Jodaa" ever remained Hindu.Of his three wives, she was the oneWho gave Akbar a son.'Twas the best thing she could for him do.Things for them had clicked.Don't know if they were strict.Akbar had a helpful Hindu honAnd now as well his son --The future king and addict.Their joy was extremeNow that true was their dream.'Twas truly earth-shaking.Seven years it had taken.And they named him Salim.Akbar, who was nice at court,In war was a different sort.Especially early in his reign,From cruelty he did not refrainBut practiced it like a sport.And "Jodaa," perhaps she changed.Much help for Islam she arrangedWhen she could along her path.I wonder if her faithFor Islam she exchanged."Jodaa" became a power in the court.To good projects she gave support.No longer Hindu (should we assume?),She built herself a tomb,According to report.
On January 20, 1562 the third Mughal emperor, Akbar, married a Rajput Indian princess. They were both the same age, 19 years. She was Hindu. He was Muslim. She was the eldest daughter of the maharajah in the Amber Fort Palace near the present city of Jaipur. The maharajah's territory bodered the emperor's. The marriage was intended to cement peaceful relations and create an alliance between the two realms. (The emperor was famous for diplomacy, and the maharajah was a good diplomat as well. And marriage was a diplomatic device.) It's reasonable to assume that the religion difference may have been seen by some as a potential problem.
In the evening in our hotel near Jaipur we watched the 3.5-hour film "Jodaa Akbar." We also learned about a little about "Jodaa" from our guides, particularly when we toured the fort-palace Fatehpur Sikri near Agra (her home after she was married).
About the film, I remarked to our trip leader-guide, Som Bose, that it must be a little history and a whole lot of fill in. He agreed. I didn't realize then the extent of it.
I composed several verses based on what I had learned. Then I read some Wikepedia articles on the subject. I wrote additional verses to reflect some of the things I learned from the articles. Here are some points that interest me:
1. Jodaa wasn't her name at all (nor Jodhaa, nor Jodha, nor Jodha Bai, nor Jodhabai) although there is a popular perception that she was known as Jodha Bai. She was never known as such during her lifetime. Her maiden name was Rajkumari Hira Kunwari Sahiba (or just Hira Kumwari), alias Harkha Bai. Her married title was Mariam-uz-Zamani Begum Sahiba, often shortened to Mariam-uz-Zamani, and meaning "Mary of the age."
The name Jodha Bai erroneously first came into use for her in historical writings of the 18th and 19th centuries. A particular book is mentioned as first using the name Jodha for her. According to the Wikipedia article, Jodha Bai or rather Jodh Bai was actually the name of Jahangir's Rajput wife Princess Manmati of Johhpur, whose real name was Jata Gosain. (This Jodh Bai was a daughter-in-law of "Jodaa.")
"Jodaa" was indeed the mother of Nuruddin Salim Jahangir (1569-1627), who became Akbar's successor, the fourth Mughal emperor (ruled 1605 - 1627).
Akbar is a title meaning "Great." Akbar's full name was Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar.
2. A major theme of the movie is that "Jodaa" insisted on remaining Hindu (not converting to or being force or coerced to convert to Islam), and that she was permitted to remain Hindu, and that she did remain Hindu. According to the movie,"Jodaa" (who in reality probably had no say in the matter) was willing to marry Akbar but only if she could remain Hindu.
It is reasonable that she was permitted to remain Hindu because Akbar has the reputation of being exceptionally liberal about religion and tolerant of Hinduism. Actually, Akbar was liberal toward Hindus some of the time and cruel to them at other times.
Apparently "Jodaa" was allowed to practice Hinuism freely. But did she eventually change her faith of her own accord? Here are four items in a Wikipedia article that suggest that she may have changed her faith:
(a) "Maryam Zamani died in 1622. .... Her tomb, built in 1611, is on the Delhi-Agra National Highway, near Fatehpur Sikri. She was buried according to Islamic custom and was not cremated according to the Hindu religion."
(b) "... the mosque of Mariyam Zamani Begum was constructed in Lahore, Pakistan, in her honour."
(c) "Maryam Zamani owned and oversaw the ships that carried pilgrims to and from the Islamic holy city Mecca."
(d) "Maryam Zamai used her wealth and influence to build ... mosques around the country." It doesn't say she supported the building of Hindu temples.
3. Another major theme of the movie is that it was Jodaa's father, the maharajah in the Amber Fort Palace, who came up with the idea and advanced the idea of her marrying the Mughal emperor, Akbar. (He was Kacchwaha Rajput, Raja Bharmal, Raja of Amber, the older name of the state of Jaipur.) There is an item in the Wikipedia article that hints it might have been otherwise, i.e., that maybe Akbar came up with the idea and applied pressure, or that maybe it was the maharajah's idea, but he and others of his family didn't feel good about it, maybe felt it was something distasteful that circumstances required.
"Still there is an ambiguity over her rajput origin. Rajputs are said to have swapped their daughter with a low caste maid as the final revenge just before the royal marriage. Though there is no historical evidence, such stories are common among Rajputs mostly suggesting redemption of her honor."
Well, Akbar wasn't always the fairy-tale nice guy depicted in the movie. (Maybe he was in court.) Terrible things happened to the citizens of little kingdoms who defied and fought him and lost, and they were sure to lose. See Items 8 and 10.
4. The movie doesn't make anything explicit about other wives. Since other wives are not mentioned in the movie, one could conclude from it that "Jodaa" was Akbar's only wife at the time, i.e., his first wife. At Fatehpur Sikri we learned that Akbar had three wives. From a Wikipedia article I learned that "Jodaa" was indeed Akbar's third wife.
I went to the Internet about the question of how many wives Akbar eventually had. It seems that he eventually had seven principal wives, whereas Islam allowed only four wives, and that he eventually had a total of some 300 wives, and a total harem or over 4,000 women (mostly concubines and slaves)!
I was curious what other children besides Salim were fathered by Akbar. I didn't learn any specifics, but I presume with 300 wives or even seven wives, there must have eventually been a bunch.
I also took an interest in learning some details about his first and second wives. "Akbar's first queen was the childless Ruqaiyya Begum." She was his cousin, and he married her when he was 15. I couldn't learn when she was born or when she died. Akbar's "second wife was Salima Sultan, the widow of his most trusted general, Bairam Khan." Bairam Khan was also Akbar's regent and guardian. I couldn't learn much about Salima Sultan except that she died in 1613. Since Bairam Khan's death was in 1561, her marriage to Akbar had to have occurred right after Bairam's death and only a short time before Akbar's marriage to "Jodaa" in January, 1562. How old Salima Sultan was in 1561 I can only guess, and I guess she was 25 or 30. Salima Sultan at least had one daughter with Bairam because she is mentioned as a mother-in-law of Jahangir.
5. The movie ends early in the marriage -- before the birth of her son. There was no mention one way or the other in the movie about the eventual standing of "Jodaa." She lived from 1542 to 1622. Akbar lived from 1542 to 1605 and ruled from 1556 to 1605. I learned from a Wikipedia article that "Jodaa" became an exceptionally powerful person in the Mughal court.
"She is said to have been politically involved in the court until Nur Jahan became empress."
"Like few other women at the Moghul court, Maryam-uz-Zamani could issue official documents (singularly called farman), which was usually the exclusive privilege of the emperor. Maryam Zamai used her wealth and influence to build gardens, wells, and mosques around the country."
6. Mention of Nur Jahan in my Wikipedia article on "Jodaa" led me to look up a Wikepedia article on Nur Jahan. And that's a heck of a story. Nur Jahan (1577-1645) was the 20th and favorite wife of Jahangir. (So she was a daughter-in-law of "Jodaa.") She married fourth emperor Jahangir in 1611 and became the most famous empress of the Mughal Empire. The name Nur Jahan was given to her by Jahangir and is composed of parts of his name. "She remains historically significant for the sheer amount of imperial authority she wielded - the true 'power behind the throne,' as Jahangir was battling serious addictions to alcohol and opium throughout his reign - and is known as one of the most powerful women who ruled India with an iron fist."
7. It seems strange to me that Akbar was illiterate, could barely sign his name. The court certainly would have had the resources to provide him an education as a youth. Could it be that an unsuccessful attempt had been made to educate him? His grandfather, Babur, was literate. His father, Humayan, died from a fall on the steps in his library. His guardian, Bairam Khan, was a noted poet who wrote in three languages. Although Akbar was illiterate, he had libraries of books on various subjects, and he had people read them to him. And he had his "nine jewels," learned men who discussed various topics with him.
8. Akbar is depicted in the film as the exact opposite of what he was in terms of treatment of captured "infidels."
I have an article from the Internet titled The Real Akbar, The (Not) So Great. "Akbar ... ordered slaughter of all the captives from Hemu's army after the second battle of Panipat and had a victory tower built with their heads." Hemu's elderly father was slain when he refused to convert to Islam.
"Similarly, Akbar later on ordered a massacre of 30,000 plus unarmed captive Hindu peasants after the fall of Chitod on February 24, 1568."
"It is indeed true that Akbar drifted from orthodox Islamic practices and became more tolerant of other religions. However, more often Akbar used and twisted religious principles to his own advantage."
"... his rule was better compared ONLY to the other Mughal and Turko-Afgani rules."
See Item 10.
9. Akbar attempted without success to found a religion "in which he vaguely tried to combine practices of Islam and Hinduism."
10. A critical event in the movie is based on historical fact, but related details were changed. This is from an Internet article: "In this second battle of Panipat, the Mughals were saved by a lucky accident after a hard fight which looked more than likely to go against them. An arrow hit Hemu in the eye and although it did not kill him it had pierced the cerebral cavity enough to make him unconscious. In any battle of this period the death of the leader meant an end of the fight, and the sight of Hemu slumped in the howdah of his famous elephant Hawai was enough to make his army turn tail. Shah Quli Khan captured the Hawai elephant with its prize occupant, and took it directly to Akbar. Hemu was brought unconscious before Akbar and Bairam. Bairam pleaded Akbar to perform the holy duty of slaying the infidel and earn the Islamic holy title of 'Ghazi.' Among much self-congratulation Akbar then severed the head of unconscious Hemu with his saber." Apparently the title of Ghazi was a badge of honor and right of passage. "Akbar like all Mughal rulers had the holy Muslim title of Ghazi (slayer of kaffer - infidel)."
In the movie this arrow shot was not an "accident." Rather, an archer was sent into battle with the mission to shoot Hemu in the eye and succeeded in doing so. Taking nothing away from the skill of medieval archers, I think this is far-fetched. His eyes were his only features not protected by Hemu's helmet and other armor.
In the movie Akbar (age 14) declined to slay Hemu. So Bairam slayed Hemu on the spot.
According to the movie, in a scene in a later battle, Akbar permanently dismissed Bairam because he was too cruel and sent him on a hajj to Mecca. (Bairam was about to slay another defeated infidel.)
This does have a connection with actual history in that Bairam Khan was dismissed as Akbar's regent and guardian in 1560 upon Akbar's coming of age (18), and he did leave on a hajj to Mecca. But there is no historical indication of the two men differing on treatment of captured infidels. Bairam Khan was killed by an assassin in 1561. His year of birth is not given.
According to the historical articles, Bairam was Akbar's "most trusted general" as well as his regent and guardian, and Akbar married Bairam's widow, Salima Sultan. (She was Akbar's second wife.)
11. The movie shows Akbar abolishing a tax on Hindus making religious pilgrimages. This turns out to be true to actual history. "... Akbar did abolish two obnoxious taxes on Hindus namely the pilgrimage tax in 1563 CE and Jizya (A tax stipulated in the Koran to be paid by Zimmis or unbelievers) in 1564 CE, ..."
12. Our trip leader, Som, mentioned the phenomenon of Jauhar, the self-immolation of women in cases of defeat in wartime. I found a mention of that where women jumped into a roaring fire rather than face the cruelty of Akbar upon the fall of Chitod: "That night flames leapt to the sky as thousands of Rajput women performed Jauhar ... They preferred jumping into a roaring fire, to being captured by Mughal Akbar. Later events do lend credit to their astute judgement."
13. The movie shows Akbar dismissing an Islamic scholar because of a long-standing disagreement between them. I think the issue was that there was a practicing Hindu at court who was not converting to Islam. In real life, over quite a different issue, Akbar, a Sunni, "dismissed the Khazi, the highest religious officer from his court, a Sunni, and replaced him with a Shiite who did agree with him!" The issue was that Akbar had more wives than the four allowed by Islam. Akbar "used 'Mutta' principle to justify his 300 wives. As per Shia interpretation, 'Mutta' constituted a legal Muslim marriage. ... a Muslim can have a 'Mutta' marriage with a free woman of OTHER religion. A 'Mutta' marriage involves no ceremny, but is a private pact between a man and a woman for, officially, ' a limited period of time (as short as one night)' agreed between them."
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Regarding my third verse, for those who've not seen the film, although "Jodaa" was willing to marry Akbar (since she could remain Hindu), it took her a very long time to develop affection for him. I guess that's "Hollywood," India-style. I suppose in reality, "Jodaa" might well have had a fear hang-up, not just a lack-of-affection hang up.
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The Mughals were cruel foreigners. Yet it seems to me that, for the most part, the Indian people have chosen to "adopt" the Mughals as their own, take pride in them, emphasize whatever good they can find in them, and overlook their cruelty.
Admittedly, the Mughals would have become "Indianized" to an extent because of their marriages with Indian princesses and because they hung around so long. Yet I believe their lives at court were isolated from the Indian people, and they kept their foreign culture pretty much intact.
Here is a final quote: "Why don't the Indian school texts give these details of Akbar and what else are they hiding?"
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
BABUR
In India, great is this man's fame.
Conquest was his game.
Babur, we're told, means tiger.
As Babur he was as much a tiger
As by his full real name.
Steeped in Persian culture,
A warrior Babur was by nature.
He was born in an Uzbeck valley,
And forth from there he sallied T
o vast lands wherein he'd wander.
Babur knew both good luck and bad.
An army and illnesses he almost always had.
The Mughal Empire he founded
When a much larger army he pounded,
This wandering Turkish lad.
A literate man was he
Who loved good poetry.
Babur wrote in his memoirs
The tales of his wars.
Call it autobiography.
Babur came from ruling families,
Ghengis Khan and Timur on his tree.
His lieutenant and son
And successor was Humayun.
He was quick to adopt new weaponry.
Babur knew how to recruit.
Soldiers he found to suit.
Of the crop they were the cream.
He inspired them with his dream.
And a strategist he was to boot.
But how'd he finance his army
Before glory came to he,
This man of prodigious strength
Though a Muslim who loved to drink?
That's what puzzles me.
And, not that now it matters,
I wonder, for that matter,
How nine wives Babur supported
And if, after they were courted,
They grew somewhat fatter.
Emperor Babur lived a lifestyle lavish.
He used his share of hashish.
He loved the gardens of Kabul
And was finally entombed in Kabul
According to his wish.
[I read a Wikepedia article on Babur (Zahir ud-Din Muhammad bin 'Omar Sheykh).]
Conquest was his game.
Babur, we're told, means tiger.
As Babur he was as much a tiger
As by his full real name.
Steeped in Persian culture,
A warrior Babur was by nature.
He was born in an Uzbeck valley,
And forth from there he sallied T
o vast lands wherein he'd wander.
Babur knew both good luck and bad.
An army and illnesses he almost always had.
The Mughal Empire he founded
When a much larger army he pounded,
This wandering Turkish lad.
A literate man was he
Who loved good poetry.
Babur wrote in his memoirs
The tales of his wars.
Call it autobiography.
Babur came from ruling families,
Ghengis Khan and Timur on his tree.
His lieutenant and son
And successor was Humayun.
He was quick to adopt new weaponry.
Babur knew how to recruit.
Soldiers he found to suit.
Of the crop they were the cream.
He inspired them with his dream.
And a strategist he was to boot.
But how'd he finance his army
Before glory came to he,
This man of prodigious strength
Though a Muslim who loved to drink?
That's what puzzles me.
And, not that now it matters,
I wonder, for that matter,
How nine wives Babur supported
And if, after they were courted,
They grew somewhat fatter.
Emperor Babur lived a lifestyle lavish.
He used his share of hashish.
He loved the gardens of Kabul
And was finally entombed in Kabul
According to his wish.
[I read a Wikepedia article on Babur (Zahir ud-Din Muhammad bin 'Omar Sheykh).]
SAWAI
This maharajah of Jaipur
Made his kingdom purr.
There's been no monarch finer
As a city designer,
Mathematician and astronomer.
Perhaps you may have heard
The title on him conferred.
It was a pretty tall order
Living up to one and a quarter,
But passions in Sawai stirred.
He designed the city of Jaipur,
With wide streets, you can be sure.
Sawai didn't fool around
But relocated into town.
His new palace there he preferred.
Sawai built the Jantar Martar.
For this he had no mentor.
Perhaps his crowning glory,
This astronomy observatory
Aids astrology summer and winter.
Sawai was a lady's man.
Understand it not I can,
But ten were the wives he had.
Was this a maharajah fad?
They helped him grow his clan.
He visited each wife in her chamber
In the Palace Amber.
He came through a secret passage
And delivered a loving message
Once into bed they clambered.
The wife of whom he was most fond -- oh,
She had the nicest condo.
Keeping it was an art.
A small mistake on her part
Could her status undue.
His system worked out fine.
And never was undermined.
Guarded by Sawai's eunuch,
Who always wore a tunic,
Were his wives and concubines.
Maharajah "Sawai Jai Singh II, remarkable Monarch of Jaipur, was a mathematician, an astronomer, and a town planner par excellence." He founded and designed the layout of the city of Jaipur with its wide streets, built a new palace there, and in 1727 moved to it from the nearby Amber Fort Palace.
He built the Jantar Mantar obervatory in Jaipur in 1728. This observatory does not contain a telescope. It contains very accurate "instruments" including sundials, useful under clear skies. These stationary instruments are more or less house-size. Because of the importance of astrology, it was very important to know precisely the timing of certain astronomical events.
Maharajah Jai Singh II was given the title "Sawai," meaning one and a quarter, by the Mughal emperor, who said he was worth one and a quarter of any other maharajah.
Concerning a small detail, it is by way of poetic license and not faulty memory that I have attributed certain features of the new palace in Jaipur to the old Amber (or Amer) Fort Palace. These are (1) the secret passageways from the maharajah's apartment to the apartments of his wives, and (2) the nicer apartment for the favorite wife as compared to the apartments for the other nine wives. Perhaps similar features also applied to the Amber Fort Palace, but I don't know that.
Made his kingdom purr.
There's been no monarch finer
As a city designer,
Mathematician and astronomer.
Perhaps you may have heard
The title on him conferred.
It was a pretty tall order
Living up to one and a quarter,
But passions in Sawai stirred.
He designed the city of Jaipur,
With wide streets, you can be sure.
Sawai didn't fool around
But relocated into town.
His new palace there he preferred.
Sawai built the Jantar Martar.
For this he had no mentor.
Perhaps his crowning glory,
This astronomy observatory
Aids astrology summer and winter.
Sawai was a lady's man.
Understand it not I can,
But ten were the wives he had.
Was this a maharajah fad?
They helped him grow his clan.
He visited each wife in her chamber
In the Palace Amber.
He came through a secret passage
And delivered a loving message
Once into bed they clambered.
The wife of whom he was most fond -- oh,
She had the nicest condo.
Keeping it was an art.
A small mistake on her part
Could her status undue.
His system worked out fine.
And never was undermined.
Guarded by Sawai's eunuch,
Who always wore a tunic,
Were his wives and concubines.
Maharajah "Sawai Jai Singh II, remarkable Monarch of Jaipur, was a mathematician, an astronomer, and a town planner par excellence." He founded and designed the layout of the city of Jaipur with its wide streets, built a new palace there, and in 1727 moved to it from the nearby Amber Fort Palace.
He built the Jantar Mantar obervatory in Jaipur in 1728. This observatory does not contain a telescope. It contains very accurate "instruments" including sundials, useful under clear skies. These stationary instruments are more or less house-size. Because of the importance of astrology, it was very important to know precisely the timing of certain astronomical events.
Maharajah Jai Singh II was given the title "Sawai," meaning one and a quarter, by the Mughal emperor, who said he was worth one and a quarter of any other maharajah.
Concerning a small detail, it is by way of poetic license and not faulty memory that I have attributed certain features of the new palace in Jaipur to the old Amber (or Amer) Fort Palace. These are (1) the secret passageways from the maharajah's apartment to the apartments of his wives, and (2) the nicer apartment for the favorite wife as compared to the apartments for the other nine wives. Perhaps similar features also applied to the Amber Fort Palace, but I don't know that.
INDIA'S ELECTIONS
India will now be able
To have a government stable.
The elections are over.
To do much, moreover,
The commies won't be able.
After a month-long, five-phase process to elect the members of the lower house of India's parliament, results were counted (most of them anyway) and released yesterday, May 16. This is from an Internet article:
India's ruling party wins resounding victory
"NEW DELHI – The ruling Congress party swept to a resounding victory Saturday in India's mammoth national elections, defying expectations as it brushed aside the Hindu nationalist opposition and a legion of ambitious smaller parties."
"The strong showing by the party, which is dominated by the powerful Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, laid to rest fears of an unstable, shaky coalition heading the South Asian giant at a time when many of it neighbors are plagued by instability, civil war and rising extremism."
"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared victory, telling reporters that voters had given the Congress party-led coalition a 'massive mandate.'"
This is from Ramana Rajgopaul, an Indian whom I don't know at all who is an acquaintance of Cynthia Springer, a member of our travel group:
"Our election process is over, and contrary to many opinions, it is now possible to have a stable and progressive government for the next five years. The greatest result has been the substantial reduction in the number of seats that the communists have won. They cannot now act as spoilers. With a stable government, we can now look forward to handling the Pakistan and Taliban problem with more optimism."
To have a government stable.
The elections are over.
To do much, moreover,
The commies won't be able.
After a month-long, five-phase process to elect the members of the lower house of India's parliament, results were counted (most of them anyway) and released yesterday, May 16. This is from an Internet article:
India's ruling party wins resounding victory
"NEW DELHI – The ruling Congress party swept to a resounding victory Saturday in India's mammoth national elections, defying expectations as it brushed aside the Hindu nationalist opposition and a legion of ambitious smaller parties."
"The strong showing by the party, which is dominated by the powerful Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, laid to rest fears of an unstable, shaky coalition heading the South Asian giant at a time when many of it neighbors are plagued by instability, civil war and rising extremism."
"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared victory, telling reporters that voters had given the Congress party-led coalition a 'massive mandate.'"
This is from Ramana Rajgopaul, an Indian whom I don't know at all who is an acquaintance of Cynthia Springer, a member of our travel group:
"Our election process is over, and contrary to many opinions, it is now possible to have a stable and progressive government for the next five years. The greatest result has been the substantial reduction in the number of seats that the communists have won. They cannot now act as spoilers. With a stable government, we can now look forward to handling the Pakistan and Taliban problem with more optimism."
Monday, April 20, 2009
POST-TRIP COMMENTS
INDIA
Going to India is like going to a different planet. Many other places one visits are really a lot like the USA. But India is totally different.
Everyone who likes to travel, and has the time, the means, and good health should visit India at least once.
There are some challenges to visiting India. But visiting India is worth it. You have to very carefully protect your passport and valuables. You have to drink and wash teeth with only bottled water, and you have to watch what you eat. Even then, it's likely that you will have a bout or two with 24-hour diarrhea. You have to be careful to not get run over and to not stumble on the obstacles and holes in the walkways nor step in a cow pie. You have to endure the heat when not in a hotel or bus. You can expect crowded conditions on the streets. You have to put up with the beggars and the extremely aggressive hawkers when you are on the streets or entering or leaving your bus; it's generally not a problem when you're actually touring a monument or temple. We were told to ignore them and that “no” just means “maybe” to them. In Varanasi we encountered women beggars trying to capitalize on their infant children they were carrying out in the hot sun. Som says begging is often a chosen profession and beggars can often “earn” more than laborers.
India is diverse. You have to be careful about generalizations because, in many cases, opposite things are true depending on location and other factors.
India is a land of contrasts. One is the contrast between the rich and the poor.
India is a land of many religions. (Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, a few Buddhists, a few Christians.) The majority religion nationwide (about 70%) is Hinduism. We were told that people of different religions get along well together – until stirred up by the politicians.
I've always know that Hinduism is polytheistic and Hindus are idol worshipers. But I learned that Hindus believe in the oneness of their gods. They believe there is one universal soul or cosmic force and that all people and living beings are part of it. And their ultimate goal is to reunite with it (which seems to me a contradiction if they are already part of it). They consider that their individual gods are various manifestations of this universal soul. Hinduism is so old – thousands of years -- that no one can say when it started, and there is no known founder. And there is no hierarchy or central authority. The priesthood is passed down father-to-son as the profession of the Brahmin caste, and priests are paid by the donations of worshippers. A family has a family priest.
Astrology is very important to Hindus. Important things are done at auspicious times.
Karma is very important. You build karma by doing good deeds – including giving to beggars and feeding the cows in the streets. Your karma determines your next life.
India is hot. And this was northern India. It's a dry heat. Fortunately we had air conditioning in the hotels, in the buses, and in the nice shops we visited.
Water is scarce. It is often hand-carried in jars from old-fashioned hand pumps. In Jaipur we were told the water table is receding rapidly, and wells are failing.
India is dry. They get monsoon rains, but apparently very little rain at other times.
Most of what we saw of India was mostly flat.
Fuel is generally “basic.” Firewood is scarce. In the country, dried cow (or water buffalo) dung is routinely used for fuel for cooking. A mixture of grain is used as fuel to fire pottery or to make bricks.
Cell phones are plentiful in India. India has more of them than does the US.
Driving in India, be it a rickshaw or a tourist bus or a motorcycle, be it in the city or in the country, is a miracle to behold.
We were told that there is no resentment among the poor toward the rich. Hindus believe their condition was “meant to be” and was determined by their behavior in their past life/lives.
Caste remains important in the psyche of Indians even though the constitution declares that all people are equal. Politicians seek to capitalize on people's loyalty to their caste. Couples patronizing a sperm bank demand to know the caste of the donor. There are four main castes and at least hundreds of sub-castes. A trade or profession is passed down father-to-son through the generations in a sub-caste.
Most marriages are arranged by the two families. The system apparently works quite well in most cases. However, when it works poorly, I think there is little the wife can do. Couples (who usually have not known each other) get acquainted during the many parties and rituals in their multi-day wedding (and in another way). Advertisements for prospective brides and for prospective grooms are place in newspapers.
A woman's life is different if she is a widow. Widows usually don't remarry. It would be extremely difficult for a widow in a village to remarry.
The dowry is important and has become, in many cases, a demand instead of a gift.
A family in India is an extended family who all live in the same building, the sons staying and the daughters joining the family they marry into. Grandparents on the bottom floor, children and grandchildren on second and third floors.
A marriage joins not only a couple but their families and, in Hindusim, is not just for life but for several lives to come. It seems a contradiction to me that conflicts over the dowry are sometimes a source of strife between the joined families and sometimes leads to murder or suicide of the wife.
It seems to me that India's biggest problem is overpopulation. John Sollid says India has had a population growth rate of 6% for many years. Som says the politicians will not touch the issue of birth control. Too sensitive. You can't get reelected that way.
Indians are socially conservative. There is no public display of affection, not even hand holding. Women's legs are always covered and not with transparent stockings (usually with ankle-length dresses, sometimes with thick, opaque stockings). Men's legs are always covered too, for that matter.
There are virtually no fences in the countryside. You can look across flat farmland as far as you can see, and you don't see a fence. In the region where camels abound, herds of female camels and their young are driven across the countryside, and the landowners apparently don't mind. Sometimes you see a group of 20 or 30 goats, always with a herdsman.
Animals do not graze in pastures. Cows and bulls wander in the streets. (They have owners and are said to come home at night to be fed, but we saw them in the streets late at night too. They're a source of milk, and feeding them is a source of karma for the people.) Kolkata, by law, is different -- no cows and no draft animals in the streets and strict controls on dogs. I think that is to avoid having droppings in the streets. Water buffalo (never used as draft animals but used for milk) are tied up in the farmyard.
Security is heavy. It may not be high-tech. (Policemen carry old bolt action rifles.) Policemen and guards sometimes seem to be almost ubiquitous. There are almost always two or more of them together. There are lots of walls and gates in the cities. Hotel complexes, monuments, temples, schools, universities are always walled and gated and often guarded. John Stewart says the walls are to keep people from camping in the yards. Security was very high in Agra. (Hotel guards looked in the trunks of all vehicles. Entering the hotel was like airport security.)
People revere Mahatma Ghandi as the father of their country. His philosophy was nonviolence. But there is violence in India. The newspapers contain stories of murders – not unlike in the USA.
Security was extremely high for the elections (many policemen at every poling station and motor traffic halted in the city) and with good reason. Nineteen people were killed in connection with the elections. There is a group of violent maoists call Naxals (named for a place name) who seek to disrupt elections in certain regions and are responsible for most of this. But voters generally were not deterred by the possibility of violence.
Cricket appears to be the most popular sport in India.
India has a rich history. India has many wonderful historical sites to visit and many interesting temples. In many cases, the grounds of these places are very large, very green, well landscaped with shrubs, and lovely.
Neighborhood parks exist in the cities, though they tend to be dry.
The hotels in which we stayed were all very nice. Wi-fi was generally offered. In two cases wi-fi was free. Sometimes, and especially in one case, the elevators are wholly inadequate – too small, too few, unpredictable.
The large air-conditioned coaches (buses) we experienced were all very nice, and the drivers were excellent -- in fact amazing the way they dealt with the crowded, sometimes difficult and chaotic driving conditions.
We were each asked what was our highlight. To me there were many highlights and it's impossible to single out one of them and I said so. But I also said a highlight for me was to ride the rickshaws – both in old Delhi and in Varanasi – and see the scenes along the streets and the chaotic, diverse, super-heavy traffic on the streets.
Indian English is different from American or British or Austarlian English. It's hard for me to understand. I don't think any amount of practice can change an Indian's way of speaking English. Invariably, different syllables of words are emphasized than we are used to.
Whereas American businesses tend to operate with a bare minimum of employees, this is not the case in India. It is required by law that buses above a certain size have a driver's helper as well as a driver.
There are some middle class families in India who have risen to that status through education and diligence. We met one of them.
There are families of great inherited wealth in India whose ancestors were royalty or semi-royalty. They are very proud, dignified people. They are more traditional than the middle class. We met one of them.
Men who would be Maharajas, had the pre-independcnce system continued, invariably enjoy great respect, even admiration from the people. If they choose to enter polities, they can get elected and reelected as members of parliament without affiliating with a party. Villagers come to them to mediate/arbitrate/settle their disputes.
Politics are multi-party, and people tend to be poorly versed in the issues. So they tend to vote for a name – like Ghandi. Politicians tend to prefer name-calling and smaller issues to the important issues. Consequently many people, especially young people, are turned off and don't vote.
In the newspapers I constantly saw differences, which I didn't always understand, between Indian democracy and American democracy, and other interesting differences. The Election Commission is very important. The law against hate speech is very important. I read of an instance where our principal against double jeopardy was violated. A politician was jailed for hate speech, then with the blessing of the Supreme Court and with a promise of good behavior, given a furlough to campaign. Shop owners were accused of encroachment on the width of their street. And on and on.
The residential real estate in some areas in Delhi is among the most expensive in the world.
Our guide Som was super-nice. Our step-on guides and our drivers were nice. Hotel personnel were nice. Both the middle class family and the wealthy family were gracious. The poor villagers and their children we encountered on the camel ride from the OAT camp were very friendly. Store clerks, although good salesmen, were at the same time gracious.
In the country, women as well as men work in the fields. In hotels some of the waiters and desk workers were women. Otherwise almost all workers we encountered were men – store clerks, hotel “maids,” drivers, guides, guards. Well, there were a few lady guards at airports.
We were told that in Delhi many wives go out to work. But in Agra, as in villages, this is not the case . Women there stay at home and take care of the household.
States in India apparently play a similar role as do states in the U.S. There are more than thirty of them, large and small. I don't remember the number. Delhi is not part of a state. It is the capital district, like our Washington, D.C. Kolkata, where we first visited, is the capital of West Bengal. We spent a fair amount of time in Uttar Pradash. We spent the most time in Rajahstan. The Rajputs are very proud of their heritage as warriors.
Indian cuisine is said to vary considerably from region to region. Indian foods tend to be spiced with curry. I don't like curry-spiced foods at all nor spicy foods in general. But not all of the food is spiced. I was able to stay well fed without eating spicy foods. This was especially true at breakfast.
Especially in the downtowns of old cities, the environment often appears old, run-down, shabby, dirty, and gritty.
A lot of work is done, on the farm and elsewhere, with hand tools. Draft animals are mainly used on the farm. In an extensive region in Rahjastan, the preferred draft animal is the camel, a native to India. There are no wild camels. We did see some nice tractors, but the average farmer does not own one.
Earth "ridges" about six inches high have been extensively formed manually in the flat, level fields to channel the flow of irrigation water. At least were we visited farms by the OAT camp, we were told irrigation is accomplished by pumping water from wells.
Woodlands are seldom or rarely seen, and very few trees are seen as you look out across the fields.
BHUTAN
Bhutan is a delightful little country to visit.
Bernie :-)
Going to India is like going to a different planet. Many other places one visits are really a lot like the USA. But India is totally different.
Everyone who likes to travel, and has the time, the means, and good health should visit India at least once.
There are some challenges to visiting India. But visiting India is worth it. You have to very carefully protect your passport and valuables. You have to drink and wash teeth with only bottled water, and you have to watch what you eat. Even then, it's likely that you will have a bout or two with 24-hour diarrhea. You have to be careful to not get run over and to not stumble on the obstacles and holes in the walkways nor step in a cow pie. You have to endure the heat when not in a hotel or bus. You can expect crowded conditions on the streets. You have to put up with the beggars and the extremely aggressive hawkers when you are on the streets or entering or leaving your bus; it's generally not a problem when you're actually touring a monument or temple. We were told to ignore them and that “no” just means “maybe” to them. In Varanasi we encountered women beggars trying to capitalize on their infant children they were carrying out in the hot sun. Som says begging is often a chosen profession and beggars can often “earn” more than laborers.
India is diverse. You have to be careful about generalizations because, in many cases, opposite things are true depending on location and other factors.
India is a land of contrasts. One is the contrast between the rich and the poor.
India is a land of many religions. (Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, a few Buddhists, a few Christians.) The majority religion nationwide (about 70%) is Hinduism. We were told that people of different religions get along well together – until stirred up by the politicians.
I've always know that Hinduism is polytheistic and Hindus are idol worshipers. But I learned that Hindus believe in the oneness of their gods. They believe there is one universal soul or cosmic force and that all people and living beings are part of it. And their ultimate goal is to reunite with it (which seems to me a contradiction if they are already part of it). They consider that their individual gods are various manifestations of this universal soul. Hinduism is so old – thousands of years -- that no one can say when it started, and there is no known founder. And there is no hierarchy or central authority. The priesthood is passed down father-to-son as the profession of the Brahmin caste, and priests are paid by the donations of worshippers. A family has a family priest.
Astrology is very important to Hindus. Important things are done at auspicious times.
Karma is very important. You build karma by doing good deeds – including giving to beggars and feeding the cows in the streets. Your karma determines your next life.
India is hot. And this was northern India. It's a dry heat. Fortunately we had air conditioning in the hotels, in the buses, and in the nice shops we visited.
Water is scarce. It is often hand-carried in jars from old-fashioned hand pumps. In Jaipur we were told the water table is receding rapidly, and wells are failing.
India is dry. They get monsoon rains, but apparently very little rain at other times.
Most of what we saw of India was mostly flat.
Fuel is generally “basic.” Firewood is scarce. In the country, dried cow (or water buffalo) dung is routinely used for fuel for cooking. A mixture of grain is used as fuel to fire pottery or to make bricks.
Cell phones are plentiful in India. India has more of them than does the US.
Driving in India, be it a rickshaw or a tourist bus or a motorcycle, be it in the city or in the country, is a miracle to behold.
We were told that there is no resentment among the poor toward the rich. Hindus believe their condition was “meant to be” and was determined by their behavior in their past life/lives.
Caste remains important in the psyche of Indians even though the constitution declares that all people are equal. Politicians seek to capitalize on people's loyalty to their caste. Couples patronizing a sperm bank demand to know the caste of the donor. There are four main castes and at least hundreds of sub-castes. A trade or profession is passed down father-to-son through the generations in a sub-caste.
Most marriages are arranged by the two families. The system apparently works quite well in most cases. However, when it works poorly, I think there is little the wife can do. Couples (who usually have not known each other) get acquainted during the many parties and rituals in their multi-day wedding (and in another way). Advertisements for prospective brides and for prospective grooms are place in newspapers.
A woman's life is different if she is a widow. Widows usually don't remarry. It would be extremely difficult for a widow in a village to remarry.
The dowry is important and has become, in many cases, a demand instead of a gift.
A family in India is an extended family who all live in the same building, the sons staying and the daughters joining the family they marry into. Grandparents on the bottom floor, children and grandchildren on second and third floors.
A marriage joins not only a couple but their families and, in Hindusim, is not just for life but for several lives to come. It seems a contradiction to me that conflicts over the dowry are sometimes a source of strife between the joined families and sometimes leads to murder or suicide of the wife.
It seems to me that India's biggest problem is overpopulation. John Sollid says India has had a population growth rate of 6% for many years. Som says the politicians will not touch the issue of birth control. Too sensitive. You can't get reelected that way.
Indians are socially conservative. There is no public display of affection, not even hand holding. Women's legs are always covered and not with transparent stockings (usually with ankle-length dresses, sometimes with thick, opaque stockings). Men's legs are always covered too, for that matter.
There are virtually no fences in the countryside. You can look across flat farmland as far as you can see, and you don't see a fence. In the region where camels abound, herds of female camels and their young are driven across the countryside, and the landowners apparently don't mind. Sometimes you see a group of 20 or 30 goats, always with a herdsman.
Animals do not graze in pastures. Cows and bulls wander in the streets. (They have owners and are said to come home at night to be fed, but we saw them in the streets late at night too. They're a source of milk, and feeding them is a source of karma for the people.) Kolkata, by law, is different -- no cows and no draft animals in the streets and strict controls on dogs. I think that is to avoid having droppings in the streets. Water buffalo (never used as draft animals but used for milk) are tied up in the farmyard.
Security is heavy. It may not be high-tech. (Policemen carry old bolt action rifles.) Policemen and guards sometimes seem to be almost ubiquitous. There are almost always two or more of them together. There are lots of walls and gates in the cities. Hotel complexes, monuments, temples, schools, universities are always walled and gated and often guarded. John Stewart says the walls are to keep people from camping in the yards. Security was very high in Agra. (Hotel guards looked in the trunks of all vehicles. Entering the hotel was like airport security.)
People revere Mahatma Ghandi as the father of their country. His philosophy was nonviolence. But there is violence in India. The newspapers contain stories of murders – not unlike in the USA.
Security was extremely high for the elections (many policemen at every poling station and motor traffic halted in the city) and with good reason. Nineteen people were killed in connection with the elections. There is a group of violent maoists call Naxals (named for a place name) who seek to disrupt elections in certain regions and are responsible for most of this. But voters generally were not deterred by the possibility of violence.
Cricket appears to be the most popular sport in India.
India has a rich history. India has many wonderful historical sites to visit and many interesting temples. In many cases, the grounds of these places are very large, very green, well landscaped with shrubs, and lovely.
Neighborhood parks exist in the cities, though they tend to be dry.
The hotels in which we stayed were all very nice. Wi-fi was generally offered. In two cases wi-fi was free. Sometimes, and especially in one case, the elevators are wholly inadequate – too small, too few, unpredictable.
The large air-conditioned coaches (buses) we experienced were all very nice, and the drivers were excellent -- in fact amazing the way they dealt with the crowded, sometimes difficult and chaotic driving conditions.
We were each asked what was our highlight. To me there were many highlights and it's impossible to single out one of them and I said so. But I also said a highlight for me was to ride the rickshaws – both in old Delhi and in Varanasi – and see the scenes along the streets and the chaotic, diverse, super-heavy traffic on the streets.
Indian English is different from American or British or Austarlian English. It's hard for me to understand. I don't think any amount of practice can change an Indian's way of speaking English. Invariably, different syllables of words are emphasized than we are used to.
Whereas American businesses tend to operate with a bare minimum of employees, this is not the case in India. It is required by law that buses above a certain size have a driver's helper as well as a driver.
There are some middle class families in India who have risen to that status through education and diligence. We met one of them.
There are families of great inherited wealth in India whose ancestors were royalty or semi-royalty. They are very proud, dignified people. They are more traditional than the middle class. We met one of them.
Men who would be Maharajas, had the pre-independcnce system continued, invariably enjoy great respect, even admiration from the people. If they choose to enter polities, they can get elected and reelected as members of parliament without affiliating with a party. Villagers come to them to mediate/arbitrate/settle their disputes.
Politics are multi-party, and people tend to be poorly versed in the issues. So they tend to vote for a name – like Ghandi. Politicians tend to prefer name-calling and smaller issues to the important issues. Consequently many people, especially young people, are turned off and don't vote.
In the newspapers I constantly saw differences, which I didn't always understand, between Indian democracy and American democracy, and other interesting differences. The Election Commission is very important. The law against hate speech is very important. I read of an instance where our principal against double jeopardy was violated. A politician was jailed for hate speech, then with the blessing of the Supreme Court and with a promise of good behavior, given a furlough to campaign. Shop owners were accused of encroachment on the width of their street. And on and on.
The residential real estate in some areas in Delhi is among the most expensive in the world.
Our guide Som was super-nice. Our step-on guides and our drivers were nice. Hotel personnel were nice. Both the middle class family and the wealthy family were gracious. The poor villagers and their children we encountered on the camel ride from the OAT camp were very friendly. Store clerks, although good salesmen, were at the same time gracious.
In the country, women as well as men work in the fields. In hotels some of the waiters and desk workers were women. Otherwise almost all workers we encountered were men – store clerks, hotel “maids,” drivers, guides, guards. Well, there were a few lady guards at airports.
We were told that in Delhi many wives go out to work. But in Agra, as in villages, this is not the case . Women there stay at home and take care of the household.
States in India apparently play a similar role as do states in the U.S. There are more than thirty of them, large and small. I don't remember the number. Delhi is not part of a state. It is the capital district, like our Washington, D.C. Kolkata, where we first visited, is the capital of West Bengal. We spent a fair amount of time in Uttar Pradash. We spent the most time in Rajahstan. The Rajputs are very proud of their heritage as warriors.
Indian cuisine is said to vary considerably from region to region. Indian foods tend to be spiced with curry. I don't like curry-spiced foods at all nor spicy foods in general. But not all of the food is spiced. I was able to stay well fed without eating spicy foods. This was especially true at breakfast.
Especially in the downtowns of old cities, the environment often appears old, run-down, shabby, dirty, and gritty.
A lot of work is done, on the farm and elsewhere, with hand tools. Draft animals are mainly used on the farm. In an extensive region in Rahjastan, the preferred draft animal is the camel, a native to India. There are no wild camels. We did see some nice tractors, but the average farmer does not own one.
Earth "ridges" about six inches high have been extensively formed manually in the flat, level fields to channel the flow of irrigation water. At least were we visited farms by the OAT camp, we were told irrigation is accomplished by pumping water from wells.
Woodlands are seldom or rarely seen, and very few trees are seen as you look out across the fields.
BHUTAN
Bhutan is a delightful little country to visit.
Bernie :-)
Sunday, April 19, 2009
DAY 28, APRIL 18, HOMEWARD
FLYING HOME
A great trip we've had.
To be going home we're glad.
Goodbye to Sikhs and Jains.
Long time spent in planes.
Wanting home food so bad.
FROM JFK AIRPORT
A clue we were without
As to how to get about
On the trains of New York City.
The Schardts on us took pity,
And they helped us out.
We boarded our British Airlines flight in Delhi about 2:30 AM. The flight was about eight hours, and the time change was 4-1/2 hours. The wide-body plane was full. We were comfortable. Helen slept a couple hours. I slept the whole time. They fed us a big breakfast. We arrived at Heathrow Airport in London just after daybreak.
The timing was good in that once we arrived at our departure gate we had to wait only half an hour to board our British Airlines flight to JFK Airport in New York. The flight to New York was about seven hours with a five-hour time change. I did some reading and a lot of snoozing and was comfortable. This wide-body plane was also full. They kept us well fed.
We weren't sure whether Hans would meet us at the airport when we arrived at about 11 AM. He did not. Helen reached him on his cell phone. Apparently he is driving back with Leo and Shelley from a week-long Easter stay in Cincinnatti. He said he would meet us tonight. Of course, it's not necessary for him to meet us.
We would have tried to get on a shuttle bus to the Pennsylvania Hotel downtown. We don't know the train system at all. Fortunately Helmut and Karen Schardt took us under their wing. They were taking the train to their other home on Long Island. We went together on the very modern Sky Train to a station where we got on a train to downtown, and they went another direction. Two stops and we were at Penn Station, and we walked across the street to the hotel. We managed all this fairly well with all our luggage. We were able to get a room overnight on the 12th floor. Airplane snoozing hadn't done the job, so we promptly took a very long nap until after dark in our room.
Then we went across the street to Penn Station for late night pizza and flan.
Bernie :-)
A great trip we've had.
To be going home we're glad.
Goodbye to Sikhs and Jains.
Long time spent in planes.
Wanting home food so bad.
FROM JFK AIRPORT
A clue we were without
As to how to get about
On the trains of New York City.
The Schardts on us took pity,
And they helped us out.
We boarded our British Airlines flight in Delhi about 2:30 AM. The flight was about eight hours, and the time change was 4-1/2 hours. The wide-body plane was full. We were comfortable. Helen slept a couple hours. I slept the whole time. They fed us a big breakfast. We arrived at Heathrow Airport in London just after daybreak.
The timing was good in that once we arrived at our departure gate we had to wait only half an hour to board our British Airlines flight to JFK Airport in New York. The flight to New York was about seven hours with a five-hour time change. I did some reading and a lot of snoozing and was comfortable. This wide-body plane was also full. They kept us well fed.
We weren't sure whether Hans would meet us at the airport when we arrived at about 11 AM. He did not. Helen reached him on his cell phone. Apparently he is driving back with Leo and Shelley from a week-long Easter stay in Cincinnatti. He said he would meet us tonight. Of course, it's not necessary for him to meet us.
We would have tried to get on a shuttle bus to the Pennsylvania Hotel downtown. We don't know the train system at all. Fortunately Helmut and Karen Schardt took us under their wing. They were taking the train to their other home on Long Island. We went together on the very modern Sky Train to a station where we got on a train to downtown, and they went another direction. Two stops and we were at Penn Station, and we walked across the street to the hotel. We managed all this fairly well with all our luggage. We were able to get a room overnight on the 12th floor. Airplane snoozing hadn't done the job, so we promptly took a very long nap until after dark in our room.
Then we went across the street to Penn Station for late night pizza and flan.
Bernie :-)
Thursday, April 16, 2009
DAY 27, APRIL 17, VARANASI, LAST DAY
HOLY SWIMMERS
We conclude our India surface skimming
By watching holy swimming.
Can you imagine
Swimmers in the Ganges,
All with Karma brimming!
Would you believe, we set out at 5:15 AM for our major adventure of the day. That was to return to the Ganges River and check out what goes on and how it looks there early in the morning. We had no rickshaw ride, but on our return we walked quite a ways on the streets back to our bus. Starting from the same ghat in the same boat as last night, we went downstream (southeast) instead of upstream like last night. People were taking their dips or swims in the river. At one location cremations were in progress. There are only two locations for cremations, which are done 24 hours a day. We saw a couple of priests conducting a ritual, and we saw several young men emulating a priest as they're learning to be priests.
Then we visited the temple which is not a temple. It is the Mother India Temple, built in 1936. It features an impressive relief map of India and its neighbors, about 40 feet square and done in Makrana marble. It's made up of carved marble blocks about a foot square.
Then we returned to the hotel for breakfast followed by about three hours of free time before departing homeward.
Dick Opsahl led a half-mile walk to Nehru park. There were only five of us. It's a nice little green space with a playground, some nice trees, and a concrete sidewalk “track” around inside it which Dick used for jogging at 6 AM yesterday morning. I was disappointed in not finding a stature of Jawaharlal Nehru or even the name “Nehru Park” posted.
It turns out that we made the local newspaper. There is a single color photograph of some us from yesterday morning's walk in which we are examining the registration card held up by a voter. It's not an English language paper. Dick asked the waitress at breakfast to translate the caption. It says: “The foreigners are taking photos of the voter.”
We had free time till noon. In the afternoon we flew to Delhi. It was about a two-hour flight, and we arrived about 5 PM. We were served a real meal with, would you believe, metal silverware.
We were bused to a nice hotel near Delhi where we were given rooms and had the opportunity to buy dinner get a little rest. We got to meet Som's wife Manisha and his eigh-year-old son Siddhartha. They had driven about 1-1/2 hours from their home to meet Som. We all gathered in their hotel room and Som presented a slide show of a visit of his to Tibet. And we saw them no more. We left the hotel for the airport at 10:30 PM.
Bernie :-)
We conclude our India surface skimming
By watching holy swimming.
Can you imagine
Swimmers in the Ganges,
All with Karma brimming!
Would you believe, we set out at 5:15 AM for our major adventure of the day. That was to return to the Ganges River and check out what goes on and how it looks there early in the morning. We had no rickshaw ride, but on our return we walked quite a ways on the streets back to our bus. Starting from the same ghat in the same boat as last night, we went downstream (southeast) instead of upstream like last night. People were taking their dips or swims in the river. At one location cremations were in progress. There are only two locations for cremations, which are done 24 hours a day. We saw a couple of priests conducting a ritual, and we saw several young men emulating a priest as they're learning to be priests.
Then we visited the temple which is not a temple. It is the Mother India Temple, built in 1936. It features an impressive relief map of India and its neighbors, about 40 feet square and done in Makrana marble. It's made up of carved marble blocks about a foot square.
Then we returned to the hotel for breakfast followed by about three hours of free time before departing homeward.
Dick Opsahl led a half-mile walk to Nehru park. There were only five of us. It's a nice little green space with a playground, some nice trees, and a concrete sidewalk “track” around inside it which Dick used for jogging at 6 AM yesterday morning. I was disappointed in not finding a stature of Jawaharlal Nehru or even the name “Nehru Park” posted.
It turns out that we made the local newspaper. There is a single color photograph of some us from yesterday morning's walk in which we are examining the registration card held up by a voter. It's not an English language paper. Dick asked the waitress at breakfast to translate the caption. It says: “The foreigners are taking photos of the voter.”
We had free time till noon. In the afternoon we flew to Delhi. It was about a two-hour flight, and we arrived about 5 PM. We were served a real meal with, would you believe, metal silverware.
We were bused to a nice hotel near Delhi where we were given rooms and had the opportunity to buy dinner get a little rest. We got to meet Som's wife Manisha and his eigh-year-old son Siddhartha. They had driven about 1-1/2 hours from their home to meet Som. We all gathered in their hotel room and Som presented a slide show of a visit of his to Tibet. And we saw them no more. We left the hotel for the airport at 10:30 PM.
Bernie :-)
DAY 26, APRIL 16, VARANASI
ELECTION DAY
Elections were held in India today.
Strict security was in play.
On the streets you couldn't drive.
This was the first phase of five.
Outcome knowledge is a month away.
CEREMONY
Was the ritual to Lord Shiva?
We watched if from the river.
Don't know much about it.
But there's no doubt about it:
It's special to a believer.
Today we have quite a bit of free time. The reason relates to the elections. We are again in a Radisson (as we were in Khajuraho) and again have FREE wi-fi.
The first thing today, even before breakfast, was an hour session of yoga, but both Helen and I declined to participate. But I looked in on the class. I hate yoga and can't really do it because of my lack of flexibility and balance. Nearly everyone else participated, and the level was very low.
The third thing we did was visit a silk weaving center almost next door to the hotel. Silk weaving was demonstrated and explained. Wonderful silk goods were offered for sale at reasonable prices, and some were purchased. The proprietor was very gracious, humorous, and easy going (not a pressure salesman).
The second thing was a walk in the streets. For our first time we saw a Christian church. Except for motorcycles and scooters, there was almost no motor traffic (a very strange situation). That is because today is election day, and no driving is allowed during the daytime polling hours for security reasons. Security is very high for the elections. Campaigning for these elections has been going on for some time. We've been seeing reports of the campaigning in the newspapers and Som has commented on it. This is billed in the newspaper as the world's biggest electoral exercise. It involves 17 states, 124 constituencies (seats), 158 million voters, 1,715 candidates, 162 parties, and 180,000 polling stations. During our walk, Som gave a detailed explanation of the elections, and I want to repeat it in detail. The elections are for seats in the lower house of the Indian national government, the Lok Sabha, which is like our House of Representatives and Great Britan's House of Commons. India also has an upper house, but it has less power, its members are not directly elected by the people (but by groups of elected and appointed officials), and generally acts almost like a rubber stamp on the Lok Sabha. There are 543 MPs (members of the lower house, the Lok Sabha). The election is in five phases. This is phase one. Only 124 seats are up for election today. The whole process will take more than a month. The reason it is done this way is because the high security means so many policemen are needed that a lot of them must be brought in from other areas. Final results are announced at the end of the fifth phase, and nowadays they are then announced promptly then. But no results, not even exit polls, are announced till then. To win a seat, a candidate need only have more votes than any other candidate. (There are no run off elections.) The party that wins a “majority” of the seats forms a government and names the prime minister. But “majority” means 2/3 in this case. It's highly unlike that one party will achieve this 2/3 majority of seats. If no party achieves a 2/3 majority of seats, a coalition government will be formed. India has a President, but she is just ceremonial. When a government is formed, it will be presented to her for approval. The President is not elected directly (but by groups of elected and appointed officials). The terms of the Mps – I'm not sure; it's either 2 years or 3 years. During the elections period the Electoral Commission and its District Commissioners have great power and, to an extent, take the place of the regular government. There are rules against campaigning close to polling stations on election day. People queue up at a distance until allowed by the police to proceed to another queue at the polling station. The minimum voting age is 18. Schools are used as polling stations. Teachers MUST serve as election officials. This sometimes means they have to travel far from their homes to serve, and they may have to be away for a week. Voters, of course, have to be registered ahead of time and their registration is checked at the polling station, but they don't have to declare a party. There are local observers at the polls (who are acquainted in the precinct) who can challenge voters (to prove they are who they say they are and registered). We were shown what an election registration card looks like. There is a possible confusion in that some people also have a Ration Card (which we were also shown) which allows them to buy certain food items at a discount. Overall in India the voting percentage is 40 to 60%. It can be as high as 80% in areas where the education rate is high. Only 30% of people 18 to 25 vote. The age group with the highest percentage of voters is 46 to 55 years. There is no provision for absentee ballots or early voting. If you are away from home, you are just out of luck. Dye is put on the fingers of voters, presumably to prevent them from trying to vote a second time.
At a 4:30 PM meeting, Som reviewed all the places we have visited and helped locate the map of India that we were all given.
About 6 PM we began our evening adventure. It was an optional excursion that all but one of our group bought into. We rode the bus to the central part of the city and from there rode bicycle rickshaws approximately two mile across the center of Varanasi to the waterfront on the Ganges River. Riding a rickshaw in India is great fun.
After looking around on shore for ten minutes, we boarded a big boat rowed by two young men whose family owns the boat. We were taken to a point out from where the cremations are performed. It was explained to us, and we watched the half dozen fires from the boat. This is the most important cremation site in India. It is a very holy place to which all Hindus want to make a pilgrimage some time in their lives.
The ashes are placed in the river after cremation. Cremations are performed only by men (regardless of the gender of the deceased). In four cases, cremations are not performed: holy men, children 12 and under, pregnant women, and people who died of snake bite. In these cases the bodies are weighted with stones and dropped in the middle of the river. Eventually the bodies break free and wash down the river. It's only Hindus who live in or near Varanasi that are cremated here. Sometimes the ashes of people cremated at a distance are brought here and placed in the river. There are only two points on the river at Varanasi where cremations are performed. Cremations are performed 24 hours a day, usually several at the same time. Cremations are always performed where there is water -- even if it's a dried up river bed. (The ashes will eventually flow to the Ganges.) The Ganges also flows by Kolkata, which we first visited, but no cremations are not performed there -- at least not in sizeable numbers. You mustn't take photos of cremations -- well you can at a distance on the river where you're not directly out from them.
Then we were taken to a point just slightly off-shore from where a religious ceremony was in progress. This ceremony is performed every evening at sunset. The Ganges River is a holy river, and Varanasi is a holy city. It is the city of Shiva. There are many temples to Shiva in Varanasi. We watched the ceremony for half an hour. It is a ritual to Mother Ganges (a Hindu god), not to Lord Shiva. Seven priests were performing the ritual in unison, each on an elevated platform in a row of platforms. There were huge crowds around the platforms on shore. There were other boats lined up next to ours. It was very loud with a lot of intended noise as part of the ceremony. One of the priests was singing a melodic song in a deep voice over the microphone. The priests were making graceful motions mainly with their arms. They were burning incense, using bells, and using fire – sort of a tree of candles. It was certainly an exotic show to see.
Then we rode the rickshaws the two miles back to the bus in the dark, extremely crowded, chaotic streets crammed with mainly motorcycles, bicycles, rickshaws, and pedestrians. Fun! It's a miracle how the drivers avoid crashing or hitting a pedestrian. The rickshaw ride and the ceremony were both like being on a different planet.
Back at the hotel, we enjoyed our farewell dinner, a very fine dinner.
Bernie :-)
Elections were held in India today.
Strict security was in play.
On the streets you couldn't drive.
This was the first phase of five.
Outcome knowledge is a month away.
CEREMONY
Was the ritual to Lord Shiva?
We watched if from the river.
Don't know much about it.
But there's no doubt about it:
It's special to a believer.
Today we have quite a bit of free time. The reason relates to the elections. We are again in a Radisson (as we were in Khajuraho) and again have FREE wi-fi.
The first thing today, even before breakfast, was an hour session of yoga, but both Helen and I declined to participate. But I looked in on the class. I hate yoga and can't really do it because of my lack of flexibility and balance. Nearly everyone else participated, and the level was very low.
The third thing we did was visit a silk weaving center almost next door to the hotel. Silk weaving was demonstrated and explained. Wonderful silk goods were offered for sale at reasonable prices, and some were purchased. The proprietor was very gracious, humorous, and easy going (not a pressure salesman).
The second thing was a walk in the streets. For our first time we saw a Christian church. Except for motorcycles and scooters, there was almost no motor traffic (a very strange situation). That is because today is election day, and no driving is allowed during the daytime polling hours for security reasons. Security is very high for the elections. Campaigning for these elections has been going on for some time. We've been seeing reports of the campaigning in the newspapers and Som has commented on it. This is billed in the newspaper as the world's biggest electoral exercise. It involves 17 states, 124 constituencies (seats), 158 million voters, 1,715 candidates, 162 parties, and 180,000 polling stations. During our walk, Som gave a detailed explanation of the elections, and I want to repeat it in detail. The elections are for seats in the lower house of the Indian national government, the Lok Sabha, which is like our House of Representatives and Great Britan's House of Commons. India also has an upper house, but it has less power, its members are not directly elected by the people (but by groups of elected and appointed officials), and generally acts almost like a rubber stamp on the Lok Sabha. There are 543 MPs (members of the lower house, the Lok Sabha). The election is in five phases. This is phase one. Only 124 seats are up for election today. The whole process will take more than a month. The reason it is done this way is because the high security means so many policemen are needed that a lot of them must be brought in from other areas. Final results are announced at the end of the fifth phase, and nowadays they are then announced promptly then. But no results, not even exit polls, are announced till then. To win a seat, a candidate need only have more votes than any other candidate. (There are no run off elections.) The party that wins a “majority” of the seats forms a government and names the prime minister. But “majority” means 2/3 in this case. It's highly unlike that one party will achieve this 2/3 majority of seats. If no party achieves a 2/3 majority of seats, a coalition government will be formed. India has a President, but she is just ceremonial. When a government is formed, it will be presented to her for approval. The President is not elected directly (but by groups of elected and appointed officials). The terms of the Mps – I'm not sure; it's either 2 years or 3 years. During the elections period the Electoral Commission and its District Commissioners have great power and, to an extent, take the place of the regular government. There are rules against campaigning close to polling stations on election day. People queue up at a distance until allowed by the police to proceed to another queue at the polling station. The minimum voting age is 18. Schools are used as polling stations. Teachers MUST serve as election officials. This sometimes means they have to travel far from their homes to serve, and they may have to be away for a week. Voters, of course, have to be registered ahead of time and their registration is checked at the polling station, but they don't have to declare a party. There are local observers at the polls (who are acquainted in the precinct) who can challenge voters (to prove they are who they say they are and registered). We were shown what an election registration card looks like. There is a possible confusion in that some people also have a Ration Card (which we were also shown) which allows them to buy certain food items at a discount. Overall in India the voting percentage is 40 to 60%. It can be as high as 80% in areas where the education rate is high. Only 30% of people 18 to 25 vote. The age group with the highest percentage of voters is 46 to 55 years. There is no provision for absentee ballots or early voting. If you are away from home, you are just out of luck. Dye is put on the fingers of voters, presumably to prevent them from trying to vote a second time.
At a 4:30 PM meeting, Som reviewed all the places we have visited and helped locate the map of India that we were all given.
About 6 PM we began our evening adventure. It was an optional excursion that all but one of our group bought into. We rode the bus to the central part of the city and from there rode bicycle rickshaws approximately two mile across the center of Varanasi to the waterfront on the Ganges River. Riding a rickshaw in India is great fun.
After looking around on shore for ten minutes, we boarded a big boat rowed by two young men whose family owns the boat. We were taken to a point out from where the cremations are performed. It was explained to us, and we watched the half dozen fires from the boat. This is the most important cremation site in India. It is a very holy place to which all Hindus want to make a pilgrimage some time in their lives.
The ashes are placed in the river after cremation. Cremations are performed only by men (regardless of the gender of the deceased). In four cases, cremations are not performed: holy men, children 12 and under, pregnant women, and people who died of snake bite. In these cases the bodies are weighted with stones and dropped in the middle of the river. Eventually the bodies break free and wash down the river. It's only Hindus who live in or near Varanasi that are cremated here. Sometimes the ashes of people cremated at a distance are brought here and placed in the river. There are only two points on the river at Varanasi where cremations are performed. Cremations are performed 24 hours a day, usually several at the same time. Cremations are always performed where there is water -- even if it's a dried up river bed. (The ashes will eventually flow to the Ganges.) The Ganges also flows by Kolkata, which we first visited, but no cremations are not performed there -- at least not in sizeable numbers. You mustn't take photos of cremations -- well you can at a distance on the river where you're not directly out from them.
Then we were taken to a point just slightly off-shore from where a religious ceremony was in progress. This ceremony is performed every evening at sunset. The Ganges River is a holy river, and Varanasi is a holy city. It is the city of Shiva. There are many temples to Shiva in Varanasi. We watched the ceremony for half an hour. It is a ritual to Mother Ganges (a Hindu god), not to Lord Shiva. Seven priests were performing the ritual in unison, each on an elevated platform in a row of platforms. There were huge crowds around the platforms on shore. There were other boats lined up next to ours. It was very loud with a lot of intended noise as part of the ceremony. One of the priests was singing a melodic song in a deep voice over the microphone. The priests were making graceful motions mainly with their arms. They were burning incense, using bells, and using fire – sort of a tree of candles. It was certainly an exotic show to see.
Then we rode the rickshaws the two miles back to the bus in the dark, extremely crowded, chaotic streets crammed with mainly motorcycles, bicycles, rickshaws, and pedestrians. Fun! It's a miracle how the drivers avoid crashing or hitting a pedestrian. The rickshaw ride and the ceremony were both like being on a different planet.
Back at the hotel, we enjoyed our farewell dinner, a very fine dinner.
Bernie :-)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
DAY 25, APRIL 15, KHAJURAHO & VARANASI
KHAJURAHO
Here is sculpture exquisite
Of love-making explicit --
Thousands of examples
In thousand-year-old temples.
It's a fun place to visit.
Eighty-four ways to get it on,
Several shown the walls upon.
These folks had the loving knack.
Press the middle of her back
To turn the lady on.
In a method most outstanding
The couple up are standing.
She bends low as this point he's pressing,
While her from behind he's addressing.
Not shown is her stool for standing.
If bade to enter standing from behind
And assuming that she didn't mind,
Against her back I'd press my chest,
And I'd reach round and hold each breast.
A slightly different plan he had in mind.
In the position most repeated,
While the man is properly seated,
His lady to him is clinging.
Great joy to them it's bringing
Ere the task is completed.
BUDDHISM IN INDIA
In Buddhism's birthplace today
You'll scarcely find Buddhism per se.
Hindus are telling you
Buddha was a visit by Vishnu.
And the philosophies are the same, they say.
Khajura means date palm. The "ho" was just somebody's mistake.
Setting out at 6:30 AM, before breakfast, we toured the main temples of Kajuraho, the west site first, then the east site. At the west site we visited the Lakshman Temple and the Kandariya Mahadeva Temples. These Hindu temples were built in the 10th to 12th century by the Chandelas, who then ruled in the area. They were important until about 1400 AD and lost their importance around 1500. They were subsequently damaged by Muslims and consequently are not active temples. (A damaged statue of a god is no longer considered as or worshiped as a god.) They came to be unknown and were discovered in 1830 by the British and were quite a shock to Victorian morality.
There are wall carvings in great profusion depicting affection and love-making. Erotic carvings are well distributed on the walls. Some of the positions are very complicated and “athletic,” and sometimes there are more than two persons in the grouping. It takes some study to associate arms and legs with their torsos of the figures. In one instance I still am unable to do so to in a way that makes sense to me. I have the book and will study it further. It certainly appears that a couple would need assistance to achieve and maybe to maintain some of these positions.
One panel, in particular, is a highlight with several shocking positions shown in succession. There is a some oral stimulation included, one of the positions being a 69.
The rear entry position in my verses was only seen once. Our step-on guide explained that the center of a woman's back was thought to be a woman's key point of sexual energy.
Our step-on guide told of an ancient Hindu book in which all of the 84 possible positions for sexual intercourse are listed and described. They're not all depicted. (We didn't see such simplicity as the missionary position.)
Our step-on guide pointed out how the statuary are very rich in many ways other than mere eroticism: emotions, humor, symbolism, interrelations among neighboring statues, differences according to the viewing angle, and on and on. I take his word for it. Although at first I thought I would, I couldn't understand him well at all.
Some other aspects of daily life are also depicted. A lot of elephants are shown.
Even though this is a very small town, we were nevertheless plagued (when getting on and off the bus) with plenty of the usual extremely persistent hawkers. And, as usual, we were told to just ignore them, not say “no” because that means “maybe.”
We flew to Varanasi, which was just a short flight of about an hour. Varanasi has a population of approximately three million and is densely populated. It is one of the oldest cities in the world – thousands of years old, even older than Hinduism.
Sarnath, once a city of its own, is incorporated into the Varanasi metropolitan area. Sarnath is the birthplace of Buddhism (544 BC).
We visited the Archeological Museum of Sarnath. The artifacts displayed were dug up in Sarnath by a British archeologist in the 19th century.
We visited the Buddhist temple in Sarnath. It is very modest. It was built in 1931, really by foreigners, so there would be a Buddhist presence at Buddhism's birthplace.
It was all explained both by Som and by our day-guide. But I hear so poorly and it's all very complicated to me. Only about 3% of Indians are Buddhists. There is some growth in Buddhism occurring because some Indians are converting to Buddhism simply because it has no castes. Buddha gave his first sermon in Sarnath, and it is surprisingly short and mounted on a plaque. But Buddhism never really took root here in the first place, according to what we were told. Yet we saw artifacts in the museum of Buddhism from up till about the 9th century. Within only a century of Buddha's death, we were told, Buddhism was moved to Sri Lanka. From there it took root and spread north. Som says there is no difference in the philosophy of Buddhism and that of Hinduism. He also says Hindus see Buddha as the ninth reincarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu (the Protector and one of the three most important Hindu gods). Som, a Hindu, sees Buddhism as a reformer of Hinduism, much like Jesus set out to reform Judaism. Som says Buddhism has changed greatly from what it started out to be – that Buddha did not emphasize the gods at all but rather a way of living that can lead to nirvana.
We had our last happy hour. It was in Som's room.
We had a splendid dinner in another hotel a short walk from our Radisson. This was part of an optional tour which all but one of us opted to participate in.
Bernie :-)
Here is sculpture exquisite
Of love-making explicit --
Thousands of examples
In thousand-year-old temples.
It's a fun place to visit.
Eighty-four ways to get it on,
Several shown the walls upon.
These folks had the loving knack.
Press the middle of her back
To turn the lady on.
In a method most outstanding
The couple up are standing.
She bends low as this point he's pressing,
While her from behind he's addressing.
Not shown is her stool for standing.
If bade to enter standing from behind
And assuming that she didn't mind,
Against her back I'd press my chest,
And I'd reach round and hold each breast.
A slightly different plan he had in mind.
In the position most repeated,
While the man is properly seated,
His lady to him is clinging.
Great joy to them it's bringing
Ere the task is completed.
BUDDHISM IN INDIA
In Buddhism's birthplace today
You'll scarcely find Buddhism per se.
Hindus are telling you
Buddha was a visit by Vishnu.
And the philosophies are the same, they say.
Khajura means date palm. The "ho" was just somebody's mistake.
Setting out at 6:30 AM, before breakfast, we toured the main temples of Kajuraho, the west site first, then the east site. At the west site we visited the Lakshman Temple and the Kandariya Mahadeva Temples. These Hindu temples were built in the 10th to 12th century by the Chandelas, who then ruled in the area. They were important until about 1400 AD and lost their importance around 1500. They were subsequently damaged by Muslims and consequently are not active temples. (A damaged statue of a god is no longer considered as or worshiped as a god.) They came to be unknown and were discovered in 1830 by the British and were quite a shock to Victorian morality.
There are wall carvings in great profusion depicting affection and love-making. Erotic carvings are well distributed on the walls. Some of the positions are very complicated and “athletic,” and sometimes there are more than two persons in the grouping. It takes some study to associate arms and legs with their torsos of the figures. In one instance I still am unable to do so to in a way that makes sense to me. I have the book and will study it further. It certainly appears that a couple would need assistance to achieve and maybe to maintain some of these positions.
One panel, in particular, is a highlight with several shocking positions shown in succession. There is a some oral stimulation included, one of the positions being a 69.
The rear entry position in my verses was only seen once. Our step-on guide explained that the center of a woman's back was thought to be a woman's key point of sexual energy.
Our step-on guide told of an ancient Hindu book in which all of the 84 possible positions for sexual intercourse are listed and described. They're not all depicted. (We didn't see such simplicity as the missionary position.)
Our step-on guide pointed out how the statuary are very rich in many ways other than mere eroticism: emotions, humor, symbolism, interrelations among neighboring statues, differences according to the viewing angle, and on and on. I take his word for it. Although at first I thought I would, I couldn't understand him well at all.
Some other aspects of daily life are also depicted. A lot of elephants are shown.
Even though this is a very small town, we were nevertheless plagued (when getting on and off the bus) with plenty of the usual extremely persistent hawkers. And, as usual, we were told to just ignore them, not say “no” because that means “maybe.”
We flew to Varanasi, which was just a short flight of about an hour. Varanasi has a population of approximately three million and is densely populated. It is one of the oldest cities in the world – thousands of years old, even older than Hinduism.
Sarnath, once a city of its own, is incorporated into the Varanasi metropolitan area. Sarnath is the birthplace of Buddhism (544 BC).
We visited the Archeological Museum of Sarnath. The artifacts displayed were dug up in Sarnath by a British archeologist in the 19th century.
We visited the Buddhist temple in Sarnath. It is very modest. It was built in 1931, really by foreigners, so there would be a Buddhist presence at Buddhism's birthplace.
It was all explained both by Som and by our day-guide. But I hear so poorly and it's all very complicated to me. Only about 3% of Indians are Buddhists. There is some growth in Buddhism occurring because some Indians are converting to Buddhism simply because it has no castes. Buddha gave his first sermon in Sarnath, and it is surprisingly short and mounted on a plaque. But Buddhism never really took root here in the first place, according to what we were told. Yet we saw artifacts in the museum of Buddhism from up till about the 9th century. Within only a century of Buddha's death, we were told, Buddhism was moved to Sri Lanka. From there it took root and spread north. Som says there is no difference in the philosophy of Buddhism and that of Hinduism. He also says Hindus see Buddha as the ninth reincarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu (the Protector and one of the three most important Hindu gods). Som, a Hindu, sees Buddhism as a reformer of Hinduism, much like Jesus set out to reform Judaism. Som says Buddhism has changed greatly from what it started out to be – that Buddha did not emphasize the gods at all but rather a way of living that can lead to nirvana.
We had our last happy hour. It was in Som's room.
We had a splendid dinner in another hotel a short walk from our Radisson. This was part of an optional tour which all but one of us opted to participate in.
Bernie :-)
DAY 24, APRIL 14, AGRA TO KHAJURAHO
ON TO KHAJURAHO
We took the fast train to Jahnsi.
And learned of a heroin from Jahnsi
As well as the Bandit Queen.
And saw a water pump like you've never seen,
Ox-driven and no wise fancy.
We got up early and, after breakfast, took a bus into town for our train ride of about two hours to Jhansi. This is the fastest train in India, capable of going 100 MPH. The ride was very smooth, at least as smooth as AMTRAK. It was clean, comfortable and air conditioned, though not nearly as spacious as the seating in AMTRAK.
From Jhansi we road we road our own nice large bus (like our previous two buses in India) to Khajuraho, with a stop at a restaurant in a village for a late lunch along the way. We arrived in Khajuraho about 4 PM. At 6 PM we took the walk (~3/4-mile) from our luxurious Radisson Hotel to the bazaar and back, had our happy hour at 7:15, and dinner at 8:15.
This hotel, unlike any other we've had, has FREE wireless Interntet connection for one's own laptop.
Khajuraho is a little town of only about 10,000. It is the site of the erotic sculpture in Hindu temples dating from ~950 - ~1150 AD. There are 85 such temples in the area. Some 28 of them are complete, the others being ruins of temples.
Judy Opsahl says these temples are very much like the Hindu temples of Angkor Watt, in Cambodia, the largest complex of temples in the world, but the latter are not as erotic as these.
This is very much out in the country. We drove over some very narrow country roads. Even the national highway we were on is barely wide enough to keep all wheels on the pavement at the same time.
As usual, on our long drive, Som gave us several “lectures” of information and long stories. In other situations I can understand him quite well. But on these occasions I only get maybe a third of it – just enough to be tantalized and wish I could understand all of it. Indian English is different than American English and British English. There is an accent. Words are pronounced differently. Soft sounds may be come hard sounds or vice versa. Inevitably, different syllables are accented than in American English.
So Som told the story of an Indian heroin from Jahnsi (Jansi Elani ??) who, during an anti-British uprising in 1857, tied her baby on her back, mounted a horse, and rode out of her palace into battle. And she is, to this day, cited as the symbol of feminine bravery in India.
And Som told an improbable tale of “The Bandit Queen,” who became the lady leader of a gang of bandits and later a member of Parliament, and was finally murdered.
Along the way we saw a statue of Jawaharlal Nehru and a statue group depicting the protest march lead by Mahatma Ghandi to make salt. Out the bus window, in the country, we also saw a “holy cow,” a decorated cow led by a man. People gain karma feeding the cow, and they pay the man.
We made a very quick stop in the country to photograph the home of a sort of faith healer with many flags that reminded me of the Buddhist flags in Bhutan. People come from great distances go get healed, believing that they can only be cured by such a man. Once cured, they come back and hang their flag.
We made a stop in the country to photograph what I'll call a Persian Wheel – because a similar machine in the Amber Palace was called a Persian Wheel. In the Amber Palace in was pushed manually. In this case it was driven by two oxen. In the Amber Palace it involved ceramic jars. In this case it involved metallic “buckets.” This is a water raising device. The well was deep and wide-open (no railing of any kind), a real safety hazard. Som remarked that he had no rope long enough. The oxen drive a wheel which drives a wheel which dives a “chain” with mounted “buckets” which scoop up the water in the well and dump it above the well. Then the farmer collected the water in big ceramic jugs to carry into the fields.
Som talked about politics and the election that is upcoming in two days. People of diverse religions get along just fine – until they are stirred up by the politicians, who turn one religion against another or one caste against another, and there is violence. The politicians fail to address the real issues but resort to personal attacks on one another, recalling their opponents' misdeeds of years ago. The young people are turned off by it all and most refuse to vote. And the average age of the population is about 35.
Bernie :-)
We took the fast train to Jahnsi.
And learned of a heroin from Jahnsi
As well as the Bandit Queen.
And saw a water pump like you've never seen,
Ox-driven and no wise fancy.
We got up early and, after breakfast, took a bus into town for our train ride of about two hours to Jhansi. This is the fastest train in India, capable of going 100 MPH. The ride was very smooth, at least as smooth as AMTRAK. It was clean, comfortable and air conditioned, though not nearly as spacious as the seating in AMTRAK.
From Jhansi we road we road our own nice large bus (like our previous two buses in India) to Khajuraho, with a stop at a restaurant in a village for a late lunch along the way. We arrived in Khajuraho about 4 PM. At 6 PM we took the walk (~3/4-mile) from our luxurious Radisson Hotel to the bazaar and back, had our happy hour at 7:15, and dinner at 8:15.
This hotel, unlike any other we've had, has FREE wireless Interntet connection for one's own laptop.
Khajuraho is a little town of only about 10,000. It is the site of the erotic sculpture in Hindu temples dating from ~950 - ~1150 AD. There are 85 such temples in the area. Some 28 of them are complete, the others being ruins of temples.
Judy Opsahl says these temples are very much like the Hindu temples of Angkor Watt, in Cambodia, the largest complex of temples in the world, but the latter are not as erotic as these.
This is very much out in the country. We drove over some very narrow country roads. Even the national highway we were on is barely wide enough to keep all wheels on the pavement at the same time.
As usual, on our long drive, Som gave us several “lectures” of information and long stories. In other situations I can understand him quite well. But on these occasions I only get maybe a third of it – just enough to be tantalized and wish I could understand all of it. Indian English is different than American English and British English. There is an accent. Words are pronounced differently. Soft sounds may be come hard sounds or vice versa. Inevitably, different syllables are accented than in American English.
So Som told the story of an Indian heroin from Jahnsi (Jansi Elani ??) who, during an anti-British uprising in 1857, tied her baby on her back, mounted a horse, and rode out of her palace into battle. And she is, to this day, cited as the symbol of feminine bravery in India.
And Som told an improbable tale of “The Bandit Queen,” who became the lady leader of a gang of bandits and later a member of Parliament, and was finally murdered.
Along the way we saw a statue of Jawaharlal Nehru and a statue group depicting the protest march lead by Mahatma Ghandi to make salt. Out the bus window, in the country, we also saw a “holy cow,” a decorated cow led by a man. People gain karma feeding the cow, and they pay the man.
We made a very quick stop in the country to photograph the home of a sort of faith healer with many flags that reminded me of the Buddhist flags in Bhutan. People come from great distances go get healed, believing that they can only be cured by such a man. Once cured, they come back and hang their flag.
We made a stop in the country to photograph what I'll call a Persian Wheel – because a similar machine in the Amber Palace was called a Persian Wheel. In the Amber Palace in was pushed manually. In this case it was driven by two oxen. In the Amber Palace it involved ceramic jars. In this case it involved metallic “buckets.” This is a water raising device. The well was deep and wide-open (no railing of any kind), a real safety hazard. Som remarked that he had no rope long enough. The oxen drive a wheel which drives a wheel which dives a “chain” with mounted “buckets” which scoop up the water in the well and dump it above the well. Then the farmer collected the water in big ceramic jugs to carry into the fields.
Som talked about politics and the election that is upcoming in two days. People of diverse religions get along just fine – until they are stirred up by the politicians, who turn one religion against another or one caste against another, and there is violence. The politicians fail to address the real issues but resort to personal attacks on one another, recalling their opponents' misdeeds of years ago. The young people are turned off by it all and most refuse to vote. And the average age of the population is about 35.
Bernie :-)
Monday, April 13, 2009
DAY 23, APRIL 13, AGRA
TAJ MAHAL
A beautiful sight to see
Is this ultimate luxury.
It truly is a marvel,
All done in Makrana marble
And perfect symmetry.
AGRA FORT
Lavish it was and large
And home of the man in charge.
And you can be sure
It was very secure.
(No enemy could in there barge.)
INLAID MARBLE
The technique is highly refined.
The workmanship is fine.
If you're smart,
You'll buy this art.
Would you like a floral design?
Fortunately, I was pretty well recovered from my diarrhea by morning.
We got up early and saw the Taj Mahal essentially at sunrise. It did not disappoint. It is truly magnificent, beautiful. It's very large – larger than it looks – 243 feet tall and 176 for the towers, which are not to call prayer, but to frame the building. The whole is elevated 26 feet. There is much more to the complex than the Taj itself, and all of it is entirely symmetrical – with one little exception. There is a mosque on one side (still in use) and a mirror image mosque on the other (no longer in use). The Taj features vast quantities of exquisite inlaid marble art work.
Shah Jahan was the fifth Mughal emperor. His wife, Mumtaj Mahal, married him at 20 and died of childbirth at 39 in 1531. In those 19 years of marriage she had 14 children and 3 miscarriages. Shah Jahan started planning the Taj Mahal, as her tomb, immediately upon her death. Construction was started six months after her death and completed 22 years later in 1553. Shah Jahan had planned to build a second tomb for himself, but that never. happened. He too was interred in the Taj Mahal. Since his burial there was not originally planned, his tomb is the only nonsymmetrical aspect of the Taj Mahal and its entire complex. Actually, there are the fake burials which can be seen by tourists, and below them, in the basement where tourists can't go, are the real burials.
The Agra Fort is a splendid walled of city of two square miles in view of the Taj Mahal, built (started) by Shah Jahan in 1565 as his palace. It is very secure with an inner and an outer wall, both very high, thick and impressive. It has a moat and a drawbridge and three gates.
Shah Jahan was eventually imprisoned in this palace by his third son, Aurangzeb, who killed his brothers to become the sixth Mughal ruler.
The Mughals were Turks.
After Agra Fort, we paid a visit to Cottage Industries Exposition Ltd where we watched artisans do inlaid marble art like that in the Taj Mahal. Then we examined the inlaid marble artwork for sale in the shop, and some members made purchases of it to have sent home.
We had dinner in the hotel. This hotel was so large and spread out and laid out in such a way that Helen and I had a hard time finding our way around in it and got “lost” several times. It was very frustrating. Security was very strict coming into the hotel. They guards looked into the trunks of all the vehicles. Entering the hotel itself was much like airport security.
Bernie :-)
A beautiful sight to see
Is this ultimate luxury.
It truly is a marvel,
All done in Makrana marble
And perfect symmetry.
AGRA FORT
Lavish it was and large
And home of the man in charge.
And you can be sure
It was very secure.
(No enemy could in there barge.)
INLAID MARBLE
The technique is highly refined.
The workmanship is fine.
If you're smart,
You'll buy this art.
Would you like a floral design?
Fortunately, I was pretty well recovered from my diarrhea by morning.
We got up early and saw the Taj Mahal essentially at sunrise. It did not disappoint. It is truly magnificent, beautiful. It's very large – larger than it looks – 243 feet tall and 176 for the towers, which are not to call prayer, but to frame the building. The whole is elevated 26 feet. There is much more to the complex than the Taj itself, and all of it is entirely symmetrical – with one little exception. There is a mosque on one side (still in use) and a mirror image mosque on the other (no longer in use). The Taj features vast quantities of exquisite inlaid marble art work.
Shah Jahan was the fifth Mughal emperor. His wife, Mumtaj Mahal, married him at 20 and died of childbirth at 39 in 1531. In those 19 years of marriage she had 14 children and 3 miscarriages. Shah Jahan started planning the Taj Mahal, as her tomb, immediately upon her death. Construction was started six months after her death and completed 22 years later in 1553. Shah Jahan had planned to build a second tomb for himself, but that never. happened. He too was interred in the Taj Mahal. Since his burial there was not originally planned, his tomb is the only nonsymmetrical aspect of the Taj Mahal and its entire complex. Actually, there are the fake burials which can be seen by tourists, and below them, in the basement where tourists can't go, are the real burials.
The Agra Fort is a splendid walled of city of two square miles in view of the Taj Mahal, built (started) by Shah Jahan in 1565 as his palace. It is very secure with an inner and an outer wall, both very high, thick and impressive. It has a moat and a drawbridge and three gates.
Shah Jahan was eventually imprisoned in this palace by his third son, Aurangzeb, who killed his brothers to become the sixth Mughal ruler.
The Mughals were Turks.
After Agra Fort, we paid a visit to Cottage Industries Exposition Ltd where we watched artisans do inlaid marble art like that in the Taj Mahal. Then we examined the inlaid marble artwork for sale in the shop, and some members made purchases of it to have sent home.
We had dinner in the hotel. This hotel was so large and spread out and laid out in such a way that Helen and I had a hard time finding our way around in it and got “lost” several times. It was very frustrating. Security was very strict coming into the hotel. They guards looked into the trunks of all the vehicles. Entering the hotel itself was much like airport security.
Bernie :-)
DAY 22, APRIL 12 (EASTER), OAT CAMP TO AGRA
CERAMICS DAY
We visited a man by trade a potter
And later some sandstone cutters
And, this being the day for ceramics,
Some folks engaged in making bricks
And their sons and daughters.
FATEPUHR SIKRI
Few rulers have been or are
Quite as great as was Akbar.
I wouldn't call him frugal,
The this emperor of the Mugals,
Who left this shining star.
Embarking on our day, after breakfast, we had a one-mile ride into Abhaneri on a Jugad. The word means "local original." It is really a very simple, crude pickup truck. They're only allowed in farming areas and villages and not in the cities. And we only saw them in this region, not in farming regions visited later. These are not old vehicles. They are low powered and slow. They have a small, uncovered engine of one cylinder with a big flywheel. They are hand cranked and make a big puff of dirty smoke when they start. A new one costs only about $2,000. The neat thing about them is that the engine incorporates a water pump used to pump water from wells onto the fields. They seem to be an ideal vehicle for the farmers of India. They reminded me of similar vehicles we had seen in the farming areas we visited in China, but the latter were very old vehicles.
Before we got underway in our bus, we visited a potter and his family in the village of Abhaneri. He was making large clay water pots. The wife was mixing some stuff having nothing to do with pottery. It's a mixture of dirt and cow dung which is used for flooring in their homes. It sets up like a cement, and it's so bad, and villagers are meticulous to keep the floors clean and take their shoes off before entering the house.
Early in our drive we passed an area with many establishments for sandstone carving because red sandstone and white sandstone are quarried in the area, and we visited one of them. Mainly animals and Hindu figures are carved. The first step is usually to saw the slabs into smaller slabs using an abrasive power saw.
Later we passed through an area with many brick factories because the clay soil in the area is suitable for brick making. We stopped at one of them. There was a lot of manual labor and a lot of use of camels in handling the bricks. The firing is continuous in that bricks are loaded in one side of the furnace and removed from the other side without shutting down the furnace. The fuel, interestingly, is a chopped up mixture of grasses. It's the same fuel the potter was using.
Today we drove from the OAT camp to Agra, arriving late in the day. Agra is a city of about 3 million – about the same size as Jaipur, but it has a very agrarian flavor like a small town. Security was very high in Agra.
Along the way we were very lucky to see two large wild animals out in the farm fields. They are a very large antelope called the Blue Bull because of a bluish tinge. They're said to be the largest antelope. But we've seen the Eland in South Africa, also a very large antelope.
Incidentally, there are no fences (almost never any fences) on the farmland that we saw in India.
Incidentally, once we got near Agra and thereafter we no longer saw camels. Instead we saw some ox carts.
Along the way we visited the palace of Fatepuhr Sikri. This was one of several palaces built by Mohammed Jalliladin, known as Akbar (meaning “The Great”). It was the home of Akbar and his Hindu queen, Jodaa (daughter of the Maharajah in the Amber Palace near the present Jaipur). And it was the home of Akbar's other two wives, a Muslim sultana, and a Christian wife. Akbar was the third ruler of the Mughal empire, which was founded by Babul in 1526 and lasted until the British took over in 1805. Akbar was the son of the second ruler, Muhayun. The fourth ruler was Salim (Jahonger), whose mother was Jodaa. Akbar was extremely moderate in regard to religion, was very diplomatic, had a “parliament” of two houses, nine “jewels” (treasured advisors). He was illiterate.
The onset of my second bout with diarrhea was at Fatepurh Sirkri. I had a rough afternoon, evening, and night from then on.
After settling in in our motel, Helen and I and half the group and Som attended the optional event that was billed as an opera. It was a mistake for me. I was miserable. I had Som send me back to the hotel by taxi while the others had dinner. It was announced that the “opera” was about no one in particular, but that was deceiving because it obviously was based on the history of the Taj Mahal. It was not an opera. It was part movie – a screen used in the background – part play (acting and speech without singing), and there was a lot of group dancing and simultaneous by colorfully-clad women. It was not in English. There were headphones so you could listen in English or other languages. Even with some help from the usher, I couldn't make mine work and didn't really care that it didn't work. (I often can't understand Indian English very well anyway.)
Bernie :-)
We visited a man by trade a potter
And later some sandstone cutters
And, this being the day for ceramics,
Some folks engaged in making bricks
And their sons and daughters.
FATEPUHR SIKRI
Few rulers have been or are
Quite as great as was Akbar.
I wouldn't call him frugal,
The this emperor of the Mugals,
Who left this shining star.
Embarking on our day, after breakfast, we had a one-mile ride into Abhaneri on a Jugad. The word means "local original." It is really a very simple, crude pickup truck. They're only allowed in farming areas and villages and not in the cities. And we only saw them in this region, not in farming regions visited later. These are not old vehicles. They are low powered and slow. They have a small, uncovered engine of one cylinder with a big flywheel. They are hand cranked and make a big puff of dirty smoke when they start. A new one costs only about $2,000. The neat thing about them is that the engine incorporates a water pump used to pump water from wells onto the fields. They seem to be an ideal vehicle for the farmers of India. They reminded me of similar vehicles we had seen in the farming areas we visited in China, but the latter were very old vehicles.
Before we got underway in our bus, we visited a potter and his family in the village of Abhaneri. He was making large clay water pots. The wife was mixing some stuff having nothing to do with pottery. It's a mixture of dirt and cow dung which is used for flooring in their homes. It sets up like a cement, and it's so bad, and villagers are meticulous to keep the floors clean and take their shoes off before entering the house.
Early in our drive we passed an area with many establishments for sandstone carving because red sandstone and white sandstone are quarried in the area, and we visited one of them. Mainly animals and Hindu figures are carved. The first step is usually to saw the slabs into smaller slabs using an abrasive power saw.
Later we passed through an area with many brick factories because the clay soil in the area is suitable for brick making. We stopped at one of them. There was a lot of manual labor and a lot of use of camels in handling the bricks. The firing is continuous in that bricks are loaded in one side of the furnace and removed from the other side without shutting down the furnace. The fuel, interestingly, is a chopped up mixture of grasses. It's the same fuel the potter was using.
Today we drove from the OAT camp to Agra, arriving late in the day. Agra is a city of about 3 million – about the same size as Jaipur, but it has a very agrarian flavor like a small town. Security was very high in Agra.
Along the way we were very lucky to see two large wild animals out in the farm fields. They are a very large antelope called the Blue Bull because of a bluish tinge. They're said to be the largest antelope. But we've seen the Eland in South Africa, also a very large antelope.
Incidentally, there are no fences (almost never any fences) on the farmland that we saw in India.
Incidentally, once we got near Agra and thereafter we no longer saw camels. Instead we saw some ox carts.
Along the way we visited the palace of Fatepuhr Sikri. This was one of several palaces built by Mohammed Jalliladin, known as Akbar (meaning “The Great”). It was the home of Akbar and his Hindu queen, Jodaa (daughter of the Maharajah in the Amber Palace near the present Jaipur). And it was the home of Akbar's other two wives, a Muslim sultana, and a Christian wife. Akbar was the third ruler of the Mughal empire, which was founded by Babul in 1526 and lasted until the British took over in 1805. Akbar was the son of the second ruler, Muhayun. The fourth ruler was Salim (Jahonger), whose mother was Jodaa. Akbar was extremely moderate in regard to religion, was very diplomatic, had a “parliament” of two houses, nine “jewels” (treasured advisors). He was illiterate.
The onset of my second bout with diarrhea was at Fatepurh Sirkri. I had a rough afternoon, evening, and night from then on.
After settling in in our motel, Helen and I and half the group and Som attended the optional event that was billed as an opera. It was a mistake for me. I was miserable. I had Som send me back to the hotel by taxi while the others had dinner. It was announced that the “opera” was about no one in particular, but that was deceiving because it obviously was based on the history of the Taj Mahal. It was not an opera. It was part movie – a screen used in the background – part play (acting and speech without singing), and there was a lot of group dancing and simultaneous by colorfully-clad women. It was not in English. There were headphones so you could listen in English or other languages. Even with some help from the usher, I couldn't make mine work and didn't really care that it didn't work. (I often can't understand Indian English very well anyway.)
Bernie :-)
DAY 21, RANTHAMBHORE TO OAT CAMP
VILLAGE SCHOOL
We visited Adarsh Vidya Mandir
And met its superintender.
Students were being tested.
OAT has in this school invested
To augment its budget slender.
THE SAINIS' HOME
For us it was truly dandy
To visit the home of Narayan Saini
And there be privileged to
Learn how Indian folks make do
Who are no wise blessed with plenty.
DASTKARI KENDRA
To the park right next door
At Daskar Ranthambhore,
We made a short stop
So that we could shop.
It's a coop crafts and textile store.
LUNCH
Somewhere far from any town
In a colorful tent we chowed down.
Contrary to my surmising,
The John was right surprising.
'Twas just like downtown!
CAMELS
Farmers with camels happily abide.
Their value cannot be denied.
Working camels are males.
This rule never fails.
Females are herded through the countryside.
CHAND BAORI
Because he thought he oughta,
A ruler made a step well for water.
If you're fit and able,
Walk down to the water table.
If not, then send your daughter.
CAMPING
To the farms convenient,
We're sleeping in a tent
On a bed and not a cot.
Though roughing it this is not,
It wouldn't do for permanent.
CAMEL RIDE
We went riding on some camels,
And past farmers' huts they ambled.
This I can say for sure:
These folks are very poor
And by birth control untrammeled.
CULTURE SHOW
A culture show we watched then.
Performers there were ten
Who afforded us the chance
To enjoy their song and dance,
All local farming men.
We set out at 8 AM on a journey of about 155 KM to the OAT Camp near the village of Abhaneri and arrived about 4 PM.
First off, near Ranthambhore National Park, we visited the village of Ram Singh Pura, its school of Adarsh Vidya Mandir, and the home of one of the families there – that of Narayan Saini.
We next shopped at Dastkari Kendra, a shop near the park operated as a cooperative by women who come together and do their crafts while their men are off at work. They've been in business for 20 years and are the result of an effort by people displaced by the park to make new lives for themselves.
We drove over some very crowded, chaotic, bumpy country roads and finally arrived late in the afternoon at the OAT camp about at mile from the village of Abhanera.
Arriving in the village, before going to the camp, we visited the step well of Chand Baori and its adjoining temple, built circa 1100 AD. The impressive step well was much more than I expected. It is approximately 30 meters square with many steps progressing toward its center. It's about 70 feet down to the algae-covered water, which is about 20 feet deep.
At about 6 PM we had a camel ride from camp of about 1-1/2 miles past farm homes. These are one-hump camels. The saddle is such that you sit behind the hump. Each camel was led by a walking driver. The “road” was a sandy trail barely wide enough for a car and probably only very rarely saw a car but routinely saw camel carts and motorcycles. Sometimes it was less than that – barely a sandy walking trail. This is certainly a far different world than the one we know. Yet the people are not starving. They were very friendly. There were hoards of children.
In camp, before dinner, we had a little (very amateur) game of cricket.
In camp in the evening, after dinner in the dining tent, we were entertained by ten men – local farmers, not professionals. They sang and danced and played a large (nagada) and a small (dholak) drum and cymbals. Som explained that the dances told mythical stories from Hinduism. At the end we all joined them in the dancing.
After dinner some of us took a moonlight walk back to the step well.
Bernie :-)
We visited Adarsh Vidya Mandir
And met its superintender.
Students were being tested.
OAT has in this school invested
To augment its budget slender.
THE SAINIS' HOME
For us it was truly dandy
To visit the home of Narayan Saini
And there be privileged to
Learn how Indian folks make do
Who are no wise blessed with plenty.
DASTKARI KENDRA
To the park right next door
At Daskar Ranthambhore,
We made a short stop
So that we could shop.
It's a coop crafts and textile store.
LUNCH
Somewhere far from any town
In a colorful tent we chowed down.
Contrary to my surmising,
The John was right surprising.
'Twas just like downtown!
CAMELS
Farmers with camels happily abide.
Their value cannot be denied.
Working camels are males.
This rule never fails.
Females are herded through the countryside.
CHAND BAORI
Because he thought he oughta,
A ruler made a step well for water.
If you're fit and able,
Walk down to the water table.
If not, then send your daughter.
CAMPING
To the farms convenient,
We're sleeping in a tent
On a bed and not a cot.
Though roughing it this is not,
It wouldn't do for permanent.
CAMEL RIDE
We went riding on some camels,
And past farmers' huts they ambled.
This I can say for sure:
These folks are very poor
And by birth control untrammeled.
CULTURE SHOW
A culture show we watched then.
Performers there were ten
Who afforded us the chance
To enjoy their song and dance,
All local farming men.
We set out at 8 AM on a journey of about 155 KM to the OAT Camp near the village of Abhaneri and arrived about 4 PM.
First off, near Ranthambhore National Park, we visited the village of Ram Singh Pura, its school of Adarsh Vidya Mandir, and the home of one of the families there – that of Narayan Saini.
We next shopped at Dastkari Kendra, a shop near the park operated as a cooperative by women who come together and do their crafts while their men are off at work. They've been in business for 20 years and are the result of an effort by people displaced by the park to make new lives for themselves.
We drove over some very crowded, chaotic, bumpy country roads and finally arrived late in the afternoon at the OAT camp about at mile from the village of Abhanera.
Arriving in the village, before going to the camp, we visited the step well of Chand Baori and its adjoining temple, built circa 1100 AD. The impressive step well was much more than I expected. It is approximately 30 meters square with many steps progressing toward its center. It's about 70 feet down to the algae-covered water, which is about 20 feet deep.
At about 6 PM we had a camel ride from camp of about 1-1/2 miles past farm homes. These are one-hump camels. The saddle is such that you sit behind the hump. Each camel was led by a walking driver. The “road” was a sandy trail barely wide enough for a car and probably only very rarely saw a car but routinely saw camel carts and motorcycles. Sometimes it was less than that – barely a sandy walking trail. This is certainly a far different world than the one we know. Yet the people are not starving. They were very friendly. There were hoards of children.
In camp, before dinner, we had a little (very amateur) game of cricket.
In camp in the evening, after dinner in the dining tent, we were entertained by ten men – local farmers, not professionals. They sang and danced and played a large (nagada) and a small (dholak) drum and cymbals. Som explained that the dances told mythical stories from Hinduism. At the end we all joined them in the dancing.
After dinner some of us took a moonlight walk back to the step well.
Bernie :-)
DAY 20, APRIL 10, RANTHAMBHORE NAT'L PARK
RANTHAMBHORE 1
Monkeys and deer we saw and parakeets and pea fowl,
And cranes, two crocs, a blue bird, a vulture and an owl.
But, as our Rover lurched,
Hard in vein we searched
For a lion on the prowl.
RANTHAMBHORE 2
A great day it has been,
For a tiger we have seen,
And that was a lot of fun.
You seldom get to see one,
But a tiger we have seen!
Feeling much better today. Still eating lightly.
From 6:15 till about 9:45, accompanied by a naturalist, we went out on a drive through the lion preserve in an overgrown “jeep” that can hold about 22 people. Its brand name is Eicher. I noted the Mazda name on a similar vehicle.
There was a box lunch for breakfast in the “jeep” and lunch in the hotel at 1:00. Then we did another tour through the park starting at 3:30, from which we returned about 7:15.
It is extremely dry in the nature park (tiger preserve). Lots of scrubby trees, but no foliage, so you can see through them pretty well. There are some evergreen trees (but not pines). The others had not begun to leaf out yet, which is surprising to me. The terrain is very rugged and hilly (unlike the flat land we drove through getting here) and very rocky. There's no possibility of driving elsewhere than on the very rough crude roads. (There is a main road that is paved and then unpaved roads.) Although it is dry, there are lakes. So the wildlife have access to water.
The core zone of Ranthambhore National Park is approximately 400 square kilometers. Including the buffer zone, the park is 1390 square kilometers. It contains about 40 Royal Bengal Tigers and 70 to 80 leopards. The tigers are seldom seen because they are so few. The leopards are even more rarely seen because they work the night shift and are few.
There is a lot of wildlife in the park, and you see some at almost every turn. We saw scads of langur monkeys. We saw scads of deer. There are two kinds: the larger Sambar Deer, and the smaller Spotted Deer or Chital Deer, which have white spots like a fawn. We saw scads of peafowl and lots of parakeets.
At one point on our afternoon trip we heard the distress call of a deer and parked and waited a long time, hoping to see a tiger or leopard. A great number of other vehicles lined up and waited also. But no luck that time.
Later on our afternoon trip we got real lucky and spotted a big, handsome tiger and were able to get photos. There was a lot of excitement. I think I got some good photos. Dick Opsahl got several excellent photos of the tiger and had them on his computer for all of us to see at dinner.
Sometimes in the park you see evidence of where people have lived in the past – remnants of buildings, stone walls.
I greatly enjoyed our experience in the park.
There are still some people living in the buffer zone of the park. People who were displaced from the core zone when the park was established were aided by the government in their transition to a different way of life.
We had dinner at 8 PM, and at 9 PM we went for a moonlight walk out to the main road and back under a clear sky and full moon. It's a very rough road, and Helen forgot to change into her walking shoes and walked it in her sandals.
Three more members of our group have had some amount of sickness yesterday and/or today.
Although this is a mainly Hindu nation (70% to 80%) with only a low percentage of Christians, we learned that schools are closed today because it is Good Friday.
Bernie :-)
Monkeys and deer we saw and parakeets and pea fowl,
And cranes, two crocs, a blue bird, a vulture and an owl.
But, as our Rover lurched,
Hard in vein we searched
For a lion on the prowl.
RANTHAMBHORE 2
A great day it has been,
For a tiger we have seen,
And that was a lot of fun.
You seldom get to see one,
But a tiger we have seen!
Feeling much better today. Still eating lightly.
From 6:15 till about 9:45, accompanied by a naturalist, we went out on a drive through the lion preserve in an overgrown “jeep” that can hold about 22 people. Its brand name is Eicher. I noted the Mazda name on a similar vehicle.
There was a box lunch for breakfast in the “jeep” and lunch in the hotel at 1:00. Then we did another tour through the park starting at 3:30, from which we returned about 7:15.
It is extremely dry in the nature park (tiger preserve). Lots of scrubby trees, but no foliage, so you can see through them pretty well. There are some evergreen trees (but not pines). The others had not begun to leaf out yet, which is surprising to me. The terrain is very rugged and hilly (unlike the flat land we drove through getting here) and very rocky. There's no possibility of driving elsewhere than on the very rough crude roads. (There is a main road that is paved and then unpaved roads.) Although it is dry, there are lakes. So the wildlife have access to water.
The core zone of Ranthambhore National Park is approximately 400 square kilometers. Including the buffer zone, the park is 1390 square kilometers. It contains about 40 Royal Bengal Tigers and 70 to 80 leopards. The tigers are seldom seen because they are so few. The leopards are even more rarely seen because they work the night shift and are few.
There is a lot of wildlife in the park, and you see some at almost every turn. We saw scads of langur monkeys. We saw scads of deer. There are two kinds: the larger Sambar Deer, and the smaller Spotted Deer or Chital Deer, which have white spots like a fawn. We saw scads of peafowl and lots of parakeets.
At one point on our afternoon trip we heard the distress call of a deer and parked and waited a long time, hoping to see a tiger or leopard. A great number of other vehicles lined up and waited also. But no luck that time.
Later on our afternoon trip we got real lucky and spotted a big, handsome tiger and were able to get photos. There was a lot of excitement. I think I got some good photos. Dick Opsahl got several excellent photos of the tiger and had them on his computer for all of us to see at dinner.
Sometimes in the park you see evidence of where people have lived in the past – remnants of buildings, stone walls.
I greatly enjoyed our experience in the park.
There are still some people living in the buffer zone of the park. People who were displaced from the core zone when the park was established were aided by the government in their transition to a different way of life.
We had dinner at 8 PM, and at 9 PM we went for a moonlight walk out to the main road and back under a clear sky and full moon. It's a very rough road, and Helen forgot to change into her walking shoes and walked it in her sandals.
Three more members of our group have had some amount of sickness yesterday and/or today.
Although this is a mainly Hindu nation (70% to 80%) with only a low percentage of Christians, we learned that schools are closed today because it is Good Friday.
Bernie :-)
DAY 19, APRIL 9, ON TO RANTHAMBHORE NAT'L PARK
THRESHING
Threshing they've mechanized
With a thresher miniaturized.
Their thresher is, in truth,
Like I knew in my youth
But very much downsized.
NAHARGARH
Like Chomu, it's a splendid palace
In which to drink from a chalice.
It's been great to know 'em.
When I get back home,
Ill sadly have no palace.
It was my turn to be sick overnight last night. Deficated countless times. Vomited three times. Very weak and sleepy all day. Couldn't eat much, just some porridge (oatmeal) and some milk at breakfast and a little boiled potato, banana and pudding at lunch and dinner. Felt very weak and sleepy all day. Napped all afternoon and evening when we got to Ranthambore. Ate very little at lunch and dinner.
We started about 8 AM on our 180 KM drive to Ranthamore National Park (lion preserve) and arrived about 1:30 PM.
Most of the way the countryside was very flat, very dry, and very hot. Fortunately the bus is nicely air conditioned. Funny thing, though, the drivers' compartment is not air conditioned.
In addition to a couple stops to use “facilities,” we made one stop to visit a farm family (just from the outside of their home).
We also made a stop to walk out onto the field to where a threshing machine was working. The sheaves of wheat had been placed in a stack beforehand. There were about ten people working, bringing the sheaves to the machine and feeding them into it, and transferring the wheat with big pans to the bin of trailer behind a tractor. The thresher was powered by belt from another tractor. We took a lot of pictures and helped carry sheaves to the thresher. Even though I was very weak, I walked out into the heat and joined this activity. This threshing machine is a miniature version of the threshing machines I remember from my childhood on the farm in Wisconsin before the invention of the combine. They too were stationary and driven by belt from a tractor. In that case the grain was brought from the field to the threshing machine up by the barn on many wagons and pitched into it.
We are staying in a splendid hotel with beautiful gardens, and it's called Nahargarh. There is no city or town. It sits at the end of a dirt road in what seems like dessert and about a mile from the boundary of the park. I took it to be a former palace converted into a hotel. It sure looks like a palace to me. But I was wrong. Som told me it was built from scratch only four or five years ago. However, he said the owner is from a semi-royal family, is very wealthy and, among other holdings, owns some old palaces.
I certainly wasn't up to the afternoon activity, though I was sorry to miss it. I stayed in and napped, and so did Helen. What we missed was a hike up to the ancient fort on a hilltop within the buffer zone of the park. John Stewart told me they saw some old temples up there which are still in use.
Bernie :-)
Threshing they've mechanized
With a thresher miniaturized.
Their thresher is, in truth,
Like I knew in my youth
But very much downsized.
NAHARGARH
Like Chomu, it's a splendid palace
In which to drink from a chalice.
It's been great to know 'em.
When I get back home,
Ill sadly have no palace.
It was my turn to be sick overnight last night. Deficated countless times. Vomited three times. Very weak and sleepy all day. Couldn't eat much, just some porridge (oatmeal) and some milk at breakfast and a little boiled potato, banana and pudding at lunch and dinner. Felt very weak and sleepy all day. Napped all afternoon and evening when we got to Ranthambore. Ate very little at lunch and dinner.
We started about 8 AM on our 180 KM drive to Ranthamore National Park (lion preserve) and arrived about 1:30 PM.
Most of the way the countryside was very flat, very dry, and very hot. Fortunately the bus is nicely air conditioned. Funny thing, though, the drivers' compartment is not air conditioned.
In addition to a couple stops to use “facilities,” we made one stop to visit a farm family (just from the outside of their home).
We also made a stop to walk out onto the field to where a threshing machine was working. The sheaves of wheat had been placed in a stack beforehand. There were about ten people working, bringing the sheaves to the machine and feeding them into it, and transferring the wheat with big pans to the bin of trailer behind a tractor. The thresher was powered by belt from another tractor. We took a lot of pictures and helped carry sheaves to the thresher. Even though I was very weak, I walked out into the heat and joined this activity. This threshing machine is a miniature version of the threshing machines I remember from my childhood on the farm in Wisconsin before the invention of the combine. They too were stationary and driven by belt from a tractor. In that case the grain was brought from the field to the threshing machine up by the barn on many wagons and pitched into it.
We are staying in a splendid hotel with beautiful gardens, and it's called Nahargarh. There is no city or town. It sits at the end of a dirt road in what seems like dessert and about a mile from the boundary of the park. I took it to be a former palace converted into a hotel. It sure looks like a palace to me. But I was wrong. Som told me it was built from scratch only four or five years ago. However, he said the owner is from a semi-royal family, is very wealthy and, among other holdings, owns some old palaces.
I certainly wasn't up to the afternoon activity, though I was sorry to miss it. I stayed in and napped, and so did Helen. What we missed was a hike up to the ancient fort on a hilltop within the buffer zone of the park. John Stewart told me they saw some old temples up there which are still in use.
Bernie :-)
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
DAY 18, APRIL 8, JAIPUR
JANTAR MANTAR
It's really quite a story
How the Maharajah in his glory
Not only built a palace and a town
With wide streets for driving round,
But designed and built an observatory.
PALACE MUSEUM
The inlaid mirror hall,
The royal audience hall.
Clothes the royals wore,
Weapons used in war.
Art works on the walls.
No morning exercise today. Last night was too short.
Helen has recovered from her diarrhea.
We set out at 8:00 AM to have another look in the old town of Jaipur, where we passed but didn't stop at the dairy market. This has nothing to do with the pasteurized milk we drink here. This is fresh (unpasteurized) milk sold directly from farmers to customers. Indians are in the habit of boiling there milk and, being in the habit, they do it even with pasteurized milk. The milk produced here is from water buffaloes because Indian cows, whose milk is more nutritious, have a low yield. Also, the beef we eat here is from water buffaloes. The “sacred cows” on the streets have owners. They're smart enough to find their way home at night. People feed them so they (the people) will have good karma. You can buy alfalfa to feed them. Buffalo are too stupid to find their way home. So they don't wander the streets.
We stopped and photographed the most famous monument of Jaipur, the Palace of the Wind. built circa 1797. It isn't a palace at all but a five-story facade (looking like a palace) with 942 screened windows through which the ladies of the Maharajah's household could look out onto the street without being seen.
Then we toured the remarkable observatory built in 1728 by Maharajah Sawai Jai Singh II and repaired in 1901. It has 16 approximately house-size “instruments” for closely monitoring the heavens. Some amount to enormous, highly accurate sun dials, which measure the local time (when the sun is shining). Some I still don't understand so well. Astrology was and is very important in people's lives. So it was important to precisely know the timing of certain astronomic events such as eclipses. The maharajah, with the “instruments” he designed, was an expert in such measurements.
This maharajah came into power at age 12. He had an audience with the Mughal emperor at age 13. The emperor was very impressed with him, said he was the equivalent of 1-1/4 of any other maharajah and gave him the title “Sawai” meaning 1-1/4, and it has been used in the names of all his successors.
Next we toured the City Palace Museum of Jaipur, built in 1727 by the same Maharajah Sawai Jai Singh II as was his home when he founded the city of Jaipur (when he moved from the Amber Fort Palace).
We ended our morning tour with a visit to the Carpet and Textile Mahal Hand Block Factory. We were shown how designs are added to long sheets of cloth by the hand block technique. And we saw weavers at work. Then we were given snacks and a sales pitch for carpets and had the opportunity to purchase carpets and/or select and purchase long sheets of decorated cloth to be made the same day into women's garments and delivered to the hotel in the evening.
On our way back to the hotel we passed a religious procession and stopped to photograph it. There was a lead “float” pulled by a tractor, followed by a long string of people, mostly women. walking. They are doing a two-day walk totaling 32 kilometers to a temple. They receive food and overnight lodging from villagers along their route.
In the early evening, out front of the hotel, we had a very short elephant ride.
We had our usual happy hour just before dinner. Som gave a long report of his five-day arranged marriage wedding. He really got wound up. Although Som is generally fairly easy to understand, I unfortunately had a lot of trouble on this “lecture” and failed to understand most of it. I really like Som. He's a great guy. You can't help but like him. Dorji in Bhutan was also very likable.
Bernie :-)
It's really quite a story
How the Maharajah in his glory
Not only built a palace and a town
With wide streets for driving round,
But designed and built an observatory.
PALACE MUSEUM
The inlaid mirror hall,
The royal audience hall.
Clothes the royals wore,
Weapons used in war.
Art works on the walls.
No morning exercise today. Last night was too short.
Helen has recovered from her diarrhea.
We set out at 8:00 AM to have another look in the old town of Jaipur, where we passed but didn't stop at the dairy market. This has nothing to do with the pasteurized milk we drink here. This is fresh (unpasteurized) milk sold directly from farmers to customers. Indians are in the habit of boiling there milk and, being in the habit, they do it even with pasteurized milk. The milk produced here is from water buffaloes because Indian cows, whose milk is more nutritious, have a low yield. Also, the beef we eat here is from water buffaloes. The “sacred cows” on the streets have owners. They're smart enough to find their way home at night. People feed them so they (the people) will have good karma. You can buy alfalfa to feed them. Buffalo are too stupid to find their way home. So they don't wander the streets.
We stopped and photographed the most famous monument of Jaipur, the Palace of the Wind. built circa 1797. It isn't a palace at all but a five-story facade (looking like a palace) with 942 screened windows through which the ladies of the Maharajah's household could look out onto the street without being seen.
Then we toured the remarkable observatory built in 1728 by Maharajah Sawai Jai Singh II and repaired in 1901. It has 16 approximately house-size “instruments” for closely monitoring the heavens. Some amount to enormous, highly accurate sun dials, which measure the local time (when the sun is shining). Some I still don't understand so well. Astrology was and is very important in people's lives. So it was important to precisely know the timing of certain astronomic events such as eclipses. The maharajah, with the “instruments” he designed, was an expert in such measurements.
This maharajah came into power at age 12. He had an audience with the Mughal emperor at age 13. The emperor was very impressed with him, said he was the equivalent of 1-1/4 of any other maharajah and gave him the title “Sawai” meaning 1-1/4, and it has been used in the names of all his successors.
Next we toured the City Palace Museum of Jaipur, built in 1727 by the same Maharajah Sawai Jai Singh II as was his home when he founded the city of Jaipur (when he moved from the Amber Fort Palace).
We ended our morning tour with a visit to the Carpet and Textile Mahal Hand Block Factory. We were shown how designs are added to long sheets of cloth by the hand block technique. And we saw weavers at work. Then we were given snacks and a sales pitch for carpets and had the opportunity to purchase carpets and/or select and purchase long sheets of decorated cloth to be made the same day into women's garments and delivered to the hotel in the evening.
On our way back to the hotel we passed a religious procession and stopped to photograph it. There was a lead “float” pulled by a tractor, followed by a long string of people, mostly women. walking. They are doing a two-day walk totaling 32 kilometers to a temple. They receive food and overnight lodging from villagers along their route.
In the early evening, out front of the hotel, we had a very short elephant ride.
We had our usual happy hour just before dinner. Som gave a long report of his five-day arranged marriage wedding. He really got wound up. Although Som is generally fairly easy to understand, I unfortunately had a lot of trouble on this “lecture” and failed to understand most of it. I really like Som. He's a great guy. You can't help but like him. Dorji in Bhutan was also very likable.
Bernie :-)
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
DAY 17, APRIL 7, JAIPUR
AMBER FORT PALACE
Up in a jeep we rode.
Elephants in the fortress strode.
It's impenetrable as a fort,
With too many luxuries to report.
('Twas an info overload.)
With sights, its environs are replete.
It's really quite a treat.
There's the Sun Temple
And a Jain Temple
And cows and pigs in the street.
And no matter who you are,
You'll enjoy the Fort Jaigarh.
Best time I ever had!
But I am very glad
I'm not driving my own car.
JEWELS EMPORIUM
They showed how gems are polished.
Their skill we all acknowledged.
They're designing jewels as well,
And jewels they'll gladly sell.
Their salesmanship is polished.
STREETS OF OLD JAIPUR
Many scooters, single- to-quintuple-loaded motorcycles,
Push carts, horse carts, single- and double-loaded bicycles.
Cars, jeeps, not too fast, rarely stropping, scads of rickshaws,
Buses small, buses large, small trucks, lots of autorickshaws.
Walkers, honkers, sacred cows, and cart tricycles.
SHOPS OF OLD JAIPUR
Products there is galore.
Some you've never seen before.
Though I didn't see a fur
In the shops of old Jaipur,
There's every other kind of store.
The beggars are insistent,
And the foot venders are persistent.
On those crowded, gritty streets,
They ask and they repeat,
And you have to be resistant.
FAMILY SINGH
Gracious and traditional are family Singh.
They don't want for anything.
Smriti supports orphans at her expense.
Surendra works for the government.
Marksmanship is their daughter's thing.
WEDDING PROCESSION
Friends, horses, camels, elephant up ahead,
Two wealthy bothers grandly riding to be wed.
After the wedding and the party,
These young men hale and hearty
Will start to know their brides in bed.
Early this morning I was able to work in half an hour of walking around a little “track” of less than 1/8 mile in the hotel complex.
We boarded the bus at 7:45 A.M. and were joined by Groyal Singh, a “step-on guide” for Jaipur. So we have two guides in Jaipur (Som and Groyal).
This morning's big activity was our visit to the Amber Fort Palace. It's pronounced Amer. Amber means Lord of the skies. It was built in 1572 and was the home of the Maharajahs until 1727, when the Maharajah moved to what is now Jaipur and established his new palace their. It was owned by the royal family until the government took it over in 1956. It is very large, magnificent, and impregnable. It was never attacked. The maharajahs always maintained good relations with their neighbors and allied with and fought for the Mugals when they became neighbors. (Per their deal, the Mugals got the new lands, and the maharajah got the booty.) We had an extensive tour. It had separate apartments for twelve royal wives. We rode jeeps up to the Amber Fort Palace. Some tourists were riding elephants to and inside of the fort, but that option is not available to OAT tourists for safety reasons. (Elephants can panic, and injury or death can result.) Above the Amber Fort Palace is the Jaigarh Fort, which was the maharajahs' army garrison and is still owned by the formerly royal family. And there is an impressive wall, reminiscent of the Great Wall of China, in the distance. Also visible in the distance is the Hindu Sun Temple, a Jain temple, old Hindu temples dating to the 17th century, and buildings abandoned when citizens moved with the maharajah to Jaipur in 1572. And, yes, we did see some hogs in a street, as well as the cows, which became a common sight in streets after we left Delhi.
When we left Amber Fort we drove by and stopped to take pictures of the Water Temple. We merely took pictures from a distance and weren't told much about it. It's a peninsula on a lake, and we were told the lake is entirely formed from monsoon rainwater. This is amazing to me since this is very dry area and getting dryer. We were told the water table drops ten feet every year and many wells have failed.
We drove through the Old Town of the city of Jaipur. It's a lot different from Old Delhi. The street is a wide four-laner, which is amazing considering that the city was founded and designed in 1727 (by the Maharajah). But it is very crowded with an interesting mix of conveyances.
In Jaipur we visited Jewels Emporium where we were given a tour, then the opportunity to purchase jewelry. We watched people polish gems, saw people designing jewelry, saw people inlaying gemstones into gold and silver, and were showed how gold is melted, poured into little ingots, and rolled into sheets. We ate some sandwiches there, then were driven back to the hotel for a couple hours of free time.
At 4 PM we set out again for the Old Town of Jaipur. We went on a long stroll through the bazaar of shops led by Som, who explained many things. Then we had 45 minutes to shop or window shop in the Old Town on our own.
Helen had gotten diarrhea and stayed in the hotel.
Directly from the Old Town, we were driven to the home of the Singh family, and all of us were their dinner guests. The Singhs have money. Inherited money. A lot of it. Both come from nearly royal families – (something like dukes or barons in the days of the maharajas). They gave us a tour of their very nice home. They have it to themselves (no grandparents living with them). Surendra works for the government in some capacity – not for the money, Som says. Antlers and a taxidermied wild cat are on display on the walls – killed by Surendra's grandfather. Surendra showed us his double-barrel shotgun, his rifle, and his collection of swords. His eighteen-year-old daughter began shooting for pleasure at nine and is now a high-level competitive marksman (markswoman) with a rifle. She will be starting in the fall at a university in Delhi. According to their business card, they run a bed and breakfast. Smriti does a very remarkable community service. With her own money, she operates a home for ten orphan boys, ages two to eight, who have AIDs. In addition to a young man who was obviously a servant and an older lady in the kitchen who was obviously a servant, there was a young man of 18 who seemed to fit right into the family, apparently a friend of the daughter but not really a boyfriend. Because I asked him, and he said he is not her brother and not her boyfriend. He likes to play soccer and is also planning to enter college in Delhi in the fall.
The idea of India's “land ceiling,” explained by Som, was new to me. Upon independence in 1947, a law was enacted that no one could own more than 200 acres. Those who owned more – and the Singh family owned a heck of a lot more – had to give the excess up. Apparently the government compensated them but not very well. The government then distributed the land to landless families.
Quite fortuitously and unexpectedly, on the way home we passed an elaborate wedding procession involving wealthy families. The bus was stopped and we got out and watched and took photos in the dark. As is not uncommon, two brothers are marrying two sisters in an arranged marriage. (Ninety to 95 percent of marriages are arranged by the families, and the couples usually haven't met each other before their wedding day.) The grooms were on their way to the brides' home prior to the parties and rituals. They were riding on a sort of throne on a jeep together with a couple of young boy relatives. Ahead were many people, some bearing elaborate lights. Ahead of them were two saddled horses. The grooms would ride the horses the last stretch of the way. Ahead of that were a few camels. Ahead of that and leading the parade was an elephant. Som told us all the rituals and parties of such a wedding can last ten days, and in his own wedding they lasted five days. A wedding doesn't just join two people. It joins two families. And a marriage doesn't just last “till death do us part.” The union carries into the next life as well.
This was a long day. We got back to the motel about 10:15 PM.
Bernie :-)
Up in a jeep we rode.
Elephants in the fortress strode.
It's impenetrable as a fort,
With too many luxuries to report.
('Twas an info overload.)
With sights, its environs are replete.
It's really quite a treat.
There's the Sun Temple
And a Jain Temple
And cows and pigs in the street.
And no matter who you are,
You'll enjoy the Fort Jaigarh.
Best time I ever had!
But I am very glad
I'm not driving my own car.
JEWELS EMPORIUM
They showed how gems are polished.
Their skill we all acknowledged.
They're designing jewels as well,
And jewels they'll gladly sell.
Their salesmanship is polished.
STREETS OF OLD JAIPUR
Many scooters, single- to-quintuple-loaded motorcycles,
Push carts, horse carts, single- and double-loaded bicycles.
Cars, jeeps, not too fast, rarely stropping, scads of rickshaws,
Buses small, buses large, small trucks, lots of autorickshaws.
Walkers, honkers, sacred cows, and cart tricycles.
SHOPS OF OLD JAIPUR
Products there is galore.
Some you've never seen before.
Though I didn't see a fur
In the shops of old Jaipur,
There's every other kind of store.
The beggars are insistent,
And the foot venders are persistent.
On those crowded, gritty streets,
They ask and they repeat,
And you have to be resistant.
FAMILY SINGH
Gracious and traditional are family Singh.
They don't want for anything.
Smriti supports orphans at her expense.
Surendra works for the government.
Marksmanship is their daughter's thing.
WEDDING PROCESSION
Friends, horses, camels, elephant up ahead,
Two wealthy bothers grandly riding to be wed.
After the wedding and the party,
These young men hale and hearty
Will start to know their brides in bed.
Early this morning I was able to work in half an hour of walking around a little “track” of less than 1/8 mile in the hotel complex.
We boarded the bus at 7:45 A.M. and were joined by Groyal Singh, a “step-on guide” for Jaipur. So we have two guides in Jaipur (Som and Groyal).
This morning's big activity was our visit to the Amber Fort Palace. It's pronounced Amer. Amber means Lord of the skies. It was built in 1572 and was the home of the Maharajahs until 1727, when the Maharajah moved to what is now Jaipur and established his new palace their. It was owned by the royal family until the government took it over in 1956. It is very large, magnificent, and impregnable. It was never attacked. The maharajahs always maintained good relations with their neighbors and allied with and fought for the Mugals when they became neighbors. (Per their deal, the Mugals got the new lands, and the maharajah got the booty.) We had an extensive tour. It had separate apartments for twelve royal wives. We rode jeeps up to the Amber Fort Palace. Some tourists were riding elephants to and inside of the fort, but that option is not available to OAT tourists for safety reasons. (Elephants can panic, and injury or death can result.) Above the Amber Fort Palace is the Jaigarh Fort, which was the maharajahs' army garrison and is still owned by the formerly royal family. And there is an impressive wall, reminiscent of the Great Wall of China, in the distance. Also visible in the distance is the Hindu Sun Temple, a Jain temple, old Hindu temples dating to the 17th century, and buildings abandoned when citizens moved with the maharajah to Jaipur in 1572. And, yes, we did see some hogs in a street, as well as the cows, which became a common sight in streets after we left Delhi.
When we left Amber Fort we drove by and stopped to take pictures of the Water Temple. We merely took pictures from a distance and weren't told much about it. It's a peninsula on a lake, and we were told the lake is entirely formed from monsoon rainwater. This is amazing to me since this is very dry area and getting dryer. We were told the water table drops ten feet every year and many wells have failed.
We drove through the Old Town of the city of Jaipur. It's a lot different from Old Delhi. The street is a wide four-laner, which is amazing considering that the city was founded and designed in 1727 (by the Maharajah). But it is very crowded with an interesting mix of conveyances.
In Jaipur we visited Jewels Emporium where we were given a tour, then the opportunity to purchase jewelry. We watched people polish gems, saw people designing jewelry, saw people inlaying gemstones into gold and silver, and were showed how gold is melted, poured into little ingots, and rolled into sheets. We ate some sandwiches there, then were driven back to the hotel for a couple hours of free time.
At 4 PM we set out again for the Old Town of Jaipur. We went on a long stroll through the bazaar of shops led by Som, who explained many things. Then we had 45 minutes to shop or window shop in the Old Town on our own.
Helen had gotten diarrhea and stayed in the hotel.
Directly from the Old Town, we were driven to the home of the Singh family, and all of us were their dinner guests. The Singhs have money. Inherited money. A lot of it. Both come from nearly royal families – (something like dukes or barons in the days of the maharajas). They gave us a tour of their very nice home. They have it to themselves (no grandparents living with them). Surendra works for the government in some capacity – not for the money, Som says. Antlers and a taxidermied wild cat are on display on the walls – killed by Surendra's grandfather. Surendra showed us his double-barrel shotgun, his rifle, and his collection of swords. His eighteen-year-old daughter began shooting for pleasure at nine and is now a high-level competitive marksman (markswoman) with a rifle. She will be starting in the fall at a university in Delhi. According to their business card, they run a bed and breakfast. Smriti does a very remarkable community service. With her own money, she operates a home for ten orphan boys, ages two to eight, who have AIDs. In addition to a young man who was obviously a servant and an older lady in the kitchen who was obviously a servant, there was a young man of 18 who seemed to fit right into the family, apparently a friend of the daughter but not really a boyfriend. Because I asked him, and he said he is not her brother and not her boyfriend. He likes to play soccer and is also planning to enter college in Delhi in the fall.
The idea of India's “land ceiling,” explained by Som, was new to me. Upon independence in 1947, a law was enacted that no one could own more than 200 acres. Those who owned more – and the Singh family owned a heck of a lot more – had to give the excess up. Apparently the government compensated them but not very well. The government then distributed the land to landless families.
Quite fortuitously and unexpectedly, on the way home we passed an elaborate wedding procession involving wealthy families. The bus was stopped and we got out and watched and took photos in the dark. As is not uncommon, two brothers are marrying two sisters in an arranged marriage. (Ninety to 95 percent of marriages are arranged by the families, and the couples usually haven't met each other before their wedding day.) The grooms were on their way to the brides' home prior to the parties and rituals. They were riding on a sort of throne on a jeep together with a couple of young boy relatives. Ahead were many people, some bearing elaborate lights. Ahead of them were two saddled horses. The grooms would ride the horses the last stretch of the way. Ahead of that were a few camels. Ahead of that and leading the parade was an elephant. Som told us all the rituals and parties of such a wedding can last ten days, and in his own wedding they lasted five days. A wedding doesn't just join two people. It joins two families. And a marriage doesn't just last “till death do us part.” The union carries into the next life as well.
This was a long day. We got back to the motel about 10:15 PM.
Bernie :-)
DAY 16, APRIL 6, ON TO JAIPUR
FARMERS
It made our day complete
A farming couple to meet.
'Twas a window on their life
To see how, with but a knife,
They were harvesting their wheat.
CHOMU PALACE
The Palace of Chomu
Is a great place to eat stew.
It's full of charm and grace.
To dine in such a place
Was an experience new.
The service fit the scene,
The food the best we've seen.
'Twas more than enough to fill us.
Yet, outside the palace
Was quite a different scene.
SNAKE CHARMERS
To dance and play the flute
For not a lot of loot,
They must be nuts
In their mud huts
With cobra snakes to boot.
It made our day complete
A farming couple to meet.
'Twas a window on their life
To see how, with but a knife,
They were harvesting their wheat.
CHOMU PALACE
The Palace of Chomu
Is a great place to eat stew.
It's full of charm and grace.
To dine in such a place
Was an experience new.
The service fit the scene,
The food the best we've seen.
'Twas more than enough to fill us.
Yet, outside the palace
Was quite a different scene.
SNAKE CHARMERS
To dance and play the flute
For not a lot of loot,
They must be nuts
In their mud huts
With cobra snakes to boot.
DAY 15, APRIL 5, DELHI
INDIA GATE
We stopped at India Gate,
Completed circa twenty-eight.
In the first world war
And the Afghan wars
Many an Indian met his fate.
A canopy that stands nearby
Housed George the fifth in years gone by.
(At the museum
You can see him.)
It's empty now, and a big debate is why.
GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS
Buildings to be admired
From the British were acquired
For ministries of the government
And a coliseum for the parliament
(Its members by the people hired.)
QUTUB MINAR
Came invaders like old Qutub,
And temples went down the tubes.
Materials from them they borrowed
To make their mosque and tower
To convert infidels they saw as rubes.
RUG STORE
Carpets made in Cashmere homes.
None better anywhere you roam.
Cottage Industries Exposition
Makes you a good proposition
If you want to take one home.
BANGLA SAHIB TEMPLE
In Delhi our Sykh temple
Was my first example.
The music was loud.
Thick was the crowd.
Good job we weren't trampled.
The crowd made me nervous.
Our head scarves well did serve us.
So we were properly dressed.
And I was well impressed
By their community service.
FAMILY GOYAL
You'd think that we were royal
From our reception by family Goyal.
It was great with them to connect.
Their artistry made me suspect
They're descendants of Mr. Goya.
We started with the India Gate, which is reminiscent of the Arc de Triumph in Paris. It honors the many Indian soldiers who were killed fighting for the British in WWI and in the Afghanistan wars right after WWI. The soldiers were all volunteers. (They needed work.) None of this fighting was on Indian soil.
The statue of King George V was moved to the Indian Museum. Some have suggested a statue of Mahatma Ghandi should be placed in the canopy. Others oppose that since the canopy is a symbol of the British. So the canopy stands empty.
We haven't seen the Supreme Court building, which is located elsewhere. We saw the buildings that house the ministries and the round building that houses Parliament. They are splendid buildings and the grounds are extensive and green. Of course, this a high security area these days. How can a country like India have such splendid government buildings? It is because they were built by the British for their administration before Indian independency in 1947. They were built circa 1910 to 1930. We saw a large group of monkeys crossing a major street between ministries buildings.
The first thing you see at Qutub Minar is the 234-foot tower or minar (minaret) built in 1193. It is impressive, but there is much more to see. There are extensive ruins from that era that make you think of Roman or Greek ruins. Som explained it all. Long before the Moslems came in and took over, they used to come in from Afghanistan, conduct raids, and go home. One of these raiders was Qutub. Or maybe Qutub was the raider's underling. At one point an underling was left behind to set up permanently, but he decided to break from his master and take charge on his own. They intended to convert the Hindus and Jains (“infidels”) into Muslims. They tore down the existing temples and used the materials to make their mosque. In some cases they merely removed the statuary carvings. So you see the remains of Hindu temples that were tampered with by the Muslims. Extremely amazing is a massive iron post which has survived five centuries in the elements without rusting, and it's a mystery where it came from and how it was transported.
We visited the store “Cottage Industries Exposition Ltd.,” which mainly sells carpets handmade in homes in Cashmere -- wonderful, long-lasting carpets of highest quality. Tea was served and the manager explained the carpets, how they are made, and their virtues. A 20% discount was offered since we are with OAT. A few of our group ended up buying one or two carpets.
We visited the Sikh temple called Bangla Sahib. Not only did we take our shoes off, but we also wore orange headscarfs that were loaned to us. It was extremely crowded and rather large. Holy music was being sung by the priest over a loudspeaker, and it was very loud. Sikhs are required to do community service. We visited their next-door Langar (community kitchen) where Sikh volunteers from all walks of life were working together preparing food and serving it to a huge crowd of poor people seated on the floor. The Sikhs do not have multiple gods as do Hindus. They are monotheistic. Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists all believe in rebirth and reincarnation. The big deal with Sikhs is the worship of “The Book” in which all the writings of the gurus are kept . Sikh men wear turbans.
We had lunch in an Indian Chinese restaurant. The food was a lot like that in an American restaurant, except that they had sweet and sour potato chips, some of the food was a bit spicy, and they had no fortune cookies.
We walked through a shopping area outside the Chinese restaurant. Nothing exciting there.
We had a little free time back at the hotel. Som tried to help Helen and me get on the Internet using his computer, which has its own little wireless gizmo. We were only hoping to read our mail. We finally did get on AOL, and yet we could not call up our received mail.
This evening was a special occasion – the opportunity to be the dinner guests of an Indian family in their homes. We divided into two groups, and each went to a different family. The group Helen and I were in were driven to the home of the Goyal family – husband, wife, 24-year-old daughter, 36-year-old son. They're very friendly folks, and it was very enjoyable. The food, of course, was Indian, some but not all of it on the spicy side. This is a Hindu family of a caste that were traditionally merchants and businessmen. While 90 to 95 percent of Indian marriages still are arranged, as was the case of the father and mother, in this family the daughter has selected her own mate. He's a college student in Arizona and they expect to marry in December. She has a master's degree. This is a very artistic family – truly amazing. The wife/mother is a prolific artist, doing traditional art and selling it. The third floor is an art studio. Her art work is hung throughout the house and especially in the studio. The son does modern art and has had expositions of his work. The father is a graphic artist. The daughter doesn't do art, but she works for an art studio, doing its administrative work.
Bernie :-)
We stopped at India Gate,
Completed circa twenty-eight.
In the first world war
And the Afghan wars
Many an Indian met his fate.
A canopy that stands nearby
Housed George the fifth in years gone by.
(At the museum
You can see him.)
It's empty now, and a big debate is why.
GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS
Buildings to be admired
From the British were acquired
For ministries of the government
And a coliseum for the parliament
(Its members by the people hired.)
QUTUB MINAR
Came invaders like old Qutub,
And temples went down the tubes.
Materials from them they borrowed
To make their mosque and tower
To convert infidels they saw as rubes.
RUG STORE
Carpets made in Cashmere homes.
None better anywhere you roam.
Cottage Industries Exposition
Makes you a good proposition
If you want to take one home.
BANGLA SAHIB TEMPLE
In Delhi our Sykh temple
Was my first example.
The music was loud.
Thick was the crowd.
Good job we weren't trampled.
The crowd made me nervous.
Our head scarves well did serve us.
So we were properly dressed.
And I was well impressed
By their community service.
FAMILY GOYAL
You'd think that we were royal
From our reception by family Goyal.
It was great with them to connect.
Their artistry made me suspect
They're descendants of Mr. Goya.
We started with the India Gate, which is reminiscent of the Arc de Triumph in Paris. It honors the many Indian soldiers who were killed fighting for the British in WWI and in the Afghanistan wars right after WWI. The soldiers were all volunteers. (They needed work.) None of this fighting was on Indian soil.
The statue of King George V was moved to the Indian Museum. Some have suggested a statue of Mahatma Ghandi should be placed in the canopy. Others oppose that since the canopy is a symbol of the British. So the canopy stands empty.
We haven't seen the Supreme Court building, which is located elsewhere. We saw the buildings that house the ministries and the round building that houses Parliament. They are splendid buildings and the grounds are extensive and green. Of course, this a high security area these days. How can a country like India have such splendid government buildings? It is because they were built by the British for their administration before Indian independency in 1947. They were built circa 1910 to 1930. We saw a large group of monkeys crossing a major street between ministries buildings.
The first thing you see at Qutub Minar is the 234-foot tower or minar (minaret) built in 1193. It is impressive, but there is much more to see. There are extensive ruins from that era that make you think of Roman or Greek ruins. Som explained it all. Long before the Moslems came in and took over, they used to come in from Afghanistan, conduct raids, and go home. One of these raiders was Qutub. Or maybe Qutub was the raider's underling. At one point an underling was left behind to set up permanently, but he decided to break from his master and take charge on his own. They intended to convert the Hindus and Jains (“infidels”) into Muslims. They tore down the existing temples and used the materials to make their mosque. In some cases they merely removed the statuary carvings. So you see the remains of Hindu temples that were tampered with by the Muslims. Extremely amazing is a massive iron post which has survived five centuries in the elements without rusting, and it's a mystery where it came from and how it was transported.
We visited the store “Cottage Industries Exposition Ltd.,” which mainly sells carpets handmade in homes in Cashmere -- wonderful, long-lasting carpets of highest quality. Tea was served and the manager explained the carpets, how they are made, and their virtues. A 20% discount was offered since we are with OAT. A few of our group ended up buying one or two carpets.
We visited the Sikh temple called Bangla Sahib. Not only did we take our shoes off, but we also wore orange headscarfs that were loaned to us. It was extremely crowded and rather large. Holy music was being sung by the priest over a loudspeaker, and it was very loud. Sikhs are required to do community service. We visited their next-door Langar (community kitchen) where Sikh volunteers from all walks of life were working together preparing food and serving it to a huge crowd of poor people seated on the floor. The Sikhs do not have multiple gods as do Hindus. They are monotheistic. Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists all believe in rebirth and reincarnation. The big deal with Sikhs is the worship of “The Book” in which all the writings of the gurus are kept . Sikh men wear turbans.
We had lunch in an Indian Chinese restaurant. The food was a lot like that in an American restaurant, except that they had sweet and sour potato chips, some of the food was a bit spicy, and they had no fortune cookies.
We walked through a shopping area outside the Chinese restaurant. Nothing exciting there.
We had a little free time back at the hotel. Som tried to help Helen and me get on the Internet using his computer, which has its own little wireless gizmo. We were only hoping to read our mail. We finally did get on AOL, and yet we could not call up our received mail.
This evening was a special occasion – the opportunity to be the dinner guests of an Indian family in their homes. We divided into two groups, and each went to a different family. The group Helen and I were in were driven to the home of the Goyal family – husband, wife, 24-year-old daughter, 36-year-old son. They're very friendly folks, and it was very enjoyable. The food, of course, was Indian, some but not all of it on the spicy side. This is a Hindu family of a caste that were traditionally merchants and businessmen. While 90 to 95 percent of Indian marriages still are arranged, as was the case of the father and mother, in this family the daughter has selected her own mate. He's a college student in Arizona and they expect to marry in December. She has a master's degree. This is a very artistic family – truly amazing. The wife/mother is a prolific artist, doing traditional art and selling it. The third floor is an art studio. Her art work is hung throughout the house and especially in the studio. The son does modern art and has had expositions of his work. The father is a graphic artist. The daughter doesn't do art, but she works for an art studio, doing its administrative work.
Bernie :-)
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