A New Adventure

Its mid-night, we leave in six hours for a trip that is sure to be an adventure. I unfortunately mis- judged how much time I had left in Ahmadabad and did not get a chance to post about many of the experiences that I wanted to. I will try to update along the way, but chances are it will be a while. Tomorrow we meet Anjali and Alpesh for trip in Sikkim, to see the Himalayas. Then, Anjali leaves us and Sarang's friend meets us in Delhi for a trip around the "golden trianlge" and up to the holy site of Haridwar and Rishikesh. Next to Goa for a Sarang's cousin's wedding, then I make my way by train up the Konakan coast to Mumbai. Sorry if this is repetative, its late, and I'm excited, haha. But there are still many experience from the past month to share, so I hope I can get to those quickly and also post about this adventure in a timely way. Miss everyone a lot. Lowe!

On a Lighter Note

My time in India has been full of thought-provoking, perception changing experiences, however, its not all serious all the time; dumb, funny, and ridiculous things happen everyday. I don't have the time to talk about them all, but here are a few funny experiences off the top of my head and a few funny pictures I happened to capture. Some of you may not get all the following, sorry for any "inside" jokes. And for the elderly ones reading this, sorry if you find anything vulgar, haha.

• People are often shocked that I am from America since I am so skinny, and I hence get told many ways to "make my body strong". Some interesting facts I did not know before, haha- Ghee (butter) builds muscles, sugar makes you strong, and exercise is not necessary. One auntie went so far as to say that Indian kids could beat up American kids, because all Americans eat is cheese, and Indian kids eat thick rotlis (unleavened bread) and lots of ghee.
  
• I got a new pair of glasses in India, and a week later, while riding in a Rickshaw, I leaned over to tell the driver where to go, we hit a pot-hole, my glasses fell off my face, and the Rickshaw ran over them... (I think some of you know what website this might could go on)
  
• Poverty is obviously not funny, but one day while I was riding through Thaltej gham (a slum-type area I ride through everyday), on the side of the busy road, a Camel was awkwardly spreading its back legs, taking a dump. Right next to the camel was a little kid in the third world squat also taking a dump. He had the BIGGEST smile on his face as he took care of business, watching the cars and rickshaws go by. Ah, the universal joy of relieving oneself.
• On Holi (the colorful Indian festival where everyone throws colored powder and water on each other) we were returning from lunch at Sarang's auntie's house, and a car pulled up next us (while we were riding in the Rickshaw), and threw a bucket of bright red water on our rickshaw driver. His white shirt was completely covered in bright red. The hero honda sneak attack!!!
• I walked by a McDonalds filled with families, little kids to their grandparents, and Kelis's unedited "My Milkshake Brings all The Boys to the Yard" was blaring inside and outside the restaurant... I wondered if anyone knew what the song meant, it was really awkward.
  
• At the ashram, we wash our own clothes by hand. So I was in the third-world squat at the outside faucet/drain (the Indian "cleaning sink"), washing my clothes for the first time. I was beating my clothes out with what looked like a piece of drift wood in the shape of a small cricket bat/paddle, when I looked up to find 5-6 of the ashram help (cleaners, cook, errand boy) hysterically laughing, shaking their heads, and cackling something in gham varu Gujarati (village dialect), "he doesn't know how to do it!" Even the little 10 year old girl was laughing hysterically. I was using the piece of wood that you are supposed to sit on as a platform to put my clothes while raising the paddle over my head to bang on my clothes as hard I could (making a horrendously loud noise). Water was splashing everywhere, and I was half soaked squatting in the prime "dumping" position ... I'm sure it was a ridiculous sight...
• My new favorite Indian threat: "Aye duffer! Should I put a slap?!!" (apply Indian accent)
  
• Some interesting/ funny pictures:

WE DON'T PLAY GAMES

JOHN DEER TRACTOR... INDIAN STYLE!
Anyone who knows anything about the Indian government knows how ridiculous this statement on the Karnatika state capital is:
DAAA 'CHIKAGO' BULLS
HALLO HALLO!! Ardaaaa! Take my photo yaar!

(The guy in the maroon was doing a sweet chest shimmy)

Mommy, what am I wearing??
"Our clothes will make you 10 shades fairer!"



WOW...you serious??


In India, its rude NOT to honk your horn

Tabla Ecstasy & Taan: Classical Indian Music and World Fusion

TABLA ECSTASY

TAAN WORLD FUSION

One thing I have really enjoyed in India is, of course, the music. The depth of Indian classical music is mind boggling and there is a great variety of modern fusion. Whether picking up some CDs you can only get in India, listening to Sarang and Kinna practice the Tabla and Indian flute, random street music, or an exceptional concert, I have enjoyed my variety of musical experiences. Early in February, we went to a great concert with a unique Tabla ensemble and a world fusion group. Its funny how interconnected people are within Indian society. I learned of the concert through casual contact with Heena Patel (I met her through her sister Sejal, who is a good friend of my brother and cousins in Chicago); Heena is living in Ahmadabad right now, devoting herself to learning the art of Tabla, is a disciple of the Guru that composed half the show, and MC'd the evening. Sarang and Kinna were going to the same concert as their music teacher was in the fusion band. So somehow from Chicago to Wisconsin to rural South Carolina, a little group of us converged in Ahmadabad, India that night for a world class musical performance at Ellis Bridge Gymkhana. It was a great night of music with an audience ranging from teenagers to adults to senior citizens.

Tabla Ecstacy is very unique tabla ensemble with four awesome tabla players. It was amazing to see them completely synchronized while playing such intricate pieces. I think the best part though was watching how much fun they were having while playing. Check out the "ecstasy" of the guy all the way to the right starting at around 45 seconds. I don't know if my camera could quite capture the awesome faces he made while playing, but it was great. Check out their site:
www.myspace.com/tablafusion

Taan is world fusion group that blended classical Indian elements with modern variations of instruments (like the electric sitar) and music from all over (you could hear influences from the Middle East, South America, tropical islands, Goa, and even Ireland, among others). There was this really old Indian man on the drums that was crazy, and the electric sitar was really something else to see! Check out their site:
www.myspace.com/taanworldfusion

Their general site for more information is www.rrmproductions.com

The videos at the top aren't the best quality, I took them on a pretty standard digital camera, but check out their website if you like their music.

Reflecting on February

It has been a month since returning from the south, and a lot has happened! But first I left out the last stop. The trip down south was one to remember, ending in India's "most progressive" city, Bangalore. India's silicon valley nicknamed the "green city" had European style malls, the beginnings of a skyline forming, and "cool couples" that, don't faint, hold hands...in public! Ohhh Gohhhd! But it was a nice city with a beautiful, large botanical garden. Here are a few pictures:





Over the past month, I have been living in Ahmedebad, Gujarat's cultural and commercial center of 6 million people, and the city that Mahatma Ghandi built his Sabarmati Ashram, one of the important centers of his independence movement and the starting point for his famous salt march. The 600 year old city is cut down the middle by the Sabarmati river, on one side the narrow winding streets, old bazaars, and medieval mosques of "old city" contrast with the opposite side of the river, where cosmopolitan universities, shopping malls, paved highways, concrete bungalows and apartment towers are a testament to the changing times.

In this town, I have experienced and learned first hand so much about the ancient, timeless roots of Indian culture, the strong traditions of my Gujarati heritage, and the issues of modern India (and thus modern man and society); I have also seen the power of those who dedicate themselves to building a community, their community, to better and empower all people in it, in the face of the desperate injustices that plague all societies. I have glimpsed the infinite wisdom of the Vedic scriptures and felt the urgency of what needs to be done now, today. There is no better place than India to understand the complexities of life, the contradictions in human thought and society, and the layers of our shared history (not just east or west, but as the human race). It is also a great place for answers. Calm down Indian people that are reading this... its not the best place for answers because only Indians have the answers to life's tough questions. Staying in India, you are confronted with these questions everyday, and here there are thousands and thousands of different perspectives to answer these questions.

India has been a refuge for ideas and thoughts for thousands of years, a safe place for those persecuted because of questioning authority. From the scientific to the spiritual, spanning the religions of the world and the most modern advancements, India is a crazy blend of seemingly endless contradictory thoughts and ideas, yet somehow (for the most part), they all come together to form a society that takes pride in "having room for everybody". Recent trends of Hindu nationalism disturbingly seem to threaten India's accepting culture, but hopefully in the upcoming elections their movement will continue to weaken.

But along with the availability of fulfilling answers in endless variety, India does not allow you to forget or escape the complex realities of life. Poverty and desperation is not a "for 17 cents a day" commercial that can be switched off, it is a shack in the shadow of new 20 story building. The social tug-of-war between the pressures of ancient heritage and modern materialism loom large, especially within the youth of the country and the huge middle class. Finally, there are just SO MANY PEOPLE, and thus there is so much going on at once, its hard to find your individual place in such a large, interconnected society.

"India is the best of humanity and the worst of humanity" says Sarah MacDonald in Holy Cow (a great book). I experience this first hand everyday with my daily schedule. At the Ashram, we wake up at 5:30am for two hours of yoga and mediation followed by an hour long session on the essence of Vedanta; pure knowledge, everyday I see the world in a different perspective. Then, I grab a rickshaw or hop on the municipal bus and ride through the city to the banks of the Sabaramthi River to the NGO where I help out; on the way, I glimpse the realities of the developing world and the cruel stigmas that are often a result of the corruption of the same concepts I learn in the mornings. However, I arrive at my volunteer site where a small group of young Indians born abroad is now back in India for a year working with Indicorps, a grassroots development organization that connects the Indian diaspora back to India. In Ahmedabad and across India, over 30 Indian kids from abroad have come back for a full year to live in and work with struggling communities, from helping rural village women start their own businesses to improving maternal health in city slums. Indicorps focuses on grassroots improvements, where one Fellow engages one small community, for a year of personal growth and intimate change. This isn't the more "glorious" and much easier work of raising money and donating it to a cause, this is the hard, one-on-one interaction that inspires real, long-lasting change. It is an interesting journey each day, starting from the philosophical base, riding through the highs and lows of modern India, and finally to a unique vision of our shared responsibility in addressing the issue of our society; none of these three aspects are independent of each other, and seeing ideas in action, for better or worse, runs throughout the various phases of my day.

Okay, I feel like I am rambling, haha, but before I head out to travel again, I will try and post some pictures and stories of specific experiences that I have had while in Ahmedabad. I hope everyone has a safe spring break!