#33: Big Headlines and a Wedding

There were many big headlines from our part of the world this week, but we did not see nor feel the impact of any of them. A nationwide strike was called for Thursday to protest foreign investment of multi-brand retail (think Wal-Mart).  Government leaders (the Congress Party) want to expand the economy, however, opposition parties consider it anti-poor.  Transportation was disrupted in parts of India, however, it did not impact our travels.

 

Followers of Islam have been incited by the video “Innocence of Muslims.”  Protesters in Chennai staged a 5-day event.  I was there three of those days but did not witness any incidents.

 

Across the border in Pakistan, life came to a standstill on Friday when the government declared a holiday, “Love the Profit Day.”   The prime minister asked citizens to protest peacefully, however, riots broke out and 20 people were killed. Separately, Kayla and Greg’s school was closed early on Friday in anticipation of protests at the US Embassy, which did not materialize.

 

The typical traffic disruptions we see are cow related. 

 

These six cows are most content in the middle of our busy road. 

 

I traveled the entire week through the south of India.  In Chennai, we ate vegetarian:  khorma and paneer tikka masala

 

On to Kochi, which is yet another city transitioning to a new name (from Cochin in this case).

 

The title of this magazine is in Malayalam.  More on languages later.

 

Deliveries in the south happen much the same as elsewhere.

 

I cannot confirm if this refrigerator safely reached its destination.

 

The traditional wardrobe for men in Kochi is Dhoti. 

 

It’s a large rectangular piece of cloth that is wrapped around the waist. 

 

In Goa, prayer ceremonies are held twice a day at this shrine to Ganesha (see next photo for a better perspective).

 

The Ganesah shrine is against the back wall of this workshop. Separately, Wednesday was Ganesha’s birthday.  Businesses were closed in select areas of India in celebration of this holiday.

 

I encountered four different local languages on this trip.  Tamil is the language of Chennai.  Look how many characters it takes to spell “Toilets.” 

 

Malayalam is spoken in Kochi.

 

I changed planes in Bangalore where I found Kannada (this sign includes English, Hindi, Kannada).

 

In Goa, the language is Kankani (first line), which uses the same alphabet as Hindi (second line).

 

The Indian constitution recognizes 15 different languages, however, there are countless more with multiple dialects.  Outside of English, Google is available in nine languages (note the offerings at the bottom).

 

We attended a wedding Friday evening.  This is the garland exchange.

 

Kayla is wearing a saree and Greg is dressed in traditional Indian wear.

 

It took four hours for the bride’s henna tattoos to be applied.

 

Greg cut up the dance floor.

 

Many family and friends attended this very festive event which was filled with vibrant colors.  We’re already looking forward to our next wedding invitation.  Enjoy your week.  ts

 

#32: Sights of India

The sights commuting to / from work continue to fascinate me. In the midst of traffic on this eight-lane road, what could this be?

I can only imagine the conversation: “Hi Kumar. I just purchased a window frame. Can you help me get it home?” “No worries Akrit, I’ll be right there with my motorcycle.”

A bit farther down the same road, this langoor is coming home from an exhausting day of chasing monkeys.

Meanwhile, cows are carefree without a worry in the world. These six cows were in the middle of the road in front of our housing complex.

Here’s a wider shot to provide more perspective. Note how vehicles maneuver around the cows.

This goat is not as fortunate.  He’s headed to dinner (as the main course).

Sidewalks are spotty. Kayla and I walked along our road to take photos for a school project. This is a common sight. Bare wires are exposed at this transformer platform. “Do not touch” mush be inherent within the culture.

A tree grows in Delhi. I wonder how long the debate raged during road construction. In the end, the tree was saved, and the road is just a bit more narrow at this point (from 4 lanes down to 2 ½).

The BMW SF Sales and Marketing team got together for an after-work party, including bowling. This group is highly competitive.

This Sanskrit word welcomes new members to the team. The “Cars” artwork was an ad-lib by the cake maker. I suspect the thought process was: “BMW makes cars, so I’ll add a car to the cake. Thank you Pixar!”

The team advanced our cultural indoctrination with this gift. Shiva (auspicious one) is the most supreme and powerful God in Hinduism. His five tasks are creator, preserver, destroyer, concealer, and revealer (to bless). He is also the father of Ganesha.

The bureaucratic paperwork required to complete “simple” tasks is overwhelming. From the day my family arrived in mid-July, I began the process of getting an ATM card for Lynda. After a relentless follow up process on my part, including a hierarchal escalation, her first ATM transaction took place exactly two months later.

Mosquitoes are a “side effect” of monsoons. Malaria is a bigger threat in villages vs. urban areas, however, it’s dengue fever that’s our greatest concern. It’s a viral disease transmitted via daytime mosquitoes. Dengue causes a very high fever for several days without a remedy other than time. We wear these citronella dots to help deter the mosquitoes.

This week’s travels took me to Hyderabad, a two hour flight south from Delhi. The languages of the south are completely different from the north. The local language in Hyderabad is Telugu. I find the written language fascinating.

At the airport, I found India Today available in three languages (Telugu, Hindi and English). I suspect it’s also available in additional languages within other southern states.

Give credit to the designer of the National Fisheries building which just opened in April. The building and its purpose are synonymous. It also makes a great landmark for giving directions (“If you see the fish building, you’ve gone too far.”).

The number 9 is very auspicious in Hyderabad. People go to great lengths to embrace the number.

And if all the good vanity plates are taken, there’s another way to get to nine.

It surprised me to see such a concentrated Muslim population this far south.

All the women I saw were strictly obedient with the full burkas. Only their husbands and immediate family members are permitted to see their faces and hair.

Imagine being covered head-to-toe in all black during the hot and humid summer months (it’s like Florida in July).

I was stunned to see this Toyota campaign (note the use of Abraham Lincoln). Why would a Japanese corporation use historic American icons to sell cars in India?

Notice the Martin Luther King image in the background. What would Lincoln and King say today?… or the sculptors of the Lincoln and King memorials?

On the left is the school Kayla and Greg attend. On the right is the American Embassy, which enacted tighter security after the attacks this week in Libya and other middle eastern countries. We have not experienced any issues here, although the school is taking extra precautions. India is a complete melting pot of religions. We’ve been impressed with the patience and tolerance for all.

Despite our continual list of set up details, we are settling into a routine. We’re looking forward to the end of monsoon season which will bring cooler temperatures with lower humidity. Enjoy your week. ts

#31: Furniture!

 

It’s here!  Our furniture arrived.  It left our New Jersey home in mid-June and was delivered here on the other side of the world 2 ½ months later. 

 

It was like Christmas morning and all the presents were wrapped in brown boxes.

 

A chair!  A chair!  A chair! 

 

Everything in India requires an endless array of bureaucratic paperwork.  To inch our furniture through customs, six different forms and letters were required with multiple stamps and signatures. Lynda’s passport was turned over to custom officials two weeks ago and was just returned with the furniture delivery. 

 

A rug!  How exciting!

 

Another chair!  Being able to sit down again brings inexplicable joy!

 

Greg quickly located his rip-stick and put it to use.

 

Yes, we do want that mattress upstairs. Success was achieved through much brawn and brainpower.

 

The movers inside the house worked barefoot.

 

Kayla wasted no time setting up her room.

 

It’s been a lengthy move.  There were a few broken items and some missing hardware pieces, but it’s nice to have such a major milestone accomplished in this Asian adventure.  Enjoy your week.  ts

 

#30: Happy Labor Day

 

It was a relatively good week for our digestive systems with only minor illnesses.  Strong immunity is required to live here. Even the locals have been stricken with illness.  They say it comes with increased bacteria in the environment due to monsoonal rains.

 

Somewhere under this sea of water is a road filled with potholes of unknown size. The roads are extremely chewed up from the rains.

 

Government statistics claim that 54% of Indian roads are paved, and 90% are “motorable.”  Yes, this road counts as motorable.

 

At our office complex, the security guards have a clever way of keeping their shoes dry.

 

I suspect the umbrella helps a bit.

 

I’ve never tried to ride a bicycle in the rain AND carry an umbrella.  It looks challenging.

 

The rains also bring insects.  Daily, we see the grounds being sprayed.  

 

This is a thick, oily-smelling mist. Note the kerchief over the fumigator’s mouth for protection.

 

I’m not sure which is worse, the disease or the prevention.

 

In-between the rains, Kayla and I squeezed in our first game of tennis here in India.  It was a monumental moment.  For the first time ever, Kayla beat me (6-3). 

 

I finally succeeded with making key copies thanks to this “computerized” key maker.

 

And now a salute to the American holiday of Labor Day.  Labor is extremely manual here. 

 

It takes two men to mow the grass

 

Hedge trimming is by hand.

 

Shoe repairmen line the sidewalks.

 

Tailors use foot power for their sewing machines.

 

Did India miss the industrial revolution?  No. Gandhi was anti-machine.  He feared that modernization would engulf the country and idle / weaken the population.  He strategically focused on manual labor to increase employment for India’s massive population and make people economically self-dependent.

 

The spinning wheel is Gandhi’s iconic symbol.  To lead by example, he spent years spinning cotton thread at his Ahmedabad home.

 

To all Americans, enjoy your Labor Day weekend.  We’ll be at school / work on Monday.  We hope you had a great summer.  ts