#42: Kathmandu with Grandmothers too.

The grandmothers departed tranquil Amish country on November 15 and found themselves two days later on the other side of the world in chaotic India.  That’s Nana (78) on the left and Gam (88) on the right. It was a long, but safe journey to visit us (including the only grandchildren on either side of the family). 

 

What’s the first thing to do when grandmothers arrive?  Stuff ‘em into a rickshaw.

 

You can’t visit India without experiencing a rickshaw ride.

 

They survived intact…

 

…and interacted with a local cow.

 

The American school was closed for Thanksgiving, so we used the break to visit Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.

 

Time zones are bit unusual.  Nepal is 15 minutes ahead of India.  So when it’s 10:00 am Saturday morning in Nepal, it’s 9:45 am in India and 11:15 pm Friday night in New York.

 

We quickly sought another rickshaw ride, this time by bicycle.

 

The streets are alive with energy…

 

… with people hard at work.

 

It’s apparent that Nepal’s culture is centered around religion — temples are prominent throughout Kathmandu.  The ancient Swayambhunath religious complex is recognized by both Buddhists and Hindus for prayers and search for enlightenment.

 

We can see why it’s also known as the Monkey Temple.

 

Spinning the prayer wheel multiplies the prayer to the God of Compassion. 

 

We chanted: OM MANI PADME HUM.  Translation: I invoke the path and experience of universality so that the jeweline luminosity of my immortal mind, be unjoled within the depths of the lotus center of my awakeness consciousness and be wafted by the ecstasy of breaking through all bonds and horizons.

 

While riding to our next location, by fortunate happenstance, we encountered a Buddhist ritual to chase away dead spirits.  The dancers moved in synchronized rhythm to the slow beat of a drum.

 

Buddhism started in Nepal.  Siddhartha Gotama was born a royal prince in 563 BC. At 29, he realized that wealth and luxury didn’t guarantee happiness.  After six years of study and meditation he finally found ‘the middle path’ or moderation to human happiness and enlightenment.  Inner spiritual development leads to awareness, kindness, and wisdom.

 

These future Buddhist monks jostled with each other as they eagerly posed for this photo.  We observed them playing games and wrestling like any other young boys.

 

School children wear uniforms.  They attend school six days a week, but with so many religious holidays, their time is school is about 180 days per year.

 

The air in Kathmandu is thick with smog, making surgical masks a common accessory.

 

They come in a variety of colors…

 

… and styles.  This motorcyclist sported a unique design.

 

Bhaktapur is home of the tallest temple in Nepal, built in the early 1700’s.

 

100 miles northeast from here is Mount Everest, the highest point in the world.  We saw lots of trekkers in town (perhaps not ready to scale the 29,029 foot summit, but eager to backpack through the Himalayas).

 

The British invaded Nepal in 1814 over trade and border disputes.  Although Nepal lost a third of its land during the two-year struggle, it never came under British rule.  However, Nepalese admire the British and carry tendencies, including English language, left side driving, and tea.

 

If only the spirit of enlightenment spilled over into politics.  But it doesn’t.  The political landscape is in constant flux with an endless cycle of instability. 

 

The constitutional monarchy was suspended by the King under emergency powers in 2005 leading to mass protests and eventual end to the King’s power in 2008.  The newly elected assembly was to write a new constitution by May 2012. When this deadline passed, the Prime Minister called for new elections on November 22, the day we arrived in Kathmandu.

 

With some 40 opposition parties, it is difficult to build political consensus.  Prime Ministers turn over quite frequently.  There were public protests this week (which we did not witness), and the current PM threatened to resign Thursday.  Three major parties later met inconclusively with new elections now pushed to next year.  (Note the upper left: Spiderman made the front page from Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade).

 

Nepalese are 80% Hindu and 10% Buddhist, however, Hinduism and Buddhism are completely intertwined.  This Boudhanath stupa brings dedicated worshipers in search of its sacred energy.  Note Buddha’s eyes signifying awareness and compassion.

 

These women made continual up-and-down sliding motions as they prayed.

 

Who is younger?  This monk is merely 80.  There is 168 years of wisdom represented in this photo.

 

Look for more sights of Kathmandu next week, including our visit to the Pashupati Temple where we witnessed cremations. Enjoy your week.  ts

#41: Kashmir

India is made up of 28 states and 7 union territories. The state of Jammu and Kashmir (yes, that’s the complete name of this one state), is a hotly contested piece of land. Situated at the northern tip of India, it borders Afghanistan, Pakistan and China (the latter two countries control parts of Kashmir today). This creates huge challenges for map-makers. It’s illegal in India to exclude all or part of Kashmir in a map of India, while Pakistan carries the same rule.

After consulting the US Embassy and many colleagues, we utilized our Diwali break to venture into Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir (Jammu is the winter capital).

Upon arrival, you’d think we’d entered a military zone. Armed military and barbed wire is the theme.

Note how this armored vehicle moves freely with the traffic.

At the conclusion of British rule in 1947, Kashmir’s Hindu monarch ruled a population that was three-quarters Muslim. He was given the choice of joining India, Pakistan or remaining independent. The monarch hesitated. Soon revolutionaries and tribesmen loyal to Pakistan invaded Kashmir with liberation in mind. The monarch turned to the British for help, which was provided under the condition that Kashmir join India. These events during this one week in October 1947 set the stage for a dispute that will most likely never be resolved.

Since then, India and Pakistan have gone to war three times over this piece of land (as recently as 1999) and had countless skirmishes. People tell me the governments like this tension because it induces nationalism. Yet they lament, it’s the common man on the front lines.

With stability in recent years, tourism has started to rebound. We were cautioned to avoid certain hot spots. We stayed on the common path, sticking with the popular destinations, including the Mughal gardens.

Everyone warned us it would be cold, to which we said, “Good!” We enjoyed the cool, crisp air and were delighted to see fall foliage.

Despite (or perhaps because of) military prevalence, we felt safe.

We were hoping to find fresh air in this alpine environment, however, we were surprised to find burning leaves to make coal for the winter. The air was very smoggy.

There is an area called Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). This of course is the Indian perspective. From a Pakistani point of view, we were staying in India-occupied territory. This newspaper article highlights the increase in truce violations this year along the Line of Control (LoC).

About 90 miles west, across the border in Pakistan, is Abbottabad where Osama bin Laden was found.

Seismic cultural shifts are taking place with the modern world crashing against centuries-old traditional values. An editorial in the paper weighs the benefits of early marriage for women vs. their continuing education. The writer is concerned with the growing middle class who is putting more emphasis on education vs. spiritual growth. He wants both simultaneously. He pleas to stop delaying marriage of girls “…before the western terminology of ‘Boyfriends and Girlfriends’ engulf us completely, which has already permeated into our society.”

This billboard encourages parents not to arrange marriages for their daughters before age 18. It’s a crime.

At our hotel, I made the mistake of asking for a ham and cheese omelet. The response was: “Sir, we do not serve ham in Kashmir.” I quickly realized my error. The Kashmir Valley is now 95% Muslim, and the Qur’ân strictly prohibits the consumption of pork

Old traditions still continue. 

Labor is still very manual. 

Mosques are a common element of the landscape. The first of five daily prayers starts pre-dawn (5:45 am). Since Mosques are equipped with external loudspeakers, we could hear the prayer services each day.

We were conservative in our travels and had a very relaxing journey. We’d like to return in the future when the smog has cleared, to take in the true beauty of the Kashmir region.

We returned to Delhi Tuesday afternoon, just in time to celebrate Diwali. Greg lit traditional diya lamps.

This “Festival of Lights” is the celebration of good over evil when Rama returned from 14 years of exile after defeating the demon King Ravana. Like most of our neighbors, we also had diya lamps in front of our home.

Firecrackers are set off to chase away evil spirits. We heard them non-stop, well into the night.

As an adopted child, Greg is exploring his Indian roots. His birth father hails from Trinidad and Tobago, and like many residents of the islands, is of Indian dissent. Greg proudly tells everyone he is part Indian.

Diwali on Tuesday was followed by two more holidays, Goverdhan Pooja on Wednesday (to worship machinery and give thanks for its productivity) and Bhai Duj on Thursday (brothers deliver gifts to their sisters).

Back at the office on Friday, I’d received several Diwali cards from vendors.

We enjoyed our first ever Diwali. Everyone we met was so genuinely happy. Now, we are preparing for the grandmothers visit.  Enjoy your week (Happy Thanksgiving to Americans). ts

#40: Happy Diwali

India is the second most populated country in the world with 1.2 billion people… and they’re all out shopping for Diwali.  We pushed our way through this crowd at a Delhi market.

 

When saree shopping, all the women line up on one side while the salesmen pull out saree after saree. They eagerly unfold the six meters of fabric to show off its beauty. 

 

With her blond hair, Lynda really stands out in this photo.

 

So much advertising is centralized today.  Typically, one campaign is created at the global headquarters in some distant country and then rolled out worldwide.  These vanilla campaigns don’t offend, nor do they inspire. Here’s a billboard that breaks that mold.  Tata, an Indian company, capitalized on the festive season by featuring the evil 10-headed King Ravana. 

 

This ad is attention-getting and timely, and it can only work in India.

 

At my visit this week to our newest dealership in Lucknow, I learned about the VIP nature of customers, thus the need for security.

The US election was big news here.  Many colleagues questioned me about swing states and the electoral college.  No one seemed deeply vested in either candidate (based on my small sample size), but people are genuinely happy with the re-election. 

 

Just like US media, Indian election coverage was dominated by political pundits providing deep analysis, including demographic splits, fact checking negative ads and campaign cost calculations.  Once the results were final, talk turned to reaching across the aisle to build bipartisan support to avoid the impending fiscal cliff.

 

Indians see a healthy relationship with America (although the Pakistan association is rankling).  On the flip side, the US is pressuring India to cease oil imports from Iran.

 

A pleasant surprise was watching election coverage on Aljazeera – in English. 

 

The reporting was very fact-based and balanced.  They also avoided crazy stunts like Twitter heat maps.

We see that Hurricane Sandy was followed by a Nor’easter bringing snow.  Meanwhile, we still have t-shirt weather here in mid-November.

 

However, smog is the big challenge.  Visibility is very limited.

 

Attempts are made to protect against the smog.

 

There are several contributing factors.  We smell the smoke coming from Punjab where the farmers are burning their crop stubble (remaining plant life after harvest).  In this NASA photo, all the red dots across the north are fires.  Smog is blanketing a wide stretch, including Delhi.  After a week, we are now just starting to see the sun again.    

 

Diwali, known as the festival of lights, celebrates the return of Lord Rama after 14 years in exile and defeating the evil King Ravana. It is the most important holiday in India.  We see Diwali lights everywhere, always vertically.

 

Diwali is next Tuesday, November 13, however, we celebrated at the office on Friday (this is the entrance to our lobby).  The floor decoration welcomes wealth and prosperity.

 

Everyone completely embraces the celebration.

 

We all dressed in traditional wear — sarees for the women and kurta pajamas for the men (I opted for the more formal Bandhgala jacket).

 

The colors are bright and festive.

 

The organizing team staged a fashion show and quiz games. The crowd was highly engaged and thoroughly enjoyed the event.  This is a very festive time of year.  Happy Diwali.  ts

#39: Melas

We are stunned to hear the Hurricane Sandy stories and see the photos coming from New Jersey.  It was big news here in India.  The media coverage touched on many different angles, including global warming.  I make no political claims either way on the topic, but merely report the view from India:  “It’s time for America to acknowledge global warming.  As one of the biggest greenhouse gas emitters, America also has the technical inventiveness for solutions.  America needs to wake up to its responsibilities.”

 

Here in Delhi, festive season is in full swing.  We attended a Diwali Mela at the school, which featured this Rajasthan welcome dance.

 

Don’t try this at home.

 

Outdoor markets spring up everywhere with a variety of gifts to purchase.  This is an exciting time of year when people are in a shopping mode.

But buyer beware!

 

We’ve all seen mobile billboards.  Here’s the Indian version. These camels are promoting a new restaurant.

 

On occasions, we use taxis.  This is a British Ambassador car from the 1940’s, which is still very commonly used today.   

 

At 4:00 am Sunday morning last week, I dropped Greg for the middle school’s 5-day field trip known as WOW:  Week Without Walls. 

 

At age 11, this was a big step for him. This was his first time away from family, and cell phones were not permitted. 

 

After an 8-hour bus ride, they arrived at Corbertt National Park where they hiked and performed experiments including making a water filter from cotton and gravel.

 

This trip included campfires, a zip line, and bathing an elephant.

 

They visited a school where they interacted with the children to learn more about the local culture.   

 

This trip also included a Jeep ride through the wild.  Corbertt is all natural with no cages, no walls, nor fences. They spotted lots of wildlife, including a tiger (that’s Greg in the front row, right).

 

Back in Delhi, we have plenty of wildlife right here in our neighborhood.  This languor is on patrol for monkeys in our complex.  Note the fearsome teeth.

We celebrated Halloween at the office. Halloween is a relatively new concept here and is just starting to catch on. That’s me, the Bavarian farmer, second from left. 

 

We were surprised to receive about a dozen trick-or-treaters at our house Wednesday evening.  We were unprepared and scrambled for goodies.

 

Who in this photo is NOT fasting?  That’s right, it’s me.  For Karva Chauth, married women fast all day and pray for the longevity of their husbands.  it’s a very male dominated society, so there is no reciprocal holiday.  We are embracing the culture, however, this event was not celebrated at our home.

 

We picked up Greg Thursday evening from his field trip, just in time to attend Nadia’s engagement party. Nadia manages marketing for Financial Services in India.  Here we are with office colleagues.

 

Her wedding was two days later on Saturday.  75% of Indian marriages are arranged, however, this is a love marriage (yes, that’s what it’s called, a love marriage). They met in grad school five years ago. 

 

With some Irish blood in her lineage, Nadia is Roman Catholic while her husband is Hindu (from Punjabi).  Instead of choosing one religion over the other, they chose a hybrid approach and were married in a Sikh temple (it was an early morning ceremony for family and close friends).  There was English music at the reception and the Christian tradition of cutting a wedding cake (this was a new experience for most attendees).

 

Everyone was so warm, gracious and welcoming.  We felt like members of the family.  Kayla and Greg especially enjoyed dressing up in traditional Indian attire. It was a wonderful and auspicious experience.  Enjoy your week.  ts