2014 – 29: Ramadan

I went in search of Ramadan which, this year, runs from June 28 to July 28. It was Saturday evening and the metro station was packed like I’d never seen it before.

I exited the metro in the heart of Old Delhi.

The hustle and bustle creates an indiscernible energy.

It was about an hour before sunset and the Muslim community was starting to gather.

Everyone was headed the same direction, some via pedal-driven rickshaws…

…and others on foot.

Their destination – Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India.

The traffic was heavy. I was on foot and could barely move through the congestion.

I met fascinating people along the way.

At the mosque, it was a sparse crowd at an hour before sunset. That would change.

Washing all exposed skin is part of the preparation (feet, hands, face).

Children learn at an early age.

The mosque courtyard features a pool of water.

The cleansing ritual is performed by all.

Ramadan is a time of spiritual reflection — the holiest of times in Islam – which requires fasting during daylight hours. Muslims will eat just before sunrise, and then have no food or water until after sunset.

 

To follow the Quran’s strict discipline, the more devout Muslims have trained themselves to not swallow their own spit (try doing that for a few minutes let along all day).

Ramadan is tied to the lunar calendar and shifts forward about 11 days each year. Next year, Ramadan will begin June 18, and then June 6 the following year, then May 27 the year afterward, and so forth.

India holds the world’s second largest Muslim population (after Indonesia).

 

Many people clicked freely (I was comfortable taking photos seeing so many others doing the same). I paid a 300 Rupee camera fee upon entrance ($5 USD).

This man graciously stopped for a photo…

… as did this man.

The Muslim community continued to flock to Jama.

As the sun lowered, the size of the crowd increased.

My expectations were quickly corrected when I realized women and children were all part of the ritual.

More than a thousand plates of food were prepared…

… and aligned in anticipation of sunset.

Men sat together…

…with their sons.

Others joined as a family and prepared fruit while waiting for sundown.

The sun dropped lower in the sky…

… and then at sunset, there were two loud cannon bursts, following by chanting through loudspeakers in Arabic…

… and everyone began to eat — the first food and drink in nearly 14 hours.

This ritual continues every evening throughout the month of Ramadan until Eid, which signals the end of this religious cycle.  Enjoy your week. ts

 

 

 

 

 

2014 – 28: Monsoon Season

Congratulations to Germany, winner of the 2014 World Cup (known as soccer inside the U.S., but is called football elsewhere). Many of our German colleagues watched the game from the German Embassy, which began at 1:30 am Monday morning here in India.

 

Only a few hours later, Hamid and I realized we had similar approaches with our neck ties — ‘Schwarz, Rot und Gelb,’ colors of the German flag.  

 

Back in the U.S., Kayla achieved a major milestone Tuesday which is essential for every teenager – a driver’s license. She passed on her first attempt. This was quite an accomplishment – she only had limited opportunities to practice during home visits to the U.S.

 

Here in India, monsoonal rains have arrived in Delhi to much delight. The economy sways dramatically on good or bad monsoon seasons. The rains are essential for crops, hydro electric power and positive sentiments. We’re slowly catching up against the deficit, which as been reduced to 36%. (Note: this is an Internet photo, not my own).

 

Poor drainage creates oceans of water along roads.

 

This boy built a mud dam to hold back the water and is now “bailing out” the section in-front of his roadside flower stand.

 

Construction sites are prevalent, which only exasperates the drainage issue.

 

One of the big challenges during monsoon season is estimating puddle depth. The driver of this auto rickshaw guessed wrong.

 

Middle-of-the-road repairs are common.

 

Somewhere in amongst all this stuff is a man on a motorcycle trying to avoid puddles.

 

However, Friday’s lunch topic had nothing to do with monsoons, but rather marriage. In this photo you see an assortment of knowledge on the topic, including single, engaged and a mix of love marriages and arranged marriages. One person here is celebrating his 22^nd wedding anniversary (thank you Vaishali for the flowers).

 

I can only image the reaction 22 years ago if I’d said that we’d be living in India one day.

 

With my family in the U.S., we celebrated via Skype. Happy anniversary, Lynda. The adventure continues. Enjoy your week. ts

2014 – 27: West, South, then North again

Last Sunday began with a visit from Johannes – a German colleague, working in the U.S. who was visiting Delhi for a wedding.

 

Monday kicked off a week of dealer visits to Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore.

 

Formerly known as Bombay, Mumbai is a very cosmopolitan city with great diversity. With 12 million people, it is the 6^th most populace city in the world.

 

Monsoon season began the week prior.

 

Slums are prevalent in Mumbai and are interspersed throughout the city. This was the view outside my hotel window.

 

Here’s a close up shot. According to World Bank, 54% of Mumbai’s population lives in slums.

 

After dealer visits, we quickly glimpsed Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum.

 

An estimated one million people are packed into 500 acres (a density of 2,000 people per acre).

 

With unchecked migration, it’s estimated that 100 – 300 people per day move to Mumbai, primarily villagers in search of work.

 

Scenes from the Academy Award winning film “Slumdog Millionaire” were filmed here.

 

This is where people live and work. It’s very routine.

 

I’m sure every resident dreams of a living in a mansion, however, I sensed contentment. Everyone accepts this lifestyle and goes about daily business with realistic expectations.

 

Moving to transportation, the local train is Mumbai’s lifeline. There are three major lines which move 7.5 million commuters daily (that’s more than half of Mumbai’s 12 million people).

 

“Packed in like sardines” is the perfect analogy.

 

It was so crowded, we could not get off the train at our desired stop.

 

It’s impossible to say you’ve experienced Mumbai until you ride the local train.

 

The next day we headed to Pune via car.

 

We cued up for fuel along with the auto rickshaws…

 

… in this case, for CNG (compressed natural gas).

 

Trunk space is dominated by the tank. With our 8 kg of CNG, our range was about 80 km.

 

We stopped again later for petrol. This car runs on either fuel. The petrol provide more torque, however, the CNG is more environmentally friendly.

 

We reached Pune after a 4-hour ride and noted that families travel as they do in Delhi.

 

Prior to entering the dealership, bright, fresh-faced children eagerly greeted me with, “Good morning, sir” on their way to school.

 

Inside, we found coasters for our water glasses (there are some U.S. colleagues who will recognize this idea).

 

At the BPS showroom (used cars) we were quickly greeted with water. This is day-to-day business with a very high level of quality service for a premium experience.

 

We later toured the construction site for a new workshop. This drill quickly created holes for foundational footings.

 

Steel reinforced concrete is the standard.

 

This man was digging wet, thick, heavy mud by hand and passing it to his colleagues above.

 

Then it was off to Bangalore. This is an 8-car showroom with an iPad next to each car highlighting the specs.

 

Big news on Thursday — the finance minister announced the government’s annual budget. The excitement created from Modi’s election in May was too much to contain as the budget fell short of bullish expectations.

 

Here’s how the news appeared in the local Bangalore paper. Can anyone read Kannada?

 

There you have it, an exhausting but rewarding week of visiting dealers. Special thanks to Ravi for making it all happen. ts

 

2014 – 26: 4th of July in India

July 4, 1776. The most significant date in American history is celebrated each year — inside U.S. borders. For the rest of the world, it’s just an ordinary day at work. Details in a moment.

First, here’s a look back at the sequence which lead to Independence. To help pay for the Seven Years’ War (1754 – 1763), Great Britain levied taxes on its north American colonies.

The colonial citizens screamed foul under the banner of “no taxation without representation” as the colonies had no voting authority in British Parliament.

This led to protests, including dumping tea from East India Company ships into Boston Harbor in December 1773 (years later, this incident became known as the Boston Tea Party).

Tensions escalated and Britain tightened its grip which only increased colonial resolve. Bullets began to fly in April 1775 during the battle of Lexington and Concord.

Continental Congress selected George Washington as military leader.

Thomas Paine circulated wildly popular pamphlets titled “Common Sense” which rallied support of many, but also alienated others who were still loyal to the King. A Paine quote: “The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind.”

Thomas Jefferson took the lead in drafting a document to consolidate the thinking and crystallize the mission – now the most famous document in American history – The Declaration of Independence was ratified by Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

The Declaration declares that “all men are created equal” and are endowed by unalienable rights including “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Note: In one of the world’s greatest contradictions, the man who wrote those words, Thomas Jefferson, owned hundreds of slaves during his lifetime.

The Declaration was signed by 56 “Founding Fathers” which formally ceased all recognition of British rule. The United States of American was born.

Major hostilities continued until the British defeat during the Battle of Yorktown in 1781 (this was accomplished along with the aid of French allies). The Treaty of Paris in 1783 formally ended the war.

Back to present day, it was important to celebrate America’s 238th birthday here in India. Our two countries have much in common – both previously bound by British rule, and now both independent republics.

This occasion called for cake, American style. The 13 stripes represent the original 13 colonies, and the 50 stars represent each of the states.

Everyone wished me “Happy Independence Day” as they do here on August 15th. I explained how we call it the 4th of July in the U.S.

But the day didn’t end there. Friday evening, a group of us headed out to celebrate the marriage of Hina and Sunil.

The young couple met at the office. He’s currently on assignment in China and returned to India just long enough to get married. Selecting an auspicious wedding date is essential, and for Sunil who is 28 years old, it was important to get married in an even year of his age. With his birthday fast approaching, their window of opportunity was closing. He needed to marry before turning 29, or they would have waited a year until his 30th birthday.

Vegetarian food was served, following by dancing to Bollywood music. Congratulations Hina and Sunil. Enjoy your week. ts