Conquering New Delhi

Our first stop was ISKCON Temple, dedicated to Lord Krishna, built by the International Society of Krishna Consciousness. They built the temple not only as a place of worship, but as a representation of intellectual development to increase the consciousness about Krishna. Inside, paintings covered the walls and ceilings explaining the story of Krishna. It is very different than other religious things I am used to seeing so it was hard to grasp, but it was interesting to see people praying and women making flower bracelets, etc. The outside architecture was very simple (picture on right). There was a fountain at the entrance with Krisha, which reminded my of one of my favorite movies when I was little, "My Little Princess". I had never understood the scene about a dream with Krishna, but now I get it!

After ISCKON Temple we went to the Qutub Minar! I loved this place! The Qutub Minar was built in 1193 and is the tallest stone tower in India (234 feet high with 376 steps!) Below the tower is the Quwwat-ul-Islam, the first Muslim mosque in India. The Muslims built this mosque after defeating the Hindu Chauhan dynasty, so there is a mixture of Muslim architecture with remains from the demolished 27 Hindu and Jain temples and shrines. The details on the arches were so beautiful! The mosque was in ruins, but you could still imagine how grand it must have been.

  
Khan Chacha is one of the best places we have eaten. It felt like a small In-N-Out, but with kabobs instead of hamburgers. The menu only had chicken or mutton (either lamb or goat) that they grill in the window next to you, with the option to get it in a roll (like a wrap), or kabob style. Having grilled food was amazing! We don’t have a grill in our house, they don’t barbeque much. We ended up going back to Khan Chacha the next day for lunch too. Here’s a picture of us enjoying our rolls a little too much!

 

Humayun’s Tomb was amazing! It was built in the middle of the 16^th Century by Humayun, the Moghul emperor. It was made of sandstone and white marble, surrounded by gardens divided into four parts with water channels (the Moghul’s typical design). The marble dome was also the first dome within a dome. It was so beautiful and nicely preserved on the outside.

  

Next we went to the National Gandhi Museum was small and simple, but very meaningful. Gandhi’s quotes covered the walls with pictures from the beginning to end of his life. A few of his belongings such as shoes, clothes, glasses, books, walking stick during the Salt March, and more were on display, emphasizing his simple life. There were descriptions of key events in his life and an entire exhibit on his death with his blood stained clothes. Next we went to the Raj Ghat, Gandhi’s cremation site, which is now a national shrine. His last words, “Hai Ram” (Oh, God) are inscribed on a large slab of black marble decorated with flowers and with an eternal flame burning. We also went to the Gandhi Smriti, the place Gandhi was staying when he was assassinated. There is a trail of footsteps in the back garden leading up to the place he was assassinated on his way to a prayer meeting. His room is just as he left it, with only 11 items.

We walked through the Crafts Museum with handmade crafts and people drawing and painting outside. There were some really pretty blankets that Rianne bought that were being made right in front of us! Lastly, we went to Lodi Garden for a walk in the park to top off our day. We got some ice cream and saw the mausoleum of Muhammad Shah. 

Sari Shopping!

     I imagined myself walking down the street at a small village market, surrounded by bright colored sarees, looking for the perfect sari that a women had spent hours making, then asking her to help me try it on. WRONG! Reality check- it is 2011 in India too...and they do most of their clothes shopping at the mall. When I came to India and realized how many women wear sarees and salwar kameezes, I finally understood that they shop for these "everyday clothes" at the mall, just like we would shop at our stores. There are so many shops full of Indian clothing from stores like our Target to Bloomingdales. Walking through the mall trying to find a sari was incredibly difficult! Mostly because you can't just buy a sari right there. A lot of women buy the material that is usually the appropriate length for any sari, they hem it there and cut off some of the material to make a top to match, which you have to take to a tailor to get made for you. Then you have to buy a skirt that matches the color so you can wear underneath and use the waist line to tuck in the sari! Some of the really nice stores had sarees premade, but they were hundreds of US dollars. Some of the designs and different types of sarees were so beautiful they looked like gowns.

     After an hour of trying on different sarees, Rianne and I decided not to get one because we have no where to wear it, an underskirt, a tailor to make the shirt, and we would need to learn how to put it on! The store we went to was so much fun because we had four guys helping us, getting us all different colors, and they were the ones dressing us! One guy even put on a skirt to show us how it worked haha. Definitely not the expereince I had in mind, but they were so helpful and funny, we were really thankful they let us try them on.

   

I have a new appreciation for the women I see everyday wearing a sari walking down the dirty street, riding a motorcycle, working all day in the office, etc. They must be extremly comfortable and natural to them, but when I tried them on, I thought they seemed like a lot to maintain (and hard to keep from falling off!). They look extremely elegant in them but the way the middle is open seems very revealing to me! I couldn't imagine wearing one every day. I also don't know how they manage to keep them so clean when they are in dirt, its humid and everyone is sweating, and the material looks like it has special washing instructions. It would be so fun to wear one to a nice dinner or party here, but I don't see myself wearing it anywhere else. We did buy a salwar kameez (the other traditional outfit they wear) for our trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal!

Delhi

     We are in Delhi for a business trip! We got to visit the Free Trade Warehousing Zone being built in Kurja and have been working at the office in Delhi to learn more about Arshiya’s Transport & Handling team. Luckily for us, this means we get to tour Delhi too (and then take a few days off to visit Agra, Jaipur, and Udaipur)! The moment we arrived in Delhi I noticed the drastic weather change immediately- dry heat! I felt like I was in Arizona in the summer, but hotter. Our apartment that we are living in is great, and we love our new cook, although we can’t exactly communicate.

   

    On the drive to Kurja we passed by thevillages we usually see on our way to the FTWZ in Mumbai. I usually see buffalo cooling down in the stream along the road with just their heads sticking out, but this time we saw kids playing in the water with buffalo! They were climbing on their backs, standing up on them, and playing games right next to them! All of the kids were so friendly and kept waving at us. It was funny because when we pulled over, the ones out of the water would pose for our pictures!

When we got back to Delhi, we went out to tour the city. We started at the Lotus Temple, also known as the Bahai House of Worship. It was one of my favorite places we visited. The building is made of nine petals facing upward towards heaven, and nine pools around it symbolizing the green leaves of a lotus flower. The number nine is a symbol of unity in the Bahai faith. The walk up to the temple, gardens, simple inside, and architecture was so beautiful. You have to take off your shoes before walking around the temples here, and it was hard to get used to!

Next we headed to the India Gate, a huge sandstone arch built in 1931 in memory of the 90,000 soldliers of the British Indian Army who fell in WWI and the 3rd Afgan War in the late 19th Century. In the 1970's the government added a memorial to Indias unknown soldier beneath the arch.  It is in the center of a huge park with kids playing in the fountain, families hanging out on the lawn, vendors everywhere, hawkers, etc. There were so many people visiting the gate, it felt like a smaller version of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. We read in our tour book that there are dancing monkeys by the gate! But when I excitedly ran up to the two police men circling the area asking "Monkey?" and danced for him to try to communicate this...we didn't exactly get the reaction we were hoping for haha. Instead he look very confused, shook his head and walked away. Crazy Americans! Gaby also got tricked into getting a Henna tatoo on her hand and was asked to pay 100 rupees for it! We have learned to say no to the hawkers quickly now before they grab your hand!

We drove down Rajpath street that begins at the India Gate and runs through Lutyen's Delhi, Sir Edwin Lutyen's imperial city that was built between 1914-1931 when the British moved their capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911. In the picture below you can see the two identical North and South Secretariats on each side of Rajpath. Behind the North Secretariat is the Indian Parliment House, the Sansad Bhavan (on the right, but you can't see it in the picture). At the top of Rajpath is the Rastrapati Bhavan, where the President of India lives. It is the biggest presidential house in the world! Here is a picture of us in front of the gates. It was quite the challenge trying to get this picture...the people visiting the gate at the time didn't speak English and acted like they had never seen a camera before! They just wanted us to take a picture of them instead! About 5 trys later, we finally got one.

Round 2 in Colaba, South Mumbai

     After work on Saturday we finally made it to Colaba to go shopping! It was such a busy, hectic scene, but we had a great time negotiating and buying trinkets and souvenirs. The shopping was similar to most typical city stands, selling the same things, and  full of stuff we didn't need but had to have! Even though we expected to play the bargaining game, we quickly caught on to the fact that they are very tricky! Just when I thought I was getting a great deal for this colorful mirror I bought for half price, the next vendor with the same mirror asked for half the price I had bought it for! They sky rocket the price for foreigners, but I'm on to them now and they haven't fooled me again yet!

    

We had another fabulous dinner at Leopold Cafe and had our driver, Shukla, escort us to the Gateway of India. It was a busy night on the street so we were glad he was there to look after us. On the way we passed by lit up horse carriages, balloon vendors, food vendors, and more trying to get our attention, but Shukla took care of them. The Gateway of India was BEAUTIFUL at night! It was built in the 1920's to honor the king and queen of England. It also pays a role in India's Independence because the British soldiers passed through it when leaving India for the last time. Families and children were sitting and playing in the plaza, enjoying the warm night.  

Across from the Gateway of India is the Taj Palace & Tower Hotel, which was also amazing to see lit up at night. The entire setting was perfect! Rianne asked Shukla to hold her hot pink jacket while we took a picture, and when we looked back he had it tied around his waist. About twenty minutes later we looked over and he had it draped over his shoulders! We couldn't stop laughing, because it was totally unintentional, but it looked like he was enjoying wearing it!

We also went to The Comedy Store for a show! It was hilarious and being noticeably American, we were called out many times. But they made fun of everyone. I haven't laughed that hard in a while! 

Knee Deep In Work At Work- Literally!

So far, I have been to six Arshiya offices for work: MIDC (home office in Andheri East), OPUS (down the street), CJ House (downtown Mumbai), FTWZ (Mumbai), FTWZ (Kurja), and the Delhi office. It has been so neat to visit all the different locations and sites to meet new teams and learn about every part of the company. I’ve had the opportunity to sit in some really great client meetings at a few of these locations. The CJ House office is beautiful! I’ve never seen such an elegantly decorated conference room. We have been travelling to these places a few times every week and work has really picked up. I have lots of assignments every day and even homework! I don’t mind though, I’m so glad I am interning at a company that treats me like every other employee and demands a lot of work. It is preparing me for the real world after college! I had an interesting “Sales Workshop” all day meeting the other day. We managed to cram around 40 people in one room that only had 12 chairs around the main table! You can only imagine how crammed it was, but hey at least we all saw the presentations.

I usually walk to OPUS since it is about five buildings down from MIDC...but this is not as simple as it sounds in June! First off, I must be invisible to cars, buses, minivans, rickshaws, buffalo- you name it! Traffic doesn’t stop and will run your toes over, splash you with mud and puddles, or honk and make you jump. The good news is, the locals and street vendors get a good laugh! The other day it started pouring rain during our meeting at OPUS, and when it was time to walk back to MIDC, we had no choice but take on the challenge (which I thought would be fine because it had stopped raining). Did I mention there aren’t drains and sidewalks like at home? Roxana and I rolled up our pants, and hopped around puddles for about 100 feet, then realized there was only one way to get back. So we treaded through a giant, muddy, squishy, car oily, puddle- KNEE DEEP for about two blocks back to MIDC. I took the longest shower of my life that night!

What You've Asked...Or Are Probably Wondering

I think about 5% of people I know are either familiar with, have been to, or are from India. For the other 95% of you, here are the answers to all your curious questions you keep asking!

First of all, India is HUGE (look at the map comparing the US and India's area!). I am in Mumbai (Bombay).  

Facts About Mumbai:
1) It is India's largest (and richest) city and the 5th largest city in the world
2) It is "modern and old-fashioned, rich and poor, beautiful and ugly- all of India concentrated in one metropolis" -Fodor's: India
3) The population density is 20,500 per sq. km (Manhattan's population density is 27,000 per sq km.)- VERY CROWDED

FAQ's

1. Where do you live?
• I'm in Mumbai, Maharashtra which is on a peninsula on the west coast of India, facing the Arabian Sea. I am not in the heart of the city though, I'm living in Powai, suburbs right outside the city.
2. Is it Mumbai or Bombay?
• Everyone calls the city both names. I read that the right-wing Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena won elections in the state of Maharashtra and took control of the state assembly. Their leader argued that "Bombay" was a corrupted English version of "Mumbai" and an unwanted legacy of British colonial rule. So they renamed the city in 1995 after the Hindu goddess Mumbadevi, the city's patron deity.
3. Have you visited Delhi yet?
• No, it is a 20 hour drive (which I won't be doing!) or a 1.5 hour flight, so we haven't had a chance to go yet. Luckily, Arshiya (my company) is planning a 7 day trip to Delhi at the end of June, so I will get to travel to all the places in Delhi I've been wanting to see very soon!
4. Do they shake hands?
• Yes, in the office. Otherwise, most people say "namaste" with a head nod (I feel like I'm at yoga) which means hello.
5. Do you have to act any differently there around certain people?
• Everyone is treated the same as far as I can tell, especially at work. However, when we are on the streets, women are advised not to make eye contact and smile at men (obviously) because we don't want to give off an invitation! I also I have to act uninterested around hawkers and beggars, but this can be especially difficult when little kids are asking for food and money.
6. Do they have American TV channels?
• I'm not really a TV expert since I barely watch TV at home! There are a lot of Indian channels on the TVs in our apartment that aren't in English, but there is also VH1 India (all American music videos) and American movie channels. I usually just watch those channels. If you want to get the news, you have to watch it online.
7. What are some easy words you have learned?
• Namaste: hello, Dal: lentils, Dahi: yogurt....umm is it bad that's all I know off the top of my head?! I can't pronounce anything correctly anyways. Its really hard to understand people sometimes because of their accent, so its best to have them write it down. Most people at work, stores and restaurants speak English, so we usually figure it out.
8. What is there language called?
• The official language is Hindi and English is the secondary official language. 
9. Are most people religious and how/where/when do they worship?
• The Indian people are free to follow any religion- 80% practice Hinduism, 13.45% Islam, 2.35% Christianity, and 1.94% Sikhism. I haven't been to any places of worship yet, but every morning when we come into the office it smells like incense. There is a special corner on our floor at the office with pictures of gods and flowers, and every morning they light the incense. Many people pray when they walk into the office in the morning and when they leave in the evening. Also, 1/3 of Indians are vegetarians mostly for religious reasons.
10. When you want a second helping of food, why do they try to serve it to you?
• We have been wondering this every time we go out the waiters insist that they serve us more food every time we try to help ourselves. The old fashioned reason is that serving yourself is considered polluting the food if you try to help yourself because you have already been eating with your "food-contaminated" hands. For the most part, they just want to give you good service.
11. Do they have dots on their foreheads and what does it mean?
• This dot is called a "bindi" and is a forehead decoration. Traditionally it was a red or maroon colored dot, but many women also wear jewels and other colors and shapes. Now they have stick on bindis too! They aren't as fashionable to younger generations but are worn on special occasions. There are a lot of interpretations. It is known to be mark that enhances beauty. It is placed in between the eyebrows, known as the seat of wisdom. It is also believed to be the exit point for coiled energy, so the bindi is said to retain this energy and increase concentration. The color red represents honor, love, and prosperity. It is a myth that only married Hindi women wear bindis as a symbol of wedlock.
12. Do they listen to our music and go to American artists' concerts?
• Yes, they listen to ALL the same music. Our driver likes to listen to indi-pop music in the car, but when we have gone to to the night clubs, they play the same stuff at home. In fact, on Friday night we are planning on going to Blue Frog because T-Pain is performing!
13. Do they have police and what are they like?
• What police? We have barely seen any police! This explains the crazy driving! I've seen a couple police regulating traffic. People don't get speeding tickets- that's for sure. Our friends did say that they will sometimes sit by a red light in the city and get people that way (the only traffic light I've seen in India)
14. Do they carry machine guns like a lot of countries?
• I think I saw one police carrying a gun while directing traffic. Other than that, I haven't seen enough police to say.
15. Is there anything British left there and do you feel the influence and how?
• You drive on the left side of the road like in England! There have also been a few words I've heard, like biscuit for cookies, and lift for elevator. Cricket was introduced by the British and now it is the most popular sport in India! 
16. Do they have big families?
• I haven't noticed any big families walking around together. I think family size depends on how many people you can support. I was told that most average families have 1-2 children. I was super surprised to find out that it is really normal for extended family to live together. Families usually live with their grandparents in the same house (well, building in Mumbai). There aren't any houses in the city, everyone lives in buildings. Some families even live with aunts, uncles, and cousins all on different levels in the same building! 
17. When do the women get married?
• Women are allowed to get married at 18, and men are allowed to get married at 21, but if they are 16 or 17, they can get annulled. Until a few years ago, 50% of the women got married before they were 18, but now women are getting married a little later.
18. Are most marriages still arranged or is that another myth?
• Yes they are still arranged! In the city, most people get married in their mid-20's but in the villages arranged marriages are happening earlier.
19. What is the fashion like?
• Most women wear the traditional sari or outfit called a shalwar kameez (loose trousers and a loose shirt). Men wear a button down shirt and any kind of pants. I haven't seen very many people in jeans, but sometime women wear jeans with their kameez (loose shirt). There are many types of shalwar kameez outfits and sari fabrics are all so different! The clothing is colorful and you rarely see solids or black. Some women at the office wear Western business clothes, there is no dress code. When we go out to dinner and out at night, I feel like I am in the US. Girls wear dresses and fancy tops, and guys wear anything. 
20. Do the girls style their hair or wear makeup?
• Yes I have seen a lot of girls wearing makeup and with beautiful hair! I don't know if they style it or if it just drys naturally wavy, but it is really shiny. We have seen a lot of commercials on TV for hair too and I can tell it is an area they pay a lot of attention to. Also, I've seen a lot of pretty elaborate eye makeup on women.
21. Do the kids like our fast food?
• So far I have seen KFC, McDonalds, Dominos, Pizza Hut, and Subway. McDonalds has a completely different menu (no hamburgers, just chicken and vegetarian things) and Pizza Hut and Dominos pizzas are really expensive because they are the best pizzas around. If I were a kid, these would not be my choices for dinner! Pepsi is extremely popular though! There are Pepsi commercials on TV all the time.
22. Do they have Starbucks?
• No. Good thing I'm not a coffee lover! It seems like they serve you free tea and coffee everywhere though, so I don't know how much business Starbucks would get.
23. Are they into technology; ie cell phones, iPods, computers, cameras and does everyone have one?
• Everyone has a cell phone from a Blackberry to an old school Nokia "brick". My work phone is just a newer version of the "brick" haha but it gets the job done. Everyone at the office has a Blackberry, but most people I see on the street using phones have just a simple cell phone. I don't see anyone using iPods when they work out or anytime. At work everyone has a computer, but it is so funny to use my computer at home because our caretaker is fascinated by it and loves to look at the screen. I'm not sure if everyone has cameras. I have mine out everyday to take pictures and I catch a lot of people staring...but they are probably just wondering why a crazy tourist is taking pictures of them!
24. Do they have pay phones?
• I haven't seen one.
25. Do they have subways or buses or any public transportation?
• Yes, there are lots of buses. No subways. There is also a train but I heard it is insane. A few of our friends from Brown said that it is so crowded in the train that people are hanging out the windows. Then when the train is coming up to the next stop, people just start jumping out because there isn't usually enough time for everyone to get on and off at the actual stop. I hear it is very stressful, hot, and unpleasant. It is also interesting that having cars is a "luxury". Many people walk to work, take rickshaws, or have drivers because no one likes to drive in the Mumbai traffic! It is really dirty on the roads, so if you do own a car, you have to wash it every day!
26. Do you think it's beautiful there or not, any natural beauty like flowers, trees, rivers, mountains?
• I do think it is beautiful. I am in the city, so there isn't a lot close by, but it is still very green. We are going to the mountains soon to visit some beautiful waterfalls! When we drove to the FTWZ for work, we went up through the hills and it was really nice to be out of the hectic city.
27. Do they have super markets or do you have to go to the butcher, baker, and so forth like in Europe?
• They have super markets. Haiko is my favorite because it is really clean and organized, has American food, and lots of organic things (reminds me of a whole foods). There is also D-Mart and G-Mart, which wasn't as fun to shop at because it was hot and the quality of food wasn't the same as Haiko!
28. What are there past times?
• People love to play games (tag, etc.), even adults! We see people playing cricket and soccer everywhere too. I haven't gone to the movies yet, but I heard it is a very popular thing to do.
29. Do they kids have public schools and have you seen the school children?
• I saw one private school and have seen some little kids walking around in uniforms, but besides that I really haven't seen any schools.
30. Any parks or playgrounds, baby carriages pushed down the street?
• That's a funny question because I don't think anyone here would even know what a baby carriage was! Women and men carry around their children like they are dolls- they keep them safe but in the US people would think they were dolls! There are no strollers, car seats, booster seats, or baby backpacks. Women ride side-saddle on the back of the motorcycle holding onto her husband in front with one hand and the baby in the other. There aren't really any parks in the city.
31. How are the bathrooms?
• The bathrooms at the office are really clean. A women is usually in the bathroom cleaning up after everyone. You aren't supposed to flush toilet paper in the toilet though because it will clog the drain, so there is a trashcan in the stalls, which the lady empties constantly. There is also some type of hose and a drain in the corner of all the bathrooms (I think it is supposed to be used like a bidet). Outside the office, it is very hard to find a public restroom and most women don't use them! There is no such thing as getting off the freeway to stop at a gas station here, you just have to suffer. 

Have even more questions? Post in the comment below and I'll be sure to answer them :)

Open Your Eyes and Clear Your Mind

I have been extremely comfortable in the suburbs, with my safe apartment, personal driver, and friendly accommodations at the office. I know the road we take to work, to the gym, and home five to six days a week. That route, the shops, and people I pass by everyday are what I think of when I think of India. But the other day, we drove through some new areas, and I saw a whole other side of India- the side people associate with India because of movies like Slumdog Millionaire. My co-worker described it as corruption- the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.

People told me I could not understand what India is like unless I came here. They also said that no matter how much I tried to prepare myself with orientations, books, travel guides, and talking with friends, nothing could explain what I would see. This is what I have discovered. I cannot grasp India because it is impossible to wrap my mind around the overwhelming diversity of life I have witnessed. I'm used to diversity, but have never seen so many diverse lives overlapping each other all in the same place. I cannot think rationally and try to comprehend what I am seeing because so much is irrational. My heart aches and my mind wants to spin, but our car never stops long enough to understand. The truth is, all I can do is open my eyes, clear my mind, and absorb what I am seeing.

There seems to be a large divide between the impoverished people here: the people who work for 10-15 hours for 120 rupees a DAY (about $2.00) and the people who beg. When I asked my friend here about begging in India, he said not to give the children money. If I were to give anything to them, its best to give them food. Half of the beggars, especially children, are organized by an agent. It is all business for them. The children are forced to beg, and once they get money, their agent takes it away from them. It is extremely hard to comprehend why the children would go back to these awful businesses day after day, but they have no choice. They aren't educated and it is all that they have. This lack of education restricts them from seeing what they need, what they can have, and how to demand it. Then the people that work for minimum wage are trying to make a living off of so little. To pay rent for an apartment, feed a family, or even just take care of yourself must be so hard. I heard that many apartments will be rented out by 10 people all cramming into one room just to have shelter at night. The shacks and slums we see along the streets are typically filled with people just trying to survive by begging. We were told that only 90% of the people living in those conditions don't work.

I have also noticed there is such a difference in sizes. Women wearing saris and loose clothing make it difficult to see, but they look similar to people at home. At home though, being thin is usually a good thing, so most women look great to me. The men's sizes are where I have noticed differences. So many men are extremely thin and frail. I saw a full grown man on the street the other day who must have had a 22 inch waist! It is crazy to imagine how little he must eat. But then when I really started to think about it, I'm sure he is working extremely hard, with high amounts of stress on the body, and barely making enough money to eat. If he needs to support his family, he would probably eat even less in order to give his children just enough nourishment to get through the day. I'm sure this process continues throughout generations and generations, so the entire family is genetically thin, but also malnourished.

These workers would be considered to be extremely poor in the United States, but here they are average, and make up a huge percent of the population in India. The living conditions and lives they live are drastically different than anything we would suspect for a working class at home. However, since it is normal for them, they seem happy. I smile everyday because I catch these people smiling, laughing, and living their life like everyone should. They do not resent their work, they are thankful for it. Even children living in the slums who are running around naked along the street after just going to the bathroom in the middle of the road or dancing in the rain during the storm are running around laughing. Its beautiful to see, it just makes me want to give them so much more.