Amazing Day

Well, yesterday was one of the coolest days... like ever. Here's why:

As I wrote in my blog, I had contacted Dalit Freedom Network, an NGO that works on Dalit Issues. If you are familiar with Caedmon's Call's CD "Share the Well", they worked with this group when in India. For those of you who don't know who the Dalits are and some of the issues that face them, here is a quick breakdown of what I know (although after these next 4 months, I am sure that I will learn a lot more). Dalits, formerly known as the Untouchables for reasons I will explain in a second, are the casteless society within India. In caste, there are four defined groups: Brahmans (priests), Kshatriya (warriors and rulers), Vaisya (traders and merchants), and Sudra (manual workers) . Each one of these groups has sub groups which is largely defined by occupation. It has become much more defined and rigid over the last 200 years because the British used it to classify people. They used the Brahmins almost exclusively in positions of administration and power. After the British left, the Brahmin's, unsurprisingly, held onto this power. While there have been many Dalit political movements and rights for them in the constitution, they are largely unenforced because those in power are not Dalits. To explain a little about the Dalits, they do not fall into one of the four positions in caste. Traditionally, they did jobs that 'polluted' them and their bodies (such as handle dead bodies, clean sewers, etc.), and hence, according to Hindu ideas of cleanliness of the body and how that effects the soul, they were polluted and 'untouchable.' They have been oppressed in this way for over 3,000 years since the Caste system was implemented with the Rig Vedas. Unfortunately, caste and Hinduism go hand in hand. There are about 160 million Dlaits in India, 16% of the population, although this term is skewed because report on this group is notoriously hard. They often live in the worst conditions of a village, town, or city whether it be a segregated community or a slum. over 40 million of the Dalits are bonded-workers (like indentured servants) and there are the community as a whole experiences violence, segregation, rape, and murder by other caste members. Some examples: two days ago, a Dalit was chained to the back of police motorcycle and dragged across town for 4 km until the chain broke. Several years ago, 50 houses were burned with Dalits in them because one Brahmin was killed by a Dalit. Most crimes go unreported and the few that do get reported rarely get a trail.

Yesterday, I met with a man who works for OM, Oppression Mission, as well as being a pastor at a church in Delhi. He works with Dalit Freedom Network (DFN) and I was referred to him for volunteer opportunities. We talked about ourselves and a possible role I could play with DFN, OM, and DFN's affiliate All Indian Christian Council (AICC). He told me many for the stories he had heard (or witnessed) and the atrocities of oppression toward the Dalits. He was actually going to a place where the Dlaits were rising up and protesting after a Brahmin killed a Dalit in a town. He said he would bring me but he didn't want a white presence to disrupt the protests (as undoubtedly a white person in a rural village would do that). Regarding what i would be doing, i think I will be working in a slum community teaching English. As I am here in India, I am realizing just how important English is! It is becoming the national language of India and definitely the franca lingua of the country. It is the language of the educated and the language in which almost all politics are done in. Furthermore, most good jobs require that you speak English. In 25 -50 years, India will have the largest English speaking language! We also talked about the organization and how they see themselves as a Christian organization. He said that they are not evangelists, there are other Indian Christians who are better at that. Rather, he says that as Christians, he feels called to be working for 1) Christians (who are also oppressed and I will write more about that later) and 2) others who are marginalized and oppressed such as the Dalits. We do this because Jesus calls us to serve. We should witness in these communities. We should not be afraid to share our faith and talk about Jesus, but we are not going with the purpose to convert. God will work through our witness in helping them. He was saying that many Dalits are in fact Christian or want to convert but are afraid. Once one becomes any other religion like Muslim or Christian, you actually lose all of your rights as a Dalit. Your inheritance is taken away and land claims are often taken away as well. You actually fall outside of caste even more (if that makes anysense) so it is a huge thing. But many are attracted to the idea of Christianity and its freedom and sense of self-dignity. Furthermore, they are then not worrying about karma, the idea that the only way to improve your life is to wait out this life living a good life until you are reborn hopefully in a better position (the idea of karma often creates a sense of complacency and people don't fight for their rights).

After we talked about this, he wanted to take me to a meeting they were having and then go pick up some people in the neighborhood I was going to work in (there was a family who had been forcibly removed from their home because they were Dalit in a non-Dalit neighborhood). I had only a vague idea of what we were doing but i thought I was up for an adventure and went with them. I am so glad that I did. We went to meet with a guy named Dr. Abraham Mathai, the head of AICC. He is an important player in politics in Delhi and the nation because he represents the growing Christian population in India. We went with him to Nasaland House and met with the BJP (a major national political power) State President of Nasaland and the Chief of Health and Social Welfare. We went to talk with them about religious tolerance in India. It was a little hard to follow because there was a lot of political jargon and references to the Indian Constitution (which I am clearly not to familiar with) and supreme court cases. Nonetheless, it was so cool. It was like something out of West Wing. They were talking about how a certain bill which would move the right of defining majority religions from a national decision to a state decision would actually be detrimental to states with a majority of national minority religions because it would bar them from certain rights when they leave their states and keep them from setting up institutions and entering educational institutions. We weren't just discussing Christians either. We were talking about Muslims and Jains too (other national minorities). They were saying how the Nasaland BJP would put pressure on BJP India to accept religious tolerance and other things. It was amazing. They were talking about how they would go to the Prime Minster with this. Abraham talked about how he used to met with the Prime Minister every other month or so. It was just amazing. All the sudden, I was thrust into a situation where high level decisions are made all because I said, "Sure, I'll go." I mean, I will read about these things they were talking abut in the newspaper! It was also cool because these decisions really do help the Dalits, albeit small steps toward greater human dignity.

SO needless to say, I am totally sold on this organization that I will be working with. I am very excited. While I will not be doing stuff like that, at lest I know that the organization is legitimate and that they will do amazing things. But I am so excited to get to work on the ground level and see some of the things we only casually read about in pamplets from activists in America. It is really cool.

Finally, the last really cool thing about it is that it is Christian based, something that I really wanted. What an answer to prayers! I I am going to the ministers church the Sunday after this one. He really wants me to give one of the messages. I am a little nervous about that but I think it would be a really cool experience! The church isn't very big, only like 30-50 people he said, but I am still very excited to see it and finally get some of the Christian fellowship I am missing so much! India is getting cooler and more interesting by the minute.

Successful Days

One of the things that I find myself doing in India is judging days by how 'successful' the day was. For example, if I need o find battaries, a cooking pot, and go grocerry shopping, then i judge the day on how much I did. If I just got one of those things done, then it probably wasn't a successful day. It means I was going form place to place to look for a cooking pot or I got stuck in traffic. For an example of unsuccessful days, look at my blog entry about computer adapters. But If I get all three done, then it is considered a successful day. When you don't know where to buy the regualr everyday items you need, then everything is an adventure and the criteria of successful days are... well... a little different.

By this measurement, the last five days have been very succesful. Besides my trip to Jodhpur, I have contacted several people and arranged things that I have really wanted to do in India. First, I contacted a person from Dalit Freedom Network, a NGo I am looking to work for, and we are meeting tomorrow. This is ahuge because I have been looking to vo;unteer here since I got here. Secondly, I contacted a guy from a Christian fellowship. He is putting me in touch with the equivelant of a leader of a Delhi University InterVarsity. I have been missing fellowship with other Christians so this is great! Also, I figured out my plans for my trip to South India in October. THe trip is going to be amazing. It will go from Chennai to the tip of India to Kerala, to Goa and end in Mumbai. Very cool!

All in all, I think I am beginning to understand the order to the chaos of Delhi. Maybe soon buying batteries will be easy...

Photos

Sorry that I have not posted any phots recently. It takes quite a bit of work to upload them because 1) I don't have that fast of a internet connection to upload a bunch of photos and 2) because I don't have internet at home; I have to go to the EAP Study Center to use their computers and upload pictures. But I plan to upload some picures soon of Jodhpur, my apartment, and any other random photos I might want to share so stay tuned!

Camels and the Blue City

Hello all!

Well I had quite a weekend. I went with four other friends to Jodhpur, a city in Rajasthan. We left on Thursday night by sleeper train. Generally I love sleeper trains but this time I was not able to fall asleep at all. It was definitely more crowded than any other sleep train I have been on but I guess that everything in India is more crowded then usual.

We arrived at Jodhpur at around noon. We quickly found a place were we could do a camel safari and got in a jeep that took us to the edge of the Thar Desert. The jeep ride was great. We were in a World War Two jeep. We took off the top and it was a great experience. The driver even let us drive a little (we were on an nearly abandoned road, don't worry mom…)! When we got to the edge of the desert, there were five camels waiting for us. The people in the village were very fascinated by the white people in their town and a bunch of women and children surrounded us. They were especially interested in the sunscreen…

We got onto the camels. I really liked riding them, or at least getting up on them. It is like a mini roller coaster ride because you are slanted for a while the camel gets one half of its body up and then the other half up. It is really quite fun. We began the two day 'camel safari' we would be doing. It was great. On the first evening, we rode into one of the camel riders' brother's home. It was a collection of mud huts around a common area and then a brick building off in the distance. All around the home there was millet fields, basically subsistence farming. It was so cool. They made some really good chai for us and we hung out with them for about a hour and half. We have minimal Hindi skills o we could communicate with them. But it was just so other-worldly top be there. The house was in a valley of sand dunes (although this is not the traditional sand dunes… there are shrubs growing on them) and the sun was starting to lower so the whole valley was filled with a golden glow. The kids were running around the common area and through the fields and old Rajasthani men with long, bushy moustaches were sitting on the floor having conversation with each other. They seemed like such proud, strong men. In fact all these people had a special quality to them. They were men and women hardened by years living in the desert. It is a very noble quality when one is faced with it. They all look so much older then they are and their skin seems weathered by sand, sun, and that unique Rajasthani heritage. It was so cool.

We left the home and went more into the dunes where we watched the sunset. It was really beautiful but unfortunately, being monsoon season, the clouds blocked the sun from making its final and spectacular sunsets so known in the desert. We left at twilight for the home of another camel rider. This one had been developed for tourists so it was different in that way but it was still wonderful. We had a thali plate of home cooked Rajasthani food (great!). For those who don't know, a thali plate is a plate with several bowls containing small portions of different food. It usually comes with roti (bread) and rice. We had it in his havali (a square shaped building with a central, open-aired courtyard) under the stars in the courtyard. Later that night, my friends and I opened a bottle of wine that we had brought and chatted about everything and nothing. It was an undeniably pleasant evening. The people who I went with were all very interesting and fun to talk with so this was truly a pleasure. When we got tired we made our beds under the stars and fell asleep. It was great…

The next morning we had breakfast (from the milk of the cow outside our sleeping quarters!) and got on the camels for some more exploring. We visited a small village which was okay… we went around and looked at handicrafts. While it was touristy, it was also good because 1) it really does help the local economy, 2) you can tell by the houses and area that this place isn't wealthy from tourism (you can also tell that by how interested and shocked they are to see white people), and 3) it was interesting seeing how they made the handicrafts. I got two rugs which I want to hang on my wall.

We headed back and then left the desert to go to Osiyan, a town also on the edge of the desert but it also had two cool Buddhist and Hindu temples. They were okay but nothing to remarkable. We left to go back to Jodhpur that afternoon.

When we got into Jodhpur we went to our hotel which was in the Old City of Jodhpur. Jodhpur is the second largest city in Rajisthan (behind Jaipur where I am gojng next weekend) but is unique for 1) it's impressive fort on top of the local hill and 2) the city surrounding the fort which has all been painted a unique shade of blue. Blue is the color of Brahmins and the old city was where they lived in medieval times. To distinguish themselves, they painted their houses blue but now, just about everyone does it, Brahmin or not. The hotel were were at was a backpacker haunt in a 500 year-old building. Our room was the rooftop where we would sleep. But the best part about the rooftop was the view. We arrived at early duck and when we were brought to the roof, we were blown away. We were near the top of the opposite hill facing the fort with the old city between us. Blue buildings stretched over the city landscape and people were out on their roofs. Around dusk, lots of children (and adults too I guess) fly kites from their rooftops. The rooftops are like something out of Arabian nights. You could travel from one edge of the old city to the other just by hoping roofs. Watching people fly their kite and the sun set with Mehrangarh Fort as the backdrop was one of those moments which really make me think, "Where am I?"

After we took some much needed showers, we spent the rest of the night eating at the hotel restaurant, a comfortable place with cheapish food and pillows on the floor on which one can lay out. Yet another night of good friends and conversation made for more positive memories.

We woke up with the sun (we were on the roof after all), got breakfast, and visited Mehrangarh Fort, a fort built over the centuries by the maharaja of Marwar (the region around Jodhpur). It was an amazing fort and very well preserved (which is quite rare for India). Plus, there was a great audio tour that came with the ticket. The top of the fort had some great views of the blue buildings of Jodhpur and the arid surroundings of Rajisthan (why would anyone choose to live there I have no idea…) We went to get lunch at a place in the market that was recommended by a local and it had great food, some of the best I have had in India. And for how much? $2.50. There are times I love India.

We took the sleeper train back to Delhi later that evening. This time I slept much better. In fact all of us slept so well that we didn't even wake up when we got to Delhi. Luckily, Delhi was the last stop on the train so we just woke up to an empty train. It is nice to be home.

Adapters and More

So this last week the adapter to my computer died. This was a serious problem and by serious I mean that if my computer wasn't fixed by the weekend, how would I ever be able to play Sim City 4 when all my roommates were gone for the weekend in Amritsar while I was left in Delhi? An so the quest began...

Remember the post I had about my classes in India? How hard it was to get things done and to find what you needed to find? Well, it is not limited to classes. It took me basically the entire week to do everything. I went to several places, all who claimed they could fix the adapter and they would all tell me to come back tomorrow. I would do so faithfully only to hear, "No we can't fix it. Do you want a new one?" "Sure." "Then come back tomorrow." I would come back: "Sorry, we couldn't find your model."

Finally I went to the market devoted to computer stuff called Nehru market. And they had what I was looking for! I came home with my new adapter in hand, proud and victorious of getting something done in India, and plugged it in to my computer... it didn't work.

I called Dell Computer's technical support. The irony of the story is that Dell has all their call center sin India, but I could only call an American phone number which used up lots of international minutes (expensive!). And for what? Well, it turns out that Dell, although having so much located in India, cannot ship things to India for some reason because my account was an American one. Although the tech support people all seemed a little shocked to hear that i was in Delhi for 6 months...

I went back to Nehru Place, this time bringing my laptop and all to make absolutely sure it would work. And after trying several adapters, I found the right one. There are times when you just... love India.

As a side note, Nehru Place was a bizarre place. It was this huge open air place. Big, monolithic concrete buildings rose 6-7 stories above you. The first two floors was where all the market was. There were places that looked like all they sold was wiring right next to air-conditioned stores selling brand new computers. Even more bizarre was seeing the poor just hanging out in this seeming affluent and high-tech area. As I was entering the place, I saw one of the skinniest kids I have ever seen. He was lying down and when he got up I saw his bare legs. I cringed a little because they looked so thin, so small that it looked as though they could not support his weight.

But I think such sights are indicative of the real India that the newspapers don’t always talk about. India has a lot of potential. Nehru place just shows how much IT knowledge India has. But such knowledge was housed in monolithic buildings that reminded me of some Orwellian nightmare. India’s infrastructure has such a long way to go. And then there is still the massive amount of poverty. And I am in New Delhi, one of the nicest places of India! But that is the beauty of India, I guess. You are constantly bombarded by contrasting images: poor and rich, beautiful and mundane, developed and undeveloped. You see trash heaped up in water sources or some of the most beautiful mountain scenery one can imagine. You look from India Gate to the Parliament House, a beautiful procession way, but you see smog heavily clouding the view. What a fascinating place!

Hindi...Sort of...

My Hindi is finally starting to come along after a year of Urdu and 2 months (almost) of being in India doing langauage classes. Why now do I think this? Well..

This weekend, while the rest of my roomates were in Amritsar which a town where the central temples for Sikhs is located, I stayed home. I would have gone with them but i neede to save some money for bills and the like at the end of the month. Anyway, it is really easy to get cheap food delivered to our house so I decided to order in. The roomates and I have been collecting menus form restaurants around our area so I picked up one form a place that was close and had good food. Amy, the only other roomate who did not go, also wanted to order. I called the restaurant confidently; we had ordered in from many restaurants before. How could this time be differnt? They picked up and I asked my perenial question: "Aap Angrezi bol sukta hai?" (Do you speak English?) "Nahin" (No). Uh oh...

So I had to use my limited Hindi. The order was a complicated one because we kept asking for things and they said that they didn't have what Amy wanted. After some bumbling around and probably completely butchering the langauge as well as any pride I had previously about my Hindi skills, the food was ordered. In a strange way I felt rather accomplished. Ording things on the pone in another language can be hard! One can't see the other persons mouth and there is no visable body language, so one has to rely purely on one's knowledge of the language. It turns out my knowledge is limited but I can get by.

Karim’s Goodness

I’ve discovered a new love: Karim’s. For all you meat lovers out there, prepare to salivate.

Before I left for India, my Indian history professor told me that I MUST go to Karim’s, a Mughal-style restaurant right in the middle of Old Delhi next to Jama Masjid. Old Dlehi is the Muslim district of Delhi and Jama Masjid is the largest mosque in India. Old Delhi is filled with labyrinth of alleyways. It is packed with people, cycle rickshaws crowding the street, shops selling every kind of good, women in burkas next to women in sawahs, Muslim men sitting in groups discussing politics and everything else, tons of electrical and phone wires clumped together that somehow all make it to their destination, and smells of sewage, spices, and all of the humanity around you. It is great.

And the best part about Old Delhi is Karim’s. It is an authentic Mughal-styled restaurant with cooks that claim they have genuine Mughal recipes used for the Mughal emperors. And I believe them. This restaurant was voted one of the best restaurants in Asia by Time Magazine. The first time I went, I asked the waiter what was good and he pointed out a few things. We got all of them and when the food came… it was… life changing. I mean mutton with Indian spices, chicken soaked in a green curry, kebabs, and the best nan you will ever have. Me and the two other guys I went with bit into the mutton, stopped chewing for fear of it not being real, chewed a little more, all looked at each other rolling our eyes in delight, and continued eating knowing that this place would be a favorite place to eat for months to come. Just thinking about it makes me hungry and my mouth water…

First Day of Classes…

So in my absence of writing regular blogs, an important event happened: my first day of classes. But this first day of classes isn’t just like any other first day of classes. Why? Well…

To begin I actually should start with the registration process, before the day of classes. We met with the department heads as a group. I am in the first years’ master program in the History Department (which is technically like the U.S.’s fourth year of undergraduate college). He said that we should come another day to get the list of classes being offered. We came when he said we should and they said, “No, no. Come tomorrow.” Now just to give you a perspective of why this is a hassle let me give you a few words on why. IT IS HOT! I mean really, it is hot and humid and there are cars and pollution and lots pf people and we were walking! It wasn’t till later that we found out that everyone takes the cycle rickshaws to get everywhere. So we came back the next day and got the master list of classes. Now when people think of class lists at Davis, they imagine a well laid out plan with names of classes and times, etc. Not so much in India. It was like deciphering a code. After asking several people and going from one room to another we finally figured out the code only to discover that we needed the syllabus (which we didn’t have on us). We finally figured it out.

Now I chose to take classes so that I would have the greatest possible weekend times possible so I could travel and see all that India has to offer. The class I chose is Capitalism in Britain, France, and Germany from 1750-1964. When I went to class the first day, I had another EAP student who was in the same class. I looked for him (because the schedule does not have class room numbers where they are… why would one need that?) and her was ina class. I started to walk in and he shook his head like I should not go in. But too late… the door creaked increadibly loudly interrupting the whole class. 10 seconds later he emerges telling me that it was the wrong class. But he is followed by the professor who berates us (rightfully so) for interrupting the class asking us, “Is this common in your country? Because here it is incredibly rude to enter and exit classrooms while the class is going.” (Later we found out he was mad because this had happened several times to him by EAP students… he is actually quite nice) We then frantically looked for our classroom to no avail. We went to another building and looked around. Nothing. Finally we went back to the History Department and look one last time. The room we were looking for was right next to the one where the professor had just yelled at us. We walk in (45 minutes late) only to learn that the professor wasn’t coming that day. Why would he? It is only the first day of class… According to the students, professors sometimes just don’t show up for class.

What a first day…

Jane Marie Visit!

So before I begin this blog, I have to apologize that I have not been keeping it up to date! Recently, Jane Marie came to visit me in Delhi after she did her InterVarsity Global Urban Trek to Kolkata. Understandably, my blog was the last thing on my mind considering I only had a week with her before we would go without seeing each other for another 4 months! But the blogging will now resume!

Jane Marie’s visit was spectacular. First, it was so good to just see her! I mean it is amazing how much you can grow to depend on a person. My time in India has made me realize just how important she is to me and I had been missing her a lot. So when she came I was ecstatic to see her.

While we did do some sight seeing, what was really good was just to catch up. She had quite an experience in Kolkata and it was good for us to just catch up. We went to Fatehpur Sikri and Agra and saw the Taj Mahal. The Taj was gorgeous! It really was amazing to see something as beautiful as that with Jane Marie.

We then went back to Delhi and did… well… nothing really. We basically just wanted to hang out and so we didn’t really do a lot of sight seeing which was actually way better anyway. It was nice for her to see the basic structure of my life in Delhi. She met my roommates, saw my apartment, saw the place I grocery shop, saw my classes and the university, etc. It was really great.

I was a fairly hard hit by her departure but I think I am good now. After hearing about her experiences in Kolkata, it has really motivated me to 1) find an InterVarsity group at the DU campus so as to meet people and more importantly be part of a group of Christians (something I really miss!) and 2) find a good non-profit organization I can work with. If anyone knows of any, let me know!

Hope you enjoy the pictures of Jane Marie and me! Just for reference, the pictures are from the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur, Sikri, and Agra Fort.