A little bit of culture...

So, I thought that this blog around I’d give you all some useful tips about living India.  I’m going to start with the basics – not because I don’t think you can’t handle it all – but because I don’t want to scare you off too quickly.

Tip 1: Crossing the Street

Now, I want you to imagine that old arcade game Frogger (the one where a little frog has to jump back and forth between open spaces to get to the other side of the screen) Well, add in a few motorcycles and a cow or two and then you might have an illustration of the streets of India.  I’m not going to lie, the streets here are a bit dangerous.  You have to walk straight into on-coming traffic searching for empty spots between rickshaws, motorcycles, and cars to continue your journey to the other side – all the while being careful not to run into a cow, a herd of cows, or some cow dung (I’ve had a few missteps with the last of those).  Instead of fearing for my life, I try to just take a deep breath and jump into the action.  Fortunately, rural streets are not this terrible and it’s only in cities that you have to deal with this onslaught.

One of the traffic circles in Solapur.   It looks calm right now, 
but you have no idea how fierce it can get.  This picture doesn't 
do justice to the cow population of the city.

Speaking of which, I’d like to add a little description of Solapur, the closest city to where I’m living.  It’s about 40km away from my NGO campus, or about a 1 hour bus ride (more on this later).  Although Solapur is the 3^rd or 4^th largest city in Maharashtra (the state I’m in), I think “rural city” is its best description.  I have heard that this was once a booming, prosperous city with a large textile industry, but given the advent of globalization and cheaper products elsewhere (cough…China…) its economy has dwindled.  With a population of about 1.4 million people, the city is a large collection of universities, restaurants, and shops.  Fortunately for me, it is the home of non-vegetarian food and accessible routes to other large cities throughout India.  I’ve been back and forth for work (we have an office there), and explored the city a bit on weekends. 

Navipeth Street: the main market of Solapur.  This place is 
CROWDED on Sundays (this picture is taken on a Sunday), 
especially because at this time people are preparing
 for Diwali - the Indian New Year on November 5.

I also took a trip to Tuljapur, the “capital” of the “county” that I live in.  I say capital, only because it is that in name only.  Tuljapur is a small city of about 400,000 that is famous for a temple (mandir) that people make pilgrimage to during the holiday of Dasserah (read back to previous post).  People will walk anywhere from 30 to 100 km to this temple during the holiday season.  This temple is for the deity Jaya Bauwani.  Now, I didn’t go for religious reasons, but rather because the nursing students at my NGO were participating in a Polio Eradication Program in Tuljapur giving Polio Immunization to children.  (Quick Note: Polio has a vaccine and has been completely eradicated in the “Western” world.  However, India and many developing countries continue to struggle to universally provide the vaccine and continues to have incidences of the disease – last year 39 cases in India.  The international health community wants Polio gone from the planet).  So, I was able to check out another rural town, another great temple, and another chance for non-veg food.

Some of the nursing students giving out the Polio vaccine at the 
temple.

A view of the temple.  No pictures were allowed inside, 
but this place had everything from vending 
stalls to baths.  It's not only just a place to pray.

Tip 2: Taking the Bus

Now, the form of transportation between Anadur and Solapur is by public bus.  Let me tell you, never has an hour felt so long.  Once the bus pulls up to the station, there is a frantic rush as people run toward the small door.  Pushing and shoving, you make room as the bus empties out and then battle your way inside to find a seat.  Sometimes the bus isn’t that crowded and a seat is easily found.  Other days, a bus that should seat maybe 50 can be packed with anywhere up to 100 people, requiring most people to stand in cramped conditions for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.  Not the most ideal conditions. Add to this the stress of being stuck between a crying baby and someone who might not have showered recently, and you’ll have not so quite a happy camper by the end of the ride. 

The bus stand in Solapur.  Imagine all these people
 running and pushing (women and children included) 
to get onto the bus.  It's brutal.

But aside from that, I really have been learning a lot here.  I’d love to share every conversation/ tidbit that I’ve learned, but I realize you all have normal lives to get to…so I’ll try to be succinct.  Maybe because the community here at the NGO is more educated, or that the standard in India is much higher, but I’ve found my present company to be very educated about their country.  From state and national politics, to economics and culture, there are very few questions that I can throw at my colleagues without receiving some kind of response.  And there is definitely a sense of national pride, with most answers starting with “In our India…”.  Interesting topics that I’ve been able to discuss are:

1. Relations with China.. definitely on the rocks.  Imagine global powers battling it out.  Not that strong yet, but there are tensions.
2. Cricket – life or death. Either you love it, or you die loving it.  Cricket games can last anywhere from 1 to 5 days depending on the type.  
3. Joint Families: Newly married women move into their husband’s home (who currently and will continue to live in his parent’s home). Now comes the interesting part: the mother-in-law.  This family figure holds a VERY esteemed position in a very patriarchal society and has a ferocious grip over the lives of this couple.  I’ve heard stories: a mother-in-law who after her daughter-in-law gave birth to her first child (a boy) forcing the doctor to sterilize the daughter (without the daughter’s knowledge and consent).  Medical ethics aside, I think this is a step too far.  Who ever though family politics could be so daunting. (For those of you interested, a good book which fictionally looks at this is: The Spaces Between Us by Thrity Umrigar). 

Now, me asking all these questions requires a bit of quid pro quo.  I’ve been asked my fair share in return.  And I do my best to answer questions about American life.  I can get by on most pop-culture and political related questions (the recent election in the US has given me so fodder to talk about).   But there are a few that have really have left me dumbfounded… and I am usually not someone who cannot provide an answer.  Some of the more difficult ones:

1)      What does a mushroom taste like? – Mushrooms aren’t used too much here in rural Maharahstra. Any advice on describing the umami flavor?

2)      How many hectacres of corn are grown in the US?  -- I don’t think these people realize that I have never been to a farm before

3)      How much does 1 kg of ground nuts cost?  -- First, I don’t know.  Second, what’s a ground nut? 

a.       Turns out, through later investigation, a “ground nut” is actually a peanut.  Once I explained that they were asking me about peanuts, a fierce debate ensued in which I was told that no, “peas” were not “nuts” and that they were referring to “ground nuts”.  I tried my best to explain that a “peanut” and a “pea” were different in American English.  I think it may be a lost cause.

The sugarcane farm behind my NGO.  One day a few coworkers 
and I decided to take a walk back here.   Here, a friend is 
grabbing a piece of grown sugarcane.  We later stripped and ate 
the raw sugarcane.  I had a "WTF? moment as I realized 
I really was living in rural India.

The main street of Anadur.  Sorry not the greatest 
picture, but it  was sunset and it was the best I could get.  
More to come.

Auntie: the cook in the mess.  Here she is posing in 
front of Ladu (a sweet eaten year-round), which is 
being made specifically for the upcoming Diwali holiday.

Tip 3: Yes…or No.  The Indian Bobble Head           

I fully blame the Barwani family for not educating me around this bit of Indian culture before arriving in India.  For those of you watching “Outsourced”, you may be familiar with this.  For everyone else, I’ll do my best to explain.  The Indian Bobble Head is a facial gesture to any question that requires a yes/no answer (or anything in between).  Now, it looks like a “no” head nod from side-to-side, but in fact requires a soft “figure 8” movement of the chin.  In effect, it makes one look like their head is similar to that of a bobble head doll.  The meaning of such movements:  Well, I had originally learned that it meant a solid “Yes” (which is confusing given the side-to-side motion similar to our “No”).  However, my time here in Anadur has shown me that this simple head gesture is far more complex.  It can be interpreted to mean anything from a simple “Yes” to an “I Understand” or an Indian “Yes” (which means that I might know the answer, just not exactly to the question you’re asking), to a “Maybe”.  I have not yet seen it mean a solid “No”, but I’m not holding that out as an option.  So, in other words, I have to do my best to interpret this head gesture ON TOP of the whole new language thing.  I guess it never ends.

I think that may be enough cultural immersion for now.  But next update, be prepared.  Diwali is coming November 5 (the Indian version of Christmas/Hanukah) and I have a trip to Pune and Mumbai planned!  Definite excursions ahead.

Andrew

And just in case you forgot how your far-away 
friend looked.  Here's me posing in front of the 
Fort in Solapur.