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Published: March 7th 2006
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12-30
I can't get over the fact that there are more people in India than I've ever seen and most of them seem to be walking. Indian people just walk. It's kind of like when you're on the freeway in a traffic jam and you wonder just where the hell are all of these people going. It's kind of like that. It's strange because with all of these people of all different types of faiths and beliefs, you'd expect there to be more feelings of racial tension, but I don't feel it. In L.A. I feel it, here I don't. But then again, I know that there are tensions between the Muslims and the Hindis as told to me by Vikram. He told me that there were riots in Bombay because there is a temple that the Muslims think belongs to them and the Hindis believe that it belongs to them. The Muslims burned the temple down and there were riots that killed many people. Eventually the riots stopped, but the temple (originally Hindi I believe) has never been rebuilt. Makes the whole Rodney King thing seem like a stroll in the park comparably. But I have felt relatively safe
Chandra cousins
"Boy, these westerners are weird!" in Mumbai. I think because there are so many people in the street, I feel like no one's going to mug me in front of so many others. Besides Indian men are small, I can take them. Apparently it's much more dangerous in places like New Dehli and Calcutta, luckily I'll not be hitting them on the trip and they won't be hitting back. I guess I'll just have to find some theater back in the states that's showing "Oh Calcutta", purely for research purposes of course.
I also think that there aren't the same types of tensions here because of Hinduism. In the Hindu belief, you will be ressurected in the next life and if you lived your life as a good Hindu, you're next life will be better and you'll rise in the caste system. There's no American dream or pie in the sky that you'll eat in this life. Here, people accept their lots and try to live as best they can. This is not absolute as I'm sure the western influence has changed some of the Indian beliefs, but how else can someone accept terrible poverty unless they believe that something better's coming around the
Vikram's mom & sis
Mom and filmmaker sis corner. So they accept sleeping under mosquito netting in front of a rich Bollywood director's house. To paint a picture for you, it's Beverly Hills, skid row, and the Sherman Oaks galleria crowd all living together with cows, monkeys, donkeys, beggars, and cow dung. It's Noah's ark on land except there's much much more than two of everything.
I've noticed that boys are treated with a reverence here that girls aren't. It was the same in Asia because boys have a better chance to make a living than girls and dowry's are expensive for any daughter getting married. Girls have actually been killed because of this apparently.
SHOPPING:
Needless to say, our first day in India (post jet-lag) was spent shopping since everything is pretty cheap here. 45 rupees equals a dollar. A soft drink is 12 rupees to give you a comparison. Danielle and I decided to wear traditional Indian outfits for the wedding which consisted of a kurta for me and a salwar something or other for Danielle. I look like Yul Brenner in the King and I. Yes, I look hot. Danielle looks great as well, yes she's on the email list as well.
Mel & one of Vikram's aunts
This is the first time that many of the aunts and cousins have met Melanie so it was a tad nerve-wracking for Mel as well. Jewish women and Hindi men do not get married often in Mumbai if you can believe it. We weren't forced to buy traditional Indian wear, but we figured that we didn't want to be the only people wearing Garanimals while everyone else was in Izods if you get my drift. We felt like royalty putting the outfits on and I promise to wear it again so someone, please plan some kind of Indian get together and invite us. So now we look good and besides the seriously polluted air we're breathing, we feel good. I pray to Vishnu that it lasts.
Dinner at the Chandras:
The Chandra's (Vikram's family) made dinner for the westerners that came to India and I am astonished at their generousity and graciousness. The entire family has welcomed not only us into their house in the suburb known as Bandra, but they also rented the top apartment in their building to accomodate around 25 family members that are coming from out of town. Imagine having 25 out of town relatives staying at your pad. In the dictionary, Generous and Gracious have the Chandra family pictured under it. Vikram's parents are very nice and his mother was one of the first female filmmakers in Bollywood. He has two sisters Tanu and Anu.
Chandra clan
Vikram's the lucky guy in front with some of his family Tanu is a director and Anu is a journalist who finished top of her class...at NorthfriggingWestern! Yes, that Northwestern. The only thing Anu and I had during our college careers is that our schools both had "North" in them. Published author, director, and a journalist as kids...Vikram's parents are living every parents wet dream. Good news! I went to college with a guy in N.Y. named Vinay Pathak who moved to Mumbai to be an actor. Tanu has his phone number and I'll see if Vinay remembers me after nine years because I have a lot less hair now. Hopefully, so does he.
Back to the dinner...
All of us sat down to dinner except for the Indian women (aunts, mom, sister, cousins). They served us the food. I assumed that after they served us, that they would sit down and join us to eat. They didn't. It was Jewish mother central as our plates were kept constantly full by the women. You finished your bread, a new piece was there an instant later. I was told to always finish everything on my plate but in this case, it was impossible, so after three pieces of parantha, I kept
Our very own cooks...
These are the cooks who the Chandra's hired to cook our meal for us which was incredible. the fourth one untouched in order to not get another. It worked. The Indian women only ate after we left the table.
12-31 11:18am
New Years eve. The end of 33 and the beginning of 34. We're celebrating at the Grand Hyatt which is a beautiful hotel and a great hotel if you don't mind the fact that you are far away from the sights of India. But if you want a great spa, a gorgeous pool, and tv sets on each treadmill, go to Hyatt! May your new years be filled with great joy and happiness!!!!
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