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Published: February 20th 2006
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Leader?
An advertisment for the local Urdu daily, 'Etemad'. Take special notice of the number of electric wires to the right. I guess it was inevitable, but the controversy over those Danish cartoons was the reason for large riots last Friday in the Old City of Hyderabad, a predominantly Muslim (Sunni and Shi’a) area. I found out when I was told not to go into the city for three days, for fear that the sight of a Westerner would make rioters even angrier. While the police knew that there would be some activity after Friday prayers, they did not anticipate the large size and unruliness of the crowd; in fact, the Old City was hit with a curfew on Friday to try and quell the disturbance.
I wonder if this will affect the impending visit of George W. Bush--? Yes, he is expected in Hyderabad in early March. I’ve posted a nice picture of a local advertisement featuring the president. (I just can’t get away from him—even in India!)
So, besides my two previous posts about my activities during Muharram I have still more to share. Staying for a couple of days with Maliheh and her family were really an experience; for example, I slept on the living room floor with the rest of the family for my nights there.
Alams
The special gold and black drapes symbolize the glory of Husayn and his family after their martyrdom. The Indian houses that I have been invited into usually are comprised of three small rooms: one large sitting room that functions as a bedroom for the family, a small kitchen, and a storage area (or sometimes a god/goddess shrine room). The bathrooms are usually squat toilets and sometimes are located outside of the main home.
Meals were always very simple offerings, but as the guest I was always given more meat to have. In fact, I was always, in every house I visited, given much, much more to eat. Against my pleadings, I was instructed to have seconds and thirds. This hospitality was great, however when I developed my first bout with the ‘traveler’s diarrhea’ I did not want to eat anything and Maliheh did not quite understand at first.
Another interesting experience was the reaction of others when I arrived with Maliheh and her family to the functions we attended. First of all, everyone stared. Then they would ask Maliheh who I was, and soon I would hear the whispers: ‘Shrivrampally’ (the area of Hyderabad where my school is), ‘research’, and ‘American’. Many, many were eager to ask me about my interests, about the United States,
New Friends
These girls have helped me a lot with translation and understanding since I have joined them for majalis. and even about George Bush (‘Did he send you?’) And each time that I explained what my research interests were and that I have studied Islam and Shi’ism, I received another lecture on the Five Pillars of Islam, or what makes Shi’as special. Another question I was asked every time was if I am married. After I while I was tired of trying to explain why I am not, and I came up with a clever response--I told people that I am married to my studies! That always got a laugh.
After spending some time with me, the women felt comfortable enough to give some grooming advice. First of all, they kept asking me why I didn’t comb my hair. I told them of course I comb it in the morning, but it just does what it wants and I end up twisting it in a messy bun on my head. Then they said that my hair looked ‘awkward’, and that easily I could visit a ladies parlor where they would take care of my ‘problem’. Laughing a bit inside, I simply thanked them for their advice. However, when they suggested that I also color my hair darker because
Charminar
Built thousands of years ago by the Nizams, Charminar orignially held a school for the Nizam's children, but now it functions as a tourist spot. Charminar is the symbol of Hyderabad's Old City my natural color was strange, I told them thanks, but I like my hair and its color! I did however start to bring a comb with me and I pulled my hair back in a single ponytail—to which the women told me, ‘good job’.
During the Ashura processions I accompanied Maliheh and her family to watch the parade up close. Because one of my goals was to take as many pictures as I could, I frequently pushed myself up to the front of the crowd in order to get a clear shot. Later, Maliheh and her female friends remarked that they were surprised how bold I was. Confused, I asked them to explain. They said that as Indian women they would never push themselves so that they stood in front of a man, and they were amused that I had done exactly that. This was another instance when I realized how much I take for granted the culture and normative situation I was raised in—I didn’t even think twice about doing what I did.
That's all for now. I'm going south this weekend to the state of Tamil Nadu, and I'll update when I return.
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Enjoyed the update!
Thanks for sharing - how interesting the Indian women's perception of you and vice versa!