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Published: February 12th 2007
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Hi, friends! Paul and I are in India! We are having a fabulous time. My experience so far has been rich and my senses are near saturation with all the newness. The first thing I notice is the smells. Immediately when our plane landed in Mumbai, I smelt the air and said "This is what India smells like - I remember!" I don't know how to describe it. It's just that there are so many flowers and spices in the air - even in the city - and maybe because the weather is different - I don't know, but it smells thick and rich, with a hint of sandalwood and occassionally spices and veggies mingling in the air....
We are now in Ahmedabad, a pretty large city (in the top 10 of India), where my family lives. It was strange seeing them at first because I haven't seen them in 15 years, but because they are so welcoming I feel at home and at ease after just a few short days. Ahmedabad has about 4 million people. It's growing like crazy. It's actually quite developed - there are lots of street lights (there were only 2 last tiem I was
Dwanil on Dholak
My cousin's 5 year old son plays the drums! here) and lots of shops and business. College education is free for women in this state (Gujarat) which is amazing and the people here are really ambitious.
The scene and sounds here are difficult to describe. Driving in India is VERY different. For us, the roads are terrifying. The concept of personal space in India is much closer than in the US, and this also applies to cars. At times, you feel like a car is coming head-on towards you only to barely swerve out of the way at the last second. In the city (not the highways) there are often no lanes, and people just drive wherever the heck they want. They all just push their way in, weaving all over the place. There is beeping ALL THE TIME. Some people just beep for fun. They beep everytime they pass another car or a person. Camels walk by on the street pulling carts of hay. There are bulls walking around, dogs laying on the street, and the occassional troupe of monkeys running around. The people are diverse - all are Indian, but different religions and traditions abound here. My family are Jain, and very religious. Even my 20-something
kids on street
These kids begged me to "Take a photo!" of them cousins go to temple every day - now that's devotion.
My family's welcome has been remarkable. We were greeted at the airport with big flower leis and the path to the bedroom we're staying in was laid out with red and white fragrant roses. My cousin, Samir, and his wife, Vaishu, has given up their bedroom for us so we are very comfortable - we have our own big bed and bathroom with a western toilet and shower - very luxurious for india. Yesterday they threw a big family reunion in our honor at a nice outdoor restaurant that looks like a traditional Indian village. 150 people came, and that was not everyone bcause my cousins and dad asked that only 2 from each family attend. People greeted us, and gave us money. It was amazing! These people do not have nearly as much as we do in the US yet they are infinitely more generous. Everywhere we visit, people are giving us homemade food and gifts. My cousin's wife cooks fresh everything every day, and the food is AMAZING. It's so much better than indian food in the US. Since my family is Jain, they dno't eat onions,
garlic, carrots, figs, meat, poulty, fish, or butter, and Gujarat is a dry state (no alcohol), and still the food is the most tasty I've ever had - no exagerration. I gotta learn to cook from these people!
It is such a blessing to be with my dad's brother, Arvindh and his wife, Niru. They are in their late 70's and are very wise and interesting people. They basically sacrificed everything to care for my dad and his brotehr when their mom died and their dad got sick. Nirukaki was only 15 and had to marry 'Arvindhkaka so they could start running the household. She had been from a wealthy family and did not know how to run a household, but had to learn it all at once under so much stress! I'll write more about them later.
A few days ago, we went to see Ghandi's ashram, which is here in Ahmedabad. It was inspirational and amazing! I may apply for a fellowship to do a project related to it.
Today we leave for Politana which is a mountain with a HUGE amount of Jain temples on top of it. You climb the mountain (3000 steps)
lady with water
this is how they often carry things in india and then see the temples. I'm excited!
I wish I had more time to write but we are off to go visit more of my dad
s multitude of friends!
Kari
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christine
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hey, spiced life!
wonderful to hear from you, guys! definitely enjoyed reading about your india explorations, i look forward for future entries. and don'tforget to send me the date and time of when you're setting your feet back in l.a. so we can plan the welcoming party accordingly.