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Published: February 15th 2016
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This morning we leave the colorful state of Rajasthan for Agra and our visit to the Taj Majal. Our stop last night was just to shorten the drive to Agra and the hotel didnt come close to the "castle" if the previous two nights. We were just happy to get here since the bus broke down about 15 miles from the hotel. Fortunately there was another OAT group ahead of us and they were able to send a bus to retrieve us from the side of the road! The road we were driving on was by far the best we have seen so far--- a two lane divided highway that was reasonably well paved. There were still crazy drivers, tractors, overloaded carts as well as cows on the roads. The rides continue to be entertaining!
Yesterday began with a visit to a school. I was afraid we wouldn't get to see many children since it was Sunday, but the word spread quickly through the village that the were there and at least 40 children showed up as soon as we arrived. I led the group in "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" which they clearly had heard before. Others in our
group then came forward to lead other songs before we broke into smaller groups for a spontaneous "lesson". This school is a "private" school which receives some support from the Grand circle Foundation (OAT parent company) so it had some "luxuries" such as bathrooms and nicely painted walls. More significantly, the teachers all have college degrees which is not true in the government schools. It was still hard to imagine 200 students and 9 teachers in the space we saw.
We next walked through the village and ended at a home where we had tea and had a chance to take to the Family. This particular family owned a fair amount of land which had been divided among 3 brothers. When a man marries, his wife comes to live in his home with her husband and in-laws. 80% of the marriages in India are arranged. Only in the large cities are "love marriages" becoming more common---though even there they are clearly the exception.
Our final stop was at a cooperative where women (and some men) are trained to make handicrafts to sell. The program was started to help people who had previously made a living from poaching in
the Rathambore Park before poaching was outlawed. The woman who started the cooperative had been a tourist from Bangalore man
Things are changing for women somewhat in India. More and more girls are going to school even in the rural areas. Boys are still highly valued in the family. I found it interesting that it is ilegal to find out the sex of the child before it is born. After the introduction of sonograms, there was a large number of abortions of girl babies. Finally there was a recognition that the sex ratio was was off balance and there were not going to be enough girls for all the men! A doctor can lose his license and face criminal charges if it is proven that he/she revealed the sex of a child to the parents.
The bus is about to leave. Tomorrow the Taj Majal!
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