Dear friends,
Just to drop you a quick and rather belated note - all is well with my
folks and myself in India. We're not anywhere near Mumbia and we were
not affected by the trouble down there - although we did catch some of
the horror on TV. We have friends in the Indian Air Force and many of
my dad's friends are ex-IAF, it's been interesting to hear their
perspectives on recent events .. there has been much talk about the
media holding the politicians accountable - people are hoping for some
change in the positive direction with the govt. India is definitely an
interesting place with much diversity in the issues people care about.
Just today we were visiting a gurudwara and one of the ladies from the
local village started to talk to me as I was wandering around.
lady: Are you from outside (ie from abroad)
me: I'm coming from Delhi most recently but yes settled in the US.
Where are you from?
lady: I'm from here only. My daughter just finished grade 12, she's
very beautiful. Though I only studied till grade 8, I made sure my
daughers finished 12th. We're Ramgarhia (carpenter cast). What cast
are you?
me: sorry, I have no idea. It's great to hear about your daughters though.
lady: huh? You should ask your dad what cast you are .. my daughter
really wants to go abroad, and she keeps rejecting any boys we find
for her (note: this is a little hard to explain in English especially
to those of you who are not familiar with how marriages are arranged
in my culture - also since I didn't grow up in a village, much of it
is unfamiliar for me too. When matchmaking, the questions people ask
and the things people care about are different depending on whether
you're from the village or a cosmopolitan city, depending on your
level of education etc).
me: all the best to your daughter but marriage is not the only way to
go abroad. Is she working, are there decent employment opportunities
for a grade 12 student. (In a lot of punjab that I've been visiting,
the culture is conservative. In this case, she's of course not really
even allowed to work plus I'm not sure what opportunities there are
for her - although things have changed much since the mum only studied
till grade 8. The education is really there to make her more
competitive in finding a better mate. At least that was what I
understood from this story -- of course, competition for a mate
happens in all cultures in equal measure, but I'll have to think a
little more about those similarities and differences another time :-)
.
I've been spending time with mum and dad since I got back from Nepal.
We've spent much time visiting gurudwaras (sikh temples) as mum is
very religious and also visiting friends and family along the way. We
also visited dad's boarding school where he studied from 10yrs of age
to 16yrs. That was fabulous - definitely a highlight for me!
Anyhow, this was meant to be a quick note to say, I'm alive and well
.. :-) .. the last few weeks have been great fun, but the internet is
shotty here and I've been unwilling to spend oodles of time on it. I
hope to move my notes and photos from my laptop to my blog as soon as
I return to my travels in late december!
sat sri akal,
- jasmine
Monday, December 15, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Dad visits his school in Belgaum after 44 years!
12.07.08
Dad visits his school in Belgaum after 44 years!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is a Sunday and we're off to see dad's old school. He came to boarding school here when he was 10 and completed his schooling when he was 16, at which point he was off to the National Defence Academy, continuing on to a career in the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Since it was a Sunday, the main gate was closed. The side gate was open, so he told us to wait for him while he went in to find out where we could enter. I sensed his excitement and anticipation at being there though he was trying to contain it. Mum and I waited in the car for some time, then we figured we might as well go take a walk since the campus looked inviting. It is very green with very old Banyan trees - over time the branches of these ancient giants drop down and form new roots - they look amazing. As we wandered around the main campus road, we saw dad returning - he'd met a young student of class XI, whom he'd asked to be his guide. First thing dad suggested we do is go visit the Principle so he knows who we are instead of randomly walking around. The young student, Vijayendra accompanied us to Principle Alagraj's home. His wife and him were in this morning, and invited us in for coffee. I think he was surprised and just as happy to see a former student return. Dad was reminiscing about his good old school days with Col. Alagraj, asking him how things had changed, whether some old traditions were still there and who else might still be around. All the contained anticipation of coming here, not knowing if we'd make it, was slowly pouring out. Col. and Mrs. Alagraj were very hospitable and nice. After spending some time with them, we took our guide, Vijayendra and headed off to campus.
As we walked through the campus, we saw the different houses and the one to which dad belonged. In India, all the students of a school are organised into what we call houses. There are generally 4 houses and the idea is that during competitions you represent your house. In the case of a boarding school, your quarters, which are the same for all students, is located according to your house. The campus and buildings are old - from British times, I think. Though dad didn't remember his exact room, he showed us the general area. As we wandered, the students who were playing cricket or just chilling on a Sunday came by to say hello. They were a confident bunch, standing around with mum and dad asking all kinds of curious questions. A recurring question was how many of dad's graduating class went to the National Defence Academy (NDA). The school used to be called King George's Belgaum, but is now called the Rashtriya Military School. As such, many of the young kids aspire to go to the armed services. During dad's time, only the best of the best went to the services, and if you were really good and worked very hard, you'd try for the Air Force as a fighter pilot - as dad did :-). I imagine it is still the same, but competition might be more fierce and the students have to undergo extra coaching to compete in addition to the normal class load. Almost any young person that saw us, made it a point to come wish us good afternoon - I was impressed by how polite and courteous they all were.
Dad showed us the mess where all students sit and eat together, grouped according to the house to which they belong. The mess folk were preparing the evening dinner, and they showed us the enormous task of organising food for all the students. I believe the school has a total of about 350 students. The boxing ring, which also served as a makeshift temple during major festivals of the many faiths in India was still there though it now had a wall around it. As dad often told us: during a Hindu festival, the boxing ring would become a Hindu temple and a Hindu priest would come and explain the significance of the day to all students; during a Sikh festival, it would be a gurudwara and a Sikh priest would come and explain to all students and so on for Christian and Muslim festivals. Dad showed us the swimming pool, where he learnt to swim and play water polo, which he continued through his NDA days. I've seen black and white photos of the pool. Another memory he had was of playing football. During his time in school, one of the Principle's was ex-NDA from the Fox squadron and had set up an exchange whereby the Fox squadron football team would come play against the King George's football team. Dad had incidentally played against Fox squadron as a student in Belgaum and later when he was in NDA, he'd ended up in Fox squadron and had yet again come back to Belgaum to play football against his old school representing NDA's Fox squadron.
Mum and I also enjoyed wandering around the grounds admiring the beautiful murals, the old trees, lots of greenery and the nice environment. The main road was also lined with little cement structures with motivational sayings like: `Knowledge speaks, wisdom listens', by Jimi Hendrix. It was a very positive experience. The weather was pleasant, perhaps because Belgaum is somewhat close to the west coast and also because it is very green so the cool breeze keeps the temperatures pleasant.
I feel that there are times in life, when we are truly in a state of bliss. There is a contagious, positive energy about us that draws out a general feeling of well-being and contentment in us and those around us - it's almost as if everyone is sharing the same emotions. I think mum and I were sharing these with dad on this day, he was reliving his old memories and we too were infected with abundance of emotion and happiness dad felt - it was a good day!
Dad visits his school in Belgaum after 44 years!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is a Sunday and we're off to see dad's old school. He came to boarding school here when he was 10 and completed his schooling when he was 16, at which point he was off to the National Defence Academy, continuing on to a career in the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Since it was a Sunday, the main gate was closed. The side gate was open, so he told us to wait for him while he went in to find out where we could enter. I sensed his excitement and anticipation at being there though he was trying to contain it. Mum and I waited in the car for some time, then we figured we might as well go take a walk since the campus looked inviting. It is very green with very old Banyan trees - over time the branches of these ancient giants drop down and form new roots - they look amazing. As we wandered around the main campus road, we saw dad returning - he'd met a young student of class XI, whom he'd asked to be his guide. First thing dad suggested we do is go visit the Principle so he knows who we are instead of randomly walking around. The young student, Vijayendra accompanied us to Principle Alagraj's home. His wife and him were in this morning, and invited us in for coffee. I think he was surprised and just as happy to see a former student return. Dad was reminiscing about his good old school days with Col. Alagraj, asking him how things had changed, whether some old traditions were still there and who else might still be around. All the contained anticipation of coming here, not knowing if we'd make it, was slowly pouring out. Col. and Mrs. Alagraj were very hospitable and nice. After spending some time with them, we took our guide, Vijayendra and headed off to campus.
As we walked through the campus, we saw the different houses and the one to which dad belonged. In India, all the students of a school are organised into what we call houses. There are generally 4 houses and the idea is that during competitions you represent your house. In the case of a boarding school, your quarters, which are the same for all students, is located according to your house. The campus and buildings are old - from British times, I think. Though dad didn't remember his exact room, he showed us the general area. As we wandered, the students who were playing cricket or just chilling on a Sunday came by to say hello. They were a confident bunch, standing around with mum and dad asking all kinds of curious questions. A recurring question was how many of dad's graduating class went to the National Defence Academy (NDA). The school used to be called King George's Belgaum, but is now called the Rashtriya Military School. As such, many of the young kids aspire to go to the armed services. During dad's time, only the best of the best went to the services, and if you were really good and worked very hard, you'd try for the Air Force as a fighter pilot - as dad did :-). I imagine it is still the same, but competition might be more fierce and the students have to undergo extra coaching to compete in addition to the normal class load. Almost any young person that saw us, made it a point to come wish us good afternoon - I was impressed by how polite and courteous they all were.
Dad showed us the mess where all students sit and eat together, grouped according to the house to which they belong. The mess folk were preparing the evening dinner, and they showed us the enormous task of organising food for all the students. I believe the school has a total of about 350 students. The boxing ring, which also served as a makeshift temple during major festivals of the many faiths in India was still there though it now had a wall around it. As dad often told us: during a Hindu festival, the boxing ring would become a Hindu temple and a Hindu priest would come and explain the significance of the day to all students; during a Sikh festival, it would be a gurudwara and a Sikh priest would come and explain to all students and so on for Christian and Muslim festivals. Dad showed us the swimming pool, where he learnt to swim and play water polo, which he continued through his NDA days. I've seen black and white photos of the pool. Another memory he had was of playing football. During his time in school, one of the Principle's was ex-NDA from the Fox squadron and had set up an exchange whereby the Fox squadron football team would come play against the King George's football team. Dad had incidentally played against Fox squadron as a student in Belgaum and later when he was in NDA, he'd ended up in Fox squadron and had yet again come back to Belgaum to play football against his old school representing NDA's Fox squadron.
Mum and I also enjoyed wandering around the grounds admiring the beautiful murals, the old trees, lots of greenery and the nice environment. The main road was also lined with little cement structures with motivational sayings like: `Knowledge speaks, wisdom listens', by Jimi Hendrix. It was a very positive experience. The weather was pleasant, perhaps because Belgaum is somewhat close to the west coast and also because it is very green so the cool breeze keeps the temperatures pleasant.
I feel that there are times in life, when we are truly in a state of bliss. There is a contagious, positive energy about us that draws out a general feeling of well-being and contentment in us and those around us - it's almost as if everyone is sharing the same emotions. I think mum and I were sharing these with dad on this day, he was reliving his old memories and we too were infected with abundance of emotion and happiness dad felt - it was a good day!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Bider and onto Belgaum
12.06.08
7:30am
Nanak Jhira Langar Hall, Bider
-----------------------------------------------------
I'm sitting in the langer hall at the Nanak Jhira gurudwara in Bider. It's yet another historical Gurudwara of Baba Nanak. He travelled extensively during what are known as his 4 Udasi's - one in each direction. He is believed to have come here during his travels to the South. These gurudwaras in the South have a different atmosphere - for one thing, you see a larger number of non Sikh people visiting and in the langar (community kitchen).
We came to Bider yesterday from Nanded; hard to believe it's winter down here given how hot it is. The countryside through Maharashtra and Karnataka is beautiful: there are rolling hills as you go ascend and descend down what are known as Ghats. It is quite green, with a good number of trees and fields of lentils, bananas, papayas, sugarcane etc.
In the evening, I decided to visit the old town. Mum and dad dropped me off on their way to visit another Gurudwara about 10km from here. The old town is a predominantly Muslim neighborhood. It appeared to be a conservative Muslim neighborhood as most of the women I saw were burka clad with only their eyes showing. I presume the women who were not wearing burka's were not Muslim though I don't know. Bideri work is an art form locally from here, though originally brought here from Persia I presume. I walked into a shop where the people were doing Bideri work, they walked me through the process. They were nice, I told them I'd stop by on my way back from the Madrassa which is where I was headed right now. The Khwaja Muhammad Madrassa was built in the 15th c. and was a great place of learning. Currently, the mosque is intact but, there are some ruins, and some renovation work going on. It is a neat place to go see: big and old. I'm sure it's a lot of fun for kids to play around. As I was wandering, a bunch of young school boys started talking to me and showing me around. One of them who was in class V was especially curious. And he spoke so sweetly and politely:
kid: Aap musalmaan hain (are you a Muslim)?
me: Nahin, main sikh hoon (no, I'm a Sikh).
kid: Aap, sunday to namaaz parti hain (do you read namaaz on sunday).
me: well .. not really. (but that was hard to explain)
me: Agar main namaaz kay time par aajao, tho kya main masjid dekh sakte hoon. (can I see the
mosque if I come during prayer time, even though I'm not a muslim).
kid: Aap tho waisey bhi masjid nahin dekh sakte hoo, kyonki aap aurat ho. (you can't go
inside the mosque anyway because you're a woman).
me (thinking to myself): Ha, my mistake -- I'm glad he told me, I had no idea.
He said it very seriously and innocently .. it was amusing. On the way back, I stopped at the Bideri work place. I bought some things, and the shop guys told me I could catch a local bus from here if I wanted. So I sat there and waited and chatted with one of the local artisans. And yet again, I was offered tea - part of the Indian hospitality and probably also because I'd bought something from them and might return tomorrow to get a few more things. The artisan was telling me about a communal incident that had taken place between some Hindu and Sikh boys many years ago. His language was a little hard to understand and I had to get back else mum + dad would be worried otherwise I would've liked to stay and listen to his version of events.
----------------------------
3:00pm
Off to Belgaum
----------------------------
We decided to leave for Belgaum around noon. It is about 480km from Bider, however, roads in India are not great and we prefer to drive during the day. It was late to start but we have tomorrow plus it is a rare opportunity for dad to get back to his school after 44 years! The two lane highway here is actually quite good, we were zipping at 115km/hr in certain places. The road was good, and though there was occasionally a bullock cart and some scooter and motorcycle traffic, it was not very dense.
Just as we were optimistic about getting to Belgaum on time, we got stuck in a traffic jam. It was caused by a truck that had flipped sideways and was blocking both the lanes. It had happened recently. There was one police man and a gazzilion spectators - all the villagers from the village across the river must have been there. Some of the people started emptying the truck so they could more easily move it out of the road; though most were standing around. After the truck had been emptied - dad suggested the police guy try and get the small cars through the gap one at a time. Since not much was happening, he stepped up and started directing traffic at least until we were across. Even after getting on the other side there were a lot of people and since two wheelers were able to get across, they were taking up the entire road, plus the small cars were bypassing the trucks in our lane to try to get ahead. It was somewhat chaotic but we managed to get out within half an hour .. whew!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunset between Gulburga and Bijapur
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Red orange ball of fire,
a perfect circle in the horizon.
Flat endless road,
plantations of sunflower, cotton, corn,
trees and fields abound.
A bullock cart and herd of sheep,
share the highway.
In the distance,
tree canopies litter the landscape.
Rehras Sahib,
thus begins the raga of evening prayer
as the sun sets.
7:30am
Nanak Jhira Langar Hall, Bider
-----------------------------------------------------
I'm sitting in the langer hall at the Nanak Jhira gurudwara in Bider. It's yet another historical Gurudwara of Baba Nanak. He travelled extensively during what are known as his 4 Udasi's - one in each direction. He is believed to have come here during his travels to the South. These gurudwaras in the South have a different atmosphere - for one thing, you see a larger number of non Sikh people visiting and in the langar (community kitchen).
We came to Bider yesterday from Nanded; hard to believe it's winter down here given how hot it is. The countryside through Maharashtra and Karnataka is beautiful: there are rolling hills as you go ascend and descend down what are known as Ghats. It is quite green, with a good number of trees and fields of lentils, bananas, papayas, sugarcane etc.
In the evening, I decided to visit the old town. Mum and dad dropped me off on their way to visit another Gurudwara about 10km from here. The old town is a predominantly Muslim neighborhood. It appeared to be a conservative Muslim neighborhood as most of the women I saw were burka clad with only their eyes showing. I presume the women who were not wearing burka's were not Muslim though I don't know. Bideri work is an art form locally from here, though originally brought here from Persia I presume. I walked into a shop where the people were doing Bideri work, they walked me through the process. They were nice, I told them I'd stop by on my way back from the Madrassa which is where I was headed right now. The Khwaja Muhammad Madrassa was built in the 15th c. and was a great place of learning. Currently, the mosque is intact but, there are some ruins, and some renovation work going on. It is a neat place to go see: big and old. I'm sure it's a lot of fun for kids to play around. As I was wandering, a bunch of young school boys started talking to me and showing me around. One of them who was in class V was especially curious. And he spoke so sweetly and politely:
kid: Aap musalmaan hain (are you a Muslim)?
me: Nahin, main sikh hoon (no, I'm a Sikh).
kid: Aap, sunday to namaaz parti hain (do you read namaaz on sunday).
me: well .. not really. (but that was hard to explain)
me: Agar main namaaz kay time par aajao, tho kya main masjid dekh sakte hoon. (can I see the
mosque if I come during prayer time, even though I'm not a muslim).
kid: Aap tho waisey bhi masjid nahin dekh sakte hoo, kyonki aap aurat ho. (you can't go
inside the mosque anyway because you're a woman).
me (thinking to myself): Ha, my mistake -- I'm glad he told me, I had no idea.
He said it very seriously and innocently .. it was amusing. On the way back, I stopped at the Bideri work place. I bought some things, and the shop guys told me I could catch a local bus from here if I wanted. So I sat there and waited and chatted with one of the local artisans. And yet again, I was offered tea - part of the Indian hospitality and probably also because I'd bought something from them and might return tomorrow to get a few more things. The artisan was telling me about a communal incident that had taken place between some Hindu and Sikh boys many years ago. His language was a little hard to understand and I had to get back else mum + dad would be worried otherwise I would've liked to stay and listen to his version of events.
----------------------------
3:00pm
Off to Belgaum
----------------------------
We decided to leave for Belgaum around noon. It is about 480km from Bider, however, roads in India are not great and we prefer to drive during the day. It was late to start but we have tomorrow plus it is a rare opportunity for dad to get back to his school after 44 years! The two lane highway here is actually quite good, we were zipping at 115km/hr in certain places. The road was good, and though there was occasionally a bullock cart and some scooter and motorcycle traffic, it was not very dense.
Just as we were optimistic about getting to Belgaum on time, we got stuck in a traffic jam. It was caused by a truck that had flipped sideways and was blocking both the lanes. It had happened recently. There was one police man and a gazzilion spectators - all the villagers from the village across the river must have been there. Some of the people started emptying the truck so they could more easily move it out of the road; though most were standing around. After the truck had been emptied - dad suggested the police guy try and get the small cars through the gap one at a time. Since not much was happening, he stepped up and started directing traffic at least until we were across. Even after getting on the other side there were a lot of people and since two wheelers were able to get across, they were taking up the entire road, plus the small cars were bypassing the trucks in our lane to try to get ahead. It was somewhat chaotic but we managed to get out within half an hour .. whew!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunset between Gulburga and Bijapur
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Red orange ball of fire,
a perfect circle in the horizon.
Flat endless road,
plantations of sunflower, cotton, corn,
trees and fields abound.
A bullock cart and herd of sheep,
share the highway.
In the distance,
tree canopies litter the landscape.
Rehras Sahib,
thus begins the raga of evening prayer
as the sun sets.
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