Tales from Turkey: Long weekend in Incredible India!

India, Incredible India! My friend Anne Corriveau (also former BU colleague) and I used to sing the CNN international commercial to each other whenever we were setting off to recruit in India. I used to travel mostly in the north- New Delhi, Dehradun and Calcutta while she would take Mumbai, Bangalore and Hydrabad. Since I left BU Anne now spends over 3 weeks recruiting in India. Since it was EID last week I took advantage of having a few days off and Anne being in Mumbai for work. I have been to Mumbai only a few times, never for very long, and always for work so I was really looking forward to spending four days there as a tourist. And also REALLY looking forward to spending some time with Anne (when she wasn't visiting high schools.)

Anne and Me

I departed from Jeddah Tuesday night on the direct five hour flight. I have to pause to note what a nightmare the Jeddah airport is during Eid. I had heard horror stories from friends who departed at the beginning of the week and was certain I would have a better experience but no such luck. There were people sleeping on the floor, eating chicken and rice out of packets of tin foil on the floor, and garbage all over the floor. I had to lift my suitcase up and over people and push my way to the entrance to the check-in area. Such a mess, but I checked in and immigration and security weren't nearly as bad.

I landed Wednesday morning at 6 and was checked into the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers by 7:30 having breakfast with Anne. A short note about the Taj: It opened on December 16, 1903 by Jamsetji Tata. He was inspired to open the grand luxury hotel after an incident involving racial discrimination at the Watson's Hotel in Mumbai, where he was refused entry as the hotel did not permit Indians. Hotels which accepted only European guests were common across British India. Due to its prime location, traditional architecture and massive size, this hotel soon gained the status of the most iconic hotel in India. You might also remember that the Taj was one of the primary targets in the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008. Other than additional security at the entrance to the hotel it is just the same glorious hotel that it was before the 2008 attacks.

The Taj Hotel is across the street from the Gateway of India. It was a crude jetty used by fishermen and was later renovated and used as a landing place for British governors and other distinguished people. In earlier times, the Gateway was the monument that visitors arriving by boat would have first seen in the city of Bombay. Kind of like the Statue of Liberty :) Its design is a combination of both Hindu and Muslim architectural styles, the arch is in Muslim style while the decorations are in Hindu style.

I spent a good amount of time each day out by the pool- either lounging and swimming in the sun or taking refuge from the monsoons in the portico with my book and either a cappucino or a gin and tonic depending on the hour. I loved watching the rain- perhaps an appreciation that I have acquired since moving to the desert. I even video taped the rain. It made everything so vivid. The grass and plants and even the taxis seemed more full of life after the rains.

I pampered myself- had a massage so relaxing I fell asleep and, according to the massage therapist, was snoring! Manicure and pedicure. Check!

Two museums- The Prince of Wales Museum and the Modern Art Museum. The Prince of Wales Museum was founded in the early years of the 20th century by some prominent citizens of Bombay, with the help of the government, to commemorate the visit of the then Prince of Wales. The museum was renamed in the 1990s after Shivaji, the founder of Maratha Empire. The museum building is surrounded by gardens.

Some of my favorite pieces in the sculpture gallery:

Brahma: This scultpture is from the remains of a temple and fromthe 7th century. Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti (in Hindusim this is the trinity- Brahma, the creater, Vishnu, the maintainer/preserver; and Shiva, the destroyer/transformer)

Ganesh is the most popular god. He is the god of wisdom and people worship him to 'remove obstacles.' I think he is the 'funnest' simply because of his elephant head. The story goes that his mother, Parvati, wife of Shiva (god of transformation/the destroyer) was preparing her bath and had no one to stand guard. So, from the dust and oil of her body she created an image of a boy. When Shiva returned the boy stopped him. Shiva became angry and cut off his head. Parvati was so distraught that Shiva sent his men to bring him the first head facing north (the direction associated with wisdom). The first head was an elephant's. So Shiva placed the head on the boy's body with the blessing that Ganesha would be the first to be worshipped on every auspicious occasion. I have been in Delhi and Calcutta for the Ganesha celebrations but he is most popular in the Bombay region. There was LOTS of loud celebrating and parading around with Ganeshas.

Shopping! What would a trip to India be without shopping for nothing in particular but everything extraordinary. I love that the fabrics are so colorful and rich- kind of like the plants after the monsoons. The detail in the stiching and the beading is incredible. So Anne talked me into a few things- a skirt, a couple of tops, and some shoes. Then one afternoon I went out on my own with the intention of just browsing. I fell into a jewlery store and found myself trying on the most beautiful ruby and sapphire rings. I will confess that I came close, very close, to buying a sapphire ring. Now as I sit on my couch thinking about it I regret that I didn't buy it. Lesson learned- don't pass on a ring that you fall in love with.

The ones on the right remind me of the beading on the moccisons and the necklaces my parents would buy me every summer when we went to the Indian Trading Post in Maine.

For a special occasion

for every day!

The top of a skirt

On Saturday Anne and I joined a group of teachers from the American School of Bombay to tour the Dharavi slum. This is the largest slum in Asia. Initially I was hesitant and worried that it was exploitation of the people in the slums. How do they feel about these strangers coming in to tour their community? It's not a museum and they are not on display- they are people. But after reading a bit more about Reality Tours: www.realitytoursandtravel.com I felt a bit better. The tours were created in 2005 to show the positive side of slums and to breakdown the negative stereotypes. The tour guides are volunteers and the proceeds from the tours go solely to the Community Center that was set up in 2007 to teach English and computer skills to the people of Dharavi. There are approximately 1 million people living in Dharavi and their industries (recycling, making of clay pots, leather tanning, soap factory and textiles) turnover about US$665 million of business each year. Our tour focused mainly on the industries although we walked through the housing areas too. And we were not allowed to take photos. We could take them at the beginning and there was one man in the recycling area who allowed us a photo. And then some children. The recycling industry was what impressed me the most. After collecting disregarded plastics from all over the city they sort by color and type of plastic. These are then put through machines (all made in Dharavi) that cut them into small coin size pieces. These pieces are then washed. And I mean in barrels of dirty water by hand. They put the pieces in plastic trays with holes that allow the water to drain- kind of like those sand sifters you play with at the beach. Then they take the pieces and spread them out on the roofs of buildings to dry in the sun. They are then melted and go through a machine in long strands that make them into pellets. The pellets are put in jars and sold!
The tour absolutely gave me a whole new understanding and appreciation of people who live in slums. It made me sad to see the children who will likely never have the opportunity to go to high school yet alone university. And yet I also saw that the people were happy. It made me realize that money or status in a community is not what brings us true happiness.

We met at one of the big train stations. An average of 17 people die every day in India getting on and off the trains. See how crowded they are and even as they are moving people hang out the doors!

This is the gentleman who works in the recycling area and allowed his picture to be taken. He works 9 am to 9 pm and makes 100 INR perday which is about 2.50 USD