Om Shanti

     Om Shanti.  This mantra may be a greeting or a farewell.  It means something like "I am a soul, an eternal being."

     A woman of the Brahma Kumari, a Hindu oriented religious movement in India, greeted the audience with these words before introducing guru Sister Shrivani at the Global Peace Auditorium in Gachibowli Sunday.

Global Peace Auditorium in Gachibowli

Interior lobby of the auditorium

     At breakfast Sunday morning a Parisian professor of physics asked if we'd like to accompany him to hear a well-known guru speak.  We were dressed in white--which proved fortuitous--so off we went in auto rickshaw to a pristine, white auditorium expecting nothing and everything.

      As foreigners, we were warmly welcomed by members of the Brahma Kumari as we approached.  The women were dressed in white saris, the men in white kurtas.  We were rushed through the immaculate white marble halls to the VIP entrance--I know not why--and ushered to fourth-row seats in the hushed state-of-the-art auditorium.  Contemplative music and nature slides set the mood for a white-robed Brahma Kumari who introduced the Chief Minister of the State of Andhra Pradesh and other officials accompanied by body guards and an armed soldier.

     After a ceremony of flower, shawl, and gift-giving,  the spiritual leader, a soft-spoken woman with the calm presence of a Hindu Mother Theresa, sat in a white chair and began to speak.  She reminded me of Celia Ruedas.   Her combined Hindu and English relayed the timeless message of peace, destiny, humility, happiness, acceptance, and renewed commitment.  The auditorium was silent except for the sound of her soothing words and, naturally, the musical notifications of cell phones.  The talk ended with an invitation to meditate at a temple on the grounds.  Nothing was for sale and no money was collected.

Sister Shrivani

     After we returned to campus, we asked several visiting professors what they thought of Sister Shrivani.  One initially used the word "cult" to talk about the Brahma Kumaris movement, but with the difficulties of communicating, I wasn't sure if the word had the same connotation it does in American English.  

     Ultimately these professors referred to it as a popular religious movement--particularly in suburban India--because of the emphasis on meditation and healthy living as ways to cope with the stress of contemporary life.  

      The following youtube link is of a talk largely in Hindu.  It begins with a meditation at about 6 minutes, but you can get the idea.  I'd love to know your impressions.      

Sister Shrivani --move to about 8 minutes.

The stage.  

     

     

Whole Lotta People

     When you come from a perspective of abundance, living in a developing nation can be bewildering at first. Developing nations are traditionally classified by Gross National Income per capta--when the average income is less than $1,026 US Dollars per year per person, a country is classified as developing, even when it is a powerful global player like China.  The definition also includes life expectancy, education, and a Human Rights Index.  This list is a bit dated.

     Eleven hundred dollars per year.  That's about $3 a day or $90 a month.  That doesn't mean that everyone in a developing country is impoverished.  Some people are living beyond the standards of the wealthiest Americans--just not a very large percentage.

     Not having "stuff" doesn't mean that people are lowlifes.  Living on little income doesn't mean people aren't artistic or talented or funny or happy.  In fact, in his lecture "The Hollowed Village and the Hopeful Slum" Dipankar Gupta states that the literacy rate in the slum is over 70%.  He characterizes the move from the small agricultural plots that can no longer support a farmer to the possibility of, at least, informal employment in the city is a migration of hope and upward mobility.

      The term "developing nation" does mean that many people are struggling to feed themselves and to survive everyday.  Certainly India's population of nearly 1.3 billion people compounds the challenges facing a developing nation. Systems are strained:  transportation (over 80 on a bus), internet (connectivity problems), power (periodic outages).

What's inspiring is the way people meet the challenges, typically with consideration for one another and perseverance.

   

India Eats

     How are you liking the food?

     I like most food; Indian food is no exception.   I've consumed almost no processed food,  no coffee, little meat since I've been here and I feel great.

     Some notable features of Southern Indian food:

• Dishes typically contain over five different spices or herbs--so a typical dish may taste spicy with hints of the Middle East along with a garlic onion base.
• Several small dishes are generally served with a carbohydrate (whether potato, wheat, rice, or lentil based) 
• The small dishes are mixed with the carb bit by bit and typically eaten with the right hand
• Meat is uncommon
• A wide variety of cooked vegetables (cauliflower, okra, tomatoes, eggplant, squash, potatoes, onions, green chiles) are prepared with a wide variety of spices 
• Dishes vary from region to region
• Sweets are generally tapioca or lemon bar in consistency
• Spices such as mustard seed, cumin, tumeric, chiles, peppercorns combined with herbs like mint, oregano, cilantro and the standard Asian garlic, onion, ginger combo
• Chai tea is smooth and coffee is served with sweetened milk

Breakfast today:  a savory pancake, Uttapbam with Sambar-
a spicy soup for dipping

Lunch:  Roti (tortilla-like) with creamy chutney,
gobi (cauliflower sauce),
a green vegetable I do not know, and yogurt called curd.

Biryani is Hyderabad specialty:  lemon rice on top,
served with chicken or lamb in a spicy sauce,
mixed together at the table in a metal dish

Dal is made from long cooked creamy lentils
with mustard seed, asfoetida, chili, cumin, and maybe tumeric.
India's comfort food. 

Dosa are crepes made with rice flour filled with potatoes or another savory veggie. 

Sambar is a uniquely spiced soup served for dipping or mixing with rice 

Sambal is an incredibly hot chili/lime condiment.  A dab'll do it.

Caste Matters I

     If I'd bothered to read my Lonely Planet a little more closely, or actually taken a class in Indian history, I might have known that the caste system is alive today.  But since I mistakenly thought caste had been outlawed and know just about nothing,  this is probably the first of many posts about the impact of the traditional caste system in India.
 
     Although my professor told me at our first meeting that I would need to take a class to understand the social makeup of Indian society to conduct the research for my project, the notion of caste as a defining factor in people's lives today didn't strike me--that is until a university student told me that when he and his girlfriend fell in love, they could not marry because she was a Brahmin and he was not.  It seems her father had listened to him politely and then said, "My daughter will never marry anyone who is not a Brahmin." That was the end of the relationship.

     So what is a Brahmin?

      In ancient times it is believed that Indian society was divided into four castes that sprang from the body of Brahma:  Brahmins from the head (priests, intellectuals), Kshatrias from the shoulders (soldiers, rulers), Vaishyas from the thighs (agricultural workers and merchants), and Shudras from the feet (servants for the other three classes).

      Excluded from the varna system altogether were Dalits (untouchables) who were not to be seen nor to see or hear any learning nor prayer because they would pollute it.

     It's easy to parallel this system with the feudal system of Medieval Europe.  In India, though, at some point, evidently, this system became a rigid hierarchical system used to govern.  Some say that the British used this during their colonization to divide the Indian people and rule them.
   
     Like many Americans I learned that discrimination against lower castes had been banned by the Indian constitution adopted in 1949.  I interpreted that to mean that the system itself had been abolished.  Not so.  In 2007 India's Supreme Court ruled that social organization based on caste is inherited and cannot be changed.  In my Social Stratification course, the professor stated that caste is a closed primordial identity.

     If I were to translate this to contemporary American society, I might say that it would mean, I am an ethnically Irish woman.  That is irrefutable;  it is part of my identity.  The Indian Constitutional Article 15 would simply state that I am not to be discriminated against because of this.  It does not say that I am not ethnically Irish and female.  The analogy, of course, is oversimplified because caste is also closely bound to occupation and social status whereas the historical restrictions of my status have not been a feature of bureaucratic government administration in the US.

     Of course, it is a topic of much discussion and social unrest.  Many Dalits have risen to positions of influence such as principal architect of the Indian Constitution B.R. Ambedkar and many others.

     Government regulations are in place in India to reserve positions in universities and civic careers for the Dalit caste.  These programs function somewhat like Affirmative Action in the US but are much more prescriptive.

     So in this little post, I have discussed only the Indian/Hindu system of caste, and have not begun to touch upon religion, be it Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, or Zoroastrianism or tribal people of the subcontinent.  

     I wonder if you think we have a sort of caste system in the US?  How fluid are our social classes?  What role has affirmative action played in equalizing opportunity for historically disadvantaged groups to gain equality.

     Feed me back:)

Mall Crawl

     Ahhhh, the familiarity, the sales, the global phenomenon--In Orbit Shopping Mall in Hyper City Hyderabad.

     It's all there: the upscale shops, the movie theater, the food court, the bargains.  Whether I'm in China, Japan, Brazil, or Denver, I can find a mall where girls giggle, couples stroll, and children beg--for toys.  India is no exception.

Oh yeah.  It's everywhere.

Food Court

     Ginea and I felt the familiar compulsion to flip through colors and styles, to compare prices, and to spend money at FabIndia, a sort of Banana Republic for contemporary men and women.

FabIndia

Online ad from FabIndia

   
     The crowd looked like a middle-class group of shoppers with kids in tow.  Just as in the US, I noticed a few serious shoppers with big bags, but many people looked like they were enjoying an afternoon of window shopping with a few purchases for the fun of it.  The middle class is a growing phenomenon in India.  Currently only about 5% of the country (50 million people) are considered middle class, but that percentage is expected to jump to 41% in ten years, according to the McKinsey Report.  The report also suggests that "spending on purchases that improve the economic prospects and quality of life--health, education, transport and communications will soar."

Shoppin' with the woman.

     The ethnicity of India is a topic of interest and academic debate, but the subcontinent may have originally been populated by a Dravidian civilization known as the Harappans who had their own language and were dark-skinned with black smooth or curling hair.  At some point the Aryans came from Persia--what is now Iran--and introduced Sanskrit.  Mongols from the far East also settled, as did Mughals (Persian Muslims).   Today India is home to many languages and people of various religions and ethnicities united in their plurality.

Panda Express like

          I grabbed a bite at a Panda Express-type place and ordered stir fry and a water bottle.  The stir-fry was spicy with chills and garlics but also contained a variety of spices which I have yet to identify that gave it an mid eastern flavor as well.  More on the food once I figure out the names of the dishes and their ingredients.

   

Safety First

     So do you feel safe?

     With the American news focus on the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris and the subsequent raid in Belgium, people at home are asking the question.  So since India is a complicated country of pluralities, let me give a complicated answer.

     Hindu-Muslim violence is not unknown in Hyderabad.  I mentioned visiting the Mecca Mosque in the Old Town and explained that it is typical to see a Hindu shrine near a Muslim mosque.  One reason for that may be that each group is trying to "claim" the spot, particularly if it's considered holy or symbolic.  That propensity resulted in an attack on the Mecca Mosque in May 2007 causing the deaths of sixteen people.  Months later in August of the same year, two bombs went off simultaneously, one in an amusement park and the other near a popular restaurant resulting in the deaths of 42 people.  Then again in February 2013 double blasts went off in different parts of the city killing 17 people.  Extremist members from both national Hindu and radical international Muslim movements were suspected.  PhD student Siboy told us that although he feels safe when he visits Nepal, he doesn't always feel safe in his own country.
   

Metal detector and bag check at the nearby mall.

      However, life does go on, just as it does in the US after a school shooting or a theater shooting or a shooting in a workplace. Security measures are implemented, people take precautions.    The campus gates are guarded as is every classroom building and dorm (typical on many campuses throughout Asia),  business hotel entrances have a metal detector and guards,  bags are checked at supermarkets and stores (another cultural norm), and residence registration is required for all incoming foreigners.  Security is routine and people continue to drive madly, shop, and go about their business.

      Are the roads safe?

Sunday afternoon traffic in the Old City.

     It's exhilarating to ride in an auto rickshaw, even when it is inches from a moving bus in part because it doesn't move very fast--not over 40 mph.  Even Ginea, who is savvy and vigilant, said, "I feel safe in the auto."  Accidents are part of life, but not common.  Last week we saw a motorcyclist brake suddenly and topple.  Traffic slowed, pedestrians walked out to help him, and he continued on his way.
 
     The trains--are women safe?  Our facilitator Siboy helped us make our first train trip through Hyderabad and while we did see a man knock an old, seemingly drunk fellow to the floor of the train after he harassed him, no one seemed especially concerned.  The older guy got up and apologized;  the train proceeded to Lingumbali.  When we're on our own, Ginea and I will take precautions and ride the women-only cars, just as a proper Indian woman would do.

    So back to the question.  Do you feel safe?

     I suppose Bernard Maris felt safe when he went into the Charlie Hebdo office on January 7.  I suppose most of us feel safe when we go to work in the morning, expecting to return to home and family in the evening.

    The reality is that no one is always safe, but we go on living and loving and learning.

      

Fun Allowed!

     Although the reading room where I am sitting now is packed with silent students pouring over documents, laptops, and papers--on a Sunday evening no less--everyone deserves a little fun now and then.  But maybe not the kind of fun you associate with US college campuses.

     Although I can't know how students live in private, outwardly India is a conservative country.  Most women dress conservatively--I'm not sure how the sari fits into that with the exposed back and side, but it is considered a conservative dress.  The popular kurta is typically loose fitting and covers the upper arms, the bright tunic with jeans loosely covers most of the body, shorts and short skirts are generally unseen, and I have not seen any exposed cleavage.  Many wear long scarves and the female Muslim students cover their hair with simple cotton scarves.

Research student from Delhi at Pongle harvest festival

     The female students said that almost no women drink alcohol, and I have seen only two men smoking in all our travels throughout the city.  Yesterday I saw two liquor stores near the campus, but they are the first I have seen.

     Even the first-class business hotel where we stayed for the first five days had no bar in the main part of the hotel.  We noticed a private party with dancing and drinks in a banquet area, but the fridge in the hotel rooms had no bottle for sale.  

The Fern, business hotel blocks from the US Embassy. 

     So if there are no frat parties or twofers at the local pub, what are people doing for fun?  We attended a Harvest holiday celebration with food, music, and games put on by the student government.  I see students playing basketball, cricket, soccer, but most of all, chatting, strolling, eating, talking in the balmy Indian breeze. 

So . . . Tell Us about Your Research Topic.

         Just as issues of ethnicity and religion are sensitive in the US, they are sensitive in India.  And yet they are issues which affect the fiber of the society.  I am affiliated with the University of Central Hyderabad.  Established in 1974 it is a premier institution of post graduate teaching and research in India.

Political speech in campus central shopping area. 

 
     The  university does not have an undergraduate program, instead offering master's and PhD's in everything from Nanotechnology to Buddhist Studies.  The campus has an international student presence having enrolled students from Iran, Myanmar, Thailand, Mongolia, Syria, Tanzania, Yemen, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Philippines, Ethiopia, South Africa, Guyana, Uzbekistan and Japan.

Artwork in Study India Center.

     U of H also offers a Study India Program.  In fact, we met ten undergraduates from Dartmouth who are here for a short term women's studies program.







   




Like most universities U of H encourages freedom of thought and expression.  Benches with sayings such as this one dot the central area.




   





 

      Conservative Hindu along with activist Muslim groups have formed organizations on campus.   My affiliation is with the Center for Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policies.  The Center's primary focus is on the "Untouchables," also called Dalits (who are considered outside India's caste system and historically disadvantaged who make up 24% of India's population), women, and indigenous tribal peoples who remain largely isolated.  Muslims may also be considered a group that has been historically excluded in some parts of India, but is not a specific focus for the center with which I am affiliated.

     In spite of some violent incidents between Muslims and Hindus the two groups also coexist in harmony:  hence the title of my research "Lessons from India in Diversity and Tension:  Educational Dynamics and the Muslim Minority."  I will enroll in a course, attend seminars, participate in the high school classroom, conduct interviews and surveys to discover India's lessons.

     Feedback encouraged!

Where in the World Is She?

     To apply for the Fulbright award, I had to decide on a research project and write a proposal.  Since I've wanted to go to India for many years, I asked the history expert, Simone Garvin, to fill me in on the country's issues.  She told me about the long history of tension between the minority Muslim and majority Hindu populations of India.  Since my community has a short history of tension and harmony between Somali Muslims and majority Christians, I decided I had a project.

      Choosing a city in a county of 1.2 billion people with a landmass about two thirds the size of the Continental US presented a new challenge.  A missionary priest from India, Father Francis, suggested I consider Hyderabad, a southern city with a large Muslim population and a booming IT industry.  I had my city!

     The plan was sealed when I called the Rosetta Stone for Hindi helpline.  The man on the other end said he was in Hyderabad and would be waiting for me!   What he didn't tell me is that people in Hyderabad don't speak Hindi.  They speak Telugu, one of India's fifteen official languages, and English--but not always the same way we do.

Fellow researcher Ginea and PhD student Sipoy.

Best transportation around: Auto Rickshaw

     As India's fourth most populous city at nearly 8 million people, a new elevated railway is under construction resulting in traffic jams and dust.  To travel about five miles can take sixty minutes during rush hour.

Elevated train construction 

Heavy evening traffic in shopping district

     Hyderabad is unique in that it never came under English colonial rule.  It is considered an historical city with ancient ruins of the Mughul Golkonda Fort and a 16th century memorial to the people called  Charmaniar.

Charminar Monument to the people of Hyderabad who survived the plague erected by a Nizam whose young daughter perished.  It also celebrates a secure water supply which helped to end the plague.

Market area around Charminar

Market

Everyone visits.  

Can you tell what is for sale in the market below?

     The city was established by a and ruled by Nizams, Muslim viceroys.  As such, Muslims and Hindus have lived side by side for centuries.  Today you will see women dressed in Hindu saris and also burkas.

Women in saris admiring an advertisement.

Young women in burkas at Mecca Mosque near Charminar.

     People typically establish Hindu temples and Muslim mosques near one another.  You can hear the prayer call of Muslims and see a Hindu temple sometimes simultaneously.

     Hyderabad is also considered a modern city.  It is growing rapidly because of a large IT sector; the population has doubled in the past ten years.  The city is also home to research facilities, pharmaceuticals, and a biotech industry.



       

On the Road Again: A Passage to India

     I started for India on January 7, 2015 from Denver International Airport.  Actually I started more than a year ago when I applied for the Fulbright Awards in Teaching.  I screamed when I got the acceptance email and I screamed when I got to DIA:  I had forgotten my passport.

     After Superhusband Rob raced home to get it I set out for a 5:40 flight to London's Heathrow International Airport.  The flight is about eight and a half hours--time to fill watching 22 Jump Street, chatting with a seat mate on her way to Uganda, and napping.

     When we arrived at Heathrow, the sun was up and it was morning on January 8.  The airport is recently remodeled so it was easy to stroll around, take the connecting train, people watch, try to connect to wifi, and meet Ginea, my partner for the next three months.  Notice the child's zipped riding/pull bag (I want one.)

     When we took off four hours later, we were bound for India!  Most of the passengers seemed to be returning home; I sat between a traditional woman with a bindi whose daughter attends school in Boston and young woman who is on her way home to Hyderabad after studying in the US.

     Not only were the passengers dressed differently, the food was too.  It was served hot in foil wrapped tins with separate compartments for rice, beans, a spicy sauce, a salty pickled something and a sweet caramel dessert.  Babies cried and no one cared, old ladies in saris made their way slowly to the loo with the help of middle-aged women in saris, and except for couples, women were seated next to women and men next to men.

     The plane landed in India eight and a half hours later at four in the morning.  Our driver picked us up and loaded our bags in the taxi.  Passage to India complete . . . or just beginning?