“It is said that a person can say whatever they want about India. And the opposite is also true.”
-American Diplomat to India, Oct. 2008
On Driving in India (from a U.S. Perspective, of course)
The drivers here are truly living on the edge of safety! Anyone of them, if they drove in the U.S. would kill someone and then be instantly killed by their own behaviors. There is no way to anticipate anyone's move in traffic and any two-lane road is simultaneously occupied, across, by
1. Several people standing in the lane waving down busses (there are no bus lanes)
2. Two motorcycles, two three-wheeled rickshaw's (big golf carts)
3. And any number of full sized city busses or lorry's (dump trucks).
4. Traffic from the oncoming lane (yep, in your lane, coming at you!)
Everyone passes and everyone honks when they pass to let you know they see you and are not going to hit you (honking is actually the one useful thing about the system). People pass on both sides and regularly pass in the on coming lanes, flashing their headlights and swerving in and out. From above, I'd like to see the flow, because it seems to work, although there are large numbers of pedestrian/traffic deaths everyday. I had to stop watching today due to my nerves, while on a motor coach bus, because every time I'd look up from a book, I'd see a large truck coming straight toward us...
On Food and Sport
It was Awesome! Spicy and full of flavor, every bite gave me a sense of adventure. And by adventure, I mean that I’d have an equal chance of truly enjoying the digestive process and truly abhorring that same experience. It is true one cannot trust the water to be safe, so Heather and I did not. We drank bottled water and sodas. The coffee was good, the cha’i was good, the tea was good. Did you know that the British, famous for their tea, received the gift of tea from India during their long occupation? What a blessing. And as we know, the same tea was of much debate during the infamous Boston Tea Party…and I heard that Boston is partying again for a team that has made a bit of a streak out of this winning business. Of course, as October, 2008 becomes another memory of a chance for the Chicago Cubs, I must lament another winning season of baseball only to be wasted in the postseason. On a lighter note, the Indian Cricket followers have much to celebrate as their top player, a 19 yr. veteran, broke the scoring record for runs in a lifetime at 12,000+ this week. We saved a few clippings from the English, Tamil and Hindi language papers.
On Color in India
The weather is hot, so the colors look brighter and the dingy looks dingier. Perhaps it’s the heat radiating off the street that makes the waves around my sun/heat stroked eyes see exaggerated color, but I truly enjoyed the color anyway. The silk saree’s (or sari’s) and salwar kameez’s were beautiful, even if there isn’t a size 46 salwar kameez anywhere in the country;) too bad for me, but it makes sense as it was rare to see an Indian over 5’10” high. I think the air keeps people smaller, that and the shortage of food in poor and/or rural parts of the country. The auto rickshaws, almost all yellow, are a ubiquitous sight on the street, weaving and dodging constantly. The two-wheelers (motorcycles) many times with 3-4 people on them, including a family with a toddler or infant in arms, sitting side saddle, also added flashes of yellow, orange, red, burgundy, brilliant purple, bright green and every mix of color and accent one can imagine to the visual landscape. In a background, one could see a celeste (mint) green bicycle, a bright red ‘Coca-Cola’ sign, a purple and pink city bus, a bright blue lorry (dumptruck) and some kind of bicycle!
On bicycles…
Bicycles, and I use the term generally to include the many working tricycles and working bikes, are everywhere, functional, and fascinating! The British left behind a legacy of brit-style touring/commuter bikes, fenders, bells and short handlebars cuff locks on the back wheels. A few more modern mountain bikes are on the streets, but don’t seem to hold up as well as the older ones. The working bikes are awesome and consist of a tricycle frame with a large basket on the back for hauling. Heather and I saw a lot of them in our travels around the towns. On different bikes, we saw the following (this is not, by any means, an exhaustive list): chickens for sale (about 20), 4-5 people, a full sized refrigerator, several large sacks of rice (think 40lbs), fruit, neatly stacked in a pyramid of oranges or Asian bananas, sleeping children, spare parts, water pipe, construction materials including bricks, mortar and lumber, raw granite for stone carving, rolls or bolts of silk and rolled up carpets.
On Reflections
By the end of 5 days, my lungs were a bit blackened with two-stroke and diesel fumes, my senses were overwhelmed by the stimuli and speed, my body was exhausted by the heat and movement and my soul was filled with the friendliness of a nation of self determined and aware people, making their way through a world full of choices.
Mahalo,
Bill
No comments:
Post a Comment