Presenting, the Most Interesting Woman in Delhi....

  
    During a field trip to the Old City our class was lucky enough to stumble upon the most interesting woman I have ever met.  At age 80 her feeble frame did not scream freedom fighter.  However, her work as a freedom fighter, we came to find out, was the tip of the iceberg.  We came to tour the well preserved haveli that she lives in, but after an extended chai break I completely forgot about the architecture we were there to see.  Here are the facts...

    Sarla Sharma lived in that house for her whole life.  In fact, she was born in that house, which had been in her family for over 300 years.  Her and her brother, with much help from the servants, shuffle around together, the last remaining residents of the grand haveli.  This is not to say that Sarla has in any way become a docile, quiet old woman.  Ask her about her views on Indian pollution or female subjugation and you will understand.  This spirit has deep roots in her.  She lead her first protest at age 14.  She and her fellow classmates refused to sing the British national anthem in school.  Their stand was so affective that the school received orders from a government office to expel her from school.  However, being that her grandfather founded the school  (the first girl's school in the country), Sarla won.

    Four years later Sarla became a full-fledged freedom fighter.  After graduating from school she opted out of a government sponsored teaching position in order to devote all of her time to the movement.  How could she possibly support herself being unmarried and unemployed?  Well, she painted.  She sold her paintings that included from religious artwork, political statements, and landscapes in order to support herself.  When the freedom movement came to a close and independence came about Sarla was thrown in jail with over 30,000 Indians who were affiliated with the Communist Party of India.  She suffered subhuman conditions in overcrowded, brutal prisons.  Her jail sentence was cut to just two months because she went on hunger strike and her self-imposed illness forced the prison to release her on medical leave.

     One might think that after a brutal prison experience she would have had enough for one lifetime.  Not so for Sarla.  In 1954 she ran for and won a Chowndi Chowk city council chair.  She continued to hold this seat until 1962.  Not only was her political success impressive, but also the scope of this success.  She had the largest voter turn out that year.  Why?  Because Sarla went door-to-door and brought women (many of which would not be able to even recognize their house from the outside) to the voting booths and back.

   Capping it all off, she recently published a book of poems about women's issues in India.

    She went on to share her views on the Indian education system, women's issues, politics, and science all of which were too eloquently expressed to be paraphrased.


I am sure that I have not heard the whole story.  I am also sure I will speak with Sarla Sharma again, over more chai and I will continue to be dumbfounded.

More pictures-Jaipur

A week ago a few of us went to Jaipur.  It was BEAUTIFUL.  Here are a few quick shots.  Most of these are from Amber Fort.  There will definitely be more to come from this trip (hint: elephants). 

Small Temple, Jaipur

Amber Fort

Ruins at Amber Fort

View from the top of Amber Fort 

Oh hey there.

Useful Phrases (Hindi, English, and everything in between)

(Disclaimer: this is based on knowledge gained in my whopping 3 weeks of Delhi life/Hindi training)

"Sharpen your elbows."  I think this is the best and most useful phrase I have heard in Delhi, perhaps aside from the Hindi phrase "Thik bolo!" (which I will explain later).  India is roughly a third of the size of the United States.  It is home to well over a billion people (and climbing).  Delhi is its capital.  Suffice it to say, its crowded here.  People cut in lines.  Metro doors open and close quickly.  Sidewalks are clogged, when they exist at all.  Sharpen your elbows, 'nough said.



"Kitne?" (kit-nay) It means, "how much?"  Always ask.  Everyone.  About everything.  I sat down next to a snake charmer for a touristy photo shoot only to have him growl in my ear "200 rupee" when I got up.  As if the snake hadn't terrified me enough.  I repeat.  Ask.  Everyone.  Everywhere.

on that note, I have to get my 200 rupees worth...



As promised, "Thik bolo." (Teek bow-low)  This Hindi phrase literally translates to something along the lines of "speak right."  It is also my most used phrase in Delhi.  Please do not think I am a rude, brash American telling all of the Hindi-speakers to speak right.  It is a term used, most often with taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers.  (auto-rickshaws are funny little cars that look like this)...

Every.  Single.  Driver.  is looking to (for lack of a better word) screw you.  Be warned.  A rickshaw ride that should cost 60 rupees will be quoted at 150 by the drivers, and their meter is mysteriously broken!  Thik bolo is a stern way of saying, "give me the right price."  Still, haggle as MUCH as you can.  If they say 200, you say 100.  Take at least 50% off everything.  If they don't like it, they will drive away, or the meter starts miraculously working.  This is a helpful phrase outside of the commuter world too.  Shopkeepers will also respond positively to your attempt at Hindi and maybe (maybe) give you a better deal.  Regardless, you are going to overpay at first.  Try not to get too worked up.

if you do get worked up...

"Bop rey bop!"  Okay, I'm not sure how useful this one is, but its just fun to say.  It means "oh my god!" Its been pretty effective for me in showing frustration as it is somewhat more expressive than its more docile sister "bop rey!"  

and last but not least...

"Saf pani," (sahf pahnee) is probably the most necessary phrase for your health.  "Clean water."  DO NOT drink water that restaurants bring at the beginning of the meal without checking first.  Many who make this assumption fall prey to Delhi Belly, which is MUCH more offensive than its adorable name would connote.  Again, be warned.

Armed with these few useful phrases you can now semi-navigate a crowd, semi-convince a rickshaw driver that you know what you are doing (even if you don't), semi-express the overwhelming frustration that will catch up to you, and be semi-sure about the safety of your food.  As for the absolutes, I hate to break it to you but for me, is becoming increasingly clear I am in the land of the semi.  There are no absolutes.  

Pictures So Far

I had some trouble uploading pics but hopefully these work.  I'll put some up from Rajasthan and the tiger sanctuary in a few days.  

Textile Market, Connaught Place, Delhi

Humayun's Tomb, Delhi

Sikh Temple, Delhi

Parakeets

Humayun's Tomb

Humayun's Tomb

Textile Market, Connaught Place, Delhi

nice balance

Delhi is Target

    So, after being in Delhi for about a week I have come to some conclusions.  The first of which is that Delhi is more or less like a giant Target store.  Let me explain.  You set out for Target with a single goal in mind, let's say buying a toothbrush.  But you get there and WOW is everything cheap! By the time you leave you have a cart full of things that you never planned to buy and you forgot the toothbrush.  That is Delhi shopping.  Yes, a taxi ride that would cost 30 bucks in NYC costs like $1.50 (65 rupees).  However, with that mentality it is so easy to break your budget.  I have spent so little money per item and so much more money than I planned to spend, so be warned if you are planning a trip.  Yes, a taxi ride that would cost 30 bucks in NYC costs like $1.50 (65 rupees).  However, with that mentality it is so easy to break your budget.  I feel pretty lame leading off my first post in India with the shopping but seriously, the textile markets are some of the most amazing things I have seen.  The colors and patterns and artwork are unbelievable.  Trust me, I'm not just being some gushy girl about the crazy deals.
    I'll move on from the shopping, to basically everything else.  Everything is AMAZING here.  Delhi looks like New York City if it sprang up in the middle of the jungle.  So far I have seen two camels, a monkey, a herd of cattle, crazy cool birds and dogs everywhere, and that is in the middle of the city.  Not to mention the architecture.  I can't do it justice.  I can cross Red Fort, Humayun's Tomb, the Lotus Temple, and about 6 other small Sikh, Hindu, and Muslim temples off my list.  Next on my to-do list: visit the monkey god temple (you can feed monkeys bananas out of your hand), and a safari in the Ranthambore TIGER SANCTUARY this weekend, hopefully riding an elephant (of course).

I. Love. India.

Stay tuned!

Passports and Visas and Packing, Oh My!

     Prepping for India has been a pretty harrowing experience, to say the least.  The past few  months have flown by while I scrambled to  move out of my apartment in the Bronx, renew my passport, apply for a visa, get my shots, make Target trips, pack my clothes, and the list goes on and on.  January third really sneaked up on me and it hasn't been until the last few days that India has actually become a reality rather than just an endless series of forms and to-do lists.  Now that I have actually had a moment to breath and think about the fact that I am traveling half way around the world in two days I am getting more and more excited to go, with a little more than a hint of nerves.  I spent New Years saying good bye to my friends at home and plan to spend the rest of the weekend with my family and tying up the last of my loose ends.  At the end of my prep process I have gained a few tips for anyone going to India, or abroad in general.

1. Apply early, for everything.  I got very backed up on paperwork and as a result I spent two hours in New York's blistering cold waiting outside the India Visa Center.  If you do not want to feel like you have been constantly scrambling then get your ducks in a row early.

2. Make lists.  When I relied on mental to-do lists, things fell through the cracks.  When I wrote down my to-do list the length of it did seem daunting but I could cross things off and nothing was forgotten.

3.  Pack Light.  I have read that the rule of thumb when it comes to packing is that if you cannot make it up a flight of stairs unassisted with all of your bags then you have packed too much.

4. Arrive with an open mind.  Telling people that I have decided to go to India has resulted in a range of responses.  While some of the people I have told about my plans are very supportive and excited for me, many people have responded with shock and words of warning.  I have done my best not to let these reactions bother me or affect my expectations, but I think the best remedy for this is to have no expectations.  I'm sure I will have more to say on this topic once I actually get there.

With these tips in mind and January 3rd around the corner I am nearly ready to go.  Bon voyage! (I wish I knew how to say that in Hindi).