News in Delhi....

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Ah, yes....Fall is here. Today’s high is only 87F and it’s almost November. Ok, so it’s not like home, but it is actually cooling down a bit. No changing colors in this area of the country. Delhi doesn’t have the proper kind of trees or cool temperature to see the beautiful reds and oranges or a fall at home. I have photos of fall all over my room and keep fresh mums on my desk in honor of fall though.

The mosquitos are still pretty relentless and I’ve had a few friends get sick with various viral fevers, but nothing serious yet thank goodness. Dengue, a mosquito transmitted fever, has been a big problem in Delhi and has caused many deaths when left untreated. So, they aren’t just an annoyance, the mosquito problem can actually be quite dangerous.

On the happier side of things though....it seems that there is always a festival going on in India, but recently was the celebration of two major holidays. The biggest Hindu festival, Devali, was celebrated on Saturday, October 21^st this year (the date changes each year.) Devali is for Hindus what Christmas is for Protestants in the sense that it is the biggest family holiday and everyone gives gifts. People do a lot of visiting of friends and family throughout the day taking trays of nuts and dried fruit or Indian sweets as gifts. Then, in the evening people go home for a family dinner. I was lucky enough to attend several different Devali parties with Rotarians, friends, and families in Delhi as you’ll see in the photos.

Devali is officially a celebration of the return of the god Ram, so everyone lights candles in symbolism of guiding him home and celebrating his return. Traditionally these would be small terracotta bowls about the size of a half dollar filled with mustard oil and a small wick or just candles, but these days you’ll also see lots of Christmas lights.

The other major holiday lately was Id....the end of Ramadan for muslims. Everyone was waiting for the Imams (the Muslim holy men) to announce the end of Ramadan on the first night they saw the new moon. So, no one knew what day it would be ahead of time and we actually ended up getting two days off school because the Sunni’s and Shia’s celebrated on different days.

The month long fast of Ramadan ends with prayers then feasting. Everyone is supposed to wear new clothes to the mosque on Id so everyone looked very nice that day in their new clothes. Muslims also visit family and friends throughout the day like Hindus do on Devali. I went to two Id dinners at people’s homes and Mutton seems to be the food of choice for this holiday. Generally, Hindu’s are vegetarian and Muslims are "non-veg." With the prevalence of meat dishes on Id my friends and I jokes that it was the ultimate "non-veg holiday." As always, the home-cooked food was exceptional. (Papa, you would appreciate all the gravies and sauces that Indians seems to have for every dish here, meats and vegetables alike. Mama- you’ll have to tell Mutter that one of the mutton dishes was very much like her beef tips, so I especially enjoyed it.)

Our Foreign Students Association simplified all these holidays by having a combination Id, Devali, and Halloween party. Halloween actually isn’t celebrated in India at all, but it was nice to at least remember it. My wonderful mother sent me some trick or treat treats via the post so I’ve had my M & M’s for the year:) I also got a few text messages and verbal greetings, but no costumes, jack-o-lanterns, or trick or treating at the State Park (save me a spot for next year Aunt Susie:)

I have also been very happy to be quite busy with Rotary events lately. Mr. Shahani, my host Rotarian, continues to keep me informed of events happening all over the city and introducing me to amazing Rotarians and non-Rotarians alike. The major project I’ve been working on lately is a school that Rotary funds in a slum near JNU. It’s in an area called Visant Vihar where most children live in one room shacks and both parents work during the day. So, rather than roaming the streets alone, the school allows for a safe place for the kids to stay and learn. When I visited with some Rotarians I noticed the massive blank spaces of the wall that seems to be crying out for color. So, I teamed up with some wonderful Rotarians and we set up some painting days. We’ve done a great collaborative mural with the kids that they really loved working on. I’ll be going back several more times and will keep up some photos so you can see the progress.

Speaking of slum areas....I’ve had a request from a former professor and friend back home to write a bit more about the economic situation here in Delhi. The slum situation where the school is is one major part of the population of Delhi. From what I’ve been told and seen, many of these people work as construction workers, or manual labor of some kind. They may also be able to get work at domestic helpers, maids, cooks, drivers, etc. Unlike the Indians in the upper classes of society, these people usually are illiterate and speak no English, which greatly limits their job prospects. It also makes it impossible to simply talk to these people about their lives. So, you have to rely on second hand information.

In these slum areas it seems that water and sanitation are two major problems. In the slum where the school is located, they only receive clean water from city tankers once every two days. So, you can imagine the frenzy it creates when the tankers do come. Watching a child of 6 or 7 run behind a water tanker trying to catch the last trickle of water really reminds you how lucky you are.

Women’s issues are especially important in these poor areas. Healthcare during pregnancy is practically non-existent and it is not uncommon to see a pregnant woman working along side her husband carrying bricks on her head in the heat of the afternoon. One of my friends who works in public health here said that the city tried putting in port-o-potties in the slums to improve sanitation for pregnant mothers but women were being raped at night when they went to use them. Unfortunately there are no easy answers for such complex problems.

One of the hardest things for someone like me trying to peek into the life of the urban poor is seeing the truth. For instance, when you are in a car or rickshaw that has to stop in traffic (especially if you are Caucasian) your vehicle will be flooded with beggars. These can be children, adults, some selling flowers, others incense or tissues, some carrying babies through busy traffic. You want to help, but you never know where your money is going. Many of these people work for "organized crime." Giving a portion of what they earn back to their bosses. I’ve also been told that many of the women you see carrying babies and begging sort of rent the babies because they will make more money that way. You will also always hear the response that by giving money you encourage them to continue running through traffic rather than finding another way to make money. It’s a personal choice and not easy for anyone.

So, there is a brief look at slum life in Delhi. But, Delhi is nothing if not diverse and there are other happenings in the microcosm of JNU that I’d like to share...

In the photos with this blog you will see one photo from a recent newspaper article. It was from one of the non-Rotary events I attended with Mr. Shahani. I happened to be talking to the Polish Ambassador when the photographer came around and that’s one of the photos that made it into The Times of India on Devali day. So, there are my ten minutes on Indian fame for all to see.

In the never ending cycle with International students, I’ve had to say goodbye to another companion lately. Honorata, one of our Polish representatives, has returned home with her charming husband, Alexander. I hope you both are checking this website and are happy back home. We miss you!

And, of course, I have more culinary events to share. My new Hindi word (among others) is "palak." This means spinach in Hindi. Something that I have been gravely missing from my diet. Most people worry that with a vegetarian diet you don’t get enough protein, but here it’s hard to get enough vegetables. We get plenty of beans, lentils, eggs, and bread in common Indian food, but the veggies are a bit scarce. So, I’ve begun fixing baba ganoush (mediterranean eggplant dip) with my friend Eiad and scouted out some great restaurants that can make a good dish of roasted vegetables at a reasonable price. I’ve also figured out that my favorite coffee shop, Chocola, has a half-off sale on breads every Monday night, so I’m buying my pastries and sunflower bread on Monday’s now.

Ah, and how could I forget....we’ve had six new additions to the JNU campus. I haven’t named them individually because I can’t tell them apart, but we have a family of six new puppies that live right outside my hostel. I see them once or twice a day with left-overs from breakfast or buy them cookies at our dhaba (snack counter.) I think those poor guys live on cookies. They are adorable and help me to miss my wonderful kitties back home a little less.

So, enjoy the photos....worth a thousand words right? That means I can quit writing now. I'll just apologize for the captions...I'm having technical difficulties in changing them so I figured  better to send you the page now than delay. The photos of the ladies in the Sari's and the Blood bank are Rotarians and Rotary projects that I've visited here. Some of the other photos are just random shots of life here lately.

Namaste (Hindi), Adios (Spanish), Dobre Nochi (Russian), and Goodnight.

Lora