Anyway, I’ve been back in the country for almost two weeks and in Austin for a week and a day. Sometimes this whole summer feels like a dream. The evidence of its existence being that I can carry on a reasonable conversation in my language of study and I don’t have to reach for my dictionary half as much when I’m reading an assignment. Partially, it’s been nice to see my loved ones again and even to be back in my familiar apartment with my awesome roommate. However, every so often things come back to me. It rained the other day, and I remembered standing on the roof of the guest house listening to thunder in the distance and feeling the cool, refreshing raindrops falling after so long. I was listening to some Qawwali the other day, and I was reminded of the proximity of the actual singers when they came to our institute, or coming across a group of musicians at the Residency’s small shrine.

I also sort of miss the rickshaws, especially when I had to carry my first load of groceries back to my apartment.

I’m not sure when I’ll be back. I have ideas and I have hopes, but there are absolutely no promises.

But now here I am, and my responsibility is to take what I’ve learned and implement those lessons as I go forward. Thanks to everyone who has been reading this blog through the summer. When I go back to India next, expect continued updates!

Kareem’s
Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu Bookstore
Late night chats with the remainder of our fellow students
Sleep
Aksherdham with Reed and Emily (Airplanes were invented in the Vedas! Fishing is a sin! Also, no Drunkards)
Pouring rain and tons of traffic
Drinks and Shisha at Shack with Reed and Emily
Sleep
Andhra Pradesh Bhavan with Emily and Friends
Coffee in CP
Art Summit and the film Kaminey at Pragati Maidan with Emily and Nadim
Dinner in the Defence Colony Market (The Best Naan Ever)
Sleep
South Indian Lunch at Sagar with the AIIS stragglers
India Gate with Emily to get some Great Pictures (Also, chatting in Hindi with these adorable Sikh kids)
Metro to CP to drink some chai at the Oxford Book store (bought some good books for super cheap!)
Auto back to guesthouse
Now saying goodbye to Emily as she leaves for her flight home.

Tomorrow is my turn…

While staying in Lucknow, cycle rickshaws have been a pretty regular form of transportation for me. The fact that they are completely powered by the driver makes it impossible for one to forget the human element. Even when you aren’t actually on a rickshaw, they are visible everywhere. Young and old men, some with shirts, some with only a lungi wrapped around themselves against the elements. At night, sleeping either next to or on top of their one hope of an income, the rickshaw.

I’ve had the opportunity to listen to and partake in just a few conversations with these rickshaw-wale. Most of the words exchanged consist of a series of numbers. I’m usually hoping to get a good deal, while they are generally hoping that I might be one of the foreigners who will unknowingly give them much more than the usual price.

What most people don’t realize immediately is the reality of their situation. Most of these men aren’t from Lucknow. One is from Bara Banki, one from Kanpur, and others from all sorts of smaller villages in the area. One of my classmates interviewed a driver who began to cry when he spoke of staying apart from his wife and children. They usually remain back in the village, because an entire family can’t sleep in a single rickshaw. One thing I had not know is that no one even owns their own rickshaw, they are actually rented from the government. In addition to this daily fee of around 50 rupees, there is an additional fee if they want to be able to carry passengers around the main central part of the city during the day. After 5, I think they can go just about anywhere, but before that they need to pay 80 rupees for the right.

At least the situation is better than in Kolkata, where they still have the traditional rickshaws where they’re pulled on foot. Even though it’s illegal, how on earth can they afford to upgrade? If India really wants to pull people out of poverty, they’re going to need to come up with some scheme where these guys can buy their own rickshaws or maybe the rich people could take some of their huge masses of wealth and donate it to the cause. Somehow I bet all the money Mayawati is spending on really cheap looking stone elephants could buy rickshaws for at least all of Lucknow’s rickshaw-wallahs, but this woman who is supposedly the advocate for the downtrodden can’t seem to find anything better to do than build pre-humous statues of herself.

Anyway, the fact of the matter is that I definitely would not have been able to throw a hundred rupees away every time I’ve taken a rickshaw ride, but the other day when it was raining and the traffic was horrible, I was really feeling for these guys, so I did give a little extra…hoping that maybe it would help at least take care of their rental fee for the day or maybe let them buy an extra cup of chai.

What this all comes down to is my answer to one of the discussion questions we had in speaking class. “Hum kaise ghariban khatm kar sakte hain?” How can we end poverty? My answer to this question was that we can’t. We will never completely be able to end poverty. This may sound like a pessimistic response, and perhaps it is, but there’s a reason for it. Look at the case of the rickshaw drivers. They have their own specific surat-e-hal (situation), and they certainly have their own reasons for perhaps being trapped in a cycle of poverty. Farmers have their own problems, manual laborers have their own issues that need to be dealt with, and this is just India. Certainly their are bigger problems that can apply to all of them, but I think the smaller problems should be studied before the bigger ones can be fixed. A Long and difficult process which requires the cooperation of an entire society, an entire country, the entire world.

So this is just my attempt show a little more about what lays behind the photos and sentiments of “oh those poor people.” They’re very real with very real lives. Everyone has a story, without exception.

It’s just going to be strange to be back to a place where there isn’t fruit sold on every street, or momos sold as snacks in movie theaters, and there is no devotional music reverberating on every other corner. There won’t be a tailor who will stitch me an entire outfit for 10 dollars or the beautiful sari and salwar qamiz shops where you sit and drink chai while the shopkeepers continue spreading out options in front of you. No gigantic bulls just hanging out in front of our buildings or goats tied to random posts while their owners sell chaat or some type of trinket. No lizard to watch as he scurries along my wall to catch an unfortunate bug. No train that will take me anywhere from Kanpur to Chennai. No rickshaws. No more opportunities to speak Hindi with any random person I might meet. No more excruciating heat or daal and sabji every single day…oh wait, those are things I will decidedly NOT miss.

But the point is, it’s time to go. At least I’ll have a few days in Delhi, and I’ll get to see my friends there for the second time in a 3 month period, which is really nice. I’m definitely going to miss some of the friends I’ve made here and I’m sure I’ll keep in touch with quite a few. Anyway at this point I’m rambling.

But so here’s a summary of my plans until I leave. Tomorrow is our achievement test/final paper turn in/group picture day. I’m done with the paper, so today I’m going to do a review of grammar and vocab so I do well on the test. I’m also going to wear a sari for the group photo. For the weekend, I dunno, I’ll probably try to make sure I’ve done whatever else feel like I need to do in Lucknow; random siteseeing, picture taking, remaining shopping for gifts etc. Monday and Tuesday are our final days of class and also when we’re supposed to present our papers. Wednesday is the very very last day. After our farewell lunch, that’s it. Then I make sure all my packing is done (if I can actually fit all my things in my suitcases, I’ll probably do some preliminary packing today) and then probably around 10:30 we’ll head off to the train station. We should arrive in Delhi around 8 am, after which I will take a very very long nap in the AIIS guesthouse, where Emily and I are staying. The next day, I think we’re going to Aksherdam, which is kind of like if Hinduism was designed by Walt Disney (there is a boat ride with animatronic holy men). The 22nd, I think we’re meeting up with another classmate of ours who is staying in Delhi who will take us to India Gate and whatever little sight seeing adventures we feel like going on. The 23rd, Emily flies out and I (hopefully) go see my friends in Gurgaon for the day. The 24th, it’s over. I depart, farewell to India for however long I am gone.

The Bara Imambara was really beautiful. We were lucky enough to run into some other people from the Insitute, including one girl’s boyfriend who happened to know his way around the Bhul-Bhulaiya (a multi-level “labyrinth which goes up and down and around the Imambara) so we had fun walking through dark passageways and took some nice pictures on the roof. Here, I’ll post one of me for your easy viewing pleasure!

And here is the much awaited link to the pictures!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2142613&id=185100007&l=48577b8f1f

Tonight was a Muslim holy day which is actually sort of like the Mexican Dia de los Muertos. In South Asia, this day is called Shab-e-Baraat, but I guess it’s also referred to as Mid-Sha’ban (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Sha’ban) After reading a bit, there seem to be multiple meanings for this day, but all in all it is a day to fast and worship and also to visit the graves of those who have passed away. There happens to be a Muslim cemetery about 3 blocks away, so Emily and I decided to walk over. This is the kind of holy day where the entire family attends; women, children, etc. So there was absolutely no worry about safety or anything. The cemetery was really quite beautiful. People were lighting candles, reciting prayers. At some there were large families paying there respects, at one there was just an old man reading “Bismillah al-rahman al-rahim” over and over. I wonder who he was visiting. Maybe his wife, maybe a parent. The air was full of incense and some muezzin in the central masjid reciting various Islamic texts. I don’t think it was all Quranic, because there was definitely some Urdu going on.

Anyway, so now I’ve gotten to experience festivals from two religions in two days! It’s nice to see how family oriented they are. Showing that such connections are really important to people, whether it’s between brother and sister or remembering someone who has passed on.

Khuda Hafiz

We had a pretty nerdy, academic moment too. The waiter was showing us the series of sauces we could brush onto the starters while they were cooking, and one of them was “oriental sauce.” The guys were like “Oriental sauce? what’s in it?” Which is pretty innocent, though the guy had no idea and had to go ask the manager, but it degenerated into a discussion of the implications of calling it “oriental sauce” and how that’s connected to colonialism and Edward Said and blah blah blah. You know you’re a graduate student when…

The absolute best part was the music. When we walked into this place they were playing these horrible Muzak renditions of Michael Jackson songs. After a while the music changed and it was even worse. We were trying to figure out what this horrible album could be and after about three terrible covers of Besame Mucho and various other golden oldies, I was about to talk to the management. That’s when I looked over the wall and saw that there was an actual guy serenading us. He sang three different Bob Marley songs and even broke out the Hotel California. He was pretty much the most nerdy looking middle aged dude with a mustache who looked like he had just come from his accounting job. We were absolutely laughing ourselves silly. I have videos, but I’ll have to wait until I have American internet to upload those.

On Saturday I got up early to go to Kakori where we saw this pretty old Sufi complex. We chatted a bit with the Imam whose family had been running this place for generations. We sat in this room where people come to get spiritual guidance and various talismans and blessings (Sufism is a bit more of a mystical tradition) What was interesting is that about half the people who came in were actually Hindu. Quite the mix! Afterwards we went to his really old-fashioned Haveli http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haveli (which actually still has the men’s and women’s quarters) In fact, we were actually, at this point, split up by genders. The girls went back to the zenana area to hang out with his wife and eat famous Kakori kabobs (they were pretty good) There were ducks too, that we decided to name after characters from Mughal-e-Azam. Aunty thought we were pretty silly, because I guess you just don’t name ducks!

All in all it was a very interesting experience. I got some great pictures and was happy to see some of the more rural areas and villages outside of Lucknow.

Here’s a picture of me with one of the Sufi Dargas in the background (A Darga is a shrine where Sufi saints are buried)

And this is the very nice Imam who was teasing me for wearing a green salwar qamiz, which is the color of PAKISTAN. dun dun DUN. He was just joking around, and then commented on the fact that 99% of his family and almost that percentage of Muslims in Kakori had emigrated there after partition.

It’s crazy to think that this program will actually be over in only 20 days. In fact, I only have two weeks to finish my final paper…which I’m half done with..so no problems there. I’m starting to realize that I really need to get out and do some more gift shopping (also need to get a couple more kurtas and jewelry pieces for myself! Mwaha!)

Today, it looks like I will be going on yet another meat-seeking adventure. This time, the boys and I are heading to Chowk for some ?nihaya? I think that’s what it’s called. It’s this soup-esque meat dish which is very traditional to this area, and I have been ordered by more than a few people to try it at least once. Tomorrow we’re visiting this famous Kakori shrine where I’m assuming we will hear some qawwali and acquire some kabobs. I’ll be sure to take a lot of pictures. Then on Sunday I’m determined to make it to the Bara Imambara. I keep saying I’m going and then putting it off, but this time it’s going to happen!

So those are my weekend plans. Stay tuned for more pictures of food and architecture!

In America, as separated as the church is from the state, God or the concept of God is always there. In God we trust, thanking God in acceptance speeches, even arguing aggressively against the existence of God. As true as this might be, it is still not difficult to escape from religion. The Christians are in their churches, the Jews in their synagogues, the Muslims in their mosques. With the exception of the few fire and brimstone preachers you see damning everyone on University campuses, you need not enter any sort of religious zone unless you absolutely intend to do so.

India is officially a secular state, but this in no way means that religion takes a backseat. Just down the street from my guest house there is a small Hindu shrine right by the side of the road which blast devotional music in the evening. Since Lucknow has a sizeable Muslim population, we hear the call to prayer loud and clear five times a day. I’ve heard it so many times now, I’ve started to be able to distinguish the different muezzins (the guys who do the “azhan” or call to prayer). There’s one who sounds like a computer starting up, and one who actually sings pretty melodiously. Driving down the road you pass so many mandirs and masjids. And they aren’t off in their own little areas, they’re in the middle of the busiest marketplaces or right in a residential area. There’s even a famous sufi shrine at the Lucknow train station.

Backstory about the train station shrine, as told to me by Naheed. First of all, shrines are generally built over the grave sites of sufi saints. These shrines become places of pilgrimage and worship for people of all different faiths. You’ll see Muslims, Hindus, and I’m sure even Christians going there to listen to Qawwali and to meditate or pay their respects. So this was the burial place of a Sufi saint, whose name I cannot currently remember. The story goes that the British tried to build the station over his grave, but every time they tried there would be some disaster and the work would fail or someone would die, etc. So eventually they built a shrine for him and had to build the tracks AROUND the shrine. So to get to this place, you actually have to get down and walk across the tracks. This explains why Emily and I couldn’t find it when we tried to go there. Next time!

And then, of course, we have the religious festivals. I, unfortunately, have not as of yet had the chance to witness any of the big festivals, since I’ve usually been here during the sort of off-season. However, there are so many festivals here like Holi, Muharram, Diwali, Eid, etc etc. For example, in Lucknow, Muharram entails a procession to mourn the death of Ali, the grandson of Muhammad. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mourning_of_Muharram Check out the section about Lucknow)
Then of course there’s Holi where people throw colors on each other. I’ve talked to a lot of people who have told me that even though these festivals are specifically Muslim or Hindu festivals, that people from both communities will end up joining in.

Some might say “Well, all sorts of people celebrate Christmas and Easter in the US…what about that?” Yeah that’s true, but over time it seems like people have become more and more terrified of the religious aspects of these holidays. Here, Diwali is still a Hindu festival and Eid is still celebrating the end of Ramadan, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy both with your neighbors.

This isn’t to say that all is well all the time. There are still riots sometimes and there are still these idiots who feel that people of other faiths are the enemy, but there are still so many others who just want to worship or find their own peace with God and don’t mind if you’re worshiping someone else right next to them.

There are two locations. The main one is, as I said, right next to Tunday Kabob, but there’s another small location down a little alley which serves only chicken biryani.

You can see right next to it is a little stall selling chikan clothing. Yes that’s right, chicken and chikan. Anyway, the restaurant was literally just a couple slabs of wood that you sit on while eating this amazing chicken biryani.

Here you can see the vat in which they cook an keep the biryani. Also, the back of Takashi’s head.

After this we decided to head back to the main Bismillah headquarters for a larger variety of food.

This is their entire menu.

We consumed some mutton biryani

Along with a side of seekh kabob

Oh yeah, and this place actually had tables and chairs, though it was still very tiny.

Here is Sanchit enjoying the heck out of his biryani.

And if you’re curious how they cook all the delicious kabobs and meat dishes that we consumed, here’s a picture of that too.

Most of these types of eateries have similar large, metal wok-esque devices out front. You can tell that the middle gets the hottest, so that’s where the actual cooking occurs. The items around the very edge are finished cooking and are kept there so they’ll stay warm.

Afterwards we stopped over at Prakash Kulfi for dessert, but for some reason the kulfi was very salty, so it wasn’t really as satisfying as it could have been.

All in all a mostly successful eating adventure. Tonight, we may be making our way to Dastarkhwan (which means the table-runner which the dishes of food are placed on). Last time we went there I forgot my camera, but I should be able to document it this time. I’m telling you, this place has the most incredible meat dishes. I’m almost salivating right now. I’ll keep you updated!

And a reminder to my readers: Comment comment comment! I know you’re out there!

Khuda Hafiz!