Unfinished business

I visited India after almost 20 years. As I stated on my way here, over 3 weeks ago, this was a monumental trip for me. Not only was I coming over to visit my parents in their new home after moving back from the US for the first time, but I was also coming to visit--in many ways, for the first time--a land, a people, and a culture to which I claim an identity and which defines me in many ways.

It's been a fantastic trip. On this blog, I have not dwelled on the negative aspects of India, save a few instances. I think there are plenty of sources that capture India's negatives: immense poverty, illiteracy, high infant mortality, low health outcomes, discriminatory caste-ridden values, corruption, filth, unhygienic conditions, along with its fractured or nonexistent infrastructure. Indeed, Wikipedia says: "Poverty is widespread in India, with the nation estimated to have a third of the world's poor. According to a 2005 World Bank estimate, 41.6% of the total Indian population falls below the international poverty line of US$ 1.25 a day."

It's too easy to stop at these very conspicuous problems. Hence, I have attempted to highlight the positives that bring out the color of what can otherwise be a depressing environment, depending on where you are.

On the contrary, I have had a very warm and pleasant experience in the midst of a culture that endures immense struggles. I have had the opportunity to see firsthand the faces of extreme poverty and marvel at the smiles that emerge from within along with the adaptability and tenacity of the people despite their dire situations. At the same time, I have experienced a truly emerging and growing economic force that is dead set to improve its conditions through hard work and laser-like focus on higher education. I have lived a fine five-star quality life, enjoying the highly diverse ethnic delicacies at the dinner table.

The bottom line, really, is that the past 3.5 weeks have been a marvelous time to see, smell, taste, hear, and live the culture that defines me when I answer "India" to the perennial question regarding my ancestry.

However, I leave with unfinished business. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I was not able to travel much outside of Ahmedabad, which means that I was not able to see a lot of my extended family and friends, as well as my great grandfather's land. Perhaps that was fortuitous, granted by the mysticism that guides life here, for it implies another visit sooner rather than later :) Stay tuned for Part II.

I am now off to London to visit with more family (ah, the irony of colonialism).

Thanks for reading.

More from Ahmedabad

I visited Mahatma Gandhi's museum today. The site used to be his ashram and house, and has now been converted to a semi-memorial. Unfortunately, it's rather poorly put together compared to a Smithsomian museum, but I suppose it's better than nothing. For instance, there are lots of pictures attempting to depict various events, but there are no descriptions under each one detailing the purpose or time of the picture. At any rate, it was a good place to visit and think about the wisdom he left the world.







This is my dream, too, for the US.



"US Pizza." I wonder if they know that pizza is an Italian food. It seems as though adding "US" may help any business acquire more patrons.



Yep they definitely have cows. The funny thing is that the cows are well behaved and know not to get in the way.


The epitome of the convergence of technology amidst poverty.





A few locals play cricket on a vacant lot on a Saturday evening.

From the streets of Ahmedabad

I had a chance to peruse the streets today. It's so overwhelming that I don't really know how to describe it at the moment, so I'm just going to let it percolate before I write about life on the streets.

Instead, I'll focus on my quick retail experience. Shopping here is an amazing experience -- you get the full focus and attention of their knowledgeable staff and are treated as though you actually matter. It's quite gratifying. The choice of product (in our case, fabric) is incredibly vast with varying degrees of quality based on your budget.

As soon as you approach the store, they open the door for you (these are individual boutique type stores and not large retail chains). Often, someone will offer you water - not by asking you if you want some, but it will just arrive on a tray within minutes of you starting to look around. As a side note, I kindly thank them for the offer and never drink the water because I'm trying to be very vigilant about where I eat and drink to avoid acquiring any superbugs. It's really just a personal precaution and not a statement of the hygiene.

The retail experience is pretty cool too. In our case, the sales guys showed us fabric after fabric after fabric based on what we wanted, etc. As an experiment, I have a shirt being tailor made for me. It will take them 3 days. So, we'll see how they do, but I'm confident it will be well done. So, how much would you pay for a tailor made shirt? Add your guesses to the comments section. I'll report back with the price and a picture once I get it and it's satisfactory.

Attached are some pictures from the lively streets. For a larger/clearer view, click on each one.