I want Kandy!....I want Kandy!

During the past few days, we visited several important Theravada Buddhism sites. One site in particular was a series of caves that included murals, tomb stupas and sculptures. Many of the Theravada Buddhism sites include sculptures of a reclining Buddha. Most often, these sculptures are enormous and hand carved of wood. The specific reclining Buddha sculptures that I have seen ranged from approximately 10 ft. to 50 ft.

Sigiriya is the site where the 5th century King of Sri Lanka had his palace. Although only the foundation remains today, the palace was constructed on top of a massive rock. We climbed approximately 2200 steps to get to the site. It was a pretty good workout. At the top we were able to appreciate a panorama of the lush tropical landscape. The rock is positioned in the middle of a 300-acre monastery. Half way up the mountain were a series of beautiful murals. I found these paintings to be especially intriguing because they were so different from all of the other artworks that I have seen in Sri Lanka and India. The murals included a group of women exclusively. In my opinion, in these paintings, the artist depicted a rise in the status of women. Although the women in the paintings are very sensual and idealized, they are not sexualized. Also, they are not performing any type of service or labor. Each woman in the murals has at least one reference to nature. I believe the artist portrayed these women to suggest a comparison of women to the mystery and beauty of nature.

For the past few days we have been in Kandy; the second largest city in Sri Lanka. Last night we visited a small village just outside of the city. In the center of the village was a tiny 1st century temple. The name of the temple is Maha Viharaya. Unlike the other temples and monasteries that we have visited, this temple was entirely made out of wood, including the sculptures and altar inside. The temple was decorated with a tremendous amount of patterns in bright bold colors. So far, this temple is my favorite. Unfortunately, they do not allow photography inside.

Later in the evening, we watched as the village people performed a music concert and a variety of dances. Because I was doing some videotaping, I sat closer to the back of the crowd away from the rest of the Fulbright participants. Instead, I sat with the villagers. Next to me, were four young children. One of the kids had a bag of flower bulbs. The children were very friendly and offered me a handful of flowers. Next, I took four of the flowers and placed one behind an ear of each of the children. For the next hour, as we listened to the music, we exchanged smiles, giggles and passed flowers back and forth. As we ‘played’ together, I took several photographs of the kids. During the past few weeks, I have discovered several new features of the video camera. One in particular includes being able to flip the LCD screen around 180 degrees. Both, children and adults are very amused at being able to see themselves on ‘TV’ as I take their picture. Whenever I take portraits in this manner, my subjects react with great big smiles.

Right now, we are traveling by bus to Colombo. We will stay there for a few days. Today, shortly after we check into our hotel, several of us have appointments to go to an Ayervedic spa. (Yet another tough day on the Fulbright Program! Boy, are they ever spoiling us.) I have never experienced an Ayuervedic spa treatment. From the limited information that know about it, a variety of different herbs are used to heal and/or strengthen the body. A small group of us are planning to attend a professional cricket match in a few days, Sri Lanka vs. India. I know very little about the sport but am anxious to participate in the cultural experience. It should be fun.

This morning we visited an elephant orphanage. Standing in the middle of a pack of elephants was pretty surreal. Most of the elephants at the orphanage were without tusks and many of them had other disabilities. We spent some time watching and petting them. Later, we watched as they left the park and walked in a massive herd through the town to the river. Bath time! Second to the children, my favorite video footage includes bits of various animals.

Greetings from paradise.

For those of you that have been following me on this journey- I did not fall of the face of the earth. We have been really busy traveling all over, leaving little time for Internet action. When I do have a few moments, I am usually too tired to write, spell check and at times, even think clearly.
We spent the last two days in India in Kerala. Our hotel was very close to the beach. On our last day we spent several hours swimming in the Arabian Sea. The tide was very rough. During our swim, many of us made offerings of jewelry to the sea. For me personally, I guess one diamond earring is a small price to pay for such a memorable experience.
We have been in Sri Lanka for a few days now. After the recent bomb blasts in India, I feel like I am in a much safer country now. The Indian Muhajeen has cast a large shadow over the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Elam. Hopefully, the LTTE will remain out-of-site.
Currently, we are in Kandalama, a four-hour drive northeast of Colombo. In Sri Lanka, that equates to about 50 miles (not really, but it feels like it). We are in a very remote area and it is absolutely beautiful here! It is so tropical. It reminds me of the Caribbean Islands with a hint of African safari flavor. This morning, a few of us went on an elephant ride. The experience was one I will not forget. Initially, as I approached the elephant, I noticed that the basket attached to the elephant was incredibly rocky. Accordingly, I expected that the ride would cause me to feel nausea. Fortunately, when the three of us got into the basket and the elephant began walking, it was much smoother than I anticipated. For about an hour, we rode the elephant through marshlands and forest. The two other women that I was with are very experienced horse riders. Both were pleased that they were able to take turns riding on the elephant’s neck. Personally, I didn’t share their desire to do that as I felt very content and comfortable sitting inside the basket.

So far, the main educational focus in Sri Lanka has been Theravada Buddhism. This form of Buddhism emerged in Sri Lanka in approximately 3rd century BCE. On our first day we visited various ancient Buddhist monastery sites. The grounds of the monasteries were very beautiful. The aesthetic elements used in the landscape designs are reminiscent of those applied in Chinese landscapes. This form of Buddhism has similar characteristics to the philosophy of Daoism, where "the Dao (Tao) is the Way and the Way is nature."

According to our Sri Lankan guides as well as what I have observed, Sri Lankans are very laid back. Our guide suggested that one contributing factor is that more alcohol is consumed per capita in Sri Lanka than in other countries in the world. Additionally, a common belief among Sri Lankans is that one of the most dishonorable things one can do is lose their temper. It was suggested that one would rarely ever hear a Sri Lankan person raise their voice to another individual. “Generally, we internalize our emotions” Sinharajan said. I imagine that this ‘suffering in silence’ behavior also contributes to Sri Lanka’s distinction of having the largest divorce rate in the world.
Like America, schools in Sri Lanka are not in session during this time of year. Although we will not be participating in any school visits, we have meet and seen a lot of young children here.

Yesterday we visited the largest Buddhist pilgrimage site in Sri Lanka. The Dagaba Stupa contains a relic of Siddhartha Buddha, apparently a sash belt. This was of such great value to the Buddhists of Sri Lanka that it was entombed in a magnificent stupa structure. Apparently, in 200 BCE, this structure was only second to the pyramids of Giza, as the largest man-made structure in the world. At about the same time that the Dagaba stupa was built in 2nd century BCE, the King of Sri Lanka sent his son to India to claim a branch clipping from the original Bodi tree under which Siddhartha Buddha achieved enlightenment. Upon return to Sri Lanka, the clipping was planted and grew into a strong and magnificent tree. It is claimed that the aforementioned tree is the exact tree that we visited, some 2200 years old. Hmmmmm, that’s really hard to believe.

Bangalore Blasts

Well, what can I say....it's not a good time to be in Bangalore. Yesterday, 8 bombs blasted in and around the city. The closest blast to our hotel was only one mile away. So, needless to say, I have been freaking out!!!! I decided to take a break from our scheduled activities this morning, in an effort to try to relax and calm my nerves. However, when I learned about the 17 Blasts that took place in Ahmedabad today, it surely didn't help to make me feel any better.

What a scary and sad situation! In the past few weeks, I have been in various situations which led me to feel panic for my security. It reminds me how lucky we are in America and Canada. One can go to Starbucks and not worry about being blown away. Oh, I feel like jumping on a plane and coming home tomorrow. I want to, but I don't want to. I have a desire for "authenic experiences in India"; that is what I emphasized in my grant application. You know what they say, "Becareful what you ask for." Actually, the artist Jenny Holzer said it best "Protect me from what I want!"

Calcutta and Mumbai

The past week included many long, hot days with little “free time.” Some of the highlights of the Calcutta trip included school and gallery visits.

70% of India’s population live in rural areas. One day we visited two schools in a poor village outside of the city. One of the schools was a Muslim school and the other was a school for girls. Everywhere we visited we were warmly welcomed. Most schools in India have English language programs. In every school that we have visited, the children have been enthusiastic and eager to practice their English speaking skills with us. Similar to the schools that I visited in Costa Rica, the classrooms are very bare with only a few books. Therefore, although their English speaking skills are pretty good, their ability to read English is poor. There is a great need for programs that will bring books into classrooms like these. It makes me sad to think of my school library that is filled with boxes upon boxes of past years reading series kits. These materials sit on the shelves for years untouched and will eventually be thrown out. I intend to figure out how to get books/materials shipped to India inexpensively. I am confident that gathering ‘expired’ reading materials from schools around the country would not be terribly difficult. Like the Green Ganges Project, this presents another potential project that I can work on upon return from India/Sri Lanka.

In both Calcutta and Mumbai, I have been able to get out quite a bit to explore India’s contemporary art scene. I was happy to discover that there are a plethora of Indian artists who include the various themes that I am researching into their artworks. In some galleries, photographs are not permitted. Therefore, because I cannot post images of certain artworks on this blog, I have included various links to some of the artists that I learned about. It’s worth taking a minute to check it out.
A great gallery that I visited in Delhi:
http://www.galleryespace.com/

Chintan Upadhyay, a fantastic artist that I discovered at Gallery Espace.
http://www.artnet.com/artist/424655811/chintan-upadhyay.html

Pushpamala N, an Indian contemporary artist who practices in the Feminist Art tradition:
http://www.noorderlicht.com/eng/fest06/asian/pushpamala/index.html


Shortly after we arrived in Mumbai, we visited the residence where Gandi lived and worked. Gandi’s granddaughter, Ela, was present and gave us an interesting lecture. Of particular interest to me were the artworks that she showed us. Every year, the Mahatma Ghandi Association holds a nationwide art contest for students who incorporate non-violence themes into their artwork.

Only 8 more days in India, then we’re off to Sri Lanka.

Varanasi-The Home of Mother Ganges

Everyday is packed with a variety of site visits and activities. We spent the past 3 days in Varansi, which is considered the holiest city in India. Varanasi is home to the Mother Ganges, the holy river for the Hindu people. We went to the Ganges ghats (which means ‘access’ in Hindi). There are 32 ghats that access the River Ganges in Varanasi. It is there that the Hindu people go to get spiritual nourishment and bathe. It is also where cremations take place and the deceased are brought to rest with Mother Ganges. In the evening we took a boat ride down the Ganges and saw a variety of different activities, including a tea ceremony prayer, candle offering dance and singing. While we were there we met two young girls who were selling flowers and candles as offerings for the Mother Ganges. I spent a good amount of time talking to the girls. Ricky and Soma, ages 10 and 12, have been selling flowers at the ghats since they were 5 years old. Neither of the girls have ever been to school, yet they spoke excellent English. They learned English at the ghats they said, along with some Spanish, German and French. Ricky wants to be a doctor someday, she told me. Such beautiful girls! In the city of Varansi only about 30% of the children go to school. The education system in India is not free. The cost to attend school is about 800 Rupees per month, which is the equivalent of approximately $20 US dollars. This is not affordable for most.

The next day we awoke at 4AM to return to the Ganges. We arrived early to see the sunrise on the river. We took a boat to the ghats where the cremations are conducted. Out of respect, I did not photograph the bodies that were being cremated at the river's edge. Some of the people in our group saw the body of a deceased person in the river. This I did not see, and I am thankful for that. Even more so, some of my colleagues witnessed a dog eating charred remains. At another ghat about 50 feet away, individuals washed and swam as well as drank from the Mother Ganges.

Later in the day we went to meet individuals who started a grassroots organization to try to clean-up the Ganges. Their objective to clean up the Ganges is an important one. However, they have not been very successful in getting their message out, educating the community, trying to motivate the community to get involved, raise funds for the cause and push for change in public policy. The group began their efforts in 1982. Unfortunately, they have made little progress after 25 years. One aspect of my Fulbright grant proposal included noting my interested in going to India to research and seek-out potential projects for future humanitarian aid work. When I return from India and Sri Lanka I intend to look into different ways that I may be able to assist with the "Clean Ganges" project.

One day we drove outside Varansi to a small village, poplulation 8,000. In the village, we were given a tour of the school where we met many children. We also visited a small chutney factory and several individuals who make saris. The sari-makers spend approximately 14 hours per day weaving saris; and each sari takes between 20-25 days to make. On average, the weavers are able to sell their sari for approximately 3,000 Rupees (approximately $75 US dollars).

We visited a private school just outside Varanasi called the Krishnamurti School. Krishnamurti is a famous Indian philosopher and teacher. I have read one of his books, Think On These Things, and for the past 8 years I have regularly reflected on some of his teachings. Two of his core teachings concern compassion and diminishing the ego. I often reflect on his idea that 'one’s ego is like fog on a window; you cannot see clearly until you wipe it away'.

We met with several students at the Krishnamurti School. A young girl in the 10th grade explained to me how the teachings of Krishnamurti permeate all of their academic lessons. We visited students in classrooms of various disciplines. I was especially excited to go to the art room. My students will appreciate seeing the Indian children working on pottery wheels and hand-built sculptures in the same way they do.

Just north of Varanasi is Sarnath, the birthplace of Buddhism. We visited the site where Sidhartha Buddha gave his first sermon after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in North India. In Sarnath, the Buddha described his philosophy of the four paths to five disciples. On e the site were a variety of stupas, monastaries and temples.

Yesterday evening we left Varanasi and took an overnight train to Calcutta (Kolcata). We arrived this morning at 10AM. It wasn't too bad. I was able to sleep for most of the trip. From what we have seen in Calcutta so far, the city of 13 million is very metropolitan. Late in the afternoon we visited The Mother Teressa Center Missionaries of Charity. This is the site where Mother Teressa lived and worked. Her tomb is also on site. I had a very emotional response to being at the center. I am so pleased that we were able to make it there just shortly before they closed for the night.

Contemporary Art, the Taj Mahal & more.

A few days ago we finished the instruction portion of our trip, which consisted of a lot of lectures at USEFI (United States Education Foundation in India). From this point forward, we will be participating in the “fieldwork” portion of our trip, which will include visiting historical sites, palaces, tombs, gardens, and much, much more. All the while, I have a specific project that I have to research and collect data for.
The topic of my project is Contemporary Art in India with an emphasis on Feminist Art. Specifically, I am interested in learning about contemporary artists who include references to India’s ancient past, yet present these themes in a way that reflects a Post Modern approach to art-making. In addition, I am interested in discovering contemporary Indian artists, especially women, who are using the visual arts as a medium to communicate their feelings about sexism, gender roles, oppression, poverty, violence and terror in India.
Before I left for India, I was able to do a good amount of research on my topic. Of all of the resources that I found, I continued to come across the name Roobina Karode. Like Lucy Lippard is to 1st Generation Feminist Art Movement, Karode is the highest regarded critic of the Contemporary and Feminist Art Movements in India. With the help of the Fulbright Commission, I was able to get into contact with Karode a few days ago. Although we were unable to meet in person, she recommended 2 specific galleries that I should visit while in Delhi. The obvious was the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi. The other was Gallery Espace, a small gallery about 45 minutes outside of Central Delhi. I am thankful to have received this recommendation, as I never would have come across it by happenstance.
The National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi (NGMA) includes a rotating collection of 300 works by Indian artists created after 1800. It was important to visit the gallery to get a good understanding of the development of the Indian aesthetic and various artistic themes over the past 2 centuries. Throughout the gallery, I recognized various parallels with the work of Renior, Van Gogh, Gauguin and Picasso. Currently, I am not sure if Impressionism, Expressionism or Cubism had an influence on Indian artists or if the reverse is true. Also at the NGMA, I was able to see a substantial amount of artwork made during this decade. These artworks meet the specifications of my research project. Included here are various links to specific artists that I learned about at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi: Anju Dodiya (http://www.artnet.com/artist/723251/anju-dodiya.html), kallat Jitish (http://www.greatbanyanart.com/collection.asp?artistid=320&paintingid=523), Sachin Karne (http://www.paletteartgallery.com/workavailable.asp?artistid=127).


Next, I hired a driver to take me to Gallery Espace. I informed the gallery curator, Shweta Bhanot, that I was referred by Karode to visit the gallery and she personally gave me a tour. At the same time, Bhanot was extremely helpful in providing me with a large collection of artist catalogs featuring the contemporary Indian artists that Gallery Espace has represented over the past few years. My visit was very worthwhile and I discovered a great deal about various contemporary Indian artists, including the current market value for their artwork. Bhanot was especially generous in taking the time to burn me a CD of high quality images of the artists/artwork represented by Gallery Espace. I am confident that the contact that I made with Bhanot is one that I will maintain throughout my research and beyond. Here is a link to the Gallery Espace website: http://www.galleryespace.com/contact_us.php


After my gallery visits, my driver, Gill, took me to the Bahai Lotus Temple. According to my limited understanding of it, Bahai is a philosophy, not religion. The core value of the Bahai people is unity consciousness. I have been told that the Bahai organization has only one temple on every continent. The temple in Delhi is referred to as the Taj Mahal of the 21st century. The architect designed the temple in the shape of a lotus flower, a symbol of Hinduism in India.

Today we visited the Taj Mahal in Agra. It was really amazing. I did not know that the Taj Mahal is a tomb. The Taj Mahal was designed as the burial place of San Jahan’s (the 5th King of India) third wife. Approximately 39 years later, San Jahan joined her to rest there. Our tour guide was great. He gives tours at the Taj approximately 250 days/year. You can just imagine all of the information that he knows (and likely makes up too) about the site. In addition, he knew all of the great photo spots and some cute photo tricks.

Included with this post are various other photos including: shots of children that I meet, a demonstration of marble inlay work, several Agra street scenes, and a demonstration of an ancient Indian Odessi dance.

I hope you enjoy the pictures! Tomorrow morning we are flying to Varanasi, home of the Ganges. I am so excited. I expect Varanasi to be one of the highlights of the trip. I will check back soon to share some of the things that I learn.

I miss my friends and family! Talk soon!!!!

Week 1-Delhi, India

Things have been a bit of a whirlwind since we arrived in India on Friday. Finally, I have found a chance to submit some comments and photos about what I have been learning.
Before departing for India, the Fulbright participants attended an orientation session at the University of Texas in Austin. For the most part, we spent our mornings and days attending lectures by prominent scholars of various South East Asian-centered fields. Some of the topics included: Islam in India, an introduction to Hindi language, “Gendering the call” (which focused on issues related to women working in call-centers in India), and “Stitching our identities” (which focused on issues related to women working in the garment district in the Free Trade Zone in Sri Lanka). There were many other topics and all of them were very thought provoking. The orientation seminar provided an excellent foundation for the trip.
After about 30 hours of travel, which included 20 in the air, we arrived in New Delhi. The flights were not so bad as I have developed a very good ‘system’ for traveling on long flights. It includes: sleep, sleep, and more sleep!
Immediately upon arrival in Delhi, the hot and humid weather struck me. In addition, for the first 24 hours, with each breath I took, it felt like I inhaled a pile of dirt. Fortunately, that feeling has since passed. How easy our bodies acclimate. I guess I feel lucky that I have not been bothered too much by the pollution. When in China last summer, I experienced nosebleeds every day for the first 10 days, and that was before we went to Tibet.
Last night, the Fulbright Commission threw a big party for all of the participants. It was a beautiful event and I meet some very interesting people. I especially enjoyed meeting the Director of the Library of Congress-Pakistan. She had some very interesting stories to share about her experiences working in South Asia.
We had a pretty busy day today:
In the morning we had an expert come to the Fulbright House to lecture to us about various aspects of the media in India. It was interesting to see the parallels and differences compared to media in the US.
In the afternoon we went to the Red Fort. In the 17th century, this historic site was the home of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. He is considered to have been the greatest of the Mughal rulers. The Red Fort remained Shan Jahan’s palace until the British occupation of the 1800’s. Today, the Red Fort is considered to be a symbol of resistance to British colonialism. On this site, the first Prime Minister of India, Nehru, gave his very first speech.
In addition to marveling at the amazing architecture and considering the historical significance of the space, we had a lot of fun with the Indian people that we interacted with during our visit. In many countries, including India, Americans are viewed by many as spectacles. Complete strangers want to be photographed with you. It’s a bit weird and cool at the same time. We had fun! I hope you enjoy some of my photos.
We spent a few hours checking out the streets of Old Delhi, including the market and our first out-of-hotel restaurant experience. Admittedly, it was a bit intimidating at first but the overall experience was good……..hmm, so far?
Boy, did we ever experience ‘India Culture Shock’ today. The streets are so crowded with mopeds and autorickashaws coming from every direction, random cows crossing the street, homeless people sitting in the middle of the road; and I could go on and on and on.
Later in the evening we returned to the Red Fort for a special evening light show. I enjoyed it but by 10PM I was a bit worn out.
I look forward to sharing more soon!
Some international education trivia:
On any given day, the rate of teacher absenteeism in India’s government schools is 1/3.

On the road again.

I am off in one day. We are definitely going to Sri Lanka. I trust everything will be okay. I have been pretty frazzled these past few days- planning, packing, making sure I don't forget a thing.

The next time that I post to this blog I will be in India. At that time I will have some images to share with you.

Just a few of my amazing 8th graders!

Will we make it to Sri Lanka?

So, at this point, just two weeks before our scheduled departure for the trip, I am unsure as to whether we will actually be traveling to Sri Lanka. I expect an interruption due to the activities of the Tamil Tigers. With all of the recent bombings and raids, our safety would be at-risk. In many ways, I would be a bit relieved if the itinerary was changed at this point. However, I would be absolutely devastated if the entire trip were to be cancelled due to the situation. Personally, I would like to make a motion to change our destination from Sri Lanka to Nepal. I think Nepal would present a very interesting backdrop from which to compare and contrast neighboring India.

Preparing for the trip.

In just a few weeks, I will embark on what I predict will be one of the most exciting experiences of my life- traveling to India and Sri Lanka as a participant of the US Department of Education Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program.  I have been interested in traveling to India since I was a young girl and am still in shock that I am going to realize this goal.  

I can't even imagine the meaningful experiences that lie ahead of me.  Lately, I have been feeling a mix of emotions- excitement, shock, nerves and even a bit of fear.  At the same time, I am anxious to finally meet my Fulbright colleagues after our regular email exchanges over the past few months.   

Presently, I am planning what to pack and feel that I am pretty-much prepared.  I have compiled a wardrobe that is almost completely made up of moisture-wicking fabrics.  I am not getting excited about-but prepared for the 110 degree weather conditions.  Also, I am trying hard to plan appropriately as to NOT over pack, as I usually tend to do.  I have been reminding myself that India and Sri Lanka are the textile capitals of the world.  Although I am not much of a shopper-I may pick up a thing or two while I am there.  (Yeah-right-haha!)

Mini-DVD's for the Handycam, that's about all I need at this point.  I better pick up quite a few of them, as I do not want to search around to buy them in India or Sri Lanka.  I recall doing that in China-where I ended up buying a bunch of 'genuine-fakes' which resulted in the loss of 500 pictures from my camera.