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!"
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
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!!!!
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!!!!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
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.
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.
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