Worldwide Learning Expedition

India Learning Expedition

General Information

Only 100 million years ago the Indian Peninsula was still attached to the great land mass of what geologists call 'Pangaea' alongside South Africa, Australia and Antarctica. Then as the great plates on which the earth's southern continents stood broke up, the Indian Plate started its dramatic shift northwards, eventually colliding with the Asian Plate. As the Indian Plate continues to get pushed under the Tibetan Plateau so the Himalayas continue to rise.

Presently, India lies in the Northern Hemisphere, bisected laterally by the Tropic of Cancer. With the total land area of 3,287,000 square km (1,261,000 square miles) and a coastline 6,100 km (3,535 miles) long, it is the world's seventh-largest country. To the north, the Himalayas (hima means snow; laya, abode) separate India from Nepal and China. To the east is Bhutan, still closely connected to India by a special treaty. More mountains separate India from Myanmar (formerly Burma) on the eastern border. Also to the east, lies Bangladesh. Pakistan borders India's northwest. The Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea and the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal are part of the Indian Union.

With its 1 billion people, India is the second-most populous country in the world (after China) and the world's largest democracy. The country has 19 official languages including English and Hindi and a number of religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Christianity, Islam, etc. Over 80 percent of Indians are Hindu, but there are significant minorities. Muslims number about 110 million, and there are over 20 million Christians, 18 million Sikhs, 6 million Buddhists and a number of other religious groups.

Women in India

Being a woman traveling through India I feel compelled to share my observations of the culture of Indian women and my personal experiences. I must admit the following; all of my information about women in India is strictly by what my eyes can see and talking with Indian men. Unfortunately over the course of my day I do not come in contact with women.

The crowning jewel of womanhood in India is the Taj Mahal. It is a tomb that was built in the mid 1600's by the Shah Jahan for his favorite wife, Arjumand Banu Begum. She died giving birth to her fourteenth child. The Taj Mahal is an exquisite sight of complete white marble with fine and elaborately detailed semi-precious stone inlays. There is no wonder why it is deemed the permanent tear on India's cheek.

Here marriage is mostly a matter of arrangement by one's parents. Though with the internet, MTV, and the movies, personal choice and romance seem to be much more popular. However upon talking with several married men, it was revealed that men take up girlfriends under a "don't ask don't tell" policy. When I inquired if wives did the same and what would happen if a husband found out his wife had a boyfriend, they appeared very confused and unable to answer. I don't know if they a) couldn't fathom this scenario or b) didn't want to give me an answer that would be offensive. Ironically all of these men promoted marriage and insisted that Bill and I follow suit.

After trekking through the cities and countryside I noticed a distinct difference in women's clothing. In urban environments Hindu women wear tunic-like saris of darker more conservative colors, in rural environments they don the traditional sari in brilliant spectrums. Conservative Muslim women consistently wear the all black garb with one minor difference, in cities they can show just their eyes in rural areas a veil covers their faces. This is in contrast to Hindu and Muslim men's dress, which is conservative, yet modern. The standard is a long sleeved button down shirt with trousers, with subtle differences according to caste.

Jobs seem to be designated by gender, women's work tended to be: laundry, selling vegetables, working the fields, transporting water, roadwork, begging, and child rearing. You now understand my dilemma, being a tourist I have no reason to interact with these women. At museums or national monuments women would walk by me and smile, then every couple of feet look back and smile again. They wouldn't dare approach me unlike the men who would ask me where I was from and could they take a picture with me. On the few occasions that I addressed a female she would almost blush and give me a short answer.

Living in New York City you take for granted how commonplace it is for men and women to interact. When I walk the male dominated streets of India I see few women in small enclaves, if at all. Certain men glower at me to let me know that I'm not in the proper place or dress. I have taken to wearing only clothing that gives my body full coverage.

On this trip several times I have felt isolated from the world around me. I crave female contact/conversation, as if I were dehydrated and in the need of water. Being deprived of female contact has made me even more appreciative of the value women have in society and my life.

Varanasi

Varanasi is the holiest Hindu city, much like Jeruselem is to the Christians and the Jews. The city dates back to the sixth century B.C. and has been destroyed by the Muslims many times during the 1200 - 1700's. There are many reasons why this city is considered so sacred, for one it is considered the home to the Hindu's primary god, Shiva, whose presence is said to illuminate the city. The other defining element is flow of the Ganges River through the city. Every Hindu is to make a pilgrimage to this city and the Ganges river to cleanse their souls in its purifying waters.

To allow the public access to the holy Ganges, there are a series of steps that line the river, known as "ghats".

Each ghat has its own purpose and story. The Dasashwamedh Ghat is considered the most popular. It is said at this spot the Hindu creator, Brahma, sacrificed ten royal horses of a mythical king. Hence giving all that bathe and pray here the power of those ten sacrifices. Everyday, beginning at dawn, hundreds disciples make their way down the stairs of this ghat to pray, brush their teeth, wash their bodies, and clothing in the sacred waters. If you were to take a boat ride along the river's shore you would pass dozens of ghats with equal attendance and activity.

Ideally every Hindu wishes upon death to be burned in Varanasi and have his/her ashes scattered into the Ganges. This is said to bless the person with "moksha", which is the end to the cycle of death and rebirth known as reincarnation. Certain ghats have the responsibility of these cremations; they are known as the "burning ghats." Here wooden pyres are built to accept the dead bodies, which are tightly wrapped in a decorative silk cloth. One at a time the bodies are placed in what looks like a timber cradle with a cover and then set a flame. From early in the morning to the dark night, you can smell the smoke and see the orange glow of the burning ghats.

Unfortunately, only wealthy Hindus are able to participate in this exceptionally sacred last rite. It is very costly to send a dead body to Varansi and equally expensive is the wood to build the pyre. It takes about 100 kilos of wood to burn a body, the cheapest wood costs about $200 U.S. This can take the average Indian a lifetime to save. Since the poor cannot afford this last rite they have created alternatives. Once a poor Hindu is close to the end of their life, they travel to Varanasi and await their death. When it comes, the body is wrapped in cloth and tied with weights. The body is then given to the River Ganges where it descends to the bottom. In about a month the body decomposes enough to free it from its weights causing it to float to the top. This is why it is not rare to see a dead body floating down river amongst the Hindu disciples performing their daily rituals.

Taj Mahal In The City Of Agra

Beginning in the early 16th Century, the Mughal Empire was founded by Babur the Great, who founded his capital city in Dehli. Over the next three hundred years, it would change between Dehli and Agra several times until Mughal power declined and the English 'assumed' power. The current capital is located in Dehli.

Agra is the city of the Taj Mahal, the worlds most elaborate and expensive mausoleum. It was built by the Mughal leader Shah Jehan for his wife, Mentaz Majal, who died giving birth to his 14th child (many of whom were males). In India, as in many nations around the world, women are praised for siring males. To honor Mentaz, Shah Jehan hired 20,000 of the worlds best architects, engineers, craftsmen, and sculptors to work for 22 years. Unfortuneately for Jehan, one of his heirs, Aurangzeb, (son of Mentaz and Jehan), staged a coup d'etat. Killing his brothers and locking his father in Agra Fort, he assumed control of the Empire his father had worked hard to build. Shah Jehan was imprisoned in 1658, and spent the next 8 years locked in his own jail, looking out across the Yamuna River, towards his wife's grave until he died in 1666. Like most of India, this story of the Taj Mahal is filled with tremendous power, and an equal dose of tragedy.

Swaztikas In India

One of the many 'cultural shocks' most interesting while traveling through India was the use of the Swastika. To travel in other lands, it is often necessary to replace your preconceived notions of meanings, signs and images. This was such a time.

The most common sign of 'evil' to a Western mind is the Nazi Swaztika. Its image conjures images of aggressive militarism, genocide, and global domination by a madman and his fascist nation, Germany. Few would refute seeing it written on a wall, or in a bathroom, or synagogue, as racism being alive.

However, throughout India, this sign exists with a much different meaning. It is a Sanskrit word literally meaning 'it is well.' It was used by many civilizations in China, India, and the Middle East. It is considered a totem of good luck, and a symbol of the Sun's path across the sky if its arms go clockwise. When used counterclockwise, it signifies the night sky and means great events are to occur. Nonetheless, seeing them is a bit disturbing at first. Written by:
William J. McCarthy & Lisa Falciglia

These two pictures show the cities laundry-processing center. It is really a government works project to employ city people. Each worker is given 5 rupees per item of clothing (about 2 cents american). People are very glad to have such a job, and they worked rather hard while we watched. Despite the extreme poverty of Bombay, it is surprising how clean and kept their appearance was.

The cart with the bull is used by poor Indians to move cargo. It is used like a pickup truck in the states and uses the same roads as cars and trucks. Surprisingly, it seemed to work somehow more efficient than you would imagine....

It was very difficult to take pictures of the slums. There was both a sense of 'this is a bit dangerous' but I felt very much like a heartless human even though I was doing it to enlighten people about the condition of the poor. This photo was taken in an area not considered to be a slum but rather a working class neighborhood.

A silver container that a recent Shah of Jaipur had built in the early 20th century to bring holy Ganges water with him for bathing and praying. There are actually two of them, and both are in the Guinness Book of World's Records as being the largest silver containers in the world.