Final Thoughts

I’ve spent several moments throughout the week trying to think of what to say in this final blog. First of all, thank you for going along with me on this journey. Being connected as I traveled certainly helped me not feel so far away from home. My family, as always, has been wonderful to “carry on” while I was gone. From what I understand, the animals are all still alive (there’s even a temporary extra), the house is picked up, guests have been entertained and new carpet is on the way! I always come back from trips with a renewed sense of thankfulness to God for creating such a remarkable world for us to inhabit – so much to see and enjoy – and I am very grateful that we have had a safe journey through all these miles. I’m “filled to overflowing” with gratitude to the Fulbright Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education for this incredible gift. This opportunity has been valuable to me both personally and professionally. The fact that someone would invest this much in me and what I do has also helped validate the significance of the career choice I made 25 years ago. I look forward to seeing that my students are primary beneficiaries of this experience.
We have seen so much and done so many things. I’ve taken copious notes in multiple formats to try to help keep it all organized in my brain, not to mention all the pictures. I suppose that a major theme I take away from this trip, as well as my other travel experiences, is that underneath all the “trappings,” – what clothes we wear, the language we speak, the architectural style of our homes, etc. , there is a basic universality among people. Regardless of the physical geography, people love their families and want what’s best for them, they enjoy the camaraderie of friends, they have a need for something bigger than themselves. For my students to embrace the concept of being part of a global family, they need to understand the many similarities they have with people all over the world. It’s amazing how easy it is to find the familiar in the unfamiliar.
Out of the almost 2,000 (I’m not exaggerating) pictures I have made, I found it quite simple to select the one to put on my final blog. I had posted a quote by one of our lecturers in an early blog that said something to the effect of “India is like a garland of flowers.” He was speaking to the diversity, yet unity, found in the country. We have gotten to experience some of that diversity, be it religious, lingual, the physical geography, even the clothing, among other things. Yet, it all weaves together, like the multiple colors in our elephant driver’s turban, to create something beautiful and exotic. Thank you, India, for sharing yourself so freely with this group of Fulbright Scholars. Namaste

Where Gandhi Walked

Our final time in Delhi involved meeting with the USIEF staff for debriefing and completing written evaluations. They were very interested in hearing our feedback, as they use this each year to plan for future groups. (Luckily, our big curriculum projects are not due until November 30th.) We also had a traditional farewell dinner in the evening. Some of our former lecturers joined us in this time of saying thank you and goodbye to everyone. The afternoon, though, was ours to enjoy, whether it was visiting a tailor or picking up a last minute gift. I chose to visit Gandhi Smriti. (It's amazing how getting an auto rickshaw and negotiating a price has become so comfortable. We've laughed about how "green" we were our first time in Delhi.)

I shall work for an India in which the poorest shall feel that it is their country, in whose making they have an effective voice; an India in which there shall be no high class and low class of people; an India in which all communities shall live together in perfect harmony. There can be no room in such India for the curse of untouchability or the curse of intoxicating drinks and drugs. Women will enjoy the same rights as men. We shall be at peace with all the rest of the world. This is the India of my dreams. - Gandhi

Gandhi Smriti is the home where Gandhi spent his last 144 days when he came to Delhi from Kolkata. It was on these grounds that he was assassinated on January 30,1948. Now the home is a heritage site and open to the public. At the main entrance is a statueof Gandhi along with two children, a boy and a girl, standing on a globe (pic 1). It symbolizes his universal concern for those perceived as helpless, and is inscribed with one of his quotes - My life is my message. There is a museum with many pictures and quotes of Gandhi; as well, you can see the room where he spent his last days (pic 2). It has been kept exactly as it was on the day of his assassination. All of his possessions are on display: his glasses, walking stick, a knife, fork and spoon, and the rough stone he used instead of soap. His bed was a mattress on the floor, plain white, with a low wooden desk at its side. There are stone footsteps showing the path he walked that leads out to the prayer area (pic 3). It was here that he was shot by Nathuram Godse. Many Indian people were there the morning of my visit and would circle the site where he was killed (marked by a stone pillar), and then touch their foreheads and the ground as a show of respect and devotion for this leader (pics 4 & 5). Everyone was required to remove their shoes to approach the site. I had read Gandhi's autobiography while on this trip, so it was great to have so many events in his life fresh in my mind as I looked at the pictures posted on walkways around the grounds. I went to the garden area near the site of his martyrdom, sat on a bench in the shade and again, pondered the marvel of his life, the philosophy of satyagraha, and the "surreal-ness"of being in this particular place. I found it interesting that early in the trip I had visited the site where his wife died. It was very peaceful sitting in the cool and quiet; it felt like an appropriate ending for this visit to India.

Use truth as your anvil, non-violence as your hammer - and anything that does not stand the test when it is brought to the anvil of truth and hammered with non-violence, reject it. - Gandhi

Amber Fort via Elephant

Our final outing was to Amber Fort, built in the 16th century by Maharajah Man Singh. This white marble and red sandstone structure is 7 miles from Jaipur and situated in the Aravalli Mountain Range. I had contemplated boycotting this event because it involved an elephant ride. (Something about that just didn’t seem right to this animal lover.) However, the fear of creating a scene and peer pressure from my roommate made me reconsider. This fort was once the capital of the Minas – believed to be the original inhabitants of this area. Tourists are taken up the winding walkway on elephants, as the maharajah would have been back in the day (pics 1 & 2). We were loaded up 2 per elephant and rolled along, everybody trying to take pictures of everybody else (pics 3 & 5). I couldn’t believe there were hawkers along the way up trying to sell everything from musical instruments to quilts (pic 4)! Who in their right mind, we wondered, would buy something while riding on the back of an elephant? All of the elephants were female and most were in the 20-40 year age range.
When we got to the top of the walkway, we entered the huge arched gate into a courtyard (pic 6)where the elephants “pulled up” beside a concrete step allowing us dismount. Thus began another time of going through gate after gate and finding palatial surprises at every turn. There was a garden area (pic 8) at one part of the maharajah’s palace, a hall of public audience (pic 9) called the Diwan-e-Aam, and my favorite spot, Shish Mahal. This is known as the palace of mirrors. It’s hard to see in the picture, but the walls are lined with little bits of mirrors so that a single candle could illuminate the entire building (pic 10). I can’t imagine how beautiful it would look at night! It was fun being up on the mountain side, in that it provided a great view, as well as a cool breeze.

This was our last afternoon before catching a train to Delhi, so some of us visited the blue pottery factory. Jaipur and Sanganer are famous for their hand-painted vessels which are decorated with floral motifs and geometric patterns in combinations of blue, white and occasionally other colors (pic 11). Jaipur is also famous as a center for semi-precious gemstones. The Molto Bello Gems Enterprises store was sad to see the group of American teachers leave Jaipur. We caught an evening train for our third and final ride into Delhi.

Recognize These Feet?

We rode about 7 miles outside of the city to Sanganer, a name synonymous with block-printing on fabric. On the way to one of multiple buildings where this craft is practiced, we saw numerous camels. Some were on their “break time” and others were at work (pics 1,2,&3). I loved looking at their big lips, but resisted the urge to try to pet one. (Don’t camels spit or something?) We went to the basement of a building where two men were using wooden blocks and ink to make a beautiful design on a piece of cotton fabric (pic 4). They went over the entire thing first with the red and then were going back to put on the yellow (pic 5). Outside, we could see hundreds of these cloths hung to dry (pics 6 & 7). Also in this area, we visited a paper making factory. We were walked through the process from the tiny strips of fabric being made into a mush to the gift bags being boxed and sent to Hallmark!

Here are some other random and fun scenes from Jaipur (a bonus for those who read to the bottom)!

Snake charmers are always eager to

get rupees.

You never know what you'll find on the roads of

Jaipur.

I thought this was sort of funny and saw it multiple

times on rickshaws.

The umbrellas are beautiful - some more practical

to shade from the sun rather than the rain.

Special Times in Jaipur

We arrived in Jaipur around 10:30 Saturday evening, all feeling relieved that Sundays are our "day off" to work on blogs, projects, sight-see or whatever. The city of Jaipur is the capital of the state of Rajasthan, considered a desert state. Jaipur means "the city of victory" and was built about 273 years ago. The original city was light grey, edged with white borders and motifs. In honour of the visit in 1883 of Prince Albert, it was ordered to be painted the traditional color of welcome - pink. (Actually, it looks more like a light terra cotta...) A wall encircles the old city, which is filled with monuments, palaces and forts.

Our Monday morning in Jaipur began with a new experience. We were able to visit a school called PRAYAS (which means endeavor) which is a center for special education and vocational training. The goal of this group is to integrate the maximum number of physically or mentally challenged and socially disadvantaged children into the mainstream. This school, and ones like it, are very unique and, from what I understand, “drops in the bucket” compared to the unmet needs of so many children across the country. I also gathered that this was an exceptional school when I saw pictures up in the foyer of the school being visited by a former president of India, as well as Bill Clinton!
This particular facility and staff were outstanding. The big, airy building was decorated with sculptures and students were working one-on-one with teachers or in small groups. Little ones were working on their socialization skills and each had to get up to greet us and shake hands when we entered. Older children were working with manipulatives on math and language skills (pics 1,2,3). Some were doing work in English (their second language)! Yet others were working on embroidery and tie dye to create cloth that is turned into products for sale (pic 4). The director, Ms. Jatinder Arora’s, goal is to help each of these children become as self-sufficient as possible and to be able to make a contribution to society. She also has worked with the Indian government to help get benefits for these children when their parents are no longer living. She receives no money from the government to run the school. In fact, she said that her donations come from private individuals, groups and corporations in the U.S. and Japan. As our final school visit for this trip, PRAYAS was a wonderful view of someone’s vision and dedication to children. Hopefully, in the future, schools like this will become the rule rather than the exception.

Back in Japiur, we visited the City Palace (pic 5), built by Maharajah Jai Singh II. It has now been turned into a museum with textiles and weapons on display from the 15th century. Another interesting structure is called the Hawa Mahal, or Palace of the Wind(pic 6). Actually, it isn’t a palace at all, but an extension of the women’s chambers of the City Palace and was built in 1799. It is a wall of 953 little niches and windows and was used by the women of the palace who were kept in purda (secluded from the public) to watch the outside world of the streets below. Note the color- this is the “pink” that most things in the old city are painted.

Marble and Sandstone

In the last pictures, you saw some of the beautiful marble inlay on the Taj Mahal. We also went to Itmad-ud-Daula's Tomb (called the Baby Taj), which was actually the first one in India built entirely of white marble (pic 1). It was full of beautiful floral (Hindu) and geometric (Islamic) designs (pic 2). While there, it was so fun watching the dozens of monkeys running around freely, swinging in the trees, wrestling, climbing the walls, etc. (pic 3) I walked down to get a closer look and take pictures and one of them, I guess, mistook me for a tree. I just know that I felt something hit the back of my legs and then walk around looking at me, as if to say, "What are you doing standing there in the way?" The Taj Mahal AND a monkey encounter all in the same day- life is good!

Next, we made the predictable trip to the marble factory. It was amazing to see the craftsmen carving out the grooves in the marble and then with such precision, cutting out the intricate designs from the precious and semi-precious stones to make the inlay work (pic 4). This work is very precise and physically hard on the craftsmen - their hands as well as their eyesight. After watching them work, I can appreciate even more the designs we have seen on the buildings and the prices of the marble work in the stores. Of course, part of this visit was a sales pitch; they fairly quickly moved our group from the showroom with the several thousand dollar tabletops (pic 5) to the room with coasters!

Our last stop before catching a train to Jaipur was a trip to Agra Fort. This construction was commissioned in 1565 by Akbar (the one who built the city a couple of blogs back). This red sandstone structure has a total perimeter of 2.4 km and was never "taken" in battle by enemies. There were 3 gates going into it, each at a right angle to the one before it to help slow the momentum of an enemy (pics 6 & 7). There was also a 9 meter wide crocodile moat to create an issue before you even got to the gates. Inside the fort are numerous buildings, including the king's harem area, his public viewing area, and the prison where he kept his father, Shah Jahan in 1666 (white part in pic 8). If you are thinking, "Where have I heard that name before," remember that Shah Jahan is the one who built the Taj Mahal for the love of his life. His son, Akbar, was a power hungry young man who killed his brothers and imprisoned his own father so that he could be king. The story goes that Shah Jahan spent the last years of his life looking out the prison windows at the distant Taj and mourning his wife. I had always imagined him in a red sandstone cell with a tiny little window. His cell was actually made of white marble with a big open "porch-like" area. Sure enough, you can see the Taj Mahal off in the distance (pic 9). Today, the Indian army uses 75% of Fort Agra.

As a side note, the hawkers surround our bus as we get on and off at each stop. I actually bought something here - a snowglobe of the Taj Mahal (pic 10). The irony of snow in Agra made me smile.

We boarded a 6:30 train for a 4 hour trip to Jaipur. On our way to the platform, we heard all kinds of commotion and music coming down the stairs. Lo and behold, a little 10 or 12 person marching band, with trombones leading the procession (pic 11), was escorting an older gentleman wearing numerous flower garlands around his neck. Our guide told us that this man was retiring from the railroad and they were giving him this big send-off. We have been told that the train rides are new to the Fulbright program this year. We are encouraging the USIEF staff to continue to include them, as the rail life is such an important part of Indian culture. The British laid most of the 39,230 miles of track and today, they move 14 million passengers daily (pic 12). We will be in Jaipur through Tuesday, then back to Delhi. It has been a wonderful trip but folks are getting "antsy" to get home.

At Last!

It was a little before 6:00 A.M. Saturday when we walked through the gates and got our first "real" look at the Taj Mahal. I got a little teary; it was another one of those I-can't-believe-I'm-really-here moments! Most of you probably know the story, but just in case.... the Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as the final resting place for his favorite queen, Mumtaz. She was married to him for 19 years, during which time she accompanied him on his military campaigns and shared his confidence on matters of state. She had 13 children, 7 of whom survived until adulthood. In 1631, she died in childbirth. Shah Jahan was desolate and built the Taj Mahal in her honor.

The monument is perfectly symmetrical and took 22 years of hard labor, and 20,000 workers to build it. The white marble was brought from Makrana, 186 miles away. You can see in the pictures some close ups of the beautiful marble inlay of floral designs and Arabic writing (verses of the Koran), as well as some of the sculpted marble. In the last picture, if you look to the left, you see a mosque which is still used for Friday services. On the opposite side of the Taj is an identical building (remember the symmetry) that is not used for prayer, as its central arch does not face Mecca.

As you walk around and look at the buildings, every angle has something beautiful to see. Behind the Taj Mahal is the Yamuna River; you can also stand and see Agra Fort, where Shah Jahan died (more about that in the next blog). Inside the Taj are the tombs of Shah Jahan and his wife. I didn't know that their actual tombs are under the main floor, so they have replicas on the main entrance floor for visitors to see.

I had heard horror stories about the crowds and heat. We had a cool breeze blowing and very small numbers---maybe that comes from going during monsoon season and early in the morning! This was truly a memorable experience and certainly lived up to the grand expectations we all had for it.