Arrival in Agra

We left Delhi early this morning via train bound for Agra, known for its marble inlay work and jewelry, as well as its immense wealth of architecture such as the Taj Mahal. The train ride was about a 2 hour trip, with all passengers riding backwards the full way. I'm not complaining, though, as we were in an air conditioned compartment!

Most of our day was spent visiting a World Heritage site, Fatehpur Sikri (the City of Victory). During the second half of the 16th century, this city was built by Akbar, who ruled over North India and parts of the south from 1556 to 1605. He is known for being one of the greatest Mughal rulers, and even though he was illiterate, took great interest in intellectual discussions on religion. He was a Muslim, but was known for being very interested in the ideas of other religions. In fact, the architectural styles of the city reflect both Islam and Hinduism. He was also known for being a military genius and had 300 wives and 5,ooo concubines. His Hindu wives were allowed to practice their religion within the city walls.

As we went into this complex of buildings, you would step through doorways that led to one architectural marvel after another, all made of red sandstone from the area. From his personal chambers (pic 1) to the sleeping quarters (pic 2) to the life-sized gameboard, there were surprises galore. Supposedly, his concubines were used as the game pieces. There was also an area where he would sit on top of the building and have music played on a stage surrounded by water (pic 3). So many of the buildings had beautiful carved work on the ceilings, columns, etc. (pic 4) We went into another area where he built a palace for his favorite wife, who bore him 3 sons. It was a huge complex in itself, complete with a separate summer and winter palace, as well as a temple for her private worship. The last area we toured was the religious area, where he had one of the largest mosques in India built, as well as his Victory Gate, built after winning a major battle (pic 5). There is no way that the pictures capture just how vast all of these areas were and the massive size of the buildings. Luckily for us, they had carpet strips stretched across the long courtyards in front of the mosque where we had to walk barefoot, as the stone was incredibly hot to our wimpy feet!

On the way back to the hotel, we saw several camel carts, so I can add another animal to the list of sitings (pic 6). The last picture shows what I can see out the hotel window - yes, it's our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal (pic 7)! Tonight, we're all charging our camera batteries and making sure we have an extra memory card. We also have all commented today that this time next week, we'll be home!

Fun Varanasi Pictures I Didn't Want You to Miss!

Multiple people gathered around during
our visit to the rural village. The last group
of Americans had been there 6 years ago.


There is all kinds of interesting boat traffic on the
Ganges.


It's so amazing to see parrots out flying freely.
These were roosting on a building with a flock
of pigeons!


I had to stick my toes in the Ganges. One of our
guys went swimming in the river while in Kolkata; he
said his underwear was a nice brown when he got
out! (This was the guy you saw getting his beard
trimmed earlier.)


There is a particular caste in India whose job
is to wash clothes. You will see them down by the river
scrubbing and beating the clothes on rocks and then
spreading them out along the ghats to dry. We
wondered if that's where our hotel sheets and towels
were washed!


Outside of each Hindu temple, you will see stands
of flowers, usually with sweet-smelling jasmine as
one of the selections. People will purchase these,
among other things, to take to the temple as an
offering to a particular deity.


This is such a typical scene driving through
Varanasi. My favorites, which I was never able to
capture on film, were the giant cows that would
be sitting in the road, eyes closed, with masses of
beeping cars, motorcycles, rickshaws, etc. moving
around and by them. The water buffalo always
seemed to travel as a group!


Monkeys climb all over the buildings along the
banks of the Ganges. We went to see a temple in
the old part of the city. Only Hindus are allowed
inside this one, but we were able to stand outside
and see what looked like hundreds of monkeys all
over the rooftop and in the surrounding trees.

More from Varanasi

Our last days in Varanasi were busy and included several interesting sites. We got to listen to Professor Vir Bhadra Mishra, founder of the Sankat Mochan Foundation. This is an organization devoted to preserving the "health" of the Ganges River, particularly by establishing a model for effective and appropriate sewage treatment. We were also treated to another sitar and sarangi concert. The sarangi is a traditional Indian instrument which is played with a bow (pic 1).

We also visited Sarnath, one of the four most important Buddhist pilgrimage centers. A large stupa has been built at the site believed to be where he gave his first sermon (pic 2). We were also able to visit a Buddhist temple that was located nearby (pic 3).

One of my favorite visits for this city was a trip to Ashadeep Vidyashram, loosely translated as Lamp of Hope School. This school is currently run by an American woman (pic 4) who has been living in India for years and is designed for students from a nearby slum to be able to attend without having to face high school fees, the need for a uniform, and being mistreated because of their caste. There are around 200 students at the school (pic 5), all of whom have illiterate parents. The school has nine teachers and currently it is accredited for grades K-5. She hopes to continue adding grades each year so that eventually, students could come there for their full 12 years. I left about 60 bookmarks that my students made for the principal to give as prizes, or hand out as she sees fit. It was fun watching the loving way she interacts with the students. They all stopped to give her a hug on their way home; it really does seem like a family, as she said.

We made a long drive into the countryside on Wednesday to visit a rural village, where you could see women working in the rice fields(pic 6). We had one more school visit on Thursday before taking a flight to Delhi. This one was quite a contrast from the school yesterday, as this private school has a 300-acre campus, a beautiful art room (pic 7) and pottery studio and nice, spacious classrooms. Pupil-teacher ratio is 8-1! From Delhi, on Friday, we will take a train to Agra and Jaipur. (I have just a few last fun pictures from Varanasi that I will post on a separate blog.)

Holiest City to the Hindu - Varanasi

We boarded an overnight train in Kolkata around 7:30 P.M. to make the trip to Varanasi, known as one of the oldest living cities of the world. I was in an upper compartment, with a bed about 18 inches wide. We all managed to grab bits of sleep in between stopping at numerous stations along the way, more passengers getting loaded and settled at all hours and folks passing by to go to the restroom. (Speaking of the restroom, it was your typical "squatter" style with a sign asking not to go while at a station, since the refuse went straight onto the tracks.) We arrived in Varanasi around 6:30 A.M. and were greeted in the open air lobby by a cow and multiple dogs enjoying the shade and cool concrete floor.

Varanasi is situated on the north bank of the Ganges River and is known as the religious and cultural capital of India. Its known history dates back about 3500 years, during which it has continuously been populated. Our drive from the railway station to the hotel was made in small cars, as the streets are too narrow and full for a bus. In fact, the roads were full of water buffalo, cows, donkeys, horses, goats, pigs, motorized vehicles, bikes and people on foot. (pic 1)After getting settled in, several of us walked along the ghats (pronounced gotz). These are like steps that go down to the Ganges all along the banks through Varanasi. Devout Hindus make pilgrimages from all parts of India to bathe in the Ganges, whose water they believe to be sacred. Along the river, the ghats have been set up from which people can bathe before saying their daily prayers. We also were able to see a herd of water buffalo cooling themselves. (pic 3)We also saw bright green parrots flying freely, as well as the multi-colored saris spread out to dry along the ghats. (pic 2) It was an opportunity to see all types of fun and different people and things. (pics 4 & 5)

The next morning, we boarded a boat at 5:00 A.M. to float down the river and watch the morning rituals. (pic 6) We also saw several cremations taking place along the banks. Hindu believe that if you die in Varanasi, or have your ashes scattered in the Ganges here, you reach moksha. This is the "resting state" so to speak, that takes you out of the cycle of birth and rebirth (reincarnation). We are being told that the water level is incredibly low for this time of year. Usually in July, most of the ghats you see in the pictures are covered by the river. It was an overcast morning and relatively cool for here. The sunrise boatride was a wonderful way to start another day in Varanasi.

Last Weekend in Kolkata

We had some free time Saturday morning that I used to Skype with family, blog and finish my group report that is due in a few days. Our evening adventure began with our USIEF host escorting us to a new (built within the last 10 years) Hindu temple where we were able to go up and watch people prostrating themselves before the deity and chanting the Ramayana. We also went to a Catholic church where I counted some 40 ceiling fans turning at the same time as parishoners listened to the priest's message, and then our host walked us through his neighborhood to his home. We went into his family's apartment, leaving our shoes at the door. The walls were painted in bright colors and the ceiling fan kept a delightful breeze stirring over our heads. Neighbors in the building had also been invited (men, women and children), so soon, we had quite a group there to listen to a sitar performance. The music was beautiful, and it was so fun watching the musician's fingers move up and down the neck of the instrument, stopping to bend a string here and there to create that unique sound of the sitar. The personal nature of the performance, as we sat on the floor with the player made it all the more special (pic 1).

We moved downstairs to a large room for dinner and conversation. The guests were professionals or retired couples from varying walks of life - school teachers, a retired owner of a tea estate, etc. Many of these people had traveled to the U.S. and had numerous questions for us, as well as giving us valuable insight to a segment of the Indian population with whom we had not gotten to spend much time up to this point.

I chose to sit with 5 children, grades 3-7 and thoroughly enjoyed our dinner conversation. Luckily for me, these children were fluent in English and endured my multiple questions about their school life. I had brought the bookmarks my students made, so they were each able to select one to keep as a remembrance of our visit. The warmth with which they welcomed me was one of the highlights of my trip thus far (pic 2).

On Sunday, I walked to a Methodist church that was fairly close to our hotel and enjoyed singing "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and "Amazing Grace." The organist even played "Thy Word" as a postlude! Afterwards, I took a cab to see the gardens of the beautiful Victoria Memorial (pic 3) before returning to the room to pack for our overnight train adventure as we headed to Varanasi.

Gonxha Agnes Bojaxhiu, or Mother Teresa to Us

Friday afternoon, we were able to visit the Missionaries of Charity site, here in Kolkata. This is a society founded by Mother Teresa and this was the "home base" so to speak of the organization that has now grown to include houses on each continent and in most countries of the world. The main aim of the Missionaries of Charity is "to help all those people who are sick, poor and needy and have been discarded by society." We were only able to see in certain areas such as Mother Teresa's room that she used until and including the day she died, a small museum with artifacts and handwritten documents that belonged to her and a small chapel where mass is held regularly and you can see the tomb of Mother Teresa (pic 4). It was interesting in the museum to see so many pictures of her at different stages of life. We couldn't take photos in this section, but I included a picture I found of her at a young age in case you, like me, had never thought of her as being a young girl! Some of you may already know that she was born in Albania with the name Gonxha Agnes Bojaxhiu. One of my favorite pictures in the museum shows when she first becomes a postulant and is posing in her white robes. On the back, she wrote about how hard it is to look serious for a picture when you have just been laughing heartily with your friends. One of my favorite handwritten documents was titled "Who Is Jesus to Me?" I found a copy of it at the following link http://catholicfire.blogspot.com/2008/03/blessed-mother-teresa-who-is-jesus-to.html Upon leaving, someone leaned over and whispered, "Did you ever think you would be here and see this?" I think many of us felt a sense of awe at the life of this remarkable woman and that we were blessed to get a personal glimpse into it.

"I prefer that you work mistakes in kindness than that you work miracles in unkindness." - Mother Teresa

Madrasa and Strike

This morning, we took a long busride into the outskirts of Kolkata to walk through a Muslim community and visit a couple of their schools. The first one, a residential school, had mostly young men who are orphans. Some seemed a little reserved at this "invasion" of American teachers, but most were quick to smile and nod when we would make eye contact. When I pulled out my photo album, I bet 25 crowded around to look at pictures of my family, school, students, etc. They spoke very little English, and I know very little Bengali, Hindi or Arabic, but the pictures, it seemed, created a way of communicating. I think that many of the Indians we see, particularly in the rural areas or smaller cities, don't really know what to expect from Americans. They look at us wth interest and maybe somewhat warily, but when we smile or greet them in their language, they almost always break into a large grin and return the greeting. The photo album, I hope, helps me seem more "real" - a person with a family, pets, a school, students, etc. It's a little disappointing (but maybe unavoidable) that we seem to create a spectacle wherever we go, whether it's on this huge bus going down tiny streets or as a mass of 16 white people walking from point A to point B. I think most of us seek out opportunities to pull to the side and try to communicate with people one-on-one. We also visited a government aided Muslim girls' school, where again, pictures seemed to be the ice-breaker. Having a picture of my grandmother is something that they all seem to relate to, what with family bonds being such a part of this culture.

Today, many of the public transportation vehicles are participating in a strike. About a year ago, they were told that vehicles over 15 years old would have to be off the roads by July 31. In protest, the streets today, for the most part, are empty of auto rickshaws, city busses, many cars and the yellow taxis that are normally buzzing around everywhere are parked along the roadsides. I feel bad for the inconvenience this is causing so many folks in the city (our USIEF host couldn't get to the hotel this morning); however, it is wonderful not having so much traffic, noise and the exhaust fumes that assault you when you step out the door. Besides the people at home, what I have missed most is definitely the absence of noise. I finally realized that I've never spent this much time in an urban area and it is next to impossible to find a place to just be in silence. Even at night in the hotel room, you can hear the beeping of the traffic. I don't think I've mentioned the horn thing much....where we might rarely beep to tell someone not to pull out in front of you or something like that, here you are supposed to beep when you are coming up behind someone to let them know you are coming and are moving into their lane, changing lanes, etc. On the back of most lorries (trucks), you will find the words "Horn Please" painted on the bumper or tailgate. In other words, people don't use rearview mirrors or signal lights; it is this constant communication between thousands of vehicles using their horns. Sometimes it takes experiencing another culture to make you realize that there are things in your own which you have quite taken for granted!

Kalighat Pat Painting

While in Kolkata, our USIEF host arranged for us to learn about Bengal Scroll Paintings and meet some artists who paint in this amazing style. The name "Kalighat Pata" is applied to a class of paintings and drawings on paper produced by a group of artists in the neighborhood of the Kali Temple, now a part of Kolkata, in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The artists select as their themes popular Hindu deities, epics, historical events and incidents from daily life. (However, we saw one contemporary piece that showed the 9-11 incident.)

They use paint made from all natural dyes to create the exquisite "stories in art." Usually, if it is a story, it will be painted in a scene by scene format and unrolled (like a scroll) as the story is being told. Now, here's the really good part! The story is SUNG as the painting is unrolled. Of course, we were hearing them being sung in Bengali, but we were given a "cheat sheet" so that we would know what story went with the pictures. In the auditorium where this was presented, there were hundreds of these spread all over the floor and hanging from the walls.

I had struggled to come up with a curriculum project (my payback for this trip) that I was really excited about and this hit the jackpot. It will incorporate storytelling, Hindu legends, music, art----lesson plans just kept popping into my head as I looked around the room. I hope my students will be as excited!

Kolkata - 2nd Largest City in India

Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) is in the state of West Bengal, in the northeastern part of the country. In 1686, the chief of the East India Company's factory in Hugli was looking for a new factory site. He took three villages (Kalikata, Govindapur and Sutanuti), put them together and called the new place Calcutta. In 1773, it became the headquarters of the British administration in India, but began to decline when the capital of British India was moved to Delhi. The British influence definitely impacts the architectural style you see in parts of the city. Calcutta also suffered from sudden increases of population during partition and during the 1971 Bangladesh war. It now has over 13.2 million people and has been ruled the last 35 years by a democratically-elected Communist government. The state language is Bengal and it took back the Benghali name of Kolkata in 1999.

I think that in my mind, I always associated the name of the city with poverty. Certainly, that IS part of the city, but you also see things like the 100,000-seat cricket stadium and a beautiful horseracing track in the middle of the city. I was also surprised by the palm trees and almost tropical feel to the city. Another misconception, we are being told, is that Kolkata is unsafe with high crime rates. We have had numerous people tell us (as well as our own experience) that it is a very safe place, particularly for women. Women are highly respected and, we are told, in the off-chance that someone bothered you, all you would need to do is yell and people would come to your aide quickly. Most of us have gone out at one time or another on our own in each city. We have all commented on how, even in the masses, we don't feel threatened or unsafe.

Our first afternoon out, we saw St. Paul's Cathedral, an Anglican church that was completed in 1847 (pic1). About 3% of Calcutta's population is Christian and there are about 45 churches in the city, mostly built during the time of the British.

We also got our first look at the Ganges River where we saw tons of busses with piles of baskets and "stuff" tied to the tops (pic 2). Hundreds of people were standing around the banks of the river dressed in orange. Our guide told us that this time of year many Hindu will make a pilgrimage and go to the many temples dedicated to Shiva that are scattered all over the country. There is a large one in Kolkata, so people go to it as well as wash and bathe in the Ganges (pic 3). (There have been times I would like to get a closer and better picture, but it is also important to respect the privacy of individuals. We go on the advice of our Indian guide for "photo etiquette" around events like this.) There was a parking lot with oodles of busses, people setting up their own cooking areas - a really festive atmosphere. I guess it was kind of like a religious tailgate!

While here, we have also gotten to ride the tram, kind of like our streetcars (pic 4). It was SO fun, in that we were on the same level as everyone else (not perched up high in a bus) and we weren't having to look through glass windows. Plus, we could be in the middle of all the honking, beeping traffic and not have to worry about being flattened. We rode through the southern part of the city, seeing the many rickshaws (pic 5) and people setting up their vegetable, clothing or sweets stands for the day's business. After getting off to walk a little, one of our members gave us a photo op by getting his beard trimmed on the street (pic 6). We saw many of these sidewalk barbers in Delhi, as well.

A friend of our guide, who happens to be a retired teacher, invited us to her home for tea and biscuits. It was such a treat to be INSIDE a house instead of just looking from the road and wondering what it is like. Her home is 85 years old and represents an upper middle class home. It was one-story with concrete walls and granite floors. The barred front and back doors and windows were open, creating a breeze that was a wonderful break from the heat and humidity outside. They had a sitting area, dining area, two bedrooms and a bath, tiny kitchen and a small garden area, complete with cats (pics 7, 8, & 9). She was a former art teacher, so we enjoyed seeing her beautiful creations all over the house. She and her husband have traveled extensively in the U.S., but I wasn't surprised when they said they had never been to Tennessee. New York, Washington D.C., and California seem to be the preferred destinations by everyone we encounter. I'm trying to promote tourism to OUR state while I'm here. :)