29 January 2008 - Balmy, Barmy Bombay

 

Staying in Mumbai was the perfect end to this holiday.  I’m glad I took the opportunity to see it rather than going back to Delhi.

 

I arrived in Mumbai Tuesday evening and soon needed to take my coat off realising I was going to be in for some fine Sunny weather (around 28 degrees).  Sarad had arranged that I could stay with some of his old university housemates before he would join us a few days later.  On arriving, the guys there were immediately welcoming and friendly.  We stayed up a bit before they gave me a bed and said not to be alarmed if I wake up next to another Indian in the morning.  The deal is that 5 guys are sharing the place that only has 3 bedrooms so they sleep together.  They also have a young serving boy named Bumbum.  He’s about 9 and cooks/cleans for them.  I had fun communicating with him in a charades type way as he doesn’t speak English.

 

My first morning in Mumbai one of the guys (Kushagre) took me out on his bike, for the one and a half hour ride to get to the centre.  What an exhilarating ride!  Whizzing through traffic at close to 50 miles per hour with the wind and warm sun on my skin.  Kushagre was serving as a good guide, pointing out things on the way and stopping off with me for Chai and later some food from a street vendor when we got to town.

 

I was left at the south tip of Mumbai at the Gateway to India.  This day was to be spent on Elephanta Island (a short boat ride away from the gateway) which I think should have instead been called Monkey island on account of how many there were there.  The main attraction of the island is the ruins and cave temples from around 500AD but I also found the short walk up to the highest points well worthwhile.

 

Mumbai is more developed than Delhi and I had the feeling people were friendlier, although this could have easily been induced simply by my being more adjusted to India.  During my whole time in Mumbai I most enjoyed the Museums explaining India’s history, Marine Drive, IIT (where Sarad studied) and to have stayed in such good company.

27 January 2008 – Ranchi

Yesterday was the marriage ceremony.  During the day Sarad took me to get a Sherwani and Churidar pyjama allowing me to look the part for the occasion.  It was red with stylish gold and orange embroidery and sequins.  I think I was looking pretty hot in the gear.  We went on to the wedding ceremony where I first met 4 young cousins of Sarad who were really cute.  I found myself playing multiple games of hide and seek with them and a word game called ATLAS, where one names a place and then the next person must name one beginning with its last letter.

 

The marriage took place at a venue with a couple of halls and an outside dance area.  All the bride’s guests were there first to start the celebrations.  Outside there was lots of food and a DJ playing music for everyone to dance on the dance floor.  The kids were first on doing their routines and general crazy dancing.  But before long many people had turned up and everyone was being ushered up to join in.  Old danced with the young, rich with poor and in this case English with Indian.  I really felt like a celebrity as Ranchi is a small place and most young people had never met an English man.  The younger ones all wanted pictures with me.

 

After celebrating with the bride’s guests we heard fireworks going off which is the signal that the groom is arriving with his guests.  They arrived in a procession playing instruments and dancing in the street.  Just as the groom got to the last stretch hundreds of firecrackers were let off in the road leading the way.  The groom arrived with dancing guests and was able to take his thrown with his wife to be.  Before the two can become husband and wife however, the bride and groom must put garlands over each other to signal their intension.  It is the tradition that the best friend’s of the groom and the family of the bridge try to stop this.  In this case the groom’s friends put him on their shoulders so the bride could not reach. 

 

Once the garlands are on the couple moved to a canopy where they said mantras and perform rituals.  This takes a couple of hours and so the guests are able to go off, chat and have more food.  In the final part of the ceremony a fire is lit to signal the marriage will be pure.  Both were finally wedded at 2 am and able to go and eat together.  This was probably most welcome as they had been fasting all day.  Around this time the last of the 500 or so guests, including myself, made their way home.

24 January 2008 – From Delhi to Agra

 

 

It’s now my third day in India and I feel I have already experienced so much.  I am in my hotel in Agra, just south of Delhi, where the Taj Mahal is.  What a magnificent sight.  I went there at 6:30 just before sunrise.  The moon was still out and the air was quite foggy making the Taj Mahal look even more majestic.  I stayed a couple of hours and watched the sun come up which then gave the place a richer feel because the marble is translucent and takes on a more yellow colour.

 

India itself is proving a real experience.  I am overwhelmed with ambivalence. There is extreme beauty here but the overriding line is poverty.  There have been times here when I have even been scared going about.  It has been a long time since I have been as scared as when my driver left me in his car to go and get some documents stamped when taking me on the four-hour journey from Delhi to Agra.  Sitting there I watched some of the locals come up who started tapping on the window asking for money.  This I am getting used to in general but what made my heart race was when one of them opened a small basket with a Cobra in it!

 

“I make the snake dance for you Sir.”

No you will not I’m thinking to myself.  Right, look away.  Ignore ignore ignore.  Please go away (He’s still tap tapping on my window).

“The snake is dancing for you Sir.”

I don’t care if the snake is laying golden eggs.  My mind is now on override.  Casually lock my door.  Casually wind up the window on the drivers side and lock his door.  There is no way that snake is coming in here.  Driver comes back.  Few.  Open door and let him in.  About to drive off so it’s ok to look at the man again.  He’s now got a dancing monkey.  Breathe normally again.  Monkeys are ok… although this was even a scary looking monkey.  Off we go.  Goodbye crazy snake and monkey charmer.  Hope I don’t see you on the way back!