Things I See Everyday

This is a market street in a small town between Delhi and Agra (south of Delhi).  While this street is a little more "country" than the ones you see in Delhi, it is representative of the markets I see everyday as we drive through the city.  Some markets are dedicated to a certain class of goods, others are markets where you can get just about everything.  We stopped in a market like this one on the way back from Agra that had just about anything you needed in one place, from tvs to plastic buckets, to clothing (who says Walmart is a better idea than small independently owned businesses??).  Dan and Lavanya bought some sock hats and we all attracted a small crowd as we were in a neighborhood that does not get tourists.  Our driver told us that had it been daylight (it was well after dark and the moon had risen) that there would have been a crowd of people around us almost instantly.  This driver will be taking us back to this area on Tuesday and may also take us to a small farm village.

Driving through a vegetable market we passed this mishap.  The vegetables had most likely fallen off a cart pulled by a horse or bike.  (Horses are not as common in Delhi as they seemed to be in the country--between Delhi and Agra we saw many carts, wagons, and trailers being pulled by horse, donkey, or camel.)  What is humorous about this picture is what is not visible.  In the background were three cows trying desperately to get at the rolling potatoes, looking as if they were delighted by the cart driver's mishap!

 

Here women are carrying stone away from a bridge construction site.  Something I see everyday is women carrying different sorts of things on their heads.  The most common sight is women carrying home firewood near dusk.  I tried to get some pictures of these women carrying large tied piles of sticks, but our driver was driving far too fast for any good pictures.  I should mention that the act of carrying firewood is not specific to rural India, it is also something I have seen many times all over Delhi and Dwarka.

Here a man is riding on the outside of an autorickshaw.  This is not the picture I was hoping to get, but it represents something you see everywhere: far too many people riding in one rickshaw.  The classic sight in the country is a full autorickshaw (with more than four people in the back) and then at least three people sitting on the back (near where this man is standing).  In Delhi I do not see the rickshaws as packed.  What you see in Delhi is motorcycles or scooters with three adults or sometimes entire families.  Today I saw a motorcycle driven by a father with one son in front of him and another between he and his wife who was sitting on the back.

I thought this was a funny picture.  This boy is holding onto this moving truck instead of pedaling his bicycle.  This was a Saturday, but it is not uncommon to see boys around during the day in Delhi.  Even though school is mandatory for all children, this is difficult to enforce.  So, you often see children around the streets, some begging, some working, others just present.  I do not see as many girls as boys.

  

This photo is of two men shaking out a very beautiful cloth.  This is also a market, but in Agra.  I do not have many photos of the markets in Delhi because I am usually out shopping and as much as it is difficult, I am trying not too look too much like a tourist.  In Agra, it is obvious I am a tourist, but there are so many foreignersworking in Delhi that being a tourist not a forgone conclusion.   [the word sometimes used for us is Ferengi--for you Star Trek fans, this is not only the name of a race of aliens, but the Persian word for foreigner.] 

This is a water buffalo walking in line with traffic.  Just like any rickshaw or motorcycle, he slowly turned in front of traffic and then slowly walked down among the cars.  Our driver, a very fast driver, was not too happy when this buffalo slowed us down considerably.  We eventually got around him only to be slowed down by two other herds of cows on our path back to Delhi.

This is just a picture of a stall in Agra.  In Delhi and in Agra I see many stalls that have these colorful packs hanging from ropes or poles.  Sometimes a man just has a small cart with only these colorful packs.  During my first trip to market I got up close to these and realized they are small sample packs of shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, etc.  There may be other things in these packs as well, but I have only seen the soap ones.  This brings up a very important thing I must say about India.  While the surroundings are often dirty, dusty, sometimes even stinky, the people are relatively clean.  People make a big effort to stay clear.  Thus, even the poorest people are not even close to as dirty as homeless people are in the States.  I have seen people bathing on the side of the road, washing hands before eating, etc.  Here among the dirt of Delhi, cleanliness is important to all.  

Here is a more packed rickshaw.  But, you have seen that already.  The last note I want to make about what I see daily in India is about urination.  What I see everyday.  What I see many times a day, is men peeing on the side of the road and on walls along sidewalks.  They stop and pee almost anywhere.  I have seen men peeing on the wall of a busy highway under and underpass (much like the busy, multi storied highways in the U.S).  I am not saying this because it is exotic or weird, but because it really is a fact of life around Delhi.  Dan and I find it humorous and had a few good laughs as we drove back from Agra.  I asked Lavanya where women peed, she said, "at home."