The Taj Mahal

Me standing on the Taj Mahal!  [You cannot wear shoes on a tomb.]

First let me correct your pronunciation.  Taj Mahal is pronounced tadj mahell.  "Taj" means crown and "Mahal" is the name of the woman it was built for.  As many of you may know, the Taj Mahal was built in the 1600s by Shah Jahan (a Shah of the Mughal empire) after the death of his third wife Mumtaz Mahal.  The Taj Mahal is her tomb and surrounding the Taj are four gates and two mosques.  These buildings are also very beautiful, but are made of red sandstone instead of the white marble of the Taj Mahal.

My first impression of the Taj Mahal is that it looks just like the pictures.  We went on a foggy day, so the view was not as brilliant as some photos I have seen.  But, the building itself was so white, so large, and so beautiful.  The craftsmenship is amazing.  There is no mortar between the stones.  They were cut to fit exactly.  And, all the adornment on the building is inlaid gemstones.  The writing around the gate is onyx inlaid in the marble.  And, the filigree is either gemstone inlay or carved out of the marble.  

 

I left these pictures large.  So, you can click on them for a very large, detailed image.

There is not much else to say about the Taj.  It is a beautiful building and it was amazing to see it.  Like with many of the places I have been in India, the experience is much more interesting than the place or building I went to see.  The four hour drive to Agra was a wonderful visual experience.  I was very happy to have this experience.  As many of you read, there was a big strike in India that was affecting the supply of petrol and this lack of supply was threatening to cancel our trip to Agra and the Taj.  But, the driver we hired called and told us he had secured enough diesel for the trip.  He would not tell us where he got the fuel, he just assured us that we could still go to Agra.  Luckily for everyone, the strike broke the day we left.

To get to Agra we had to leave Delhi at 6am to beat traffic and drive four hours south.  We drove through farm land, small rural towns and markets, and by truck stops (large outdoor stalls surrounded by plastic chairs and tables.)  Lavanya thought it would be fun to eat at one of these places because the food is supposed to be very good, but Dan and I did not think the food would be worth the sickness we would most likely get after eating it.  Instead we had breakfast at a little tourist trap where they charged too much for tea and corn flakes with hot milk.  The place was really a rip off.  They charged Dan Rs 50 for butter.  There were a lot of fun souvenirs for sale, but I had to refrain since I knew that everything was very over priced.  

The rest of the drive we talked and I watched all the people and fields out the window.  It was nice to see the countryside.  It was different than Delhi in many ways.  First of all there were many more animals.  Cows were a more common occurrence and horses and camels were more common than bikes or trucks for pulling goods.  There were fewer people along the roadside (which makes sense), but we saw far more men peeing and a couple of children and adults pooping.  You do not see people doing that in Delhi.  But, in general, the countryside was fun to look at.  The mustard was blooming, so much of the fields were a beautiful yellow.  The rice fields were a light green.  And, there were a few marshes along the way.  I was glued to the window for the four hours there and the four hours back.

Agra is the state Uttar Pradesh.  And this state is a very corrupt state.  Thus, we were stopped twice by police who were after a bribe (once on the way and once on the way back).  When we make it through a slow intersection, the cop pulls us over.  Then he makes up some reason for pulling us over (the first time it was reckless driving the second time tinted windows).  Then they ask the driver to see the papers.  Both times they asked if this was Lavanya's car or a taxi.  Then the cop takes the driver off to a place we can't see him.  Luckily, our driver called his "uncle" who is a constable in Delhi and both times this seemed to help.  And, both times we avoided a bribe. 

[A funny story.  The driver told Lavanya that this could happen to us when we get to Agra and told her to tell any cop that the car we were in is her car and that he is her personal driver.  He said to be sure to tell them that both Dan and I are her friends.  She said she will tell them Dan is her husband.  The driver said, "you don't have to go that far."  She insisted that Dan is her husband.  He laughed.] 

Agra was also more dirty than Delhi and because we were at the largest tourist site in India, there were many more people to sell us things than normal.  We had camel drivers, horse drivers, rickshaw drivers, and drivers all asking us if we wanted a ride.  There were boys and men trying to sell us chess sets, fans, airplanes, and occasionally actually something that was connected to the Taj Mahal.  We took a camel cart to the Taj (you cannot drive close to the Taj) and a horse cart back.  At the Taj Dan and I had to pay Rs 750 to get a ticket, Lavanya had to pay Rs 20.  Obviously there is a very large tourist tax.  But, with or ticket we did get the little booties to put over our socks when we dropped our shoes off.  Either way, I feel that it is worth about 20 American dollars to see one of the Modern Seven Wonders of the World.

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." 

Eating in India

For someone who enjoys Indian food, eating here was not part of my culture shock (or what I like to call my culture startle).  But, food has been a very interesting part of my experience in India.  

I often characterize myself as a food tourist.  The first thing I do when I plan a trip to a different place is research where to eat.  In India I did no research, and I didn't have to.  I have been lucky to have the opportunity to stay with Lavanya and eat with her parents.  Lavanya's mother is North Indian and her father, although he grew up in Delhi, is South Indian.  So, eating at home has been a mix of both North and South Indian foods.  Since I tend to ask fewer questions and just experience with my taste buds, the only thing I can definitively about the difference between North and South cuisine is that South Indian food seems more spicy and is often eaten with your hands.

My first few meals in India were a blur.  I was still jet lagged and usually a zombie during dinner.  The first meal I remember was our visit to a South Indian restaurant at Connaught Place.  Here I ordered a thali.  Thali is the name for the plate.  The food used to be served on a banana leaf, but now is served on a large metal plate with a banana leaf on top.  The thali is a combination of different dishes served in katoris (little metal bowls) with poori (a type of flat bread) and rice.  This is all served on the plate with the bowls arranged in a circle around the edge and the pooris in the middle.  You use the bread to eat with your hands.  And, if you are into the entire experience you can put rice on the banana leaf with your right hand, dump one type of daal or vegetable on the rice, mix it up  and then eat with your right hand.  I did this a little bit, but felt a little more skilled at eating with a spoon.  

We ate at a North Indian restaurant yesterday while in Agra.  The food was different.  North Indian food is a little more fatty, it uses more ghee (butter).  Here we ordered Naan (my favorite Indian flat bread).  Naan is cooked in a Tandoori, a clay oven.  We also ordered Tandoori Aloo.  Aloo means potato.  This dish was a roasted potato that was wrapped around a filling of dates and other spices.  It was very good.  We ordered tandoori paneer as well.  Paneer is a type of cheese that has the texture of tofu.  It is very common in vegetarian Indian cuisine because it is healthy and has a good amount of protein.  Along with the two dishes, we ordered raita.  Raita is a yogurt side dish made with plain yogurt and onions, tomoatoes, and cucumber.  All this food we also ate with our hands.  We followed our meal with kulfi, a North Indian ice cream.  This area is known for this dessert.  We had pistachio kulfi.  It is a harder ice cream than what we are used to and takes longer to melt.  It also has a more subtle sweet taste with much more flavor in terms of spice and nut.  It was really good.  None of this food was very new to me in appearance, but in taste it was extremely different.  Lavanya is ruining me.  I will not be able to enjoy all my favorite Indian places in the States as much as I used to.  

We also ate at a fancy buffet at the Radisson.  Lavanya's parents' landlord took us out to lunch one day with his daughter and his wife.  

[This man is actually a prince.  So, now you all know that I ate with a prince while in India.  He is a prince of an area in very North India, near the mountains.   Lavanya's father explained to me that after Independence, all titles were no longer kept, but that the royal families continue to hold onto their titles in a cultural way (and often remain some of the more wealthier families).  This prince was definitely wealthy.  His wife and daughter spent the lunch talking about properties and international travel.]

The buffet was a mix of Indian, Asian, and Continental (European) food.  It was all very good.  But, of all things, it was the food at the Radisson that made us sick!

One drawback to being a tourist in Delhi is that I do not have the stomach and the bugs to eat everywhere.  All these restaurants are very high end restaurants.  We eat at these places because we can be sure that the water is bottled and the food is cooked well and the workers are clean.  It would be great to try the street food or the food at the truck stops.  But, to do that would risk spending my entire trip in the bathroom, or even worse, at the hospital.  So, fancy food it is.  I am just lucky that I have a home to go to and I can eat freely at Lavanya's family's table.

Eating at home has been the best part.  Not only do you get to eat everything on the table without any worries about how safe things are, but Lavanya's mother is a very good cook.  We eat something different every night and sometimes something different every afternoon.  The staples on the table are yogurt and rice.  And, there is always a daal (a soupy dish made with lentils that is put over rice).  Lavanya's parents are vegetarians, so all the food either has lentils, vegetables, or paneer.  Lavanya's father is South Indian so he eats with his hands, but her mother does not.  So, the table itself is a mix of culture.  Today lunch was especially good.  We had a rotis (a common flat bread), which I especially like, a South Indian daal with yellow lentils and tomatoes, a green bean dish with lentils, and a paneer dish.  [I apologize for not remembering the names, but Hindi does not have sounds that stick in my linguistic memory very well.]  Today I ate with my hands since I started with the roti and already dirtied my right hand.  Lavanya remarked that I was doing pretty well.  I relished in the ability to appropriately eat with my hands without my mother or Ann to scold me!  

When the food is eaten, it is often mixed.  So, if you are eating with your hands you take some of the rice on your plate and poor daal over it or mix it with another dish.  You mix it well by pinching it with your hand.  If you like or if the food is too spicy you mix in yogurt as well.  Then you use your thumb to place some of the rice mixture on your first three fingers and then (for lack of a better word) shovel it in your mouth.  It is a little difficult to get the movement right, but once you do it is kind of fun.  Eating with your hand using a flat bread is much easier.

Breakfast has often been cereal, but that is not because something else is not available.  Pinky, the cook, makes rotis in the morning to eat with butter or yogurt.  They are very good, but not so good for you.  These rotis are made with wheat and she often puts onions in them.  Then you can dip it in yogurt or butter them.  I have eaten them a couple of times, but I feel a little awkward having a servant make food for me.  So, I eat cereal at Lavanya's house more often.  But, I guess it is interesting to eat the cereal since we use that kind of milk that doesn't need to be refrigerated until it is opened.  I also start the day with Tulsi tea, which is supposed to be good for your health.  

Today was a good day to write about food because I went grocery shopping with Lavanya.  Going grocery shopping in India is not at all like going grocery shopping in the U.S.  First of all, you have to go to at least two different places if you want dry goods and fresh goods.  We went to the market that Lavanya's parents have been going to for 25 years.  The grocery was a small room in a larger market.  The walls were covered with cookies, mixes, toiletries, daal, and spices.  Lavanya's mother had called ahead and gave a list to one of the workers.  We checked the list and added some things, and then the employees went about to collecting what is needed (think old time general store in the U.S.).  I stood and watched and then a stool was offered to me as a seat.  Lavanya and I agreed that this was the equivalent of politely staying, "get out of the way."  This is fair as the store had about as much moving room as a large hallway.  And, much like my experience waiting in the copy shop, I was offered a chai tea.  I am getting too used to good Indian chai tea as well.

Once Lavanya's father returned from his stop at the watch shop, I went outside to stand with him.  This should be mentioned, the grocery was in the middle of a larger market that sold clothes and other items.  You can get many different things in one place.  After doing a little more shopping (I will blog about this later) we drove to the other part of the market to buy vegetables.  This market was beautiful.  What it would be like to live in a place with a year round growing season.  There were so many fresh fruits and vegetables available and each stall looked like a unique rainbow.

For a tip, this boy carries your groceries to your car.  I paid him an extra Rs 10 to take this picture of him.  He had to fend off all the other boys who tried to tell us that we needed two of them to carry our goods.  Dan tells me that at times there are fights between boys who want to work for the same person.

Look at all the beautiful vegetables.  The orange things in the right hand corner are the carrots that are normal here.  The correct (US)  carrots in the middle are exotic.

Vendor weighing our goods.

Rows of vendors selling various fruits and vegetables.

The most beautiful stall.  See the clothing in the back?

But, I should reflect on my experience with the food.  While some days I love everything I eat, there are other days that I think, "as good as it is going to taste, Indian again?!?"  There are other times when I am just not feeling well and think that Indian food is not something that I feel like at the moment.  This is very interesting for an anthropologist to experience because I realize that Indian food is exactly what people eat here when they don't feel well.  And, when I had a cold Lavanya's mother made me a special South Indian soup that is supposed to clear my sinuses.  But, on those days all I wanted was some chicken soup or to find the first American restaurant (sadly only McDonald's or Dominos is nearby).  So, I do miss the variety I get when I cook at home.  But, in conclusion I will have to say that I have had some great food while I was here and some even better experiences.  And, no, I will not be sick of Indian food when I return.  I am hoping to buy some supplies (a roti pan and a spice holder) and cook Indian food when I return.

For those interested, you can check out Lavanya's recipe blog: tiffinbox.wordpress.com

Quwwatul-Islam Masjid, Earliest Extant Mosque in India

Click the picture for a blown up version that you can read.

(Above) Look for me in the middle at the very bottom.

All the carving was very intricate.  And, the large monument was inscribed with the words of the Koran.

Random pretty building in the distance.  This is what dusk looks like in Dwarka.  The fog and pollution do not make for clear nights.

Indian Politics Affect My Visit

About two days ago I read in the newspaper that truck drivers were going to go on strike.  Their demands: cheaper diesel fuel, tires, and hire wages.  But, in the past couple of days, others have joined the strike including petrol truck drivers and workers in petrol refineries.  Today, most petrol stations ran out of petrol and the entire country has worried.  (See article and pictures below).

This affects me in a number of different ways.  First, this strike could affect my ability to get to Agra to see the Taj Mahal.  While it is not entirely crucial for me to visit this modern Wonder of the World, it was something I was looking forward to.  Secondly, if the strike continues (either in trucking or the refineries) for too long, I may not be able to get home.  Air fuel is scarce as well.  But, this fear is far off and after hearing a recent report about 70 percent of the striking petrol truck drivers going back to work, I am not too concerned.  

Otherwise, the petrol shortage has kept us at home today.  And, the cold has kept us inside.  The positive side to all of this is that I have made some progress in planning my rhetoric class.  Work that I would have had to do while in the States and jet lagged.

Petrol Strike Cripples India and May Keep Me from Agra

Hindustan Times
Press Trust Of India
Noida/New delhi, January 09, 2009
First Published: 08:49 IST(9/1/2009)
Last Updated: 12:56 IST(9/1/2009)
Oil PSUs strike cripples India, petrol pumps go dry

A large number of petrol pumps across the country went dry as the indefinite strike by oil PSU executives entered the third day on Friday, with possibility of a major fuel supply crisis looming large.

About two-third of the 425 petrol pumps in the national capital did not open because of lack of stocks, while 60 per cent outlets in Mumbai hung 'No Stock' signs boards.

Mumbai also ran out of compressed natural gas (CNG) that runs some two lakh buses, taxis and autos but Delhi had enough CNG and piped natural gas stocks to last 7 to 10 days.

While Hindustan Petroleum pumps across the country were operating normally, Bharat Petroleum senior management officials were ensuring that there were dispatches of petrol and diesel to the company's outlets. However, Indian Oil, the nation's largest retailer, had almost nil dispatches of products.

Petroleum Minister Murli Deora late on Thursday evening drove to Noida on the outskirts of the national capital, to meet the striking Oil Sector Officers Association (OSOA) leaders but the talks to resolve the imbroglio failed.

OSOA kept harping on Government conceding on its demand for higher increase in their wages than those approved in November but Deora said he did not have powers to approve anything that would also have ramifications on other PSUs.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already appointed a committee of ministers headed by Home Minister P Chidambaram to look into their demands within 30 days.

At the airports, absence of officers led to delay in refuelling of airplanes and some flight were delayed.

Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) Chairman RS Sharma failed to convince his company officials to resume gas production from the country's largest field in Western Offshore, affecting power generation and fertilizer production.

Crude oil production from Mumbai offshore was almost half at 1,80,000 barrels and four key refineries of Indian Oil operated at 25 to 30 per cent of their capacity.

Connaught Place

Connaught Place was built by the British, so the architecture is very colonial.  The most interesting aspect about this area is its circular design. 

[above]  The guy in the bus (on the left) is leaning out of the bus and directing traffic.  Pedestrians often direct traffic when it gets out of hand.  I have seen this a couple of times, but I have not seen it from someone hanging out of a vehicle.