June 23: Working at the Newsline in Ludhiana

It has been more than a week since we have been on a train!!! Ludhiana transportation consists of rickshaw rides, autorickshaw rides, scooters, and cars. In my opinion, while the scooter has been the most exciting, the rickshaws are the strangest. The whole concept of the rickshaw is a bit irksome- it is the indian version of a horse drawn carriage but a very skinny person with a family is pulling the carriage! Everytime we have to go up a hill the rickshaw cyclist gets off and has to pull the rickshaw while I want to get out and walk to lessen his load. The autorickshaw's in ludhiana are quite high tech. Aditi, Sailaja, and I were going to the Newsline office and had a nice conversation with our autorickshaw driver. Apparently his sister is in Vancouver and his brother is in Glasgow! They say everyone in punjab has family abroad and they are not kidding! We are thinking of doing an article about him at the Newsline.

I have spent the last week at the Indian Express office in Ludhiana. This office publishes the Ludhiana Newsline, a daily supplement to the national newspaper, The Indian Express. There are seven staff reporters and two trainees. So far I have written an article about a doctor who is also a cricket player and a girl who had an 11kg (22lb!!) tumor removed from her abdomen. Quite amazing! I have also accompanied the reporters to press conferences and sports games, so it's been fun and learning.

Being at home is wonderful! We are all enjoying the food, mangos, ice cream, and bollywood films. Our projects are moving along as well. Lindsay and Crissaris are doing a study on prenatal care at CMC. Krishan and Elizabeth are collecting blood samples from families with a history of early onset heart disease, Sailaja is doing a study of water quality effects on health, and Aditi on women's education.

Yesterday, Krishan and Elizabeth found their first family which was very exciting. Sailaja planned to go to a meeting of the city councillors about water quality but it was cancelled. At lunch we were 'interviewed' by my boss at the Newsline who plans to write an article on our group for the main Indian Express. At four Aditi and I went to see a women who had started an NGO, "Punjab Istri Sabha" to provide counseling and a support network for women who have been harrassed or abused. She has a daughter and a son so we were able to ask her the prenatal survey questions as well! After that I went back to work and to Punjab Agricultural University to report on a field hockey match and to drive a scooter! It was fun, a bit like riding a bike. While I was at the game, Crissaris, Aditi, Lindsay, and Sailaja had an interesting experience at the free yoga class at Rakh Bagh near our house. Prose, apparently, cannot describe the exprience - someone will try I think.

We then started a wonderful movie, "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai". We stopped at intermission for dinner (Palak - a type of sag - paneer, dahl, then mangos and ice cream). The movie was just amazing. It was dramatic, heart wrenching, we could barely pause for a bathroom break. At then end, we knew we had watched a real movie. Inspired, we decided to go to summer camp in Shimla (in the foothills of the Himalayas a few hours away) this weekend for singing and dancing. I am wrting this in an internet cafe which has played 'you are my soniya' at least three times. We leave for chandigarh in a few hours hours.

Shah Jahan (our day in Agra)

This fact you knew, Emperor of Ind, Shah Jahan,
That time's stream carries off life, youth, riches, renown.
Only your heart's grief
Could be eternal, that was your majesty's true belief.

Your royal might, adamantine,
Would fade into oblivion like the crimson of the setting sun;
Simply one great sigh
Would stay, forever-impassioned, rending the sky --
That was your prayer.

Diamonds, pearls, rubies glisten
Like the trickery of a rainbow on the empty horizon,
Soon to vanish like mist
Shedding just
One tear droplet
On the cheek of Time, shining and undefiled--
This Taj Mahal.

--Rabindranath Tagore


Today the group started out at 6am for Agra. We went to the Taj, then to Agra Fort and then to a marble shop. We then went to the mini taj and akbar's tomb. Now we are at an internet cafe- the shatabdi express is late as usual :) Our schedule has been packed the last couple days but expect more posts soon!

Too much to tell

Yesterday was our last day in Mumbai. We started off early in the morning, taking the train to the IIT campus in Powai to visit Vidya Mumbai, an NGO which runs a school and community center. We were told that we would meet women and children and have lunch. We were also told to prepare a performance of singing and dancing. This turned out to be a bit of a problem. With a clarinet and a basoon we woud have been all set, but with only two or three singers in the group and dancers who required music, we were at a bit of a loss. We rehearsed row row row your boat in round on the train and brainstormed other ideas on how to escape performing. Perhaps if we did not mention it they would forget this performance idea? We arrived at the train station and walked to find an auto rickshaw. As usual the group was separated and were dropped off at different gates. We eventually made it to the activities center where we were greeted by a group of about twenty five excited children ranging in age from 5-18 and a group of teachers. We sat in a cirle and were introduced while the chidren performed a greeting song. And then came the question from Bhavani, the head: "Now why don't you sing what you prepared?" We tried row row row your boat which some of the children knew a bit, and did the round. Clearly this was not all that exciting and we were getting some strange looks. We sang kumbaya. More strange looks. Next we stood up and did the hokey pokey and london bridge is falling down. That turned out to be a big hit; we ended up with a passable performance after all. We talked a bit and ate lunch. We didn't learn much about the organziation but we did receive brochures and descriptions to take with us and it was a lot of fun!
On the way back we became separated again with elana, elizabeth, aditi and I in one car and joel and katie on another and krishan, lindsay, and crissaris in the third car. We had an interesting conversation with women on the train. After we got back Katie, Joel, and I went to the Prince of Wales museum. Instead of paying the 300rs we expected, we ended up only needing to pay 6rs because we were students. Excellent! We rushed through the entire museum in 1hr because we had to go to tea immidiately after. The miniature paintings were my favorite and katie was extremely excited by everything; we were glad we had gone.
Next, we went for tea with my second cousin. Her apartment on a high floor of a tall builing on Malabar Hill was beautiful with a spectacular view of the city. We took her recommendation for dinner at the Taj President and had an excellent meal of traditional goan cuisine. We finished off the night at a club, "Not just jazz by the bay". Other people are welcome to comment on that experience :). Off to Pune!!

We are in Mumbai!

We made it safely to the Hotel Westend in Mumbai. The Air-conditioned coach picked us up from the Airport and we are now in our rooms; the rooms are giant - in fact ours is a suite with a dining and sitting room with a dining table and chairs - great for all of us to get together and meet.
Elizabeth is extra relaxed having been upgraded to Business Class for the whole journey!

It is 3AM here and we can't wait for the morning!

viva france?

yo. we are in paris airport for stopover. 20 min. must run. everyone is fine. elizabeth is extra fine (business class). very fun. more later!