Forts on Forts on Forts – 1/7/15

In and surrounding Jaipur are tons of old forts and palaces. The most famous forts are situated just outside the city, namely Amber Fort, Jaigarh, Jal Mahal, and Tiger Fort. We decided to see them all in one day, spending most of our time at Amber Fort. You can ride elephants into the impressive fort, but we opted not to so that we could go to the block printing demonstration the next day.

Amber was not pristinely kept, but that also meant that we could explore the winding passageways and find incredible rooms that would probably have only limited viewing ability if the fort was actually maintained well. We got the audio tour guide and it was hilarious (even though it wasn’t trying to be). Throughout different parts of the tour the walls talked to you, along with the lake, the sun, the god Ganesh, and the list goes on. It was also incredibly difficult to follow the guide because there were so many hallways through which you could walk and nothing was well marked. The floating garden and the geometric carved screens (so that women could see out, but men couldn’t see in) were two of my favorite parts of the fort.

After leaving Amber we went to Jaigarh Fort (referred to as Amber’s “big brother” in the previously mentioned audio tour). This fort was more just a series of ramparts upon which you could walk and get stunning panoramic views of the valley below. The main attraction there, however, is the world’s largest cannon on wheels known as Jaya Vana. It can hold 20 kg of gunpowder and can shoot up to 40 km, but it was only ever fired once and it was for a test shot. This fort was designed as a drive-through attraction and Alex almost cried he was so offended by the notion that you can sufficiently experience a historical sight from the confines of your car.

                From there we visited Jal Mahal, a palace that has sunken into a lake. It’s always been in the middle of a lake, but, due to poor conservation efforts, when the palace started its descent into the lake, nothing was done and when the fairway (bridge) broke, nothing still was done. Now the only way to get inside is via (illegal?) boat tours. We got some pretty nice pictures in front of it and had a lot of fun watching the hordes of rats on the shore battle it out with the birds.

Finally, we rickshawed to the base of the hill on which Tiger Fort stands. We bought some amazing coconut candies from a random shop that were 2 rupees a piece and then hiked up the winding switchbacks to see the sunset over Jaipur from the fort. The plethora of kites in the air in preparation for Makarsankranti made the view that much more enchanting (even if the folks smashing beer bottles off the side of the fort walls were quite bothersome).

To top off the night, Alex, Jenny, Chase, and I ate at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that probably doesn’t see too many westerners. Its signboard was in Hindi and we got amazing food that was priced for Indians rather than tourists.

Chokhi Dhani – 1/6/15

Our first day in Jaipur, we went to a theme park called Chokhi Dhani. It was basically a theme park for middle/upper class Indians to come and “experience” rural India. In addition to an “authentic” rural Indian craft center, there was a mini EPCOT of various Indian states, a walk-around exhibit of some important historical events in Indian history, and a smattering of attractions (a magic show, a puppet show, carnival games, a small ferrous wheel). There were food stalls and lots of interactive activities in which you could participate including dances, running around a fire while hollering and brandishing a stick, a puja ceremony at a temple (this one I found especially weird), and Indian wrestling in a mud arena. Everywhere there were posted signs that said "DO NOT GIVE ANY TIPS” and yet we were constantly barraged by staff members asking for money, so we quickly learned to stop doing the activities. For dinner we had a wonderful Rajasthani buffet (that was ridiculously overpriced) and all of us ate so much it probably would have been easier to roll us out of the park rather than have us wobble out with our food babies.

Barefoot College – 1/5/15

Barefoot College (BC) is an organization that teaches village women to install and repair solar equipment in order to bring electricity to their rural villages. At first, the program was only in India, but since the early 2000s the organization has gone global, bringing villagers from around the world to India in order for training. BC does a lot more than just solar electricity, though. It runs a night school for children who cannot go to school during the day due to family obligations, it performs puppet shows that bring up issues like women’s rights, caste issues, and health, and there are even medical and dental clinics run by villagers. The college was founded upon the idea that even if you are illiterate, you are still capable of learning complex things (like solar engineering and dentistry). The college wants to empower rural villagers by teaching them skills necessary for a more “modern” society, rather than have outsiders come in and try to change things without the consent of the village people. At the end of our stay, each of us was given a ton of information on the college which has been really interesting. Since my readership doesn’t have access to these documents, however, I would like to simply recommend the Ted Talk that the founder, Bunker Roy, did in Edinburgh (it is viewable on YouTube). We got to have a meeting with Mr. Roy and he is just as fiery in real life as he is in the video. The college in practice, however, is a little less extreme than how the Ted Talk depicts it. It’s hard to word exactly, but the actual college is simultaneously how it is shown to be in the video yet also very different. In other words, I was skeptical of its practices after seeing the video and before visiting Tilonia, but now having seen the real thing, I think it’s a wonderful program that is tackling development of rural areas in a sustainable and logical way. (Hopefully I didn’t lose you too much in that last part)

While we were there, the international villagers were on the fourth month of their six-month-long stay in India to learn solar engineering. I got to brush up on my Spanish speaking to the villagers from Cuba, Ecuador, and Bolivia, and they were so excited to get to talk to someone in one of their native tongues (as you could maybe guess, there aren’t that many Spanish-speakers here). We got to visit one of the night school sessions and see where they recycle old newspapers, flip-flops, and other junk into folders, toys, and various teaching materials.  We met the lead architect of many of the buildings, an illiterate man who has been working with BC for the past 40 or so years (basically since its inception). I really enjoyed my time in Tilonia and it was awesome seeing women who must be so brave to leave their tiny village, fly to India in a giant mechanical beast, and live in a culture that they could not have even fathomed beforehand. 

Pushkar and Ajmer – 1/3/15

After leaving the delightful city of Jodhpur, we took a train to the Hindu pilgrimage city of Pushkar. The story goes that Lord Brahma was soaring through the heavens on his flying lotus flower when a petal fell off and drifted down to earth. When the petal touched the ground, it turned into a holy lake. The city of Pushkar is located on this lake, complete with its own mini Ghats (the steps that lead into the Ganges River – or in this case Pushkar Lake). Because Brahma’s lotus petal fell here, there is a Brahma temple in the city. Now, this might not seem like a big deal considering that Brahma is one of the three “main” Hindu gods and the creator of the universe, but there are actually very few Brahma temples in India (in fact, I heard that the temple in Pushkar is the only Brahma temple in the world, but I would need to do some fact checking before I could say anything for sure). 

I had assumed that Pushkar would have a Banarasi feel since it is also a sacred Hindu center, but I was so wrong. Pushkar reminded me most of the touristy “artisanal” market in Antigua, Guatemala. The narrow alleyways were lined with colorful shops that each sold the exact same thing: patterned pants, Rajasthani bangles, camel leather purses, wooden figurines, woven mats, Rajput daggers, etc. The difference between here and Antigua, however, is that in Antigua there aren’t camels in the streets that you can ride (for a couple hundred rupees, of course). Interestingly, there was a Shiva linga (a monument to Shiva) in the Brahma temple. Pushkar did feel sort of like Banaras in the sense that there were still tons of hippie westerners wandering around in their dreads and graphic tees.

The next morning Alex, the Bens, and Christy hiked a nearby mountain at sunrise to see a temple (everyone else opted to sleep in). After they got back we headed back to Ajmer (Pushkar doesn’t have a train station, so we technically arrived in Ajmer before taking a taxi to Pushkar the day before). Before coming to Ajmer, we had heard that really the only thing that was dekne layek (worth seeing) was a Sufi shrine there (Sufi being one of the two major sects of Islam). Little did we know that Jan 3 happens to be the Prophet Mohamed’s birthday and there was an absolutely enormous festival going on in the city. Part of the holiday is giving alms, but taken to a new level. People on the street were handing us everything from fruit, to crackers, and even samosas! Although it was a nice gesture, we were advised not to eat the food we were given because, as the old saying goes, “do you know where that’s been???”. Ben T was feeling courageous and did eat a samosa, but he sure paid the price later that day. In addition to food distribution, there were also tons of marching bands out and a whole parade of music and dance. We got to talk to some men from Afghanistan and it was cool to hear them talk about their country. They spent most of the time telling us that most people in Afghanistan are not bad and that we should visit and see for ourselves how nice of a country it can be (idk if I’m quite ready to take them up on that offer, however). In any event, being in a predominantly Muslim part of Ajmer for Id-Milad-un-Nabi was an unforgettable experience and so much fun, but it was a little unfortunate that we didn’t get to see the Sufi shrine.

Miniature Painting – 1/2/15

                Just to be clear, miniature paintings aren’t called miniature because they are small in size (in fact, they can be quite huge). What delineates a miniature painting is that it has miniature details. Every soldier in an army of 100 will have a uniquely drawn face complete with eyebrows and a moustache and each chain in their armor will be drawn. The day after coming back from our camel safari most of the group went to an art studio that gave free art lessons in miniature painting. Each of us got to do our own small painting of an animal (namely elephants but also a camel and a peacock). I use the term “art lesson” loosely here since the owner of the place didn’t really give us a lesson so much as just tell us to copy some art that he was selling. My elephant turned out okay, but mostly I just possessed neither the patience nor the fine motor skills required to create such delicate work. Jenny, Chase, and Rachel on the other hand all had amazing works that looked as good as or better than the ones they were copying. Stephen, Caleb, and I all made reputable works, but not masterpieces.

The experience was really fun, but we could all tell there was something somewhat fishy about the owner and his art shop. We probably spent close to 6 hours in there crafting our paintings (or at least the people who did a really good job) and during the course of the time we heard several different renditions of the description of the art school/studio that was being “run” there. First, we heard that the studio was an art school for local Indians to learn about the rich culture of Jodhpur and get in touch with their heritage. To the next woman who came in, the studio was an art school that taught rural women about miniature painting to empower them and teach them a trade to make money. When the third person strolled in and the story changed yet again, we all had our doubts as to the authenticity of this “art school” and to all the paintings being sold in the store.

Later on we heard from several different shop keepers that the studio was a total scam and that the art being sold there wasn’t even made by the owner nor by any of his fabled students. The point being that here in India I’ve been lied to, stolen from, and cheated more than in any other country that I’ve visited (granted I’ve mostly visited places in the “developed” world). I had to start locking the door to my room in my house with a padlock when I left during the day because the maid was stealing and eating the power bars that my mom sent from the US. Alex had his shoes stolen from him from outside the program house door where we all (used to) put our shoes (he also had to start locking his room because the maids were taking and eating the chocolate in it). Students at school blatantly cheat in front of me and deny it to my face when I call them out. The giant snickers bar that my mom sent the group for Christmas mysteriously went missing from inside the program house while we were on our trip to Rajasthan. The list goes on and on.

Recently Nita Ma’am (the director of Nirman and professor at Claremont Mckenna) gave a lecture to our group about the Indian education system and the reasons behind why she thinks it is a failing system. One of the reasons she stated was that schools don’t teach their students how to be good citizens. In the US, people normally learn good citizenship (not stealing, cheating, lying, picking up trash, etc.) from a mix of their families and at school. Since many kids here don’t have the parent teaching them not to do these things, the responsibility falls to the school and here very few schools actually do it (South Point school does try to teach good citizenship for which I am very grateful). My hope is that as India develops it will also start becoming a place with less dishonesty.

Hello 2015! – 1/1/15

            Our group decided to bring in the New Year on a camel safari out in the Indian desert. Camels are super talk and riding them was fun, but not particularly comfortable for an extended period of time. Originally we were going to sleep out under the stars, but then it was freezing outside and the moon was so bright that we couldn’t actually see that many stars so we ended up sleeping in a mud hut with a thatched roof. The company we did the safari with was really nice and the food we ate was delicious. Also at the rural compound with us (but not with us on the camels) was a group of three really sweet Japanese women on vacation. At night we played sardines (sort of like reverse hide-and-seek) and sat around a fire listening to the uncle tell us stories from when he was in the Indian Army. Only a few people stayed up until midnight since we were all really tired, but the very first food all of us ate for 2015 was Oreos, so I think I can say with confidence that 2015 is gonna be great!

Polo with the King – 12/30/14

            Our first stop on our trip to Rajasthan is Jodhpur, also known as the Blue City. The Brahmin houses used to be identified by their blue color, but now anyone can paint their houses blue. At the top of the city is a giant fort that has never been conquered (if you see pictures of it you’ll understand why) and off in the distance is a huge palace where the king of Jodhpur still lives. Ben P and I befriended an art professor at BHU who used to be the museum director at the fort and is also a personal friend of the king. With this connection we were able to get a free tour of the fort, a tour of the conservation lab there, and be invited to the finals of the Royal Salute Maharaja’s Golden Jubilee Cup polo tournament. After the match, we got to see the King’s collection of vintage cars and even meet the king himself! Although we didn’t talk for long, he invited us to also come and see the water conservation lab that he funds here in Jodhpur. The whole day was a pretty surreal experience and now I understand how the game of polo works! Interesting fact: the riding pants worn in polo are named after the city of Jodhpur.