Strange and Arranged

More than two weeks have passed since my fish and mango feast in south India. During this short time, a few big things have happened at Manavya, the orphanage where I have been working since February. Most notably was last Friday, when I got to experience my first Indian wedding. One of the girls at Manavya was married to another local fellow in a very traditional ceremony. The girl's name is Poornima, which translates to "full moon" in Marathi. As though these children could not get any more beautiful and inspiring, all of their names translate to words like "dream" and "delicate flower." Anyway, everyone involved was very excited and emotional about the whole affair. Everyone except for the bride and groom. They appeared stoic, rigid, and generally uncomfortable. I assume this was largely because it was an arranged marriage. For those not aware, arranged marriage is very common in India, much more so than love marriage. Many feel that the joining of two families holds more significance than the union of two individuals. This makes sense to me; only at a wedding, I am used to watching two lovebirds stealing playful glances full of pure affection, not two people staring forward like strangers on a city bus. And strangers they essentially are to each other - their wedding day was the third or fourth time they had ever met. Statistics do show, however, that arranged marriages have a higher success rate and last longer than love marriages. So maybe they're on to something here, it was just a little strange to me.

Apart from the absence of chemistry between the people of honor, the ceremony was fascinating and wonderful. Full of intricate traditions, each meant to signify the bond to be forged among husband, wife, and the two families. Poornima, the bride, is the first child from Manavya to get married and start a life apart from the organization, so this was really special. I wasn't able to catch on to a large portion of the nuptials, but I was throwing rice at the new couple on several occasions. They also decked me out in some traditional Indian wear. Which was amusing, but a lot more comfortable than any Western monkey suit. 

One of the drivers at the orphanage is a good photographer and used my camera for the wedding. Have a taste:

Covering Poornima with turmeric the day before the wedding. They do this for many reasons, mostly to ward off evil spirits and make her skin pop for the big day 

Henna time

This is the traditional set up for the ceremony - more customs going on here than I can explain

First time I saw this guy crack a smile all day. I think he's just realizing that he hit the jackpot 

That was beautiful. Now for the work developments. While it took me some time to figure out how to make a contribution during my short time here, I have finally gotten in together. Thanks to the guidance of Maya (my wise elder roommate) and a few very impressive people in Philadelphia, we have put together something we're calling Manavya Global. This project is focused on exposing the people at Manavya to the outside world through computer literacy, English, and the Internet. Manavya began in 1997 as a place where hopeless women and children with HIV could come to die with dignity. Now, they are marrying kids off and preparing them to be contributing members of society. With internet as an international common-ground and English as the language of the internet, it seems obvious that they should be familiar with these things. Manavya Global aims to make that happen.

With the proceeds from a few donations as well as some persistence, we have reconfigured our old computers, acquired two new computers, and established internet access at the orphanage. Four older students were enrolled in a computer literacy class that began last Monday, and we have recently lined up a professional English instructor to begin a spoken English course in May. Next week, we should have our first virtual exchange session, which is the beginning of a series of Skype calls between Manavya kids and some Indian-American students in the US. Further down the road, the plan is for more technical computer training and ultimately a way into the exploding IT market here. This has all come together in the past six weeks, and is designed to continue for years to come. But I've only got two weeks left, which will be spent showing children the internet and being embarrassed by the "typing tutor" computer program.

I could not be happier that I have been able to help out with the development of this project, and I can't wait to see the opportunities that come out on the other end. These kids deserve a lot more, but this is a good start.

This computer is exploding with internet

Configuring some mainframes with the Manavya staff

Last Thursday was Pune's Election Day for Prime Minister of India. This was one of two pictures I took before the police asked me to stop taking pictures

A political portable party on the move during Election Day

Thanks for reading, I hope the Easter bunny paid you nice, chocolatey visit this weekend. Come back when you can, I've got a few more things to show you. 

Fish and Mangos

For the last ten days in March, I took a vacation inside a vacation and ventured to the southernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. Specifically the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, about the latitude of Panama. I'd heard too much about the food, beaches, ancient temples, and over-the-top palaces to miss out on this part of the country. South India did not disappoint. My first impressions were of endless palm trees, the casual mix of mosques, temples, and churches, and the fact that almost every man I saw was wearing a skirt. I later learned that they are called lungis, which offer great ventilation in the sticky heat. My parents taught me to go "full native" wherever I visit, so a lungi was quickly incorporated into the wardrobe.

It was fiercely hot down there - which I had been warned about - but meant fewer tourist clowns like myself to deal with. This turned out to be a double edged-sword; the local trinket peddlers had fewer outsiders to keep them in business, so I got plenty of attention. Business is good - let me know if you need a straw hat or shell necklace. Here's a little bit about each spot with a few pictures:

Kanyakumari (Cape Cormorin)

They say that Kanyakumari, the last settlement on the mainland, is where three different seas converge: the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean. You can watch the sun both rise and set over the ocean from the same spot. This is an undeniably picturesque location, "furnishing a sight unequalled in the world" as Ghandi put it. The whole town has a very unique energy; literally, it is a documented radiation hotspot. Two rocks emerge from the water off the shore - one the sight of a temple, the other a giant statue of an ancient Indian poet. Also, like many tourist destinations, the streets are lined with shops and aggressive salesmen. Hidden among them is the Kumari Amman temple, which is over three thousand years old and has a strict no-shirt policy. As a result of these sensational characteristics, many people make a spiritual pilgrimage to Kanyakumari - the end of the Indian world. 

 Kanyakumari sunrise

What it looks like at the very tip of India

The Mahatma Ghandi memorial building. A hole has been cut into the roof, designed so that once a year on his birthday, the sun shines right through onto the alter where his ashes were held before immersion into the ocean. Pretty neat

Vivekananda rock. In the late 19th century, a Hindu monk named Swami Vivekananda meditated on this rock for three straight days before traveling to the US to create awareness of Hinduism in the West. They built this temple in his honor

Giant statue of Thiruvalluvar, an ancient Indian poet and philosopher 

Varkala Beach

Hanging onto the edge of a cliff that surrounds a vast but naturally walled-in beach, Varkala is the kind of place where you arrive planning to stay for two days, then look back three months later wondering where the time went. The atmosphere is one of active relaxation - everyone is making an effort to be as laid back as possible. Varkala is also a bit of a Western oasis; it seems to have a magnetizing effect on eccentric Europeans. I met some truly fascinating people here, almost all non-Indians who had been here for a few months if not years. As you can imagine, the folks here are really easy to get along with, and after a few hours I was having beers with new friends from a dozen different countries. You could power up a jumbotron with the positive energy in this place. Three days of frisbee throwing, swimming in the ocean, and eating mangos sliced by a warm hearted local woman who sings the words "eating, eating, yum, yum" while you enjoy them. It's not difficult to see how you can get stuck here. 

Varkala beach from the cliffs

Indian side of the beach. There is a pretty clear separation between the local beach zone and the foreign zone, enforced by the lifeguards. This struck me as a little strange, but I gues it's necessary to avoid awkward cultural situations

Notice the fully clothed Indian women 

Now the half naked Westerners on the other side

Lifeguard calling it a day for the swimmers. The guy splayed out on the ground there has the right idea

Kerala Backwaters and Cochin

The backwaters of Kerala are a vast network of brackish lakes and canals that played a big role during the heyday of the spice trade. While the industry focus has shifted over the years, the area remains serene and beautiful. Many people must feel the same way because Alleppy, the jumping off point for most boat rides in the area, is overrun with tourism. Without any plans or reservations, I got completely bamboozled (unknowingly thrown into an overpriced trip) within minutes of disembarking the train. It was fine; a few hours floating peacefully through a tropical bayou is worth a few extra bucks. It's also necessary to step back sometimes and realize that "expensive" in India is very reasonable compared to most other places. I stayed that night in Fort Cochin, an old Dutch settlement made famous for its spices, essential oils, and variety of cultural influences.

It looks just like this for hundreds of miles

Getting from A to B the old-fashioned way

This picture is here to point out two things: one is that the villagers will do anything to attract tourists, including the ethically questionable domestication of dangerous birds of prey. The other is the fashionable lungi (man-skirt) he's wearing

Houseboat. These are the traditional boats of the backwaters, and are now used almost exclusively for tourism. They are everywhere

Fresh fish lunch on a banana leaf. These are tasty

I just like this picture

Chinese fishing nets of Fort Cochin at sundown

Cardimum, nutmeg, tumeric, star spice - a few of the many spices that put Cochin on the map

Front gate of a Jain temple 

A few steps away from this church is a mosque, a synagogue, and a temple

Spice Garden, Wayanad

Through a puzzling series of misunderstandings, I found myself in Wayanad, a rural "hill station" (high-elevation agricultural area) dotted with spice and tea plantations. I planned on visiting a wildlife sanctuary to see some elephants, maybe a tiger, but ended up here in the middle of the night after 13 hours of bus rides. I didn't realize that I was at the wrong Spice Garden guesthouse until I laid my head down to sleep, at which point I just giggled to myself until passing out from exhaustion. I made lemonade out of it though, and it turned out to be a highlight of the trip. The hard working family man in charge, Santhosh, was eager to show me around his property and make me feel at home. The food here was great, all served on banana leaves and straight from his farm. His dad is also a complete boss - we planted banana trees and shucked coconuts one morning. Glad I fell into this place.

The only elephant I saw the whole trip. Got this shot of him as my bus flew by

Spice Garden Guesthouse

Raju happily scaling the coconut trees. He reminds me of a video game character

A more frightening shot of Raju creeping through the shadows

I got up there myself with these cable-pulley tree climbing machines

Santhosh showing me aroud his property. Notice his sweet lungi

Collecting the rubber. They've got this setup on rubber trees all over the place

Rolling out the rubber into sheets that they store or sell

Typical tea plantation

The end of an unplanned adventure 

Mysore

Opulent. This is the all-encompassing word for Mysore, the royal city of South India. It's known for it's pure silk and high quality sandalwood oil. It was the capital city of a large kingdom for six centuries, so they know how to do it right. 

Mysore Palace

Typical South Indian temple artwork

I can't remember what this place is called, but they guy buried inside killed a tiger with his bare hands

Rows of colorful mounds of unfamiliar powders - exactly what comes to my mind when thinking Indian markets

 Banana salesman frustrated with the saturated market


Mysore Palace at night

That was a big one, thank you for sticking through it. I only have one month left here, let's hope I can make it count.