Shopping - Fixed Price?

There are modern western style malls in Bangalore.  We visited them often.  There was a store for everyone there - even Ari! Although it was not close - a 40 minute rickshaw ride - it was kind of like going to Little Rock from Batesville to shop.  Chase found western brand jeans, Lacey loved eating at Taco Bell, and Ajay enjoyed the children's play area - so we went often.

I was always amazed that there were so many stores with western style clothing yet most of the shoppers seemed to be wearing saris and Indian style clothing.  I wondered how they stay in business.  There never seemed to be that many customers in those clothing stores.

They did, indeed, "deck the halls" at Christmas.  As we entered Mantri Mall, we were greeted by large displays featuring Thomas the Train, Barbie, and Hot Wheels.  Ajay loved stopping by these stages.  We were never sure exactly what they were for - we never saw much going on there and they were roped off so getting a good picture with your children was not the point.  We did see a little activity on the Barbie stage - children coloring and someone at a microphone speaking.  There was a Winter Wonderland that included a snow scene with girraffes (Haha).  The mall area also had an outside stage that would feature bands on the weekend.  Keep in mind that Bangalore during Christmas time was still 75 degrees!

I so enjoyed window shopping.  Especially in the stores that carried their beautiful saris and Indian fabrics for custom made saris.  I could have stood and looked at them for hours!  We were a little confused by some of the window dressings.  They really love Western but just can't get away from being Asian! 

I really enjoyed shopping in the mall where Indian goods were sold and bargained for at a cheaper price.  I went with Lacey to purchase curtains.  I love my daughter, but I really am one of the only people who can shop with her! She studies it out and thinks it over and looks at things several times before making her purchase.  She asked to see many different curtains displayed on their display rack and asked for a better price.  We walked away with nothing twice and then returned to make the purchase.  She did get him to come down from his "fixed" price to her agreed price and she did purchase a lot of heavy curtains that we had to carry in a rickshaw.  In the end, she was pleased and I'm sure the shop owner was happy.  We also purchased throw pillow covers and scarves here.

There is a long street called Commerce Street that is completely facsinating.  Here you can bargain and buy almost anything.  On my last weekend, a friend took me there.  I made last minute purchases and avoided dying by being hit by oncoming traffic!  What great fun!

Friday before I was to leave on Tuesday, Lacey decided that she wanted to get Kelly something tailor made.  She decided on a boppy cover - in fact, because we didn't know whether she was having a boy or a girl, that she would get two made.  We found a place that sold material and ventured out to find the right fabric.  The store was owned by a Muslim family and since it was Friday - their day of worship - they were closed.  Lacey determined that we should try again on Saturday...now remember, we not only had to get the fabric, we also had to find a tailor and it would have to be finished by Monday evening because my plane left very early on Tuesday morning.  I was doubtful.  We went inside the store and found the material which was intended for women's clothing to be lacking.  Lacey decided to go to the third floor where men's pants and shirts were tailored in hopes of finding exactly what she was looking for.  As, I said before - I am just about the only one who can shop with Lacey!! She took her time and finally chose two plaids from the men's shirt selection - a pink and grey and a yellow and grey.  She then set out to find a tailor who could take her boppy cover and use as a pattern and who would agree to have it finished for her by Monday evening.  She wandered around the tailor's shops area and finally found such a man.  Little Caleb was born before she got the boppys on Monday.  She was very happy to send the yellow and grey one home with me to her sister.  The tailor finished it at 9:00 pm on Monday night.  Kelly and Caleb are both enjoying using it!




Just some important information that everyone needs!



33,000,000 gods plus 1

I have always been told that the Hindu religion has 33 million gods.  After visiting India, I am convinced there is at least one more.  Materialism is the god that I most identified among the people that I met and encountered.  It seems that many young people work long hours and strive to have careers, all for the love of "things".  And not only things, but many western things such as western brand name clothing, jewelry, and technology.  I was surprised to find western style gyms and work-out centers in almost every neighborhood.  Many western stores and restaurants can be found in the bigger cities, such as Bangalore.
As I made my own observations, I couldn't visibly see the outward expressions in day to day life of Hinduism, Islam, Animism, or Christianity.  I didn't find religion to be a main focus of most people living there.  They were busy with their every day lives.  Chase explained how their religious practices had been absorbed into their every day lives.  He saw it as almost impossible to separate the two - religious practices and every day life. 


We lived in an area where Ganesh, the elephant god, was a primary focus of the Hindu religion.  There was a large statue of Ganesh on a main road where we turned to go into our neighborhood.  After reading some about this god, I came to understand that he is their god of good fortune.  When they go to make offerings on holy days at the temples, he would probably be the first god to receive praise.  One such temple was in our neighborhood.  Behind the iron bars and commercial looking front, there are ancient temple grounds where worship to gods with no ears, no life, and no hope holds them captive. They revere cows as gods, which is why they are allowed to freely roam about on city streets and really, where ever they choose.  Actually, there are many things of nature that they consider gods - including wealthy human beings.

Front entrance to the temple area.  This is where there would be a line going down the street on holy days.  People would be waiting their turn to make offerings to their gods.  They would be dressed in their finest and carrying small gifts for the gods.  The women would have their hair adorned with fresh flowers. 



This is the side view where you can actually see the ancient temples.  Yes, that is modern day play equipment along side these age old temples.




An obviously ancient tree that is revered and to which offerings are made

 There is a primarily Muslim neighborhood where you will find many followers of Islam living.  There is a large mosque there.  The call to prayer can be heard over a loud speaker, very clearly, five times each day.  There were a few more beggars outside the gates of the mosque because giving alms to the poor is one of the expectations of Islam.

My children kept running into Tibetan people while at the mall or in shops or restaurants.  There were some monks around the city, but the number was relatively few.  Because they are studying Tibetan and are familiar with what to look for to identify Tibetans, they were able to interact with and connect with several Tibetan Buddhists during the few weeks.  It was fun to see them using their language skills in real life situations and they loved it.

Surprisingly, there is quite a bit of Christian influence in Bangalore.  I was there during Christmas and although the commercial side of it all heavily outweighed the true meaning of Christmas (much like in America), there were still hints of the Christ-child seen throughout the city.  Several of the small stores and shops had large stars hanging outside their business and for sale.  Believers would buy these and hang them outside of their house in honor of the Christ they had come to know.  There would be other little subtle hints of those who love Jesus such as a sticker on the inside windshield of a rickshaw that simply had His name or a praise phrase for all who rode along to see.  There were Christian gatherings, pageants and plays, and evangelical gatherings advertised publicly, billboard style. 

There is a Christian bookstore in Bangalore.  Even though it is well hidden away, down a long, dark hallway and up a flight of stairs, it is still there.  They carry a lot of Bibles, newly published Christian books, and Bible aids such as commentaries.  They have the Word in several languages but mostly English and Hindi.  They carry items that the local church would need to teach their children and serve their congregations - western style!

I enjoyed going to church with a friend to worship one Sunday.  The church was about a 45 minute rickshaw ride away and met in a very nice hotel.  It had been planted by westerners who have a church in another Indian city.  The church had an local Indian pastor and an Indian praise team.  They piped in the sermon via satellite and once each month, the Indian pastor did the teaching live.  The praise team was live and they did western style praise and worship.  During the service, they had a break where they served coffee, tea, and breakfast cookies.  For those of you who know Compass...I kid you not!! If I had closed my eyes, I would have thought I was at Compass for all the near likenesses.  They have life groups and child care there on site, too.  About half of the attendees were westerners.  It is a great place for ex-pats who are hungering for western style worship, but I'm not so sure it meets criteria for being an indigenous church that will reach locals.

NGO's (non-governmental organizations) who are willing to help improve India's water, sewage, and trash systems, as well as education, and business leadership skills are needed.  Medical care and hospital sanitation is improving in large cities, but there is still a great need in villages and smaller towns. Mid-wives would help improve the mortality rate and be useful, not only for birth, but for childcare and healthy living education. There are some impassioned young people who are working in anti-slavery/trafficking ministry.  There is a very large need for this work there.   Mostly, there is a great need to take the gospel to India to the masses.  Jesus is the answer.

Street Scenes

It was well into my third week in India that the street scenes started to become common place for me.  Until then, when we would ride through the streets in a rick shaw, I could not look fast enough and take in what my eyes beheld quickly enough to be able to multitask by talking as we rode along.  I wanted to see everything and tried to process it, too.  I wanted to remember what I was experiencing and was cataloging questions, formulating opinions, and scripting this blog. 

I took pictures of things that intrigued me.  They might be beautiful things, unique things, or ugly things.  There are pictures that I missed that I always intended to get, such as a family of four riding on a scooter in the middle of heavy traffic with the children sandwiched in between or standing in front of the driver.  I could never take a picture that accurately portrayed the incredible traffic situation.  One night after dark Lacey and I were in a rickshaw going home.  We had been to a late afternoon appointment with her doctor and there was heavy traffic.  As we approached a double set of railroad tracks she said, "Oh, Mom - hold on! You won't believe the dangerous situation that we are approaching!"  A train was coming and cars, motorcycles, buses, and rickshaws all converged upon the edge of the tracks in random placement.  Everyone was honking, racing their motors, edging closer and closer to one another, squeezing into tiny openings in anticipation of the train's passing.  When the last car of the train passed the road's edge, everyone went at once! We could only hope there wasn't another train coming on the other track because there would be no way for the traffic to clear up in time.  It would have made an exciting and terrifying video!  And then, there was the beauty...I could have taken a picture of every sari that I saw!  I really loved looking at the way women had put together there complete ensemble.  Even their shoes were chosen carefully.  They are such girly girls!  Of course there was the blaring poverty of the tent cities and the horrific scene of children playing at very dangerous construction and work sites that drew my eye, as well.

 

 



This is a great example of their idea of scaffolding...kept thinking about how facsinating this would be for my Daddy to see and how terrifying it would be for my brothers-in-law!!





Although this wasn't a street scene, it was still quite an experience.  Ajay was getting all of his blond curls cut off in a barber shop.  He was not happy, but did pretty well with Mom and Dad close by. 



Our Neighborhood

We lived in an eclectic neighborhood. People of many different religions were represented there.  It was not uncommon to see people who were of different castes around the neighborhood, too.




This was our apartment. We lived on the first floor and our entrance was around at the side of the house. The bottom floor windows that you see was our living room.



Our landlords were Muslims. They were very nice people and I enjoyed my visits with them. They were hard working people who prided themselves on their rise in financial security and cultural tolerance. The husband spoke very good English and told me that he had been abandoned by his father at 54 days. His mother was very poor and uneducated. She was not capable of raising him. He said he was "scratch" (nothing). His aunt took him in and raised him.  He has worked hard, as well as his wife, and now they have "all of this" (he gestured  with his hands). So we lived in his "all of this". The neighborhood is full of homes like the one in which we lived. The owners live in a portion of the home and plan for the rest to be income property or to provide a place to take care of their loved ones. Each home is architecturally unique but set up similarly as far as living quarters go. If one has outside space it is usually a rooftop or a small courtyard.

This was our "outdoor" space - a small courtyard - or really carport, where Chase kept his scooter and the entrance to our apartment

The mornings began quietly for the most part. People would be walking for health, going to school or beginning their day around their home. You would hear a motorcycle, truck or bus passing by (honking at the intersection).Every morning the paper recycling guy would come by calling, "PEY-PA" to alert folks that he was making his rounds. There was an old Hindu man who would go through the streets with his dressed up Indian cow blowing a horn, I suppose chasing away evil spirits. On special days he might have a chanting crowd with him. Each morning the cleaning people would come by and sweep the sidewalks and generally clean up around the outside for a very small amount of pay. They used brooms made out of sticks which made a loud scraping sound but were very efficient. The cows merhed and the dogs barked. The early morning pace was slow.



I was concerned when I saw Chase using what I thought was a stern voice with these men, in light of the "weapon" that one was carrying (you can't see it well in these pictures but it was a long very sharply pointed iron stick).  It turned out to be a discussion about them doing some clean up around our house and the instrument was a yard cleaning impliment.  Chase was refusing to let them clean up because the landloard already paid a crew to do such work.

 The whole time I was there, construction was going on across the street. An apartment building was being remodeled. Painting, welding, woodwork, and cement work  were constantly going on. This was the first place that I was alerted to the scaffolding commonly seen at construction sights.  Yikes!! It was not until New Year's Eve that I realized the workers were actually sleeping there. Shalom was the name given to the apartments.

Yes, that is a man hanging from some very questionable rig, doing work on the building

We lived in Kalya Nagar neighborhood. The Coffee Day at 9th Main was our near location that we would give rickshaw drivers. To get a rickshaw we would walk down the street and to the corner where several rickshaws would be parked. As we begin walking down the street, we pass the corner trash pile and then come to neighborhood businesses.  First is a small store where we bought water in 5 gallon bottles. Then there are a couple of other local businesses including a small clinic and a chiropractor. As we round the corner we pass a pharmacy and a spa and several fruit and veggie stands.  At the corner was the corner store.  They stocked items that we might need on the spur of the moment such as milk, butter, and yogurt.  They had many items but were not a better price.  You pay for convenience any where you go in the world.  As I said earlier, across the street was the Coffee Day, a coffee house chain that was similar to Starbucks.  Coffee Day, however, didn't open until 10:00 am or so...a little late for early morning satisfaction!  Across on the other corner was an ancient Hindu temple area.  On holy days there would be many people lined up to pay tribute to their gods.



9th Main Coffee Day, you know?



I decided to purchase some India postage stamps.  We discovered there was a post office "next to the Coffee Day".  I decided that I could take this on by myself.  Chase almost insisted that I wait and let him go with me.  He kept pressing, so I took off my jacket and waited.  Ajay got up from a nap and we set out on foot to find it.  As we neared the Coffee Day, I was looking to see if the store next to it was a post office. Chase turned up the street and kept walking.  I was confused, so I asked him why we were going this way.  He casually said, "Well, I don't think it is next to the Coffee Day.  I think it is near the Coffee Day, maybe down this way.  In fact, I'm not even sure it is a post office.  It might just be a postal drop box.  We have to keep walking this way and see."  Sure enough, we found it and it was, indeed, a post office building - that I would have never found alone.  We entered and Chase talked with the employee explaining what we wanted using his perfected Indian English.  We purchased 24 postage stamps at 5 rupees each (approximately 10 cents - US).  They were zodiac signs.  The post office was one of the messiest buildings I have ever been in.  People were gathered there and seemed to just be hanging out.  It was not only messy, but also dirty.  I still loved the adventure of it all.

Getting around the neighborhood seemed daunting to me when I first arrived.  I wish that I had been able to spend a couple of more weeks there because just as it was time to leave, I was feeling more at home.

Trash Disposing and Collecting

There are several ways to dispose of your garbage in India.  There is a lady who comes by and for a few rupees each month, if you have it sitting out beside the house early in the morning, she will take it.  The house helpers come three times a week and they will dispose of the trash if you remind them to do so.  The other option is that when it is just too stinky (like you have two diaper wearers in the house) and is piling up, you take it for disposal yourself.  I was there for a couple of weeks before I discovered that no matter how it is taken from the house, it all goes to the same place.  It goes to the trash pile at the corner of the street.

There are a few ways that the trash pile diminishes, as well.  There are people who make their living from the trash pile.  They might bring an old fashioned bicycle-type rickshaw with a cart on the back and wade into the pile picking up scraps of paper and shaking them off before adding them to their pile to be recycled.  There are trucks that come by periodically, too.  The men (sometimes family) scoop the garbage up with their hands and put it on the trash load they have collected.  I'm not sure if they receive pay to do this from someone or if they do it for the purpose of treasure hunting - expecting to make some sort of living from things they scavenge from the pile.  Cows and dogs eat it.  On occasion, someone living close by might burn it.  But never fear - the pile always comes back...quickly.

I am very surprised that in a place where feet and shoes are considered filthy - so much so that you would NEVER wear your shoes in a house and you would never touch someone with your feet - this eye sore would un-nerve them! 

There are people who are called "squatters" because they find an empty lot and take up residence there unbeknownst to the land owner who may no longer live in the area, or who may consider it to be a part of the alms they give to the poor.  Local people sometimes hire them to clean up empty lots and trash piles that are nearby.  It seemed to me that you could find squatters all over the city.  Tent cities could be found in just about any shaded or empty space - some beside transits or businesses or in residential areas.

One day I was watching a lady through our open window who appeared to be standing in front of a mirror getting ready for the day in a little cinderblock building behind the wall catty-corner from our house.  The lot was empty all but the cinderblock  building.  It was very small - one room about 8X8 or so, I think.  I had seen them there before but I honestly thought they were residents of the house that was in front of them and that the little building was used for worship, or something.  I asked Chase and he told me they were squatters.  They were living in the little building.  The trash pile was on their corner. 

It would be nothing to throw your wrapper or paper cup on the ground in India.  And yes, there is a terrible smell that comes from these trashpiles.  People have asked me what India smells like...not very pleasant.  The spices mixed with the dirt and trash and body odor is a smell of its own. 

India is trying to do something about their trash problem, I suppose.  They are now encouraging recycling.  Everyone has not bought into it.  I did, however, see a recycling station and was quite surprised by it.  Perhaps that is where the folks who come by with a truck take the garbage they pick up.  Another way recycling is done is the man whose voice is heard in the very early morning crying, "PEY-PA" very loudly.  He is calling for newpaper recycling which I don't know if he buys or if people donate it to him.

You would think that it was an urgent problem that the government would address.  Remember those folks who recycle the paper and the families that pick up trash?  They wouldn't have a way to make a few rupees if the government took ownership of the trash problem.  Also, seriously, there are so many stray dogs and cows roaming the city that eat from the garbage piles.  Where would they get food?


So where did we dump our trash?  Well, just let me say - when in Rome...

The Sacred Cow

Cows are revered in India.  They are allowed to roam about at their discresion.  No one would dare shoo away or invade their space.  You see them everywhere and in odd places.  If they choose to get upset, you just get out of their way.  I saw them walking on the side walks and down the middle of very crowded traffic lanes.  I saw them lying outside of local businesses and walking in a herd down a lonely residental street.  There might be some farms where cows are kept, but I am talking about city cows.

 

Yes...this is a picture of a cow that I took from inside the barber shop on a busy street!

There are trashpiles on random corners on the city streets.  You will often see cows standing and eating out of the trash piles.  This was a puzzelment to me.  What could possibly be in a human trash pile that a cow would eat?  I had this thought.  Local children go to school and the teacher asks them, "What do cows eat?".  In America, every pre-schooler knows the answer is grass...but not in India!  I'm sure their answer would have to be, "Trash".

I'm pretty sure it is a religious thing, but there are some cows that get dressed up.  They are decorated and dressed and paraded through the streets on a rope.  Chase calls them Indian cows.  There was one such fellow and his cow that would come down our street in the early morning hours.  He was carrying a crazy loud horn with which he would "make music".  We would be awakened by his call many mornings.

Ajay does not like the deep "me-ee-hr" of the cow.  He is not afraid of the cows themselves, just of their sound.  He doesn't even like for his daddy to make the sound.  If you ask him how a cow goes, he gets a fearfull look in his eyes and says, "No".  This is too bad for a child being raised in a part of the world where cows roam (and mehr) freely!!

On occasion you will see something other than a cow - it is rare to see a horse or donkey or goat, but it happens.

Thank you, America, for keeping your cows on the farm and feeding them grass (or whatever)!