Welcome to India!

I'm in India. Holy cow, literally and figuratively.  Because yesterday’s post was incredibly text-y, I’ve tried to make this visually stimulating.  SO, today we:

      Learned about India in a morning orientation of the country and the activities for the week.

 Caption: Part of our orientation included receiving turbans and scarves.

      Went on a scavenger hunt around the city of Mumbai (which my team won!)

Caption: This is a sampling of the British-infused architecture we saw on the scavenger hunt that pervades Mumbai; this photo is from a library.

Caption: More beautiful architecture.

Caption: There were a few giant, beautiful trees within Bombay.  This is just one.

Caption: The famous India Gate – marking the official entrance into Mumbai from the water.

      Had lunch in an Indian restaurant.

     

      Caption: At the lunch restaurant.

       

      Toured the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and heard a lecture on the Indian economic system from a professor at the Indian Institute of Trading

Caption: Bombay’s version of the Wall Street Bull!

      In late afternoon, we went on a night tour of Mumbai, which included a:

Caption: Snack of Indian street food – this tasted like fried rice krispies!

Caption: Tour of Chowpatty Beach - the popular hangout location for many locals.

Caption: Visit to Banganga Tank, a sacred Hindu location known for its spring that cleanses the sins of those who dip in it.

Caption: Walk through a Jain Temple

Caption: View of the coast of Mumbai at night (akin to looking at Manhattan) from the Hanging Gardens

Caption: Visit to the Haji Ali mausoleum, although I took this photo earlier in the day

…and a late dinner around 11p.m. concluded our first full day in Mumbai.  Amid all of that busyness, I’ve made a few initial observations on India.

Infrastructure

India is a developing country in all meanings that phrase connotes – culture, demographics, roads, politics, economy.  The in-progress (and still needed) improvements to infrastructure are everywhere.  In Bombay, the roads are in somewhat shabby shape, there is trash lying around the majority of public places, and there lingers a distinctive odor in the air.  Wi-Fi is not readily available in 99% of buildings, and many buildings have some form of construction.  YET, there are apparent changes being made to the city.  Good things are happening here; they just require time.

Sheer Amount of People

While fairly obvious, I was struck particularly by the amount of people on the streets at all hours of the day and all days of the week.  Never once today did I find our group somewhere without a dozen people strewn about our path.  With 20 million residents in Mumbai, I recognize that they need to live somewhere; it’s just a lot to see when you’re used to living in a city with 2 million people, most of them located in the suburbs!

Economic Opportunity

Perhaps this observation was inspired, in part, by the talk we heard at the Bombay Stock Exchange on the current and future economy of India.  However, it becomes readily apparent that there is great opportunity for those who call India home.  The country is simultaneously engaging an industrial revolution, cultural revolution (i.e. gender issues you’ve heard about through the media)

Diversity

Albeit demographically homogeneous (referencing the racialized definition of what Americans consider diversity), this country is incredibly diverse!  Geographically, India has hot deserts, snow-capped mountains, tropical rainforests, jungles, countryside, seaports, and urban cities.  My analogy is that if India were a piece in the Settlers of Catan board-game, it would be highly sought because of its raw materials!  Religiously, there are a slew of faiths practiced here: Hinduism, Islam, Baha’i, Sheikism, Jainism, Christianity, and Catholicism (to name a few).  To my observations thus far, these appear to be practiced harmoniously within the country.  Finally, the stratification of socioeconomic status could not be more striking.  Here, both very rich and depraved poor live within the same city.  They interact on a daily basis – or at least see one another on a daily basis.  Some Indians have remarked that you need to be able to turn off your conscience in order to survive as a higher-level class member, due to the large numbers of poor here.  I wouldn’t disagree with that statement, however disappointing, as I found myself stoic and numb at times.

After a long day, that covers my first of seven in India.