My last look back at India, photos of things that captured my gaze and my mind.
It could sound kind of cliche to say how nice everyone was and what a strong sense of hospitality they have, but it’s absolutely true. For a stranger in a strange land, that is a precious gift. For a stranger whose own land is currently gripped in wariness and indignation, that is a true respite.
There’s a body language gesture that Indian people do that I find utterly enchanting. They rapidly tilt their heads a bit side to side to acknowledge what you’ve said. I don’t know how to “keep” it, because in the U.S., that same movement would indicate ambivalence. It sounds silly to say it, but I think I will miss that sweet head wobble most of all.
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- Mannequins dressed as I have never seen mannequins dressed before. Delhi
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- I am unsure how Gandhi would feel about having his face on rupee currency. But, he IS the father of the nation.
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- This is the first time I have ever seen a news publication yield their entire front page to advertising. I have a great deal of compassion for newspapers’ struggles to fund themselves in the internet era – but this still unnerves me. Delhi
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- A bit of space dedicated to discarded carts. How very specific. Delhi
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- Fancy overpass in Delhi
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- The eyebrows and mustache just slay me. LOVE THIS! Agra
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- I saw several men walk with their arms around each other or holding hands when I was in India. It’s nice to see men given the social space to express friendship this broadly. In the U.S., the extreme enforcement of masculinity as NOT-women/girls and NOT-gay is so punishing that this kind of expression is almost unthinkable. Agra
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- Not that I have traveled nearly as broadly internationally as I would like, but I gotta say… it seems like Bob Marley and Che Guevara show up everywhere I go. Agra
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- Not that I have traveled nearly as broadly internationally as I would like, but I gotta say… it seems like Bob Marley and Che Guevara show up everywhere I go. Mumbai
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- Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays This is how quiet the road in front of our hotel – just outside the east entrance – was in late afternoon of Friday. I love the little details. The couple walking hand in hand, the cow, the rickshaws, the produce cart, the stray dog undisturbed by the car backing out of the parking space, Pepsi AND Coke subsidizing the restaurant signage, the yellow plastic chair. That restaurant is where Ben and I got the Best Chai Ever every morning while we were in Agra.
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- Buckets of sand at the ready, in Hindi and English. Agra
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- Holy cow! Agra
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- Group effort in Agra
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- On the flight from Delhi to Mumbai. Note the landscape, yes, but also the acute smog that enveloped Delhi and Mumbai was just as bad in the entire distance in between.
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- Some of the shanty housing of Mumbai, through the smog and from the plane.
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- A shot from our speeding cab as we drove into Mumbai from the airport. Smog does paint some lovely colors in the sky.
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- I have never seen so many bananas in one eyeful before. Mumbai
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- “Bhukkad” means hungry. I couldn’t find “laatsahab.”
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- To my dismay, India is not too big on chocolate. This is more commentary on me than it is on them!! Mumbai
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- To my delight, Indians are big on vegetarianism! Mumbai
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- A very cool taxi interior. Mumbai
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- Funny that the moment I saw these hand-painted signs (in English and Hindi) there wasn’t much vehicle or foot traffic because 95% of the time, crossing the street in Indian cities is utterly terrifying. Ben and I were actually earnestly coached by a stranger not to be so timid, standing on the corner waiting for the right window of opportunity to cross. He said the same thing (and yes, we also witnessed others doing it successfully over and over), just get out there and keep walking. — Mumbai
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- I am interested in a monument being built into this commercial building, then later being surrounded with mass-produced corporate signage. Mumbai
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- I thought it was extraordinary that I had to go to India before I knew of this letter from Lincoln to his son’s teacher. This poster was up in the Men Against Violence & Abuse (MAVA) office in Mumbai. Harish translated the Hindi enough for me to look it up in English online. I read it out loud to Ben, and we both got choked up.
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- Harish told me that the developer of this building saw one very like it in Europe, and decided Mumbai should have it’s own extremely tall skyscraper.
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- Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, has quite a lot of English colonial architecture.
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- From Wikipedia: “The Gateway of India is an arch monument built during the 20th century in Mumbai. The monument was erected to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary at Apollo Bunder on their visit to India in 1911. The Gateway was later used as a symbolic ceremonial entrance to India for Viceroys and the new Governors of Bombay. It served to allow entry and access to India. The Gateway of India is located on the waterfront in South Mumbai and overlooks the Arabian Sea. The monument is the city’s top tourist attraction.”
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- The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in South Mumbai is one of the most opulent in all of India. Harish pointed out to me that the facade of the hotel is actually on the other side, facing the street, but this view – the back! – faces the open plaza in front of the Gateway of India monument, and THAT’S that side everyone sees. We didn’t try to go inside. This is the hotel where there were terrorist attacks in 2008. A thriller mainstream movie came out about it in March 2019. Harish also said that the attacks have made the hotel more infamous and more popular, rather than less. All publicity is good publicity?
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- This is a juxtaposition photo. The state of the high-rise in the front, the state of the high-rise in the back, the billboard for opulent jewels, the construction. A snapshot of so many things that are India, all at once. Mumbai
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- A truck all dressed up in Hindu gear.
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- I wanted to see and put my feet in the Indian Ocean, and we had a little window of time late yesterday afternoon. It just happened that we got to the beach right at sunset! The beach was crowded with families. We were met – as we have been often in areas that are not typical for international tourists – with gentle surprise and curiosity that evolved into warmth in exchanged smiles and pressing hands together in mutual respectful greeting. The perfect end to a perfect day.
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- Mumbai blew me out of the water with how packed with humanity and activity it was. I looked it up, compared to L.A. 20,694 people per square kilometer!!
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- Lots of people ride motorcycles or scooters. I imagine one reason is the cost. And definitely, they have maneuvering advantages in heavy city traffic. Only a handful of times did I see women driving and men riding. This was the only time we saw a sidecar, specially outfitted for a passenger in a wheelchair. Mumbai
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- That gulch full of trash used to be a river. Single-use plastics are killing this planet. Mumbai
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- I was interested to see so many voter rights billboards. This effort is encouraging that voter registration be portable. Very intriguing! lostvotes.com
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- Seeing my old North Carolina friend Krispy Kreme in the Mumbai airport made my southern accent kick in reflexively. ?
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- The Gideons are not the only ones stocking the hotels with holy books here! Coimbatore
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- From Wikipedia: “Perur Pateeswarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located at Perur, in western part of Coimbatore. The temple was built by Karikala Chola. The temple has been patronized by poets like Arunagirinathar and Kachiappa Munivar. Lord Shiva, known as ‘Patteeswarar’, is the presiding deity of this temple together with his consort Parvati, who is known as ‘Pachainayaki’. The deity is believed to be ‘Swayambu Lingam’ (self emerged). The pillars raised in this temple depict the architectural prowess of the Tamil sculptors.”
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- Coimbatore is in southern India, not far from the equator.
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- Stacks of reusable linen bags at the grocery store. No plastic bags! Yay! Coimbatore
