Saturday, July 16, 2011

Ahmedabad

Welcome to Ahmedabad! On the west coast of India, close to the Pakistan border.
Camel power.

It's easy to see how the British Raj lived a "la-dee-da" life on one side of the garden wall.
This is behind our hotel, Le Meridian.
The flower pots in the left side of this photo are against the wall that hides
the slum in the next photo.

At Gandhi's Ashram. This is where he started the Dandi March, and fought peacefully for Indians to retain their salt. "One cannot follow love or truth so long as one is subject to fear". It's from here I found my quote for next year's class poster..."The law of love could be best understood and learned through little children".

We are discovering the regionalism of Indian food.
In southern India, we eat on banana leaves. There was a constant parade of men serving things with ladles onto the leaves that are stitched together to form a large "plate" placemat.
Afterwards, we wandered over to where musicians were performing. Even though it was incredibly hot and humid, we danced up a storm.
Tabla (percussion) music really gets you moving.

Squeezing past cows to get to school in the slums of Ahmedabad.
Many of us bought tops to try and blend in more but as we walked in one little girl burst into tears. She had never seen so many foreign (read blond) women before.

Not every child attends school. It was declared law a few years ago to attend, but there is no way to enforce it. These boys are heckling us and the teacher through the window.
Her supplies are locked into two big metal boxes.
Her "library" was a broken shelf with some papers.
Everyone is struggling to try and make things happen.
A perfect example of why girls don't attend school. She is making the meal of the day.
Or in the next photo, spending ALL DAY collecting enough water at the well for the family to cook and bathe with and to drink. Note the garbage and animal feces surrounding the well.
We were prepared for the smells of the slum but women were
sweeping and cleaning constantly.
It was amazingly odor-free.

Another example of the dichotomy of India.
This young woman from India, was educated abroad and now lives in London. She met this young British man and they married.
They have returned to have another wedding celebration in India for her family.
Right after I took this pic in our hotel, he met his Indian family for the first time.
This is typical wedding attire for men and women.
I'm not passing judgement here, but many who are educated aboard do not return to India.

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