10/30/10

The trip back to New York went smoothly except for the fact that our flight from Mumbai to London was almost 45 min. late, giving us not very much time to connect in London. They rebooked us on a later flight, but we still wanted to see if we could make the original flight. We ran to the bus, the bus fortunately took less time than I remembered and then we ran to the gate. When we got to the gate we discovered that our original flight was delayed, so there was no problem with our making it.

The one glitch was that our bags didn't make it onto the flight we got, which we didn't find out about until we got to New York. We went to the baggage claim office to put a trace on them, and I'm hoping they'll be able to find the bags. We have 3 more flights a day after the one we made, so I'm hoping that everything will turn out okay. I had most of my important stuff in my hand luggage, but there are some things that I'd hate to lose (charging cords, some jewelry) so I hope it comes back to us. God’s been smiling on us this whole trip, so I’m thinking positively.

10/29/10

Our last day in India began with chapel and Grace gave a lovely and moving recap of our experience here. Then we went to the Lotus Temple, the Baha'i Temple in Delhi. It's made in the shape of a lotus flower and is really quite an amazing example of construction. It was built essentially by hand, which is how Indian construction works and is all the more amazing considering that it is made almost entirely of concrete.

The Lotus Temple

Then we went to lunch at this place called Pindi, which I had been to before on my trip to India in 2007. At that time my driver took me there and this time our driver took us there. Almost the entire clientele was tourists, so I think the restaurant must give a pretty good kickback to the drivers. The food was not that great, but Jimmy got a picture with a snake charmer and his cobra later for Rs. 500!

Our next and final stop was Birla House, the place where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated. It was very interesting and very well done. We saw the place where Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life and they have even poured concrete footsteps to show the path he took to the place where he was assassinated. There is a commemorative column on the place where he actually fell. It's almost overwhelming the amount of information that they have about Gandhi and Indian history. I took pictures of all the signs with information because I couldn't read everything. I figure I'll read it when I get home.

 Gandhi's final walk

The place where Gandhi fell

Next it was time to go back to the Bhawan and get ready to leave. We thought we were going to have to pay for our stay there, but as it turns out, they were putting us up for free. That was a great surprise! We got in the car after much effort getting all of our bags in and set out for the airport. On the way we met Santosh and his wife so we could return to them the sim cards for our phones – they were taken out in his wife's name and the names of some of his staff members, so it was important to get them back.

10/28/10

What a great experience we had today. Santosh George, whom we met at Nagpur and was so helpful to us our first day in Delhi, arranged for us to go along on a tour of the Guru Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, the largest Sikh temple in Delhi. I had been there before, in 2007, but not for a formal tour. He was bringing a class of students from another part of India on the tour and invited us to come along. First we had to cover our heads. Grace and I had our dupattas, but we went to the visitors' center, where they gave Lois and Jimmy (and all of the students in the group) small orange kerchiefs to cover their heads with. We left our shoes in the visitors' center, then we went in the front entrance, walking through a pool of water to clean our feet. We looked at the ceremonial pool, where people are baptized into the Sikh faith, and our guide showed us the marks of a Sikh: small comb, steel bracelet, uncut hair, kirpan (small knife) and special underwear (which she only told us about).

Then we went inside to the room where the veneration of the Guru Granth Sahib (the Sikh holy book) and worship takes place. There are musicians playing on a harmonium and drums and someone singing. We sat there for awhile and then went upstairs to see the holy book. There are a number of different rooms where people can go to read the holy book or have it read to them. On our way out, we were given a blob of prasad, which is made of ghee, flour and sugar, and is taken somewhat like communion.

Our next stop was the dining hall and kitchen. After worship, everyone goes in to the dining hall to eat. They sit on long pieces of fabric that are stretched the length of the room. People come around with pails of rice, buckets of dal and big bowls full of chappati. When we first arrived, they were cleaning up between seatings and there was a man going up and down the rows with a thing that reminded me of a zamboni, cleaning the floor of things that spilled during the previous seating. We didn't stay to eat, but we did go into the kitchen and it was an incredible sight. There was a chappati-making machine, which spat out chappati at a great rate. There were vast cauldrons full of dal and buckets for serving it in. People were kneading and rolling out chappati and others were cooking it over a griddle. Rice was spooned into pails with a shovel. They feed 10,000-20,000 people every day and take in 3-4 million rupees every day in donations. Sikhs are very generous people and more than tithe.

 Here we are in front of the Gurudwara with our headcoverings

 Making chappati

 A vat of dal

All the people eating

In the afternoon, we had tea with Alwan and Nina Masih, which was very nice. It was mostly chitchat, but it's nice to get to know them a little better.

Then Sushma Ramyswami, the communications director, took us to dinner. We went to Karim's, a famous restaurant in Old Delhi. We drove down crowded streets and then parked the car. Then we walked down an even more crowded street, turned into a little lane and there we were at Karim's. It's a Muslim restaurant (in a Muslim neighborhood, just near the Jama Masjid), so it was basically a meat-a-thon. We started out with seekh kababs (goat), pieces of some other meat and then had bread, chicken curry, paneer tikka and lamb something. I don't eat meat when I'm in India, so it was a little tough for me, but everything was very good. Then we had their special kheer (rice pudding) for dessert. We had a good time talking to Sushma, who filled us in on a lot of what has been going on in the CNI for the last few years. It was nice to visit with her and I'm sorry we didn't connect with her sooner.

 Sushma

Karim's

10/27/10

Okay, I'm never eating again. It's hard to say that after the day we've had, but our dinner tonight was unbelievable. We started out the day taking a tour of the American Embassy School, where Lois used to teach in 1986. It's really beautiful – spacious and well-cared for. I was impressed by the amount of art that's all over the school – sculptures outside, paintings and other artwork indoors. We were shown around by Denise, a friend of Lois's friend Jody, but as in all things India, now a friend of ours.

She volunteers at Mother Teresa's orphanage, so she had arranged for us to go there to visit. The first thing I noticed was how clean the place is. It's really immaculate, even on the outside. The inside is very clean and the children are clean as well. We first met some of the new children, who seemed to be about 4-6. Then we visited with toddlers. One little girl was crying and she held up her arms for me to pick her up. She was sobbing uncontrollably and when I picked her up, I realized why – she was soaking wet. I held her for about 5 minutes, though, as she sobbed into my dupatta, and then I handed her over to one of the workers. Next we went to visit some of the babies – maybe around 1 year old. Some of them were walking and some of them were crawling. It was lunchtime, so I helped to feed one of the babies, who seemed bewildered to have all these strange people in the room. We looked into another room where there were infants, but it was dark and all I saw were a couple of little arms flailing around. Then we went outside where some of the children we met before were playing. We blew bubbles for them. One of the little girls said to me, “Kya hai, didi?” (What's that, sister?) pointed at a stuffed elephant. I told her it was an elephant and repeated it a few times until she said it close enough (she was about 3) but I was glad that I knew enough Hindi to be able to communicate with her a little bit. I was also interested that she called me “didi” instead of “aunty.” I would have thought that she would call me “aunty.”

Next we went back to the Bhawan to meet with Alwan and his staff. It turns out that we just met with him and his communications director, Sushma Ramyswami, whom Jimmy and Grace had met in 2004 when they came. She is a lovely person and immediately complimented me on my salwar kameez. She said the fact that I was wearing it made her think that I was one of them. I told her that was the idea. It also turns out that she was a film journalist for 20 years and knows all the movie stars. She said the next time I come, we'll go to Bombay and meet Shah Rukh Khan! We talked about more than movies, though, and she and Alwan reiterated that the best thing is for us to work through the CNI and be open to more projects than just the ones that we have visited on this trip. The problem with working directly through a project is that if something goes wrong, the General Secretary of the CNI is accountable, and if he has been out of the loop while the project is ongoing, then that's not good. Reading between the lines, it seems like there have been some problems in the past with lack of accountability and also with lack of centralization.

After the meeting, Lois, Grace and I went to Connaught Place to get a pair of earrings for someone in Grace's congregation. Then we felt so tired and hungry and dirty that we decided to treat ourselves to a good dinner. We went to the Ashok Hotel, a very posh hotel on the way to the airport. We had a lovely dinner and my bill came to less than $20. The restaurant that we were eating in was Lucknowi and I had their version of kofta, which is supposed to be made with fruits and nuts, although I've never really found traces of them when I've had it before. This kofta had actual raisins and cashews stuffed inside the cheese balls and the sauce was made with saffron. It was delicious and very filling.

Another great day in India.

Reflection: Everybody's Family

One of the things I love about India is that to hear people talk, everybody's family. A woman about your age is “didi” (sister). A man your age is “bhai” (brother) or “bhaiyya” (big brother). Older folks are “aunty” or “uncle.” This way, we keep everything in the family. It’s a good way to create camaraderie and even a little intimacy among strangers.

10/26/10

What an incredible day. I feel like I keep saying something like that every day, but we've been having so many great experiences here. Most of the day was spent visiting programs of the Delhi Brotherhood, but I spent some of the morning going to a tailor. I asked Nina, Alwan's wife, if she knew a tailor because I bought a sari length in Agra and I wanted to make a salwar suit out of it. I forgot that she's only been living in Delhi for 2 months, but she has a friend who's lived here for a long time. The friend is named Pinky and we went over to her house to pick her up, then on to her tailor's, who turns out to be her friend named Renu. We visited for a little and I got to meet Renu's chihuahua who had a little red dot applied between his eyes (dogs have third eyes, too). After all of the deliberations on what it should look like and the measurements and the cost, it was time to leave because Jimmy and I had to go.

We went to the headquarters of the Delhi Brotherhood, a Benedictine order of Anglican brothers. The building they're in was built in the 1920's and is very old-fashioned and solid looking. We met Father Solomon, who is Indian, and is the head of the brotherhood. Then in walked Ian Weathrall, an old white man who has been in India for 60 years. In the course of conversation, it came out that where the Brotherhood building is built is on the Ridge, an area that was very important in the First War of Independence in 1857. Jimmy and I have both read a book called “The Last Mughal” by William Dalrymple, an account of the war from the Indian point of view, so we were very interested that we were standing on such an historic spot. We talked about the book for awhile and then Rev. Weathrall pulled out a series of 3 watercolors that date from 1857 and show various aspects of Delhi at the time. He wanted to show us that the area around Delhi was low scrub – not the tree-lined streets that we see today. It also turns out that Rev. Weathrall was vicar of St. James' church, which also figures in the War of 1857, for 20 years. He told us the story of the building of the church – it was built by James Skinner, of Skinner's Horse, an Anglo-Indian soldier, in gratitude for surviving a war injury. At his death, it was said that 62 people could count him as their father and Rev. Weathrall is still in contact with some of his descendants. I felt like I was talking with living history.

Rev. Weathrall

Next we went to a school that is run by the Delhi Brotherhood for poor children. There are no fees for the school and the children come from the surrounding neighborhood, which is quite poor. It is a nonformal school, which I think means that children do not get sorted out into standards (grades) like in a formal school. First we were welcomed by 2 of the older girls garlanding us with marigolds. Two classes that we visited had children in them ranging from 10-15, although they all looked small to me. Then we went to visit the tiny tots, who were adorable. In the first class, a group of children sang for us and recited mottoes that they're learning. In the 2^nd class, 3 boys sang for us. Jimmy gave a brief message in each class about how we were all children of God and we are all alike in God's sight. I'm glad he spoke because I was so overwhelmed with the children that I was unable to speak. We had tea later and I talked with our guide about Bollywood movies. It's amazing the doors that Bollywood opens here.

Some of the boys from the school

Next we went to visit a program that is also funded by the Brotherhood and works with sex workers. We met with one woman who is a social worker and she counsels the women. Another woman goes out into the streets and talks to the women, trying to get them to hook into the program. A third woman works for a governmental agency that contracts with the Brotherhood to run this program. She visits once a month or so to see how they're doing. The aim of the program is to get the women to use condoms, to get tested regularly for HIV and STDs and to get good medical care.

We passed through the red light district and saw women standing in 2^nd story windows calling out to their customers. The neighborhood that this program is in is incredible. We walked down side streets to alleys and then upstairs in one of the buildings. The students are all children of sex workers and they go to school from 9-5:30. At 5:30 they come to this program, where they stay until 9 p.m. Then they go home, where they are exposed to their mother's profession. They are learning English, Hindi and some other subjects. These kids sang for us, one said a poem and another drew a picture on the blackboard. They were really adorable. We were offered food but had to go back to the Bhawan for a meeting with Alwan and the acting treasurer. As we came out, I asked our guide if he had seen the movie “Delhi 6” because where we were reminded me of the area I had seen in the movie. He told me that we were in Delhi 6, which is a post code area of Delhi. I couldn't believe it!

Children in the after-school program

Then it was back to the Bhawan, where we met with Alwan and Prem Masih, the acting treasurer. We talked about how we wanted to work with and through the CNI in terms of the projects that we would like to fund. Smithtown has an existing relationship with the Prentiss Girls' School, but Baldwin is a tabula rasa, so to speak. Alwan asked if we were open to working where the need is greatest (as presented to us by the CNI). I told him we were, but also mentioned a couple of ideas that we had talked about in our brainstorming session. I mentioned the scholarships for the girls who have passed out (graduated) from Prentiss and the idea of twinning in a people-to-people project. It was an interesting meeting, but I was on system overload afterwards.

10/25/10

After a somewhat hair-raising trip down the mountain, we arrived just in the nick of time for our flight to Delhi. We got up early because you never know what you'll find along the way and we didn't want to miss our plane. Jimmy was talking to the people at the front desk when he was checking out and it turns out we've been looking in the wrong place for the mountain. We've been trying to see Kachinjunga, which is India's tallest peak and the third highest mountain in the world after Mt. Everest and K-2. We assumed that it has been shrouded in the clouds, but it turns out you can't see it from the hotel. We went the equivalent of two blocks to another part of the mountain and there it was in all of its glory. It was a very clear morning and we got several more views of it as we went down the mountain.

There it is!

Elizabeth Clark was in the parking lot as we were leaving and in all of the hubbub, we didn't say goodbye to her, so she came over to the car and said in her English accent, “What's the phrase – 'What am I, chopped liver?'” We all said goodbye and hugged and kissed her. She said it had been a sincere pleasure and was looking forward to our return. Me too.

The trip down the mountain was along twisty turny roads perched on the side of the mountain. Then we got into a traffic jam at some road work which took up about 15 min. We got to the airport about 45 minutes before the flight, but the man at the checkin desk told us to hurry up to the gate. It turns out we actually pushed back 15 minutes early! I'm so glad we weren't any later than we were.

The plane ride was somewhat harrying because there were lots of crying babies (one poor mother had 2 crying at the same time) and Lois and I each had a child behind us who kicked our seats for the entire trip. I felt strangely detached from it all and enjoyed watching a Bollywood movie about corrupt road-builders who make their money by building the same road over and over again. When we got to Delhi we actually got a cab that fit all of us and our luggage. The problem was he didn't know how to get to Pandit Pant Marg where the CNI Bhawan is. We drove around in an increasingly aimless way until I remembered that Pandit Pant Marg is near Ashoka Road, which is one of the big roads around here. The driver found Ashoka Road and we drove along it until we found Pandit Pant Marg. Then it was pretty easy to find the Bhawan. Next was dinner and bed.

10/24/10

Today we went to church and it was a great experience. James came to pick us up about 10:15 and we were surprised to see him. The pastor had told us that he was going to send a car for us, but we thought James lived in Kalimpong. Anyway, we got there with lots of time because the service didn't start until 11, so we visited with Elder Mohinder Kumar, a very lovely older gentleman who was very welcoming and friendly. He is the father of 12 children and has lots of grandchildren, many of whom came into the church, bowed to him and received an affectionate bop on the head as blessing.

The littlest church members

The church is very well-attended and they even have to put chairs at the end of the pews to hold everyone who comes to church. The courtyard outside has a wall on the street and they're going to put a covering over the open space between the roof of the church and the top of the wall to handle the overflow crowd (plus put in a PA system so people can hear the service).

Today was Compassion Sunday and the first 3 rows were filled with children, most of whom, Elder Kumar told us, were non-Christian. They come for Sunday School and to participate in church activities. The beginning of the service consisted of a bunch of praise songs, led by the young people. There was a teenaged boy with a guitar who was leading the songs and singing into a microphone. He has a very good voice and seemed very confident. The children all sang with gusto, including a boy who looked like he was 6 or 7 and seemed to know all the words.

Elder Kumar conducted the service (not sure where the pastor was) and first welcomed us with the traditional Nepali white fabric stole. Then he called Jimmy up to give a short message. Elder Kumar translated and Jimmy gave a good message about Christian unity. We were pleased to see that there were female participants in the service as well as male. One young girl read the Scripture and an adult woman (who we later found out was a school principal) gave a long presentation on Compassion Sunday. Elder Kumar preached the sermon and while it was in Nepali, so we couldn't understand it, it seemed to be interesting and entertaining to the congregation. It seemed like he punctuated his message with stories or anecdotes, so he kept the congregation paying attention.

After the service, Elder Kumar had us stand outside the front door and we greeted everyone as they came out with “Jai Masih” – Long live the Messiah. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. We had a cup of coffee and then James took us back to the hotel. We've been cherishing this down time so much that we were looking forward to the nice lunch at the hotel and being with each other.

We went shopping after lunch and all of us bought some things. We seem like we're close to finishing buying presents for everyone, so that's a good thing. Then it was back to the hotel where Grace and I had tea and met some of the new arrivals. After that I packed Grace (trying to get everything into her suitcase was a challenge). Then it was time for drinks in the bar and we had another nice conversation with Elizabeth Clark, our hostess. She says we're good public relations for the Presbyterian Church. Dinner was fabulous, as usual. We had comfort foods today – macaroni and cheese for lunch and roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for dinner.

10/23/10

This place is the greatest and is giving us time and space for recreation. And I mean re-creation, because we're decompressing and relaxing and easing up after the pressures of the first two weeks. This morning we met for breakfast, which was porridge, a ginger muffin and french toast. I'm learning to eat just a little bit of each thing because everything's so good and there's so much of it that it's not a good idea to overindulge. We also had good coffee for breakfast, so I had 2 cups.

Lunch was another delicious meal. Afterwards, we went to a Buddhist monastery, which was very interesting and colorful. It was built fairly recently (within the last 20 years as I recall) and was in very good shape. It was painted in all kinds of bright colors – it's of Tibetan origin, which I think is their tradition. When we arrived, we peeked into a room and some ladies beckoned us in. They were pulling on cords that turned prayer wheels, and they motioned for us to join in. There were a few prayer wheels that were not being turned, so we sat down in these little boxes with cushions on the bottom and started pulling on the cords, which turned the prayer wheels. There wasn't a guided tour or anything, so we just walked around and took pictures.

Then we came back to the hotel and Grace and I went shopping. When we got back to the hotel, we went downstairs for drinks and Elizabeth Clark, the executive director of the hotel joined us. She's very interesting and entertaining and we had quite a lively conversation. Dinner was fabulous as usual and I'm not looking forward to tomorrow because we're probably going to have to miss lunch here at the hotel because we'll probably end up having lunch at the church.

10/22/10

I'm in heaven. We are in Darjeeling now, after a somewhat hair-raising trip to get here. We had to drive down the mountain from Kalimpong to the Teesta River, then up the mountain to Darjeeling. The monsoon has been particularly bad this year, we have heard, so some of the road is washed away (this accounts for the bad roads we had between Bagdogra and Kalimpong. Also, the remnants of the monsoon are still with us, so it poured all night long and most of today. The result is that the clouds are low and since we are driving up the side of a mountain, it's pretty misty and foggy.

Having reached Darjeeling, we checked into the Windamere Hotel. The purpose of our stay here in Darjeeling is R&R and we need it. We've had a pretty heavy and full program since we arrived in India, meeting with people, learning about the situation here on so many different fronts that it's all pretty overwhelming. I don't think we could keep this pace up for a full three weeks. We need some time to rest and regroup, to reflect and talk about what paths to go down and what to do when we get back. The Windamere is our splurge, made possible by the generosity of Enos Das Pradhan, who paid for our hotel in Kalimpong and by the CNI who is allowing us to stay at the Bhawan for free. Anyway, the Windamere is a perfect place to do that. It was originally built as a series of houses meant for the English bachelors who came here to work in the tea industry. Now it's a lovely old hotel, still decorated in Victorian style and keeping to English traditions. The room rate includes 4 (count 'em) meals per day: breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner, so we're really getting our money's worth. We've only seen a little of Darjeeling because it was so misty, but it seems like an amazing place, perched up on the side of a mountain. If it's nice, in the morning you can see the highest peak in India (which starts with a K, but I don't know the spelling of the name).

We got here just in time for lunch, which had an English dish and an Indian dish plus dessert. Then we explored a little – trying to get on the internet, mainly – then it was time for tea. I just had a scone and tea. More exploring and then time for dinner. Now it's time for bed and then it will be time for breakfast. The staff put hot water bottles in our beds and turned down the bed for us while we were eating dinner. Tomorrow we start with the talking and figuring out what to do when we get back.

10/21/10

Another rich and full day. It's amazing how this trip has been going. Each day brings more things to think about, experiences with people and new knowledge and insights. We started out today going on a little tour of Kalimpong, escorted by Dr. Miku Foning, a friend of Enos'. We went to a golf course, an old house built by a Scottish Presbyterian missionary that is now a government-run tourist house and the best part, a Buddhist monastery. The monastery had lots of frescoes on the wall and many prayer wheels all around the building. It had three levels and at each level we could see progressively more of the surrounding countryside.

After the sightseeing we went into Kalimpong town for a little shopping excursion. The streets of the town are really narrow and we went from one street to another by going up stairs in between buildings. There are prayer flags strung all along the street.

Next we went to visit Dr. Enos Das Pradhan at his home, which is quite nice. It is built on the side of the mountain (everything is built on the side of a mountain up here) and has 4 levels, including an attic which I think he's going to use as a playroom for his grandchildren. We had a nice lunch and then we went to Dr. Graham's Homes, a boarding/day school which was originally started for orphaned and abandoned Anglo-Indian children. It's now a public school and Dr. Foning is a graduate (or as they call them here, OGB – Old Girls and Boys). It's so big that it's like a town in and of itself, with a dairy, a bakery, a hospital and a workshop, among other things.

Dr. Pradhan and his house

Next we went to the work site of the Sadhu Sunder Singh school that is Dr. Pradhan's work in progress. This is going to be a vocational school for young people from the surrounding area who might not have a chance otherwise. These may be kids who are school dropouts or kids that have been trafficked or are otherwise disadvantaged. There is a problem in the surrounding area because there are no jobs for young people (or for anyone else for that matter). The kids leave home and go to the cities, where they are often trafficked. When they come back to the Kalimpong area, this school will give them an opportunity to learn a skill and get a job. The project is underway, with some of the footings already being sunk. We had to climb up a steep and rocky path and the fact that it had rained the night before didn't help matters much. When we climbed a little farther up, we got a good view of the mountains and we could see over to Sikkim.

After touring the site, we went to DISHA, which stands for Diocesan Institute for S_____ and Holistic ________, where we met with clergy from the Kalimpong/Darjeeling area. There were about 12 of them, plus Dr. Pradhan, and they welcomed us with traditional welcoming scarves and gave us gifts of local handcrafts. We weren't expecting the gifts, so it was very generous of them. We had a wide-ranging discussion, covering topics from youth to women's place in the church to same-sex marriage. Of course we talked about how we can assist them in the work that they are doing and one idea that came up was twinning congregations. I have experience of this from the Oceanside church and found it to be very rewarding, so I liked that idea.

We talked for about 1-1/2 hrs., then went into the next room where we had dinner. It was an excellent meal (as all of our meals have been) and we continued our conversation with Dr. Pradhan. Then it was back to the hotel for tea and bed.

10/20/10

I'm getting a Delhi cough. All the Deliwallahs (inhabitants of Delhi) have a cough, especially the taxi drivers, who often open the door, lean out and spit at traffic lights. The air is so polluted and there's so much dust that it's easy to get congested. Lois has been struggling with allergies and we both had sore throats a couple of days ago. For me, it's developing into a cough. Plus my nose is running and my allergy medicine isn't helping that much.

We got up relatively early today and went to the airport, where we went through layers and layers of security screening. Grace had both of her handbags picked through and sent back through the x-ray machine twice. Then we had a cup of coffee – real brewed coffee, not the instant kind that we've been having everywhere else and which has caused us to change to tea. It was nice to have real coffee again.

I'm trying to think of the best way – or any way -- to describe what we experienced today. It took us the entire day to get from Delhi to Kalimpong and I feel like we've gone from one end of India to the other. We started out in Delhi, the cosmopolitan city, bustling with traffic and overhung with pollution and we have finished the day in Kalimpong, on a mountain, way out in the country, miles from the nearest place.

To get here, we flew from Delhi to Bagdogra and then drove to Kalimpong, which sounds easy, but the drive took about 5 hours and took us up winding roads, through mountains, along the Tista (sp?) river. The roads were bad all the way – sometimes they devolved into dirt roads, sometimes they were single lane (which meant that people going in one direction had to stop to allow the people going in the other direction to pass). Many times we were driving within inches of the precipice and several times we got caught in traffic jams that were caused by two trucks trying to pass each other (one going in each direction), but not having enough room to pass. As usual with Indian traffic, the whole thing was a cooperative venture, with people getting out of their cars to direct the trucks and help them get through. In one case, the trucks did scrape each other, but the one that passed us didn't seem the worse for wear. I don't think you can be too attached to the integrity of the finish on your car if you drive around here.

There were a couple of places where the road actually corkscrewed and we went around and around and around and then around in the other direction. When I was here in 2006, we had a pretty hair-raising trip up and down the mountain to Ooty, but this trip made that one look like a day at the beach. I don't know who built these roads, but whoever it is should get a medal. For most of the way, the road we were on is the main road to Sikkim, so there was a lot of traffic. When we broke off to go to Kalimpong, the traffic became less. Darkness fell as well. Night falls very rapidly and very early here – one minute it's day and only a few minutes later, it's dead dark. By 6 p.m., it feels like 10 p.m. The good thing about driving in the dark is that it makes it easier to overtake because you can see the other person's lights coming in the opposite direction. Overtaking during the day can be hazardous because you have to use your horn to let any oncoming traffic know that you're coming and you have to hope that the other person can hear you or can stop or swerve in time to miss you. It all seems to work out and people seem to be used to driving this way and know what to look out for, so I wasn't very worried.

Enos Das Pradhan was here to meet us when we arrived. He's the former General Secretary of the Church of North India and the person that Grace and Jimmy have had a relationship with. He retired in August and has moved back to Kalimpong. We are staying at a hotel (more like a bed & breakfast) which is very nice and the people are accommodating. Enos is very nice, warm and jolly and I can understand why Grace and Jimmy have been talking so warmly about him. I'm looking forward to spending some time with him tomorrow and learning about his mission projects here in Kalimpong. We're also going to be meeting with the local clergy, so that should be interesting.

I'm sitting on my bed typing this just now and I've got the windows open. I can hear chirping outside that sounds like the coquilles (not sure if I've spelled that right) in the Caribbean. It's a nice sound. The bed is hard, as are all Indian beds, so the porter very kindly spread a couple of comforters on the bed to make it more spongy (his word). I don't mind Indian beds – my back seems to do better on them than my bed at home. It's supposed to go down to 30 degrees F. tonight, which I'm looking forward to. I like sleeping in the cold (especially without air conditioning).

Reflection: Bollywood

If there’s one thing to know about Indians, it’s that they love their movies and if you want to understand Indian and Indian culture, a good way to start is by watching their movies. Indians will take what little disposable income they have and spend it on the movies and there are traveling trucks that go around with film projectors and a sheet so that even villagers in the remotest place in India can get their movie fix. The most commonly used movie snack, according to Robert Krulwich, is the potato, because Indian movie snacks are based on the potato. The Indian movie industry releases almost double the number of films as Hollywood (850 v. 450) and the movies are popular all over the world.

It’s hard for westerners to understand Bollywood movies sometimes. This is because they’re based on two entirely different art forms: Hollywood movies are based on western storytelling (some say the style dates from the Victorian novel), which proceeds in a more or less linear fashion. Bollywood movies, on the other hand, are based on Urdu theater and feature discontinuity of time and space. This is why, for example, Bollywood films feature multiple costume changes within the same song or why our hero can drive out of Mumbai and into Switzerland with no explanation to the audience. Bollywood filmmakers are also more self-conscious in their use of the medium, so in many cases, they are winking to the audience and saying, “It’s a movie.” In Hollywood, on the other hand, we are often meant to be looking at a movie as if it is through a window or an all-seeing eye. There’s also the storytelling style, which is more akin to Dickens, with elaborate plotlines, multiple subplots and extended flashbacks. Songs are interludes and can give the moviegoer an insight into the mind or feelings of the character and may or may not advance the plot. They also provide a great opportunity to go out to the snack bar and get some more samosas, which many people do in the movie theater.

A common misconception about Bollywood movies is that they are syrupy-sweet romances that always end happily. To the contrary, Bollywood films take on difficult subjects like terrorism, communal violence, suicide bombings, police corruption and miscarriages of justice. And at the end, some of the characters go to jail, die or commit suicide, hardly happy endings. The moral order is upheld in most of the films, though, and that can make the filmgoer happy, although it doesn’t always ensure what we in the West would consider a happy ending.

As in the West, film stars are used for advertisement. Here are some billboards with Bollywood stars that we saw along the way:

 Vidya Balan

 Ranbir Kapoor

 Saif Ali Khan

 Amitabh Bachchan

Shah Rukh Khan

10/19/10

Today was our day to meet with James Massey, the noted Dalit theologian. We started out the day with worship at the CNI Bhawan, led by Alwan Masih, the General Secretary. He called on me once again to pray aloud – I think I'm seeing a trend here. We had tea with him after the service and talked in general about our plans for while we are here. He is very encouraged that we are wanting to work through the CNI. There are many church groups that come into India and do work all on their own, but they don't know the landscape or the politics or the problems that Christians have here in India and they end up making trouble for Indian Christians and for the church. Working through the CNI, we will be able to avoid those problems.

Then we went to see Dr Massey. He is really a very kind and approachable person and blocked out the entire day to meet with us. It's really very generous of him, especially since he doesn't know us at all. We had an interesting discussion about the Church of North India, the problems of the Dalits in Christianity in India and the theological differences between liberation theology and Dalit theology.

He was also showing us his Dalit commentary on the New Testament, a book I've been looking for on the internet, but have been unable to find. I bought it and the commentary on Exodus, which is part of their proposed commentary on the Hebrew Bible.

After awhile, his wife joined us and they took us to lunch at a nice restaurant. We invited him to visit us in New York so we can return the favor (also so he can talk to our congregations in his inviting and engaging way). Lunch was great and afterwards I asked if he were close to Dilli Haat. Mrs. Massey told me that it was her favorite place and said that I should have asked sooner because we would have eaten faster and gone.

Then we went to Connaught Place and walked around the entire circle, which is pretty big. There wasn't exciting shopping, although I did get a Filmfare magazine and a nice map of India.

Then back to the CNI Bhawan, where we are staying, for dinner and internet.

Reflection: The Caste System

For good or ill, the caste system is alive and well in India and is part of the culture of the country, although it started as part of Hinduism. The original theory of the caste system dates to earliest times, when the castes were said to come from the body of Brahma. Each caste relates to a specific body part of Brahma and takes its order of priority from the top down – Brahmins are said to come from Brahma’s head and are the highest caste, while Sudras, who are said to come from Brahma’s feet are the lowest caste. The Dalits, or people that were formerly called Untouchable, are outside of the caste system and are considered to be below the Sudras.

The caste system, which was originally associated with job categories, became associated with birth, but is now being chipped away at slowly. In modern urban culture, it is difficult to tell the caste of the person jostling next to you on the bus, treating you in the hospital or sitting next to you in a restaurant. For Dalits, though, the caste system still has many and far-reaching implications. In the constitution of India, a percentage of jobs in various categories is set aside for so-called “backward” castes. This is a form of affirmative action, which gives the Dalits rights to jobs that caste discrimination might otherwise prevent them from obtaining. Many Dalits have become Christians, however, to escape from the stigma associated with caste in their social and private lives. Becoming Christians takes them out of the caste system entirely, liberating them in some ways, but also making them ineligible for the jobs set aside for the “backward” castes. It’s a predicament.

10/18/10

What a day! We started out around 9 and went to Asha's Ashram, which turns out to be a school for children from about 3 or 4 on up to 12 or so. Asha is continuing the work that her father started and was doing until he was murdered 3 years ago. We saw 3 classes of children and met most of them. The children come from the surrounding area and can go to school regardless of whether they can afford the school fees. She lives by herself (although there was still some intimation of danger for her) and helps whoever comes her way, adults and children alike. The children sang some songs for us, including “telephone to Jesus, telephone to Jesus, telephone to Jesus every day! Hello?” They were so adorable!

Then we went to the Christian Agricultural College and had a tour. The children were off today for the Dusshera holiday, so we didn't get to see it in action, but it was interesting and impressive nonetheless. We were garlanded with garlands of marigolds, roses and green leaves on arrival and treated with a lot of hospitality. The college is immaculate and looks to be relatively new and of good construction. We also went to the boys' hostel and saw that it is in good condition and appears to be well run.

Our next stop was the Christian hospital in Kasganj, run by Dr. Lyall, whom we met yesterday. It took us forever to get there because the road was really bad, so we arrived a couple of hours later than we thought we would. We had a fine meal in Dr. Lyall's house, then went to the assembly that was held in our honor. We were treated like celebrities. There was a young man taking pictures of us as we walked along towards the assembly and when we got to the doors of the assembly hall, people got up from their seats to come take pictures of us. It was amazing. The hall was decorated beautifully with what looked to be sari lengths draped along rods that ran between the columns in the hall. We had a short program where they spoke and then we spoke. Then we had a cultural program featuring singing and dancing to Bollywood tunes. Of course, I was in my element.

Dr. Lyall and his son Hemant took us for a tour of the hospital, which looks to be very well run, although not what we would think of when we picture hospitals. It's very dark and is mostly concrete which has been painted. Dr. Lyall told us that it's a charity hospital and no one is turned away, and everyone gets the same care as everyone else.

Then we set out for Delhi, which took about 5 hrs. in the car. The roads are incredibly bad and there's a lot of traffic.

I should also mention that I was doing a lot of this blog in the back seat of the car as we drove to Etah. There is something very strange about sitting in the back of an air-conditioned car, typing on my netbook, and looking out at people who are driving in bullock carts and living in very difficult living conditions. The cognitive dissonance is intense.

Reflection: Driving

There are lots of ways to get around India and whichever way you choose to do it, it’s an adventure. The workhorse of Indian transportation is the Ambassador, a sturdy post-war car that is only now gradually being replaced by newer, and sometimes foreign, models. There are also the autorickshaws or tuk-tuks, 3-wheeled vehicles that swarm through urban areas like ants. For those who can’t afford an automobile, and that includes many families, motorcycles are a practical alternative, and it is not unusual to see families of up to 4 or 5 people on one bike. Finally, for the most crowded areas, there is the pedi-cab and there are parts of Delhi, especially, where it is the only practical means of transportation other than walking.

Driving, like many parts of Indian society, is a cooperative venture. To the westerner, it initially looks like mayhem, with cars going here and there, traffic lights seem advisory only unless there is a police officer at the intersection, and horns are used with abandon. After awhile, though, it becomes apparent that there is a plan. If a car comes up on another car which is driving slower, the driver of the faster car beeps a couple of times and the slower car moves over so the faster car can overtake. If people are moving in and out of traffic, they make ample use of their horn and cars get out of the way. This way, traffic moves freely more or less, and people go on their way with little obstruction. This is not to say that there are not traffic jams – the sheer volume of vehicles on the road in India makes traffic jams inevitable – but the rules of the road are more cooperative and in many cases, traffic moves more freely than in the west.

10/17/10

Today was a big day. We got up at 5 a.m. and went to Etah to church. We were greeted by the former pastor, Rev. Jacob, who was most cordial. The church is a decent size for India – not big by our standards, but about the same size as other churches I've seen. Jimmy preached a short message on Ephesians 2:14-22: Jesus brings the far off people near and people who were once strangers are now friends. Dr. Sheela Prasad translated for him. Then Grace spoke and presented them with pictures of her grandfather, Rev. Albert McGraw and his wife, Ella, who founded the church. I spoke a little and I was very proud of myself that I was able to say 5 sentences in Hindi: Now I am very happy. Yesterday we were strangers. Today we are friends. We are not American or Hindustani but are brothers and sisters, one in Christ Jesus. Dr. Prasad translated into better Hindi for me. :) The service lasted about 2 hrs.

After the service, we were greeted and befriended by 2 women, Asha and Grace, who helped me with my Hindi. Also Anjali and Anamika, 2 young girls from the congregation, chatted with me for awhile and we exchanged addresses. Then we went over to the Girls School, where we were greeted by a brass band and dancing children. They did a little dancing and then we went upstairs for a program. The program was about 2 hours long and featured singing by the children and the staff and speeches by various folks, including ourselves. Lunch was then served, which was delicious and I think made by the ladies of the parish.

Asha had offered to do mehndi on my hands earlier when I complimented her on her hands, so we sat down and she made a beautiful design on my right hand. I had to keep my hand completely still and then I couldn't do anything with it for about an hour, which proved to be challenging. It looks very pretty, though.

Afterwards, we went with Dr. Lyall to his eye clinic, which is really doing wonderful things with people's eyes. For Rs. 5,000 (which doesn't cover their costs) they perform mainly cataract surgery on local people. They do the latest procedure and insert a lens in people's eyes, so many people are able to see better after the surgery than they have at any time in their lives. It's really miraculous. They do a lot of cataract surgery because it is the leading cause of irreversible blindness and is so easily treated.

Then we met together in Dr. Prasad's house with Dr. Lyall and Dr. Lall, the head of the local agricultural college. Dr. Prasad had mentioned in her remarks earlier that the problem they have identified is that girls pass out (graduate) from their program and then don't have enough money to go on to higher education. She said that the $1500-$2000 the Smithtown church has been sending provides education for 12-13 girls every year. They've been doing it long enough that the orginal girls have graduated and new girls are taking their place. The girls who have graduated are now sitting at home, forgetting what they have learned, according to Dr. Prasad. Dr. Lyall told us that it costs Rs. 50,000 (approximately $1,500) per year for 3 ½ years to send a young woman for nursing training. It also costs Rs. 60,000 for one year to send a girl for nurse midwife training. This doesn't seem like much money and would seem to me to be very doable. We're abandoning the bus/van/microfinance idea, because Dr. Prasad is clear that this is what they need.

We discussed also the communication issue. It turns out that Dr. Prasad didn't have an email address until just recently. We're going to try to be in better communication. The problem that the lack of communication created is that we didn't know if they were expecting us and they were expecting us for 3 days and had put together a program for us for those 3 days. It turns out that they were very much looking forward to meeting with us, but we had no idea. Fortunately, we were able to rearrange our schedule and we're going to Etah again tomorrow. We're going to visit Asha's Ashram, Dr. Lyall's hospital and Dr. Lall's Agricultural College. Then we're going to go on to Delhi from there, instead of going back to Agra. It will take less time and we'll get to see the things we want to.

10/16/10

Today was our day to meet with Bishop Cutting, the Bishop of Agra. The only problem was that while we had set a date, we didn't set a time and we didn't know how to get in touch with him. But we are in India and somebody knows somebody and it turns out that the young man at the travel desk of the hotel went to a CNI school and Bishop Cutting used to visit there all the time. So not only did he know who Bishop Cutting was, he knew how to get in touch with him. We got in touch with the Bishop and went over to his house.

The meeting was very interesting. We talked about Etah and the Prentiss Girls School and ideas of what we could possibly do to help. One piece of information that was new to us was that the hostel had closed in the girls school, making it difficult for children from outlying villages to attend. We talked about the idea of perhaps doing some microfinance arrangement to get a van or bus to bring children in from the villages. The bishop likes the idea, so we'll discuss it with the people in Etah.

10/15/10

Today was a long, but interesting day. We got up bright and early to get our 7:30 a.m. flight from Nagpur to Delhi. The Archbishop of Canterbury was on the plane with us. He took his own bag down from the overhead bin, but we didn't see him waiting at the carousel for his suitcase. We had a little adventure getting a cab to take us to Santosh's house because the first prepaid cab driver said no to our luggage, then drove away. I had to go find someone from the prepaid cab people and then there was much discussion back and forth among the people involved.

We finally got the whole thing figured out, and then off we went to Santosh's house. The one problem is that Santosh's house is hard to find, so we called him and when we got close, he met us and we followed him. This is one of the many wonderful things about India to me. People are so warm and welcoming and accommodating. Santosh doesn't know us from Adam, but he's opening his home to us and even coming out to get us.

We got to his apartment, where we met his wife Atula and his son Sanap, who is 9 years old and bright as a button. We talked a little, then the mobile phones arrived. There was a little to-do about that. Then we ate a simple meal of dal and roti. Santosh is from Kerala and a member of the Church of South India. Taking a shot in the dark, I asked him if he knows Bishop Gladstone, the brother-in-law of one of our congregation members. It turns out Bishop Gladstone ordained him, married him and his wife and baptized his son. What a small world!

After lunch we took cabs to the Delhi train station, where we had the whole coolie experience, which begins with expressions of disbelief from us about the price that they are asking to carry our bags. It's de rigeur. We haggled a little bit and then decided on Rs. 200 to carry our bags. It wasn't a long walk and one of them carried 3 of our bags on his head. They deposited us on the platform and after more haggling (they thought it was Rs. 200 each and we said it was Rs. 200 for both) we settled ourselves in for a wait and watched the passing parade.

Jimmy and I went in search of Cadbury bars and Filmfare magazines. We stopped to get water and when I said “Danyabad” (thank you) to the seller, he said, “You are welcome. Welcome to India.” Another thing I like about India. Just random people are so friendly and welcoming.

We got on the train and it took us a little while to figure out how to get the seat so it was comfortable. The ride was fairly uneventful but we did have a nice conversation with the young woman sitting near us. She was an architect, but she was taking time out to raise her family (5-year-old boy and 4-year old girl). Her husband was posted in the Czech republic for work and they were going to join him soon).

Reflection: Taking the Train

There are a couple of must-do's in India, and in my opinion, taking the train is one of them. The Indian Railway system is justifiably famous and in a country where only a small percentage of the population owns automobiles, it is a primary means of transportation for many. The railway experience starts with arrival at the train station, where a passenger is greeted by coolies. The coolie system at the train station is a wonderful thing and makes taking the train an easy and seamless process.

The first thing is for the coolie to survey the luggage and determine where the passenger is going. Then the bargaining begins. After a price is agreed upon, satisfactory (we hope) to both parties, the coolie balances your suitcase on his head and walks (usually very rapidly) to the platform where the train will arrive. In fact, it's sometimes hard to keep up with the coolie, even though he's carrying 3 suitcases on his head and you're walking behind carrying your purse. If you've gotten to the station with time to spare, the coolie will often deposit you at the proper platform and then go off to take care of another customer. Then begins the waiting and the show, for people-watching is a fun exercise at the train station. All sorts of people go back and forth and it's entertaining to watch everyone pass by.

When the train comes in, the coolie will return, find your seat for you and bring you and your bags aboard. I've only ever ridden second or third class, so I'll talk about the second class sleeper compartment. The berths are constructed so that bags will fit underneath them and the first order of business is to get everyone's bags safely stowed. The area is large and will hold many bags, so there's usually not a problem. Then it's time to sort out the seating. The berths are sleeper berths, stacked 3 along each wall facing each other and 2 along the window across the aisle. It's a good idea to check to see if all the berths are latched into place correctly or you might do what we did, which is sit on a hard surface for an hour. We finally realized that one of the berths had to be latched upwards to form a seatback and reveal the cushion of the bottom berth.

Once everyone's sorted out, it's time to sit back and enjoy the journey. There are various vendors coming through the cabin, selling chai, chips, playing cards and all sorts. There is also the food service, which is excellent and extensive. There is so much food available that I've never made it to the main course because I've filled myself up on the starters. There is also a convivial atmosphere among the other passengers, and often conversations will develop that help to pass the time. On overnight trips, lights go out around 10 p.m. and people get into their beds, made up with the pillow and blanket provided. I don't sleep particularly well on the train, but it is the experience and camaraderie that I go for. When the destination is reached, coolies either come on to the train or wait just at the door to take you and your belongings to the taxi stand.

All in all, it's a fun experience. You get to see some of the countryside if you're traveling in the daytime, meet some nice people and eat some good food.

10/14/10

Today was the exciting culmination of the 40^th Anniversary celebration. The first thing I did when we got to the school where we were going to assemble was shake hands with the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was standing around shaking hands with people (mostly bishops, to be honest) and I just went up to him and shook hands. He's very friendly and had a nice firm handshake.

We processed along a couple of city streets to the Cathedral, where the festivities were held in a tent outside. It was unbelievably hot and the service lasted 4 hrs. But it was interesting and there were a couple of exciting moments. One was when the Archbishop preached – he has a great preaching voice and his message was very affirming to the CNI. Then, Alwan Masih called on the heads of the church to give a message to the CNI and when he got to the Presbyterian Church, he called on me! I had no idea that I was going to be asked to speak. Grace, Lois and Jimmy said I did well and had a nice message and I think I was reasonably coherent.

There was picture-taking afterwards and one little girl, Yashika Daniel, who we had been talking to during the conference took a bunch of pictures of us. She's 9 years old, the daughter of a pastor and extremely adorable. She took a shine to Grace and followed her around the conference.

Afterward we went to lunch at the hotel where the rest of the international guests were staying and had a nice lunch. Grace, Lois and I were waiting in the lobby for our ride back to the hotel when who should come along, but the Archbishop of Canterbury! He came over to us, shook our hands and chatted with us for a couple of minutes. He's really very nice and quite down to earth. Not at all intimidating for someone who more than one person told us is in line for the throne.

When we finally did get our car, the driver, Dinesh, tried to speak English and I tried to speak Hindi. We both agreed that we spoke “thoda thoda” (a little) English and Hindi. We managed to make it to the hotel with a little detour due to misunderstanding and some translation on the part of one of the CNI officials. When we got there, we had another little misunderstanding because we wanted to give Dinesh a tip, but he didn't understand that that's what we were trying to do. As we talked (as we tried to give him the money and he kept giving it back), a crowd formed and there was much discussion about the situation. There was one man who spoke a little more English than the others and we explained what we were trying to do. He told us that it wasn't expected, that we didn't have to do it, and we finally relented.

All in all, a pretty exciting day. Now on to Delhi!

Reflection: It’s a Cooperative Venture

One of the things I love about Indian culture is that it’s a cooperative venture (see: Driving). If you need help, or just look like you need help, there is always someone to come to your assistance. Whether it’s getting directions or trying to figure out the ATM machine, a crowd will form. There will be lots of talking back and forth, arguing about the best solution to the problem, but the atmosphere is convivial. Everyone takes a position and after much discussion, a consensus is reached. There might be a majority opinion and a minority opinion, but the conversation goes on until something is agreed upon. This way, your problem becomes a community venture and the visitor feels supported and a part of the community.