10/11/10

 Another great day in India. I was reminded again a couple of times why I love India. We started out the day looking for a place to change our money, but it started raining torrentially. I realized that I never think it's going to rain here – and the monsoon season is over, so why should it? Anyway, we were running out of time, so we went to watch the dabbawallahs. The dabbawallahs collect tiffin boxes (circular boxes that stack on top of each other to make one lunch pail) from all over Mumbai and bring them in to all of the office workers who commute in to work each day. They carry twenty or more on their heads on racks that look like ladders. When they get into Mumbai, they sort them all out and then deliver them to people in their workplace. This way all of the workers get a nice hot lunch made by their mother, their sister, their aunt. The amazing thing is that the dabbawallahs are illiterate, but they make less than one in every six million mistakes. Forbes Magazine gave them their top prize and Prince Charles was so impressed that he invited them to his wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles. It was cool to watch them come out of the train station with all the tiffin boxes on their heads. Then they helped each other to lower them to the ground. They sorted them out, and then off they went.

We watched them for awhile, but then it was time to go to the airport. It took forever in the cab, but once we were there, it was smooth sailing. I'm pretty impressed by Jet Airways. I think they have a very good operation. At Nagpur we were met by a group from the CNI and then we went to our hotel, which is quite nice. Jimmy is staying at a hotel in town, but Grace, Lois and I are staying 3 to a room in a hotel right by the airport. It's pretty new and still smells like construction materials. Grace and I went down to the pool, which turns out to be closed on Mondays, so then we went to the shop. I ended up buying 2 more salwar suits, 2 pairs of earrings and a handbag. My old handbag was running in the wet weather and turning my hands blue. Now I have one that doesn't run and will do me for the rest of the trip.

Dinner was a fabulous feast and we shared it with Jill, a software product manager. At the beginning of dinner, I had to excuse myself to go meet the owner of the store to talk about tailoring my new salwar suits. We hashed it over, back and forth and finally came to the conclusion that I should bring the salwar that I was wearing and the tailor would use it as a model. That way, the tailor could come at the time he was organized to come and I would be able to leave for the conference. I just liked it that figuring the whole thing out was a collaborative effort and between the two of us, we came up with a solution that worked for both of us.

Then, back to dinner. All of the food was top notch and the service was very good – very attentive and high standard. I had dal makhani (my favorite), fresh lime soda, butter nan and garlic nan and then gulab jamun for dessert. Everything was among the best I've had in India (on any trip). And, to top it off, it all cost about $10! Take that, Applebees!

Tomorrow we're going to start in the conference in earnest and I'm looking forward to being with more than 1,000 Christians in India.

Reflection: Clothes

One of the great industries of India is textiles and the fabrics that the country produces are a feast for the eyes. Part of what makes India so beautiful to behold is all of the wonderful colors and textures in the clothing that people wear. Women especially are decked out in gorgeous colors and patterns. Some time ago, I read in an India guidebook that it's a good idea to bring a few days' worth of clothing and buy the rest there because clothing prices are extremely reasonable. I took that advice and it's worked out well for me.

I go with 2-3 days' clothing with me and go shopping as soon as I get there. I go in Indian dress for a couple of reasons. One, it's climate-appropriate and ensures comfort no matter what time of year we visit. Two, it's a goodwill gesture to the Indian people. I favor the salwar khameez, a long tunic-like dress (khameez) over voluminous trousers (salwars), along with a dupatta, or very long scarf. I like it because it's pretty, with endless permutations of color, design and fabric; it's modest, covering up the things that Indian people typically don't show in public; and it's comfortable – it feels like wearing pajamas. It's possible to have tighter trousers (churidars) or a shorter tunic (kurta), but whichever way you go, it's aesthetically pleasing and functional. I accessorize with coordinating bangles, earrings and possibly a necklace, depending on the neckline of the khameez.

The goodwill aspect of Indian dress is very important. One Indian woman said to me that by wearing Indian dress, I gave the impression that I was with them and that's the impression that I was going for. It's not unusual to get compliments from strangers multiple times in a day when wearing Indian dress. “Looking very pretty, madam” comes from all quarters. I can't take it personally because I think it's really an expression of how pleased people are that someone would cross the cultural divide and adopt their mode of dress. When you come home, you have beautiful souvenirs of your India trip, plus lovely tunics to wear in the summer.