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.