Open Book India: Under Western Eyes

9th August 2010

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Hindustan vs U.S.

I keep getting this question and pointing people to my blog, but I realize that I really haven’t explained what India is like for me. India is different for everyone, so I’m going to give you my take on things.  Let’s get started on the obvious things eh? 

The streets

Walking down the streets of Bangalore is kind of like returning to your toddler days. Of course none of us remember those days when we could barely walk and everything seemed like an obstacle, but it happened. I think the slabs of cement, dirt, rocks, and random holes make the sidewalks interesting. Oh they also cut out at random times, so be prepared to hit the streets, literally.

Now crossing and Indian street can be effortless or it can feel like your last moments on earth. There doesn’t seem to be any real traffic rules. However there are the occasional red lights and police officers that manage traffic. Most of the time a pedestrian in the city has nothing standing between them and a truck, bus, motorcycle, scooter, car, or auto rickshaw. Traffic dies down after 10 p.m. because most Indian people don’t stay out that late.

The Food

OK, so I haven’t had a bad Indian dish the entire time I’ve been here. Everything is amazing and looks like the menu picture (US take note please!). The fact that there are veg labels on almost everything makes me smile. McDonald’s here has a veggie burger and vegetarian french-fries (the fries in America are not veg). Some of the food might give you a tummy ache, but it is well worth it.

Another thing that’s amazing about Indian’s restaurants is the service. You don’t throw anything away (people will stop you from trying, trust me I’ve tried at McDonald’s) and everyone is friendly. No one seems to be carrying an attitude at work, which is something I can learn from.

The Men

OK so before I move forward I’m not putting all Indian men in a box here. This is what I have experienced from some Indian men. In professional settings everyone in India is nice, but some Indian men may mistake your bright smile and eye contact for something else. Body language and dress determine a lot in terms of how you will be treated.

In terms of dress, Indian men show just as much variety as western men. Bangalore is a tech hub, so there a lot more guys in slacks and button up shirts. There isn’t a lot of adventure in terms of hairstyles in Bangalore, but I did see one Indian dude with locs.

The Women

*As a queer person this section might sound a little biased take note. Indian women are hot! It seems that looking good is a priority every day. Women in the traditional sari or salwar kameez, also look amazing. Matching and coordination is definitely different than home. There is no slightly off matching here. Usually clothes have the exact same color and pattern right down to the pants. Long hair is seen as beautiful here, so short hair is a little uncommon. Some school girls have cute pigtails and bows to handle their manes. At my university there are lots of ponytails and trendy cuts for the ladies.

Makeup is something that is completely taken or left behind. Dark eyeliner seems to be a girl’s best friend here. Skin bleaching is also big all over Indian and is something I just cannot support. Tanning is also bad, but this brand of skin modification has seeped deep into the society. Here are some brands that sell skin bleaching products. NOW in bold: Garnier, Nivea, Neutrogena, Ponds, and Olay. All of these brands sell skin bleaching products.

The Bathrooms

Indian squat pots are something I will never adapt to, but hey I tried. Toilets in India varied from squat pots without toilet paper, western toilets without toilet paper, and my favorite, western style toilets with toilet paper. The squat pots, which are porcelain hole in the ground, required the user to squat, do their business, and spray their bum with water. Flushing is done by a bucket of water aimed down the hole. MMM mmm good lol. I never really understood how the sprayers, which were in every bathroom were suppose to clean debris from your booty (and other ahem, areas), but I really didn’t try too hard and get with it since I carried around my own tp. Western toilets are godsend when you get em, nuff said.

The Taxis

So there are really nice taxis in India, but this section is primarily about rickshaws. Saying the word rickshaw makes my face twitch and arouses a wee bit of rage in my heart because most of the time you end up downright frustrated. Auto-rickshaws in India are little 3-wheeled loud vehicles that will take you wherever you need to go. The difference between a western taxi and an Indian rickshaw is in the pricing. You haggle for your price in India. The process includes, but is not limited to pleading, screaming, and the use of reverse psychology to get a half decent price. Drivers will try and rip you off, but in the end all you can do and smile about having the privilege to ride in an authentic Indian rickshaw.

The Sports

Nothing really to say here, but cricket, cricket, and more cricket. I don’t really understand the sport so look up the details yourself. I do know that matches in some cricket forms can last a really longtime.

The Weather

Monsoon season means random and heavy periods of rain. Oh and not all of India is sweltering hot. Ooty was downright cold this time of year.  

The Technology

India is a nation that is growing fast! This means that the kinks haven’t been worked out in a lot of things, like the power. You can expect the power to go out a couple times a day for a few second or maybe a couple times a day for a few hours. Power isn’t really predictable and some villages only have power for an hour a day. Fortunately, a lot of places have generators to curb power outages, but most of the time people go on with their day or wait an outage out.

Now ya Know

So now you have a vague (really vague) idea of what India is actually like. I left a lot out here mostly because I’m lazy, but hey this is pretty good. If you have any other questions ask me. <3

Tagged: indiaamericausdifferences

26th July 2010

Question

xavieralexay-deactivated2010110 asked: lol right. I caught my reflection and just.. UGH! but I def. twist 'em myself! I had no intention of goin' to that chick for anything but starting 'em out. haha That's all I needed from her.. That sounded rude >_>

I can't wait to be able to wash 'em though. *sigh*

It will get so much better, but (sorry) not for awhile. I’m gonna visit a shop when I get home. India is fucking with my hair.

24th July 2010

Post

Up Real Late

So I’m up late because I have the internet! Yea I got an internet stick because I was kinda losing it. This weekend and week was pretty uneventful. I had a take home exam that I think went pretty well. Tonight we decided to go see Inception, but that joint was sold out so we ended up going to a lounged called Aira. Once again because I got into an argument of sorts. I’m way too lazy to go into detail, but all I can say is I really really really want some broccoli. Broccoli would be better than a drink right now. Catch you tomorrow.

23rd July 2010

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The Village

I’m always excited to witness women empowerment and this past Wednesday I got to do exactly that. My diversity, power, and oppression teacher organized a trip to this organization called KROSS. KROSS, or the Karnataka Regional Organization for Social Service, focuses on servicing the disadvantaged areas of India and building up other NGO’s. The organization itself is Christian, but there isn’t any sort of convert for help stuff going on.

We got to KROSS a little before 9 a.m., which is realllll early for someone who sleeps on a hard ass bed every night. But despite the classes weariness we managed to appear chipper in our orientation. We learned all about what KROSS had to offer Karnataka. The organization even focused on integrated pest management (yes that did sound real nerdy)! I was pleased to see that we would be visiting a women’s self help group in a village outside of Bangalore. 

After the orientation we drove out to the village and sat with the phenomenal ladies who are in the self help group. They explained how they felt empowered and supported by KROSS. The organization provided money so the women could start business ventures. They also trained the women and taught them how to keep their records. Overall the village was a wonderfully pleasant experience. What was most impressive is how the women maintained their culture amongst all the changes. What the women wanted most was for their children to have a better life. After our talk and tea (we had tea like 8 times this day. Indian ppl are really generous) we were given a tour of the village.

For some reason it felt really good to see people in the fields. The soil in India is a rich red that makes you feel invigorated. The farmers and women seemed to really know their animals. Whether they were plowing a fields or simply standing next to a cow they remained calm and not the kind of calm you are on a bus stop, but the kind of peace you have with a friend. After we saw some silk worms, lambs, cows, chickens, and some of the women’s business ventures we went back to the KROSS headquarters. We had to friggin wait almost 2 hours to leave because our teacher kept yapping inside. Girls were getting massacred by mosquitoes and everyone was worn out (even though we were way over caffeinated).

When I finally got back to the apartment I was in a really harsh mood. I couldn’t stop thinking about gender and oppression. I think this all came about when I realized KROSS didn’t have anything to assist the Hijras, India’s 3rd gender. I’ll get to that later tonight because it all warrants another blog. Catch ya soon

Oh random, but the school is having a all day music and dance fest and I hear fuckin death metal :)