Post-trip Realizations

India, I miss you: Post-Trip Realizations about India

Having returned from my Indian adventure landed back on U.S. soil, I reconnected with family and friends, who had an intense curiosity about the people, the sights, the religion, the food, etc.  I tried my best to answer the questions, with the help of pictures, but I realized how hard it was to fully impart my experience on another.  I felt like I just couldn't do India justice! 

Michael, my 15-year-old brother, asked, "So, what do you miss the most?" This was by far the most difficult question.  I missed the camaraderie among the group; we had a shared sense of excitement that had brought us closer together over the course of our tour of India.  I missed food; food in America suddenly seemed tasteless.  I missed the colors, the sounds, the smells...basically being intrigued by something new or confused by something that just didn't quite make sense.

In the flurry of activity after returning from India, it was hard to really reflect on what India had taught me.  So here I am, a month after landing in back in Chicago, looking at my pre-trip writings, and seeing how my perceptions have changed.  Below you will a format similar to my "Pre-trip Perceptions" post from October 2009, except the content has changed to reflect my new perspective (in red).

India and its people: Before going on this trip, I thought that all Indians were warm-hearted, polite, and concise in feedback and expectations.  I found this to be exceedingly true, and had met more than a few Indians to prove that. I noticed some other qualities that most Indian people shared, however:

- Intelligence: Most people think that we outsource entry-level jobs, or jobs that do not require a lot of skill.  These people could not be more wrong.  Yes outsource lots of data entry jobs to realize cost savings, but we also outsource a lot of high performing jobs that we, quite frankly, don't have the skill sets to do.

-Accepting:  Most Indian people believe that things are the way they are because of happenings in a previous life.  They don't bemoan the present or boast about a triumph...they simply view it as the hand of cards that life dealt them.

Cultural and social environment: Most of my pre-trip perceptions involving this category came directly from the Story of India documentary.  Post-trip, however, I have some modifications to make.

· Politically, I know that India is the largest participating democracy in the world. My assumption, then, is that population is well versed in current affairs, and issues of national importance. I was partially on target here.  The majority of population IS well-versed in current affairs and issues of national importance, and India IS a democracy.  But India's democratic mind comes with a socialist heart and lots of read tape surrounding the capitalist structure.

· Religiously, I know that India is a melting pot of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islamic faiths, and that this is a source of tension, especially in India’s NorthWest. My perception, then, is that it is a faux pas to bring up religion in conversation, and that there are frequent acts of terrorism by religious extremists.  Again...partially correct here.  India is a melting pot of religions, but it is not a faux pas to bring up religion in conversation.  Most of the people we talked to just generally were happy speak about their beliefs, which carried no expectations of conversions or undertones of prejudgement,

· Socially, I know that there is a sense of community. In watching the video documentary from my aunt’s friend, I noticed that the wedding they attended was enormous. It seemed like half the city was there!  True! I have never experienced a hospitality like that I witnessed in India.  As guests, we were automatically accepted into a larger existing community.   Monica's parents and friends that hosted us were gracious, and accommodating to our (probably halfway ridiculous) questions about the country, culture, and customs.

Business World: Most of my pre-trip conceptions of the more general business world stemmed from research I did for an International Business Management class.  My experiences, showed me a more focused part of the Indian business world--IT Business Process Outsourcing.  Below are three excerpts from previous blog posts that highlight the things I learned a about this industry.

-The growth of IT in India: In a country that does so much technology development work for US clients, the IT wave is lagging a lot in INdia.  Indian clients and US clients have different maturities, and therefore different levels of demand.  The Indian IT landscape mirrors that of the US 30-40 years ago (for example, e-commerce is not yet prevalent in India), and most of the work being done for Indian clients is geared more toward defining a roadmap, or a strategy. Also, in India, employing human resources to do tasks is still much cheaper than paying for an entire IT system to do the same work.


-The challenge of overcoming the mindset that outsourcing is "bad" and will result in the loss of thousands of US jobs.  Those that have this mentality believe that outsourcing will ultimately put a whole class of wage-earners in the service sector in direct competition with their highly skilled overseas counterparts.  This viewpoint ignores the benefits to be realized by BPO.  One of the most important benefits was highlighted in an article of the Wall Street Journal, written by Douglas A. Irwin:

"As many businesses themselves purchase services, their lower costs will result in savings that can be passed onto consumers. If a capable radiologist in India can read x-ray pictures at a quarter of the cost of doing so domestically, important health-care services can be delivered at a lower cost to everyone, putting a brake on exploding medical costs."

-Not only is there is a trend toward smaller deal sizes (now typically around $25-50 million), but also there is an increased demand for global delivery. A few years ago, only about 20% of HCL’s employees worked onsite with the client. Today, this has increased to 30%, and is projected to rise further. 

These post trip realizations, while they show a more complete understanding of India, are still just the observations of a visitor.  Ten days in India passed quickly, and I'm sure that there is much I have yet to learn.  Even though I am visitor, I also think of myself as a friend that has a shared secret with this intriguing country.

Farewell India

Janpath


Our last stop in Pune was Zensar, where we had a short afternoon visit before heading on to Janpath. Monica had planted the shopping seed...Janpath was the place to buy some serious souvenirs.  Our group had the entire day to wander the markets and the government-sponsored shopping center.  Most of us had become comfortable with our bargaining skills; for me, haggling over 10 rupees became a sort of game.

By this time, however, fatigue had set in on the group.  Tastebuds were burnt on spice, digestive systems was on strike,  and long days spent traveling were beginning to take their toll.  We were ready to face the 15 hour flight home.

Pune.2

Spider Logic

At this point, our group had visited HCL, Deloitte, and Infosys, which were larger companies in the BPO sector.  Our first visit today was to Spider Logic, a firm that services the BPO sector...but goes about it in a slightly different manner.

Wipfli, a business consulting/accounting firm based out of Milwaukee, acquired Spider Logic to act as a software services arm.  Spider Logic's target market is smaller enterprises that need custom software packages tailored to their plans for growth.  The company prides itself on being more nimble as a result of its smaller size (it only had 25 employees at its Pune location).  It is engineering-centric and pays attention to the details of software design.  Below is a sample from our Q/A session:

How does Spider Logic develop enough industry-specific knowledge to service clients looking for tailored IT systems?  Right now, the company has lots of expertise in the insurance industry.  When approached by a client in another industry, and needs to gain more industry-specific expertise, Spider Logic does one of three things: (1) relies on parent company Wipfli to supply in-the-know consultants, (2) it employs it, or (3) IT DECLINES THE PROJECT!  Wow...this last one surprised me. According to our speaker, however, it afforded Spider Logic the ability to guarantee quality.

What are some aspirations that Spider Logic has for its future? Spider Logic aspires for an organic growth, expanding into new countries purely through reference from existing clients. It also hopes to remain extremely selective in their hiring, bringing on more senior employees that are referred to as "surgeons".  These "surgeons" are good at identifying the source of an IT glitch and "operating" in a way that fixes the problem.

I'm glad that we visited Spider Logic.  It's easy to associate of the IBMs and the Infosys with the overall IT BPO industry, but this visit reminded us that smaller players--such as Spider Logic--that serve a very specific market within this industry.

Pune.1

After our visit at Deloitte in Mumbai, we packed into our beloved bus and headed to Pune. We had arrived early in the evening, so the group ate dinner, showered, and headed out to celebrate Theresa's birthday. Due to the time difference, we were able to justify a 48 hour celebration--a birthday in India time and a birthday in US time :)

Infosys Visit

Infosys had a rocky start. The wives of the founders pawned their jewelry in order to raise capital for the business. Later, in 1981, Infosys took on its first US client amidst a predominately socialist government. It took three weeks to order foreign currency for this project, and there was lots of red tape through complicated licensing processes. The company persevered, however, and now sees a new set of challenges.

First of these is the motivation behind investment. In India, investment occurs through word of mouth; in the US, it occurs through transparency and information. There have been huge efforts to increase the level of openness within the company.

Secondly, in India, people are more likely to deliberate longer, hesitate, or "beat around the bush" when communicating a problem with U.S. counterparts. This is at conflict with the U.S. preference for fast and open communication of a problem.

Thirdly, U.S. business men and women need to become more sensitive to body language and verbal signals from their Indian colleagues. Many times an Indian will nod and appear in agreement, when in reality they still have lingering questions over an issue. U.S. colleagues should be sensitive to things like this and make sure "everyone is on the same page" before assuming that all is understood.

Four global forces are at play in to make the business world more streamlined (flatter if you will) than it was in 1981.

• Emerging economies: Brasil, Russia, India, and China are the biggies.
• Demographic shifts: The younger generation is a consumer generation and drives demand.
• Technology Ubiquity: People have the capacity to be multiple places at the same time through things like Telepresence and cell phones.
• Increased Regulations: Drives uniformity and playing by the rules.

So how do you win in this flat(flatter) world? According to Infosys, you shift your operational priorities.

• Cost as a barrier to growth > Cost structure as your fuel.
• Loyalty through good service > Loyalty through faster innovation.
• Spending $ on innovation > Making $ on information.
• Winning in the straightway > Winning in the turns.

The presenter also highlighted an interesting trend in Business Process Outsourcing. For the past few years, BPO revenue from US clients has actually been on the decline (not what I had imagined!) A couple of years ago, 78% of the revenue came from U.S. clients; today, that has shrunk to only 65%. In light of this decrease, areas such as Europe and developing markets are becoming more prominent sources of revenue for the company.

Not only is Infosys focusing on these developing markets, but also it is focusing its energies on four major areas of innovation.

1. Healthcare in the U.S. and elsewhere to incorporate lifestyle changes and legislative changes.
2. The phase out of laptops...handheld devices having the computing power and memory capacity that is equivalent of a laptop.
3. Going green.
4. Social networking development.

Mumbai.3

Deloitte Visit

The next day we had a corporate visit at Deloitte, which was a nice complement to our Mumbai sightseeing. We were given three presentations, and the chance to ask lots of questions regarding factors of Business Process Outsourcing in India.

IT Outsourcing Growth & Trends

The first presenter talked about outsourcing growth. When the BPO trend began, there was a centralized hub of activity in Bangalore. This is not to say that the Indian education and talent was the best in Bangalore; rather, companies did not realize the opportunities to be had in other cities. Eventually two things prompted the expansion of BPO into other cities: (1) the government started taking infrastructure initiatives, such as expressways in Pune, and (2) Bangalore reached a saturation point. Generation Y and the popularity of social networking and online communities has been a growth driver, as well as targeted HR initiatives to advocate cultural diversity.

What about the growth of IT in India? In a country that does so much technology development work for United States clients, it was surprising for me to find out that the IT wave is lagging a lot in India. Indian clients and US clients have different maturities, and therefore different types and levels of demand. The Indian IT landscape mirrors that of the US 30-40 years ago (for example, e-commerce is not yet prevalent in India), most of the work being done for Indian clients is geared more toward defining a roadmap, or a strategy. Also, in India, employing human resources to do tasks is still much cheaper than paying for an entire IT system to do the same work.

The growth off-shoring in Europe is very slow. This is in part due to heightened linguistic and cultural difference, but the majority of European clients still believe that things are best done "in-house".

Wired for Winning--the IT Off-shoring Model

The off-shoring model can be broken up into three categories: home-shoring, off-shoring, and near-shoring.

• Home-shoring: Keeping operations/systems on your own turf. This gives an allusion of security, but does not give projects or companies cost competitiveness.
• Off-shoring: By sending things overseas, you not only gain more cost competitiveness, but also you will have access to a larger talent pool, improve the scalability of a project, are more able to standardize processes, and can develop global delivery/service centers around the world.
• Near-shoring: For the U.S., this would mean sending work to places like Canada and Latin America. This model stresses geographical proximity and smaller time differences.

Although the above list shows that off-shoring can yield some important benefits, it is not without its challenges. Some of the most prevalent issues faced by off-shoring projects are: maintaining the strong economic relationships with potential partner countries, developing a cultural sensitivity, finding places with language similarities. A particular challenge of an off-shored project, however, is gaining credibility, which can only be done through the standardization of processes and the implementation of a strong monitoring/governance mechanism.

When it comes to off-shoring, especially in the technology domain, not everything is off-shored. Systems implementation and maintenance work are the most likely to be off-shored. On the other hand, pure business transformation (for example, a complete re-branding, or re-positioning of a business in order to attract customers from a different market) is most often taken over by a home team. As a result of most business transformation efforts being undertaken by a home team, there has been a trend to bring the Indian resources on-shore. This allows for more the growth of trust through monitoring and transparency, and still renders cost benefits to the client.

Mumbai.2

In between stops on our whirlwind tour of Mumbai, our tour guide gave us little facts about Mumbai. I have them here:

• More than 50% of Mumbai residents live in slums because real estate has one of the 10 highest costs of living globally.
• Real estate costs upward of 30,000 USD per square meter in Mumbai.
• One and a half million people live in the Mumbai's slums, which spreads across 135 square acres of land. The slums are homem to 15,000 micro-industries, and those that live there aren't exactly destitute by Indian standards.
• Why are apartment buildings so dilapidated in Mumbai? Because of renter protection laws, which state that a landlord cannot kick out a tenant, even if he/she only pays a nominal portion of a rent payment. Seeing as many tenants cannot (or do not) make a full rent payment, and are protected by the law, the landlord compensates by not putting money into the building's upkeep or general safety.
• Mumbai generates 300 tons of garbage each day.
• Although this is not the case in Mumbai, there are some states with a law that makes it illegal to neglect your parents.
• Mumbai is the financial capital of India and supplies 25% of the government's tax revenue.

Mumbai.1

Unfortunately Gaurav didn't follow us to Mumbai, and instead we had a new tour guide who made it his mission to show us everything he could in Mumbai in one day. This post is dedicated to some of the sightseeing highlights in Mumbai.

Dhobi Ghat

The first stop of the day was Dhobi Ghat, which is an outdoor washing ground in Mumbai. Dhobi Ghat is government sponsored and set up aside huge water pipelines. Hundreds of little bathtubs were along the pipeline, and clothes of every color were hanging everywhere. It almost looked like a festival was in town from all of the colors.

Doing laundry at Dhobi Ghat

Mani Bhavan

Next, we visited a museum named Mani Bhavan. In the early 1900s, Ghandi stayed in Mani Bhavan whenever he came to Mumbai. He played a substantial role in India's push for freedom, and many of his organized movements were led from this location.

Ghandi's room, where he lived and worked.

Jain Temple

Before going on this trip, I had thought Hinduism didn't have many sects, as Christianity does. I saw that I was wrong upon our visit to the Jain temple. Jain is a smaller sect of Hinduism, in part due to members being discouraged from marrying a non-Jain. As Monica explained, the Jain faith is a bit more strict. Whereas it is commonly known that most Hindus do not kill cows, the Jains do not believe in killing any living thing...even the microorganisms in the air. I noticed many followers wearing a small handkerchief around their mouths to prevent them from breathing in these microorganisms (and therefore killing them).

I also noticed that this temple had a slightly different offering system. Many worshippers brought the traditional flowers or bits of food to place at the base of various shrines, but a few people purchased small amounts of white and colored rice at the entrance of the temple. They used this rice to make designs either on the floor or on a small platform.

Using colored rice to make a tree design on the Jain temple floor.

The swastika, as shown below, was one of the most common symbols made with the rice. As I understood it, it is a symbol of one of the saints in the Jain tradition and is also an auspicious symbol or teaching tool that reminds us of a quality to lead us to enlightenment.

The swastikia: a holy symbol in Jainism and one of the most common symbols made on the rice boards.

Hanging Gardens of Mumbai

After visiting the Jain temple, we headed to the hanging gardens, which had an amazing view of the city.

Some school children that passed by us screaming "Welcome to India".

Right next to the Hanging Gardens, but shielded from view, were the Parsi Towers of Silence. We saw vultures circling overhead, and our guide explained that since Parsis hold fire, earth, and water as sacred, they do not cremate or bury their dead.

Elephanta Island

In order to get to our next stop, we took a ferry from the Gateway of India, which was built to celebrate the visit of King George V to Bombay. I'd imagine back then that it was the first thing that foreign visitors saw from their boat, as they were approaching the city.

Gateway of India

The ferry ride was about an hour to get to Elephanta Island, where there are temples carved into the island's caves. The name "Elephanta" comes from the large stone sculpture of an elephant found near the entrance by the Portugese explorers back in the day. It was a hot day, so the 120 huge stone steps to get to the island caves made for a nice workout :)

Carvings inside the cave.

I just thought this was an awesome picture.

Food in India

"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home." - James Michener

Thus far, my posts have centered around the newness of India,the temples, the customs, the people. But not this post. This post, my friends, is dedicated to something else our group experienced in India--food.

I will admit that I was nervous about eating in India, as per the warnings of "Delhi belly". Before going I had a running list of common culprits: no lettuce, no uncooked vegetables, only fruits that you peel, nothing but filtered water, think twice before buying from a street vendor...

By the end of the trip, however, I had a new list, this time of foods that I had enjoyed and would miss when back in the States.

The first place food, the one that takes the cake, the one that I will find myself missing once I am back stateside is actually not a food at all, but rather a tea. Chai masala is an tea made from boiled ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon. At the end of this process, whole milk is added to make this delicious concoction. I'm thinking Starbucks could learn a thing or two from an Indian street vendor on how to make a chai tea.

Here are some other really interesting runners up:

The Indian milkshakes that our group was served at the vegetarian restaurant by the Krishna temple. In this case, looks are not deceiving...the green one tasted as bad as it looks. I didn't quite catch exactly what was in it, but those are fried chickpeas floating on the top. The middle one was vanilla, and was nothing like an ice cream milkshake. It was slightly cooled and was more like a drinkable yogurt. The one on the right was a savory milkshake. The jury's still out on this one.

The three amigo milkshakes

An Indian breakfast usually includes baranta bread, which is like a potato pancake, with some spicy chutneys, pickles, and yogurt for dipping. My breakfast food, thought, was the spicy tomato.

Tomatoes...my favorite food!

Vegetarian Appetizers at the restaurant by the Krishna temple. This restaurant, along with many others does not use onions or garlic in the food. Why is this? Many Hindus follow a diet in which they only consume foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, legumes, and some herbs. Onions and garlic are not in this category, but instead are classified as tamasic foods that increase heat in the body, which disturbs meditation. Onions and garlic are also considered unfit to use as an offering to a god.

From the top left: Indian version of a cheese curd, sweet potato wedges, and fried cauliflower with peppers.

The samosa was my plane buddy's recommendation. They remind me of turnovers filled with potatoes, peas, spices, and sometimes nuts. You can't beat them when they are served piping hot.

Chicken samosas

One of the sweetest desserts was Rava Ladoo, which we also had at the vegetarian restaurant near the Krishna temple. These cookie-like sweets are made with semolina, butter, sugar, raisins, and saffron, and taste graham cracker pie crust.

Rava Ladoo

Indians love their sweets, and another popular one is the orange mush on the left, called Gajar ka halwa. It tastes like carrot cake.

Gajar ka halwa

Paneer dishes, shown on the top right. Paneer is a type of cheese traditionally used in Indian cuisine, and is a typical source of protein in a vegetarian diet. Mattar Paneer, on the top right, is a popular example made of paneer and peas with a sauce that is both spicy and sweet.

Mattar Paneer

The unidentifiable...foods you just have to try. Preferably with naan.

From top left: yellow mush, orange mush, green mush, rice, naan.

And the worst food award goes to...anise seeds. At the end of the meal, they passed around anise seed, which is a black-licorice flavored seed. There was a green sugar coating, and it is used to cleanse your palate after a meal. I tried it just to say I had, but won’t be reaching for it again anytime soon.

Anise seeds

Some side notes on dining in India:

• Be wary of peppers. These aren't your average jalapeno.
• Ketchup! Everywhere. We had a corporate visit at Infosys, and they served ketchup with potato chips and sandwiches for dipping.
• Anything vanilla flavored is worth your while.
• Milk is simply milk. One kind. If you ask for 2%, they'd probably think you're bargaining for a 2% discount on your breakfast.
• Your eyes will nearly always be bigger than your stomach. Indian food is filling.
• It's a bit of a social faux pas not to finish food, so take small helpings.

Delhi.2

January 9th

Akshardham

My body has officially adapted to India's time zone...this morning my body didn't protest for more sleep. We headed out early for Akshardham, a beautiful temple made of marble and pink sandstone, surrounded by expansive gardens and walkways. After 35 years of planning, the building process took only 5 years with the help of 300 million volunteer hours. The project was funded largely by donations, and it is currently operated volunteers whose sole objective is to teach about their faith.

The main temple is intricately carved, providing visual reminders of spiritual messages. For example, the base of the temple is a trim depicting the elephant's relationship with nature, man, and the divine. The carvings read a bit like Aesop's fables, each with its own message of purity, harmony, or faith.

Our group was free to walk about the campus for the morning. It was so peaceful that I wish we could have stayed longer.

ISKCON Temple

After walking around Akshardham's grounds, our group headed to the ISKCON Temple in Delhi. ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) dedicated this temple to Lord Krishna, an incarnation of another Hindu god, Vishnu. Krishna is a source of joy and love and destroys sin.

Monica's family joined us at the temple for a quick tour and lunch. A noontime worship was in session, and we were invited inside amongst the music and clapping. I felt like the tourist stamp was blazing red on my forehead, so I took to the walkway that encircled the temple. Unlike the outdoor walkway at Akshardham, this one was inside and not nearly as elaborate. As I found out, the walkway is around all temples--visitors walk clockwise around the temple as a means of preparation for prayer. At Akshardham, there were mantras played over a speaker system inside the covered walkway; here, at the Krisna temple, there were paintings along the walls.

Management Development Institute (MDI)

Our last stop before flying back to Mumbai was at MDI, a post-graduate business school. Our group met with a group of their students and discussed challenges and stereotypes associated with the BPO model.

Stereotypes

• A decreased integrity of company data and/or customer personal information when it is outsourced. In reality, many Indian firms with outsourcing contracts have more stringent security procedures than US firms. Employees at the larger firms had to walk through metal detectors before entering the facility.
• There is a perception that only men work at outsourcing development centers. In reality, there are plenty of women employed there, although they represent only about 30% of the workforce.

Challenges

• Overcoming the dire warnings from the media and campaigning politicians that outsourcing is "bad" and will result in the loss of thousands of US jobs. Outsourcing, they claim, will ultimately put a whole class of the wage-earning service sector in competition with their highly skilled overseas counterparts. This viewpoint ignores the benefits to be realized by BPO. One of the most important benefits was highlighted in an article of the Wall Street Journal, written by Douglas A. Irwin:

"As many businesses themselves purchase services, their lower costs will result in savings that can be passed onto consumers. If a capable radiologist in India can read x-ray pictures at a quarter of the cost of doing so domestically, important health-care services can be delivered at a lower cost to everyone, putting a brake on exploding medical costs."

Just some food for thought...

After our visit with MDI, we headed to the airport to fly to Mumbai.

Delhi.1

January 8^th

Jaipur to Delhi

Today, we traveled from Jaipur to Delhi. On the way, we stopped for tea, and I tried my first samosa! Plane buddy was right…they are delicious.

Apart from this newfound treat, I was amazed at the dichotomy that exists between the quality of life in Jaipur and Delhi. Here, there was very little garbage on the streets, people lived in homes rather than slums, there were sidewalks, and I saw children coming home from school. I saw more people coming and going from work, and less people begging off the streets.

Traffic was especially bad, and our group had to quickly check into the hotel and get dressed in order to make it to HCL on time. Standard check in procedure at hotels in India requires that they make copies of each guest's visa and passport before issuing room keys. But in the IT capital of the world, these copies were made on a machine that was about to croak. This is just one of the many things that demonstrates the dichotomy I was talking about earlier...that one of the largest players on the global IT landscape is still lagging behind internally.

HCL Visit

The HR department gave an interesting presentation about HCL's position in the Business Process Outsourcing business. Below are some of my key take-aways from the presentation:

1. Coding used to be 50% of IT exports to India. Now, it’s data centers, networks, and infrastructure management that are being exported. As these new processes are being exported, there is a greater standardization. Custom application design has been decreasing yet it represents 34% of HCL’s revenues.
2. The United States and United Kingdom represent 80% of IT exports. Indian countries are now focusing on attracting business from Nordic countries. These Nordic countries represent an under-penetrated area for IT outsourcing contracts. Others include Japan, healthcare, government contracts, and infrastructure services.
3. IT and engineering services are projected to grow 5-6 times the current market size; global sourcing and BPO services will grow 7-8 times.
4. Not only is there is a trend toward smaller deal sizes (now typically around $25-50 million), but also there is an increased demand for global delivery. A few years ago, only about 20% of HCL’s employees worked onsite with the client. Today, this has increased to 30%, and is projected to rise further.

Dinner at the Parashars' home

After the HCL visit, we were invited to dinner at the Monica's parents' house. The dinner was delicious, the hospitality warm-hearted, and they had hired hena artists for all of the girls (and some of the boys) in our group.

Waiting for the henna to dry.

I learned a lot about Indian culture through my conversations at this dinner. First of all, it is customary for the host to give the guests gifts, rather than the other way around. The significance of this gesture is two-fold. First, it is a token of appreciation for coming to their home, or in our case, more generally to India. Secondly, it is a gift to the god within. The word "namaste" means "I bow to the god within you", and Hindus believe that gifts to their guests also represents an offering to the god within the guest.

Secondly, gemstone studded jewelry is popular among Indians. These stones are worn according to astrological charts. Some stones are believed to have healing powers, others are meant to protect against poisonous substances, and still others are worn to ward off evil spirits. Different colors of diamonds have connections with different gods and their attributes; for example, green is associated with Vishnu and preservation. Aside from the benefits of the stones themselves, Indian women love to decorate themselves, especially if they are married.

We had talked about the Hindu god, Ganesha, which has an elephant's head and is a very popular god. He offers protection against obstacles and is the god of all things auspicious. Hindus pray to the Ganesha before big life events, like starting a new job or getting married.

Later in the night, Monica started showing us pictures from her wedding ceremony and explained to us that most of her wedding pictures were taken of men hugging. These snapshots of male affection as well as men walking with their arms around one another is not viewed as weird, nor are the men perceived as homosexual. Instead, it is a sign of friendship. In the event of a wedding, the men are pictured hugging because it is the first time the men in the extended families meet. The hugs are meant as a welcome to the joined family.

Jaipur

January 6^th

I can’t believe that this is only our second day in India; it feels as though we’ve been here for a week already. After sightseeing in Agra, we took another 5-hour bus ride to Jaipur and fell asleep as soon as we arrived at our hotel.

Amber Fort

After breakfast the next morning, we loaded on the bus on the way to Amber Fort. The fort was up on a hill, and we rode elephants up the steep path. Amber Fort is known for is its mix of Mughal and Hindu artistic styles. Inside the fort, the walls are covered with mirrors, mosaics, and carvings.

Mirror mosaics in the Jai Mandir, the Hall of Victory inside Amber Fort

Hawa Mahal

Our group stopped at various tourist attractions in Jaipur, Hawa Mahal among them. Hawa Mahal was basically a way for royal women to watch processions in the streets while still remaining hidden from people on the street. It’s kind of odd to think that women took such a subservient role in society because in the Hindu religion, there are many female gods, and the womanly figure is celebrated.

Hawa Mahal

General Observations in Jaipur

1. Public urination: acceptable and common.
2. The garbage: In some places, it looked as though someone had dropped the contents of an entire dumpster along the block. There was an obvious lack of a waste management system in the more rural cities.
3. The fog, especially in Delhi: Monica told us that before the switch to unleaded fuel, her nostrils would turn black by the end of the day from the thick smog.
4. Temples. Everywhere. On the side of the road, in the middle of the street, on the roof of our hotel—you name it. I suppose that the 330 million gods in the Hindu religion merit the large amount of temples. Some were extremely small, barely accommodating one person, and not looking at all like a temple. Others were large and ornate, and drew large sums of money in donation for their construction.
5. Shopping on the streets of India is like walking into a car showroom. You are profiled from the moment you step foot in the shops for the markup you are most likely to pay. Shopping also comes hand in hand with bargaining.
6. Conversation etiquette: Don’t praise Pakistan, don’t criticize the Indian cricket team, and Slumdog Millionaire was not a good movie.
7. There are three things you need for driving in India (according to our taxi driver): a good horn, good brakes, and good luck.
8. The class/caste system in India sill heavily influences social interaction. Gorab was telling us that you can’t change your caste, even if your economic position changes, or you adopt a different profession. For example, Gorab was of the warrior caste even though he’s never wielded a weapon.
9. Dogs and cats are not pets and are treated as vermin. Stray dogs are everywhere, as are cows. The cow is sacred in the Hindu religion, so it is not farmed or killed. Instead, they roam free among the streets and metropolitan areas.

Agra

January 6^th

The alarm went off at 4:15 AM in order to make the morning train to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. When Monica greeted us in the lobby, she shared our first setback—the train was three hours behind schedule because of the fog. At first, the idea that fog could cause a three-hour delay in the train schedule seemed ridiculous, but after looking outside I was shocked. I can’t see more than 5 feet in front of me.

Plan two is to take our tour bus to Agra, which was originally just supposed to drive our luggage in the next city. Traffic is still noisy and the fog is still here, and we have a five-hour ride ahead of us.

Before departing from the YMCA, Gorab, the tour guide, encourages us to ask questions at any time. “Do not assume that things are the way they are for a reason,” he said. “Here in India, things are illogical. One has to be a good observer.”

Taj Mahal

The fog persisted during the rest of our trip to Agra. When we arrived in the city, a bunch of rickshaws were lined up waiting to carry us to the Taj. As part of a government effort to preserve historical landmarks, vehicles are not allowed to approach the Taj Mahal and have to park beyond a specified distance.

Taking a rickshaw to the Taj Mahal

As it turns out, the train delay and 5 hour bus ride to Agra bought us enough time for the fog to clear out. The sky was clear, and our group was able to get great pictures of the Taj. I can see why it is one of the seven wonders of the world (bonus points if you can name the six others). It makes you stop in your tracks and just stare, and wonder how anyone could dream up anything that beautiful.

Beauty, as Gorab explained, was the goal of the Taj’s creator, Prince Khurram the 5^th son of the Mughal emperor, Jahangir. As he grew up, he far outshone his brothers in talent and charisma, earned the name Shah Jahan or “King of the World”. When his father passed, he battled with his brothers, eventually killing them to assume the throne.

He ruled during a peaceful and prosperous time. However, three years later, his beloved bride died giving birth to their fourteenth child. Legend says that her dying wish was for Shah Jahan to build a mausoleum more beautiful than anything in existence. After grieving for his wife, Shah Jahan threw himself into fulfilling his late wife’s request. The Taj Mahal was designed to be architecturally perfect and stunningly beautiful, so that whenever he strolled the grounds, Shah Jahan would be reminded of her.

No more fog! Wohoo!

In addition to the story behind the Taj, Gorab pointed out the following:

1. The symmetry of the gardens. I could have gotten out my ruler.
2. The Moghuls must have been exceedingly wealthy. There were a variety of semiprecious stones from all over the world set in the marble and calligraphied verses of the Quran along doorways and borders.
3. The spires tilt to the left by 12 degrees. This is a precautionary measure so that, in the event of an earthquake, the spires would fall away from the building rather than on the masoleum.
4. The amount of gardeners whispering “secret” camera angles to tourists…and then demanding a tip in return.

Red Fort of Agra

After lunch, we headed to the Red Fort of Agra, near the Taj Mahal. Made of red sandstone, it was the imperial city of the Mughal rulers. Inside are many smaller palaces, and audience halls.A lot of the buildings are made out of marble, with hollow walls filled with running water for a cooling effect.

Monkeys hanging out outside Agra Fort.

Women could not attend public hearings, but could listen through lattice work in the marble. If they had suggestions or comments on the hearing, they could pass their written suggestions through the gaps in the lattice.

Agra Fort was where one of Shah Jahan’s sons killed his two brothers, and imprisoned his father. Shah Jahan endured a life of isolation in a room from which he had a view of the Taj, a constant reminder of his late wife.

Welcome to India

January 5^th

The past couple of hours have been a sensory overload. India is colorful and loud, the air smells different, my taste buds are burning, and I feel like the girl who dropped out of the sky with “TOURIST” stamped across her forehead.

Our plane took off yesterday at 7:15 PM, and by the time we landed and passed through customs, it was 11:30 PM. Monica’s parents greeted us at the airport, and a bus was waiting to take us to the YMCA, where we’d be staying for the night.Before boarding the bus, our drivers gave us leis and welcomed us to India.

Excited!

I thought we’d arrive pretty quickly at the YMCA and that I’d be able to crash soon, but it took the bus a few hours to bob and weave through the fabled traffic. By fabled I mean epic, and by epic I mean insane—there are no speed limits, and even if there are, no one follows them. Semis share the road with rickshaws, and most taxis look like glorified go-carts. In the US, your horn is the audio equivalent of flipping the bird, or like saying “I’m about to hit you”. In India, it’s more of a language. Honking a horn is a hello, an alert, a request for you to move, a “ha ha sucker…eat my dust”. I’m convinced some people lay on it just to make sure it still works.

By the time we reached the hostel, and checked in, it was late. While packing, I was a fool to have forgotten that India is also the northern hemisphere and has their winters when we do. After a freezing shower and discovering that the space heater was out of commission, I went to bed with cold wet hair, and shivered to sleep.

I dreamt I was stuck in India.

It Begins...

Quick note: The following blog entries are based on my journaling while in India. I hope you don’t mind hearing about it in retrospect J

January 4^th

On the plane and can’t sleep. Part of me is uncomfortable (I was lucky enough to be sandwiched in the middle seat for 15 hours), but a bigger part of me is awake in anticipation. I’m sitting next to someone from Punjab, India, and from our conversation earlier I have some pre-trip advice:

1. Seriously…Don’t drink the water.
2. Even if you don’t drink the water, you will most likely get sick once during your trip.
3. Be open and receptive, your travel norms from Europe will not apply here.
4. The American poor have coach bags, and attitude of entitlement, and use welfare to pay bills. The Indian poor scavenge for food and have meager shelter.
5. Because of this, it is a social faux-pas not to finish food.
6. Your host/esse will try offering you food after you have finished. If you refuse, they will offer you half. Be firm, but polite when you are full.
7. Try a samosa. Better yet, eat plenty of samosas.