Memories of India - The Lessons

Tonight was our last night in India and we had a long wait at the airport. So we visited Birla Mandir, a major Hindu shrine that was built in 1976 by the Birla foundation as a replica of a similar shrine in New Dehli. The Birlas were industrialists who built temples in different parts of the country. The temple sits on a hillside high above the city and is impressive from any angle, built entirely from pure white marble from Rajasthan. Although we arrived after dark it was cool and a gentle rain began to fall as we took off our shoes and walked up the staircase. As you walk up the stairs there are small alters to Ganesh, Haruman and other gods and goddesses from Hindu mythology. Flowers adorn the alters and bowls of vermillion are available for those who want to display the sacred color on their forehead. The main temple, which is huge, is made of marble and scenes from the Hindu scriptures are engraved in the walls. The large courtyards are paved with marble and this cools the air, especially in the evenings. Although I was asked whether I had a camera (pictures are forbidden) I felt welcomed and we quietly wound our way through the complex with everyone else.

In the lower courtyard is an alter to a Hindu saint and engraved on the right hand wall is a saying from Sri Vivekananda I will never forget:

"He who sees Shiva in the weak, poor and destitute, his religion is true. If he only sees Shiva in the statue his religion is immature."

Many have come to India over the years to find God and although I cannot say I've had that experience I did see Shiva in the faces of children as they danced on the marble patio. I watched them twirl in the moonlight as the lights of the city reflected on the waters of Hussain Sagar lake, its Buddha overlooking monuments to the seven Nizam kings. I've seen God in the compassion and friendship of my Indian colleagues and the thoughtfulness of our Muslim driver who fetched some curry leaves for me as we ate dinner. I saw Shiva dancing with me Thursday night as we all moved to the sinuous rythyms of Hindi pop music, and in the helpfulness of the director as he prepared my recovery food the first day I was here. If God exists at all he lives in the compassion and love of mankind. Without those things there is no God, at least not one I care to know.

Remembering all of this I mindfully placed three coins in the bowl before the alter, one each for Luna, Monica and myself. And at the main alter to Lord Venkateswara (Vishnu) I did the same again, accepting a prasad from the holy men who tend this place. The Hindus believe that this is an offering from the Gods back to mankind, and as it enters your body you become infused with the divine. If there is any truth in this I hope it helps me become a more mindful person who makes a real difference in the world in whatever small way I can.

I bought some incense at the gift shop and we headed off to a final dinner at Angeethi, the samosas were as wonderful as we remembered them. There was Rogan Josh, Chicken Kebobs that melted in your mouth and copious amounts of Kingfisher. We talked for a few hours till it was time to go. Zaheed dropped us at the airport and I tipped him five hundred rupees, thanking him for his help and hoping to see him again soon. We hustled through check-in and security and here I sit in the lounge waiting for my flight which is an hour or so late. This is the part of travel that drives me mildly insane, but remembering the lessons of the last few weeks helps.

I want to go back to India... Very soon...

Memories of India - The Friends

I took my last trip to Shilparamam at lunchtime to buy more paintings with my last pile of rupees. I was able to get five more miniatures for a very reasonable price, guess I'm a regular customer now. After completing my purchase I wandered around the market one last time and many of the shopkeepers remembered me. I got handshakes and blessings from many of them. A textile merchant named Sahil invited me into his shop for a cup of tea. My colleague and I both bought a few things from him before and frankly I expected another tough sales pitch but he brought us both a cup of tea and sat down for a quiet conversation. We shared some things about our homes and families and he asked me several times if I had a business card. Turns out they collect these in the market like we collect merchandise. He showed me his collection which had people from Google, Microsoft and a bunch of other companies. He made sure to give me his card so we can keep in touch and even invited me to stay with him in Kashmir someday. Based on past experience I won't take him up on the offer, I'd rather we remain friends:) Just the same I was deeply touched by this. Finally I asked him to show me some of his fine merchandise and he did, the best was a Peshmerga Silk blend which I couldn't afford. I did buy one more shawl from him, a beautiful piece that is reversible, blue on one side and gold on the other with embroidered flowers. He gave me the usual discount without complaint. I had to get back to campus for an afternoon meeting but I will long remember this brief visit to Shilparamam and the companionship of my Indian friends.

Our Muslim driver Zaheed is also becoming a friend. Yesterday we talked about his wife and family. He moved to Hyderabad about six years ago with his wife and child, his extended family lives about 200 kms outside the city. He showed us some photos and told us about their lives. As we got to know each other better he told me of his life, his challenges and his dreams for the future. He told me how he drove Steve Ballmer around when he was here and I know it was true, he was able to describe the blotches on Steve's face in great detail. Zaheed is good people.

Thursday night our corporate CIO showed up in Hyderabad, disrupted everyone's work and gave an all-hands meeting in the conference center attached to my hotel. There was a huge party afterwards. They hired one of the best local DJ's who had a great sound system and light show. The music was a sensuous blend of Hindi pop and as the rhythms throbbed I felt like I was in the middle of a Bollywood movie. Honestly I have never had so much fun dancing with a bunch of men in my life. I counted, there were 30 men and five women on the dance floor. I was talking to the director when one of my male colleagues grabbed me and said there was a request for my presence on the dance floor. He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me along after him. Many of the men here show great affection for each other and I've often seen them holding hands on the street. There I was in the midst of much younger men, all of us making fools of ourselves with great abandon and having a great time. Never have I felt so accepted despite my complete lack of skill in executing Indian dance moves. By the end of the evening I managed to exonerate myself pretty well, and to hear them talk my colleagues were impressed with my stamina. Somehow I managed to keep up for about four hours (very aerobic, I worked off my meal). Most of the dances emphasize the use of the hands, either raised or extended in front of you in various motions. The footwork was a mix of styles, some of it looked a bit like hip-hop which I learned from an old girlfriend's brother a long time ago. I haven't danced much for the past 10 years and I was surprised I remembered anything at all. At the end of the evening someone declared "you rock" and I felt 20 years younger.

The next morning I awoke to the sound of gentle Indian rain and lightning flashed across the sky. It mirrored my mood, I was not ready to leave but had to get up and pack anyway. Everything is carefully arranged for shipment, we'll see how much of it arrives in one piece.

Memories of India - The Play

This was a great day in India. We left for work around 9:00 as planned and since our driver waits around all day for us to return I decided to take advantage of the car and return to Kashmir Emporium to buy some things I passed on last time. I was only gone an hour and a half but it was liberating just the same. This was my first solo trip in India and I really enjoyed it. Our driver told me all about his family and life in Hyderabad for the past six years. At the shop I bought a few more silk wall hangings to go with the one I bought previously, the three together will be stunning. The owner remembered me and gave me the same 30% discount as before, very cool. Unfortunately I have no idea how I'm going to get all of this merchandise back to the US in one piece, it will be an interesting packing job to say the least. I may be making a big donation to the local tent city of anything that won't fit in the suitcase.

After my return I worked through the afternoon and at 5:00 we went downstairs for the daily treat. Campus has special treats lined up every day and everyone lines up to get a free snack of cookies and sweets. This is supposed to be very Indian and its also very popular, the place was jammed. After the treats we went to the outdoor theatre where the campus theatre troupe put on a play. It was well attended and serious drama, the topic was the effect of child abuse and the equally damaging effect of ignoring it and not supplying the victims with the support they need in the aftermath. The play was well done and starred one of our colleagues in a lead role. He was the villain who abused a young girl and he played the part very well. The playwright was present and part of the troupe, he came up at the end and told us about the charity work they were doing to raise awareness of this very difficult problem in India. The use of theatre as a tool to create social awareness was very inspiring.

My colleague got an email from a friend and needed to buy another gift, a purse this time. So I suggested we return to Shilparamam since its on the way back to the hotel. Not surprisingly we both bought more stuff, I now have two tunics and a proper pair of shoes and pants. So I can do as much cultural appropriation as I want when I get back. Seriously these outfits look very comfortable for lounging around the house and are very authentic, this is what many people wear here. I also bought another miniature painting, a lady with a sitar and pet fawn. While the shopkeeper was wrapping up my purchase I asked him some questions and the way they work is in a family team. The father, who won awards for his talent, taught the entire family how to do some portion of the paintings. So each piece is truly a family affair. He showed me a number of pieces in progress and some had line drawings with only a portion of the painting filled in. Others had most of the painting but none of the guilding yet, many are painted in gold or contain inlaid stones. Once again I could not afford his finer pieces but he showed me quite a few which were truly amazing.

After shopping we went to a market and yes, I finally found curry leaves for my girlfriend. So here's the deal. They will only last 3-4 days and its only Wednesday. Our driver volunteered to bring me fresh ones on our way out of town Thursday so I'll put them in a bag and hopefully they will get home intact. I suggested we cook her special recipe that requires 10 leaves when I get back Friday evening, I'm bringing two bunches. They look a little like Bay leaves. I also bought a few Indian spices and mixes, they had an instant mix Dosa that should be great when served with chutney in oil. I have a box of Chutney mix and a few other things from the grocery, we were not able to get to the open air market. Hopefully customs won't seize any of this, really don't know but thought I'd give it a shot.

So the only remaining thing on my gift list is a Shiva and honestly I haven't seen one I was willing to buy. Someone suggested I do the obvious thing and go to a Shiva temple. Sadly I had not thought of that and am probably out of time for this trip, it may have to wait till next time. If she's willing to substitute Ganesh, who is considered very good luck for a household, I will be in good shape.

Since this was our last free night in India we decided to have another great meal and our driver recommended Ginger Court which was fabulous. We had a special Dal Makhani which is their specialty, chicken kebobs that literally melted in your mouth, and fascinating potatoe fritters stuffed with cheese and spices. It was far from obvious how they made these and we were both curious. We also drank Kingfisher, a favorite local brew. The meal was a wonderful last chance to sample Hyderabad cuisine and we really enjoyed it.

That's all for now, off to bed

Memories of India - The Dinner

Traffic last night was so crazy even the driver was laughing. We got to one spot and had to turn around due to construction which put us on a main street with more vehicles than I've ever seen in one place attempting to actually move. There was less than a foot to the right of the car and motorcycles were whizzing by anyway, their handlebars missing the mirror by a fraction of an inch. There was a bus stop on the opposite side of the street and that had traffic in an absolute gordian knot. We had to navigate past all this mess, make a U-turn through the opposing lanes, and pass the bus stop to get to our restaurant. This was our celebratory team dinner and the food was totally worth the drive.

When we arrived at Angeethi restaurant the director declared "you both need a beer immediately" and the required beverages magically appeared. The restaurant was themed in Punjabi style and the waiters wore long green tunics with turbans and feathers. Evidently this is traditional garb in Punjab which is the center of the Sikh faith. According to one of my colleagues the Sikh are both a warrior caste and a religious sect. They share communal meals, a rarity here, and are monotheistic. Their faith emphasizes a personal search for relationship with Vahiguru, or god, through meditation, good works and asceticism. Their devotion to justice led them to defend the Hindu people against various invaders and they have a warrior tradition. Marriages in this part of the world include a procession where the groom, carrying a sword, goes to his bride's home and brings her back to be by his side. Punjab originally stretched across what is now India and Pakistan prior to partition, this is a source of conflict deeply rooted in the Sikh experience.

The food just kept coming, first plates full of small samosas served with a delicious sauce. Then rolled appetizers filled with cheese and some kind of vegetable. After we had gorged ourselves on several helpings of these they brought out naan with four or five different sauces for dipping. One was a Dal of some kind, lentils cooked in sauce, that was my favorite. They brought out kebobs of chicken, onion and other vegetables that was incredibly spicy and equally delicious. I'm afraid I ate too much of this and suffered a bit this morning. After the kebobs came a chicken curry that was out of this world. We ate and ate and ate....

While we were eating the director gave us a primer on cricket which he describes as the national religion. It really is, we see cricket on TV everywhere we go. Interestingly enough it is not the national sport, that is reserved for field hockey which everyone agrees has been largely forgotten here. One of the people he brought along is a serious cricket player and has been since college, he explained a lot of the finer points we would have totally missed. The sport is no more complicated than American baseball although it has different rules. It can be exciting to watch, the bowler (e.g. pitcher) runs up to the line and throws the ball overhand. The bat is flat and square, it is held downward and the swing seems a bit awkward to watch. Like anything else it is an acquired skill. Clearly I will need to learn more about cricket to be socially accepted in Indian circles as it is a dominant topic of conversation here. Soccer is also important but cricket rules. Last year the team lost in the finals rather early and the police had to guard the players, one was even killed. Since the endorsements have so much financial value and generate business many people were financially impacted when the finals didn't last as long as expected and this led to a signficant amount of social unrest.

Memories of India - The Culture

Yesterday morning my colleague and I did the unthinkable and relaxed in the hotel for the morning. I had a chance to catch up on the news and drink a lot of coffee. But by 1:00 or so we became restless and decided to head out to Shilparamam, a large lot the government has set up as a cultural exhibit and market for indigenous crafts. We expected to be there a short time and wound up spending the afternoon, it was a wonderful place to meet people, shop and relax.

Our car dropped us off at the gate. When you arrive at the gates of Shilparamam you enter through a large arch that has hanging lanterns at the top. Inside are well groomed areas representing various parts of India. It reminded us a little of the San Diego Wild Animal Park and even had some amusing fake figures representing villagers in the countryside in typical activities like drawing water or fishing. There were thatched huts arranged in groups, some of which had religious statues arranged among the flowers. I had my photo taken in front of a large Buddha figure that had a silly dog next to it, not sure what this was supposed to represent but I doubt Buddha would have gained enlightenment if his pet dog needed much attention. While we were wandering around the grounds we met an Indian family that wanted their photos taken with us. Their daughters wore beautiful red saris and had wonderful smiles. Although we see a lot of Westerners in the hotel, most there for work engagements, we don't see as many in the places we've visited. I guess we just blend in among the enormous crowds, but it was interesting to be a topic of conversation. There were two men in this group and we were asked the usual questions, where we were from and how we like Hyderabad. I felt very welcomed.

At the front of Shilparamam is a shopping area where they mark out small booths and sell lots of different kinds of things. The sellers hawk their wares as you walk down the aisles, we arrived in the heat of the day and were early visitors for them. We saw all sorts of things including painted pottery and furniture, textiles, clothing, carved and metal images, bangles and jewelry, food and painted miniatures. The miniature booth was the first one to get some of my rupees, I really liked the art. The shopkeeper's father had painted a number of the pieces and the shopkeeper was following in his father's footsteps. They both had real talent and although I told him I could not afford his finer pieces he showed them all to me anyway. He handed me a magnifying glass to see them more clearly and the quality of the work was amazing. Some of the scenes represented great figures from Indian history, others were of animals and birds. There were elephants, hunting parties, women in their finery, and too many other things to name. All of these were painted with tiny brushes and took a long time to finish. I bought three pieces which I felt I could afford and would look great in my home. Two of them are companion pieces with birds painted on old historical documents from the Kingdom of Jaipur. The birds have graceful necks that curve inward and the pieces will face each other when displayed. On each document are old official stamps from Jaipur and some writing. My father should enjoy framing these and I can't wait to get them home. I also bought a small verticle miniature with six circular paintings of animals including a tiger, elephant and some others. Around the edges is an intricate painted lattice of green. His more expensive pieces were surrounded in finely carved frames and the ones I liked best were a pair of figures from history, a king and queen in all the traditional spendor. The detail in these pieces was stunning but he wanted 16,000 rupees each. Although I felt they were worth the money I didn't have that much in my pocket (fortunately).

We both bought some clothing for ourselves, I purchased a long traditional tunic and shirt. I also bought some fabric for a friend in San Francisco, two embroidered sets that included a veil and enough matching fabric for a nice outfit. Hopefully she can find an Indian seamstress who can do these justice. Hyderabad is known for embroidery and this material is a good example. I also bought a skirt and top for my girlfriend's daughter and a sari set. The couple in who sold me the sari were nice enough to let me take their picture and its the best one I've taken so far in India. Another man sold me three beautiful scarves and also let me take his picture as he folded them. There are bags full of merchandise in my room but I spent less than 100 dollars on the entire day, money well spent.

After shopping we rested for awhile and then headed out for dinner at Chutney's in Bandara Hills. We picked up our other colleague on the way and I'm ashamed to say I was unable to finish my meal due to the enormous lunch of tandoori I ate earlier in the day. But the Mango Lassi was delicious.

Memories of India - The History

This evening we had dinner on the hotel patio, they served a barbeque which was an Indian imitation of Mexican fajita wraps and it was actually very good. The women's saris flowed gracefully in the wind as my colleague and I reflected on the craziness of the day over a Fosters or three. Of all the insane experiences I've ever had there were portions of this day that exceeded my wildest dreams. Our driver defined a new category in recklessness. At one point toward the end of the day he nearly hit somebody as they were crossing the street. Admittedly traffic is crazy here but this was beyond the pale. Guess I should start at the beginning.

The car was an hour late and my colleague and I ate breakfast while we were waiting. The director asked one of his guys to act as guide for the day. When our informal guide arrived we fed him too and started off on our adventures by picking up another colleague at the Bandara Hills hotel above Ohri's. He was delayed a day in Frankfurt but seemed in good spirits and was rested so we headed off to our first stop. Charminar means "four minarets" and is a structure about double the size of the Arc de Triumph in breadth with minarets that tower above the main structure. It was built by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah in 1591 to ward off an epidemic of Cholera that was raging at the time. The architecture is a blend of styles with Islamic, Persian and Hindu themes. It rises 48 meters above traffic in the center of a roundabout and you must navigate through traffic to get in. We paid a few rupees for an excellent tour and were able to view the surrounding shopping areas from the top. The arches are Persian in style and the art is a mix of Islamic and Hindu influence. There is a mosque on the upper floor but its closed to the public now due to extensive vandalism, very sad. Spread throughout the Charminar are 48 prayer spaces. From the Charminar you can look down on several shopping districts. One is known for bangles, another for pearls. With some help from our guide I bought some bangles for my girlfriend's daughter, hopefully she'll like them. It took us a few minutes to knock him down from 1200 rupees to about 700. There is also a hospital on one side, its placard advertises ayurvedic medicine and people were waiting for service. From the top of the Charminar I took a few photos of traffic but they don't do the sheer insanity of it adequate justice.

The streets are full of kids and they are generally delightful. One little guy kept asking me for one American dollar. So finally I told him I didn't have any dollars. This was a problem for him and he began a careful negotiation. "No dollars?" he asked. After I confirmed his worst fears he asked if I had only Indian rupees. When I said yes he made a stunning proposal: "then give me rupees!" He complimented me on my long hair. He began to pull various wares out of his pockets, none of which had any value, and followed us all the way through the bangle district and back to the car. Toward the end I finally gave in and bought a necklace for 100 rupees, half the asking price, but our guide still nearly killed me. Oh well, its only money. You get about 41 rupees to the dollar so I paid $2.44.

After Charminar we hurtled through traffic again and went to the Salar Jung museum. This is a collection of artifacts from around the world gathered by Salar Jung III, or Mir Yousuf Ali Khan. There were three Salar Jung rulers and their sitting rooms and personal belongings are displayed here along with works of art they collected. According to a description in the hotel guidebook the total collection is over 43,000 art objects and 50,000 books in 38 rooms spread over three floors of the building. Clearly this is too much to see in a few hours but we gave it our best shot. The palanquins and sedan chairs used to carry the rulers were there as well as their cushioned thrones where they received visiting guests and dignitaries. There were a number of photos, Salar Jung III died around 1949 and toured Britain three years before he died with a full retinue. One room contained a vast array of military arms and weapons, as a true geek I insisted we see this room before we leave and it was the last we toured. They had a lot of old furniture from the palace, small Indian miniature paintings, religious art and artifacts and an amazing amount of western art collected on various trips. Unfortunately we ran out of time, I'd love to go back there for a few more hours and see the wing we missed entirely.

Once again we headed into the traffic, this time to rehydrate and get food at one of the three Ohri's restaurants in Bandara Hills. This one serves Chinese cuisine. The food was plentiful and delicious, we shared four main dishes and vegetarian spring rolls. The ginger chicken was my favorite and it had a lush flavor that went down well after the long morning. The lamb dish was also outstanding, everything with just the right amount of spice. The rice was different than what we normally get in the US, longer and less uniform. It also had much more flavor.

After lunch we headed off to Hussain Sagar Lake which is a popular local park. The lake is man made and was built in 1562. At one time is was a major source of drinking water for the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Unfortunately it is quite polluted now due to various factors including the immersion of large numbers of Ganesh statues during the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi over the past 20 years. In the center of the lake stands an 18 meter carved granite statue of Buddha which sits on an island and you can take a boat ride out for a water tour. This is claimed to be the largest monolithic statue ever carved from a single piece of granite. Evidently the Buddha was a fairly recent addition and after they transported it to the site it fell over while workers were trying to stand it up. Before they continued work they had the Dalai Lama come down and make sure it was okay. People here find this amusing and I heard the story a number of times. We jockeyed for space on the boat with everyone else. My colleague displayed an unexpected talent for self-promotion and one of the kids took his photo while talking his ear off for the entire ride. At the end this young man even wanted to buy him a coke to his great discomfort and our amusement. This same kind of thing happened four or five times through the course of the day, we ascribed it to his Harley T-shirt and Australian floppy hat.

Now it was time for what I had looked forward to all day, a tour of Golkonda Fort. Golkonda means "Shepherd's Hill" and it occupies the top of a granite mountain from which its blocks were carved. Much of the fort is built in and around enormous boulders. It was originally built as a small mud fort and then conquered and rebuilt by the Qutb Shahi sultans over a 62 year period. Over time it evolved into its current state which is very sophisticated. I've toured castles in Wales and Germany but this fort dwarfs anything I've ever seen in Europe. It is miles wide and has several layered walls with a total of seven doors in the outer wall which is about 10 kms around. In the outer wall are 87 bastions which contained cannon. Some of the cannon are still visible although long since fallen to the ground from their original moorings. From the top of the fort you can still see the outer wall and inside is the old city with its houses, shops and burka clad women. You drive, perhaps plow is a better word, through this area on the way to the entrance. In the early days this city was home to a thriving diamond industry which was fed from mines located in surrounding areas. The Hope diamond, Regent Diamond (e.g. Crown Jewels) and Koh-i-noor diamond were all mined in this area. The Nizam used to use the blue Hope diamond as a paperweight.

Once there we hired a guide who took us about 1.5 kms through the entire complex. Although it is in ruins there is still a huge amount to see. At every point he explained the purpose of each feature and we learned more than I could ever write down here. They had four water pools fed by springs. Water was pumped by hand up through pipes, the remaining holes of which you can still see. There were cloth curtains pulled as rooves over the top of these pools to prevent enemies from throwing poisons into them during an attack. In addition they would take a bunch of rabbits to the pools every day to test for poisons, if they died the water was bad. Inside the fort the king's table was set with silver plates because poisons will immediately turn them green if present. Clearly there was a lot of intrigue and danger in these walls.

The acoustics of the inner entry were defensive, and a loud clap under the main arch will reverberate all the way to the top. This had a brilliant design, this effect is only possible within a 7 meter circle and can only be heard from a guardpost at the top. It works the other way too, so the commanders could transmit orders to the front instantaneously. One clap meant friend, the gate would be opened. Two claps meant enemy, the gate would be closed. Three claps meant war. Our guide added that four claps meant welcome to American visitors, what an actor. The gate itself had spikes to prevent elephants from ramming their way in. There is a very small courtyard outside the gate with no room for elephants to gain momentum in a charge. Defenses at this gate included the ability to pour hot oil directly down the front, if an elephant was there it would be disabled by fire. Despite all these fortifications Golkonda was eventually conquered but not without resort to treachery. The Mughal emperor Aurangazeb attacked it six times and was repulsed every time. Finally they bribed the commander and he opened the gates while the King slept. Afterwards the Mugal wisely had the traitor publicly executed as an example of how not to get ahead in life.

While I was at Galkonda I had the opportunity to learn a little about the Hindu religion. Ram Das was imprisoned here for 20 years. He had embezzled a million rupees from the treasury somehow to build a temple in the city and when the King found out about it he had the holy man imprisoned. One man paid the price instead of the entire city. They threw him into a dungeon, which we saw, and walled him in. There were only a few openings in the top through which soldiers dropped food and water. While he was imprisoned he took rocks and carved images of the gods in an upper wall. The site is sacred and we had to remove our shoes to climb the stairs leading to these images. Some of my Indian colleagues also happened to be in the fort that day and they joined our party and I watched them pray at this site. One told me they worship the color vermillion, and this color has been spread over the images to make them easier to see. Many of the people visiting this site brushed a bit of the color on their forehead and put their hands together in prayer. At the top of the fort is a small shrine and I was offered a blessing which I accepted. They pour a small amount of water into your cupped hands and you drink it, there is a priest there who tends the site. The water sat before an image for a day or so and is thought to be infused with the sacred as a result. Anything consumed in this manner is called a Prasad, or gracious gift. This belief goes back to very old vedic literature and is found in other cultures as well. It is a significant part of the fabric of religious belief here and motivates people to go on pilgrimage to various temples. In a separate room under the rocks there is another alter with images of several gods. Unfortunately I am not sure whose images were represented here although the rocks were painted with large murals the goddess of war with multiple arms. Very appropriate in a fortress.

After Golkonda we were all pretty tired but still had one more stop: shopping. We went to the city center and our guide knew a place that sold good quality merchandise for a reasonable price. At least is was reasonable after he beat them down to a flat 30% discount across the board. My colleague had shopped there before and last time he walked out with a bag full of Ganesh carvings. I finished my first round of gift shopping and have the requisite Ganeshes and textiles. There is another set of shops our guide described that I'd like to visit but when I asked my colleagues they literally groaned. Too much fun for one day.

So we flew back to the hotels again, honking and swerving to miss oncoming traffic. The driver literally spent half his time in the oncoming lane, we all agreed he was measurably crazier than the others we've had. Close to our hotel is a shopping bazaar I hope to visit tomorrow. It has lots of booths with indigenous crafts from all over India. Although the shops are not government owned there are contracts that bind the sellers to a certain standard of pricing and behavior. This is well known to be a great place to buy high quality merchandise.

All in all quite a day

Memories of India - The Politics

I asked the director to describe India's politics yesterday and this morning he came loaded with information. To make sure I got this right I looked up more information online so here's my take on it based on what I've been told here and my own research.

India is a group of 28 states and 7 union territories ruled democratically. The Indian people are justifiably proud of their democratic heritage, the director referred to it as pure democracy. Given the long history of institutional privilege that was turned back when the government was created this is an amazing accomplishment. The government is designed to be sovereign (not subject to foreign powers), socialist (devoted to equality), secular (permitting free exercise of all religions equally), democratic (universal adult franchise for everyone over 18) and a republic (elected head of state rather than a monarchy).

The legislative branch of government is the Sansad, a bicameral parliment similar to the British model. It consists of a Council of States, or Rajya Sabha, and the House of the People, or Lok Sabha. The Council of Ministers in the executive branch of government is responsible to the Lok Sabha providing some strong checks and balances. The States directly elect the 543 members of the Lok Sabha on the basis of proportional representation.

The executive branch of government consists of a President, Vice President, Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. The Council is democratically elected by the people of India. The President is elected by a special electoral college comprised of representatives from Parliament and the State legislatures. He is a largely symbolic figurehead but has the responsibility of formerly appointing the Prime Minister who must be an elected official of Parliament and is normally the head of the leading party in the Lok Sabha. If there is no leading party the head of the ruling coalition is normally chosen. In either case it is invariably someone deeply revered by the people. The current Prime Minister is Manmohan Singh, a former economist who is widely respected. The current President is Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, a former nuclear scientist. He is running for reelection in 2007. Dr. Kalam is deeply revered due to his contributions to India's nuclear capabilities which are paradoxically believed to be the strongest contribution to peace between India and Pakistan, at least that's how it was explained to me.

The judicial system is based to a large extent on British Common Law. During the 1960's India began to move away from the jury system because in practice there was a high level of corruption. Today most trials are conducted by judges. The legal system needs a post of its own, hopefully one I won't ever be in a position to write, so we'll move on.

Since India considers itself a "pure democracy" the party system here is not limited to two parties. There are numerous parties and none of them has a governing majority so they have to work in coalitions to get anything done. This leads to a lot of political participation but also a lot of local political intrigue since there are so many layers of governance in the country. The media play an important role here and frequently expose corruption on the part of various officials. Inevitably this also leads to a certain amount of hush money which seems tolerated here, albeit with some disgust, at least to hear my colleagues talk about it. They describe it as normal but are relieved when the corrupt officials fall from power or are outmanuvered by local councils with different priorities. I asked about political interference in the police and the situation is similar. There is no uniform civil code in India and that's a big platform proposal of the BJP, commonly referred to in the Western media as the Hindu Nationalist Party. Police leadership is a coveted position and obtaining key jobs requires political connections and loyalty. This can lead to unfortunate incidents like happened a few days ago on the boundry of Andhra Pradesh, where Hyderabad is located, and Maharashtra to the North of here. Labor demonstrators were lathicharged by police while trying to enter a work site. In a lathicharge people are attacked by police with long sticks, or lathi, and beaten. I have the front page of the paper with photos and extensive coverage over several days. The central government became very concerned and took action to shut down the work site pending resolution of the issue. Maharashtra ignored the order and the situation is unfolding day by day. This type of thing is not particularly unusual but often prompts demonstrations in various parts of the country. Sometimes political events prompt a Bandh, a general strike usually lasting a day. Protesters will attempt a partial shutdown of a city or important market. India has a long history of organized civil disobedience and these events can become violent if someone is caught ignoring the strike.

The Indian people put a very high values on unity of the state and speaking against it can earn you jail time. Their stated values as a nation are aimed at the creation of a welfare state where wealth is shared among all the people, not just a few. In political discourse here there are major differences between the parties at to what that means and the best way to achieve it but the tenor of the discussion on both sides would generally be considered progressive in the West.

So to end this on a personal note last night my colleague and I were taken to Twister, a local hangout just down the street from Cyber Towers which was the first tech building in Hyderabad. Along for the evening were five of our Indian colleagues who shall remain nameless. What happens in India stays in India. We had a great time eating too much food (for a fraction of the cost in the hotel), drinking rum and beer, and watching cricket while listening to 80's music. I discovered a use for my memories of 80's bands as I could stump them on most of the tunes. They tried to teach us the rules of the native sport but either we were too tired to get it or they were too tired to complete the mission. Smoking is still allowed inside here and that was kind of a drag but it fit into the ambiance and everyone had a good time. Once again we were not permitted to pay for anything and were ferried back to the hotel afterwards. When we offered to take a cab someone begged us not to, that would have set off an international incident.

More tomorrow

Memories of India - The Office

Yesterday I received my introduction to working onsite in India and although I can't share all the details due to company policy there are personal pieces of the experience that are bloggable so here we go.

My colleague and I were picked up at the hotel by the director and his driver and delivered to campus around 9:30 in the morning. Both of us were provided with private offices as visiting guests. These offices look like small conference rooms so I suspect that's what they are normally used for, almost everyone else sits in cubicals including most of the people managers. My company has offshore facilities supporting a number of product development functions as well as IT. Their infrastructure is excellent, my laptop connected immediately to their wireless net without any tweaking. We were given a tour of campus and its an amazing complex. It has two gyms with a personal trainer, two cafeterias open 24 hrs a day, onsite health care and most of the usual things we're accustomed to in American tech companies like free drinks and onsite games. Ping pong and caroms are very popular here which was cool, I haven't seen or played caroms for many years. A few gaming consoles are also provided. There is an outside theatre in the round and they stage plays there as weather permits. The nice fountains and well landscaped grounds are well kept and attractive. They have a soccer field in the front that gets used in the evenings this time of year due to the heat, this is the Indian summer season. All in all a great place to work and relax which is the stated intent.

Our meetings were productive and everyone was fully engaged but they provided enough time between meetings for decompression and other work. This is very different from the home office where my meetings are often back to back on different topics. Although the hours here are somewhat longer on average the level of stress seems much less. There is also much less randomization, at least for us in this particular project. A good portion of the team is 100% devoted to this effort which will definitately contribute toward success. I'm learning some lessons here too.

Although most of the leaders here don't have the same level of experience as many of their counterparts onshore their level of concern for people seems much greater and this is explicitely stated by management. The director in particular has set himself about the task of creating a strong team that feels like family. Every week they meet for a half hour or so and introduce the entire team to all the new hires, and there are always quite a few. We got introduced as guests along with about six new faces. Each person was asked to give their name, what they did and one word that described them. It quickly became a joke fest with one tester saying he like to destroy things and describing himself as "destructive". Everyone was made to feel a welcome part of the team and barriers between disciplines were removed before they could create problems. When it was time for lunch and dinner my "recovery food" was arranged and delivered from the hotel so we could all eat together. The senior leadership here is doing a great job of team building.

I came here to give my knowledge to this team but I'm having to learn how to receive as well. Various team members seem pleased by the opportunity to serve, I'm finding this inspiring if a bit uncomfortable as an American. People here don't display the same sense of personal space as we do in the West and are incredibly gracious. I have yet to pay for a meal although I've had wallet in hand a number of times, it's a part of their culture I'd love to export.

We finished up and ate dinner together as a team, afterwards we were delivered back to the hotel and will be picked up again this morning. The doctor says I'm fine now so I had a hearty breakfast of various things I mostly didn't recognize. All of them were delicious, I'll pay more attention tomorrow for a better report. After my brief illness I'm past the time change due to all the extra sleep but my colleague isn't doing so well and crawled into his room immediately after we were delivered from campus. I'm sure we'll get some time to see the city in the next few nights. The test manager has a tiny car he drives like a sports car through Indian traffic and promised me his legendary thrill ride through Hyderabad. Fortunately they have good health care here....

More tomorrow, thanks for listening

Memories of India - The Journey

I could smell Mumbai before I saw it, the sensual blend of heat, humidity and the passions of twenty-two million souls. Although I was got terribly ill on the flight the first few hours were still memorable. My colleague and I got a room at the Shebhash hotel for a few hours between flights, and although my adventures in the bathroom set off a pack of dogs in the street it was a perfect introduction to India. The room was small but comfortable with an in-room air conditioner lodged in the window. In the morning we proceeded to Hyderabad on an early flight and drove past Mumbai as it woke to the morning sun. Men lounged in front of their shops drinking tea and talking as business opened for the day.

India is incredibly multilayered and complex. We drove past temples, modern buildings and an enormous amount of construction on our way here from the airport. Our hotel in Hi Tech City is every bit as nice as any hotel in the West, but across the street there are people living in corrugated metal buildings. In the Mumbai airport a woman in a beautiful sari was sweeping the floor. The main streets have shops of every description, some advertising beauty products and others serving food. The country is every bit as fascinating as what I've read about it.

And then there's the traffic.... Wow. There must be rules of some kind but I fail to grasp what they are. Somewhere there must be a law that specifies the minimum amount of time between horn blasts because it seems a fairly constant drone. If there are two lanes there are at least three or four streams of traffic, motorcycles and three person cabs jockey for position with classic cabs from the 40's and 50's. At various points our driver dodged a small herd of six cattle in the road, a woman carrying a water jug on her shoulders, and others carrying bundles of various kinds through the streets. Bicycles compete with cars and motorcycles for whatever space is left. There is a huge fleet of three wheeled cabs that each take up half a lane or so. That's how they manage to deal with traffic congestion, simply ignoring the lines and cramming more vehicles into the same amount of space. We cut through traffic, merged between busses and cars, dodged careening motorcycles, and all while I was sick as a dog bouncing over holes in the road. It was amazing how few of the vehicles displayed the kind of damage I would have expected, clearly these people have developed a level of driving skill that doesn't exist in my country.

The compassion of my colleagues here is hard to describe. When the local director found out I was ill he brought the doctor from the company health center and they both visited me in the hotel. I was given a thorough exam, prescriptions and dietary instructions for recovery. Within a half hour I had all the prescribed medications and the director had personally worked with the chef to prepare the required "recovery diet" which was a concoction of boiled rice that looked like cream of wheat. It had a much better flavor when coated with sugar and a little salt just as the doctor prescribed. This stuff, in tandem with some medications labeled in both Hindi and English, worked better than anything I've had in the west. I was feeling better within a few hours and this morning I'm pretty much back to normal and was able to eat a decent breakfast of fruit, corn flakes and tea. Having had lots of experience with health care in the USA, and its absurdly high cost and inconvenience, I found the contrast interesting. I'd rather be sick in India.

So here I am in Hyderabad for my first expatriate work engagement. Although it will only last a few weeks I'm sure the memories will last a lifetime.

Thanks for listening