Today the weather in Pune got up to 34C which is about 95 F. That is actually much cooler than other parts of India. My roommates told me that Pune is actually one of two cities that is desirable to be in during the hot summer; I forgot what the other city was. I also checked the temperatures in other cities: Varanasi was like 106F, Mumbai was about 100F but humidity is 66%, Agra (Taj Mahal) was like 111-113F and Mathura the other unbearable city that I was in last week was about the same w/ high humidity. The temperature in Pune was bearable but I had to really soak my shirt w/ water at 3 in the afternoon to cool down my body--even though I was inside the whole time. The apartment lacks air condition.
The whole day was spent studying Sanskrit and catching up on the news. I subscribe to the digital edition of the UK Guardian. My roommates depend on me as a source of information. I haven’t read much of Indian politics other than the fact that the country is trying to play catch up with China for oil in Africa. India imports 70% of its oil. I have said this before and I’ll say it again: India has the talent but lack the will-power to get anything done efficiently.
Because I am holed up in the apartment for most of the week, every weekend I am planning to travel around India. This weekend (sometime Friday afternoon, I will take a 3 hour bus ride to Mumbai. My roommates still need to help me make arrangements. In Mumbai, I will probably go to the Ajanta and Ellora caves which have really beautiful Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain statues. The plan is to go there on Saturday and explore Mumbai on Sunday and head home. At first I wanted to spend just one weekend in Ajanta and Ellora, but Vikas recommended that I should spend just one day instead of an entire weekend.
Today I found out that Ranjeet is in his late 20s...was it 29? He got married when he was 25, and he has a wife and two children back home in Bihar...both are very young-- one is a year and a half and the other is probably about two and a half. For lunch he made some really good dosas, much better than the one I had at the restaurant for brunch on Sunday. The dosas was crunchy and tasty. He’ll be gone for ten days for his brother-in-law’s wedding and in his place is a woman who will come only in the evening to cook us dinner. What am I going to do for lunch?
Here in India, Ranjeet is the domestic servant, and it is this part of India that I find unattractive and very uncomfortable with. Unless it’s my mom, I am not used to anyone serving me or cleaning after my mess. As an American, I feel that there is something fundamentally wrong to have another human being who I considered as an equal be my servant. As a Buddhist, I feel very guilty to have someone serve me when it should be the other way around...I’ve always been taught that we are born to serve others, not to be attended upon as if we’re masters.
I also tried explaining to my roommates that in America, unless you make tons of money, you are expected to clean after yourself...b/c surely no one is going to clean after you. If you want dinner, you either make it yourself or go out. Unless you live with your family or at home with your parents, no one is going to clean after your mess. But here in India, it is entirely opposite. Here a woman comes everyday to wash our clothes, dishes, and sweep the house. She spends an hour everyday in the apartment cleaning after our mess. She also has other houses that she goes to as well, and my roommate said that despite doing all of this, she makes less than $250/month which is hardly enough to live on.
I still need to read much more on Gandhi and his beliefs, but I think that he was also very much against domestic servants. In the movie, he even forced his wife to clean the privy and when his wife refused and said that it was beneath her to do so and that such work was for the Untouchables, he almost threw her out of his house. I think that it is safe to say that discrimination is widespread in India. Servants tend to be darker skin; I have yet to see a light-skinned servant. You have light-skinned airplane attendants who come from upper-class families and my roommates told me that you will rarely see dark-skinned Bollywood actresses and that if you do, they mainly play the villains. India still has a long way to go in terms of social equality.
The whole day was spent studying Sanskrit and catching up on the news. I subscribe to the digital edition of the UK Guardian. My roommates depend on me as a source of information. I haven’t read much of Indian politics other than the fact that the country is trying to play catch up with China for oil in Africa. India imports 70% of its oil. I have said this before and I’ll say it again: India has the talent but lack the will-power to get anything done efficiently.
Because I am holed up in the apartment for most of the week, every weekend I am planning to travel around India. This weekend (sometime Friday afternoon, I will take a 3 hour bus ride to Mumbai. My roommates still need to help me make arrangements. In Mumbai, I will probably go to the Ajanta and Ellora caves which have really beautiful Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain statues. The plan is to go there on Saturday and explore Mumbai on Sunday and head home. At first I wanted to spend just one weekend in Ajanta and Ellora, but Vikas recommended that I should spend just one day instead of an entire weekend.
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| Yummy! Crusts very well done. |
I also tried explaining to my roommates that in America, unless you make tons of money, you are expected to clean after yourself...b/c surely no one is going to clean after you. If you want dinner, you either make it yourself or go out. Unless you live with your family or at home with your parents, no one is going to clean after your mess. But here in India, it is entirely opposite. Here a woman comes everyday to wash our clothes, dishes, and sweep the house. She spends an hour everyday in the apartment cleaning after our mess. She also has other houses that she goes to as well, and my roommate said that despite doing all of this, she makes less than $250/month which is hardly enough to live on.
I still need to read much more on Gandhi and his beliefs, but I think that he was also very much against domestic servants. In the movie, he even forced his wife to clean the privy and when his wife refused and said that it was beneath her to do so and that such work was for the Untouchables, he almost threw her out of his house. I think that it is safe to say that discrimination is widespread in India. Servants tend to be darker skin; I have yet to see a light-skinned servant. You have light-skinned airplane attendants who come from upper-class families and my roommates told me that you will rarely see dark-skinned Bollywood actresses and that if you do, they mainly play the villains. India still has a long way to go in terms of social equality.
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