Agra, Finally, and a Lesson in Fashion

I'm back to blogging after moving out of my flat amid two health problems... long story, but I'm mending.

The Taj Mahal, the world's great monument to death... er, love, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for one of his wives, Mumtaz Mahal, is just as beautiful in reality as its reputation. I finally understood why people take so many uninspired photos from the front. I prefer to capture the essence of such a huge monument through detail, and use a part to represent the whole. The Taj Mahal, however, is most beautiful as a whole; it is greater than the sum of its parts. Unfortunately, it's impossible to capture that beauty on film. If you like my photos, just imagine how much more amazing it is in reality!

My attempts started at sunrise, and in the outtakes, I've shown some of the different lights reflecting from the white marble. The mosque to the west of the Taj, and the guest house to the east, are both beautiful monuments in themselves, and nearly identical, to maintain the symmetry of the Taj as a whole.

Photos are prohibited in the tomb interior, but it has the finest latticework carving, and pietra dura--or marble inlay with semi-precious stones. It also has the most incredible acoustics I've ever heard. This room had an echo of at least 15 seconds; it was difficult to tell, because the echo feedback created by the murmurs of visitors created something like a jet-engine roar.

Chini-ka-Rauza is the tomb of Allama Afzal Khan Mullah. He was the court poet for Emperor Jahangir, and the tomb is a sadly decaying example of the lost method of Kashikari tilework.

Itimad-ud-Daulah is the tomb Jehangir's wife built for her father. The carvings are lovely, and you can see some of the inspiration for the Taj Mahal in the all-white marble construction, the symmetry, and the marble inlay.

Agra Fort was rebuilt by Mughal Emperor Akbar, and is surrounded by a moat. Apparently they used to keep crocodiles, but now the water's smell is enough to keep away invaders. The second photo shows the Zenana, a courtyard surrounded by the women's apartments, and a central meeting pavilion. Genealogy note on the Mughal Emperors: Humayun - Akbar - Jehangir - Shah Jehan - Aurangzeb. Akbar was generally awesome, Aurangzeb was usually awful.

What Not to Wear! Most important: no matter what a shopkeeper says, and no matter how many places sell these pajama pants, they are not "Indian dress;" they are "ridiculous dress." They are meant to be worn with a knee-length kameez (long shirt), but this pant style is not in fashion right now. They are certainly not meant to be worn with any Western top, and definitely not meant to be tied at the knee! Secondly, both women and men should cover their shoulders and wear long pants or a long skirt. Thirdly, wear loose clothing. It's not just modest, it's actually cooler.

I fully support dress codes for all religious sites and other tourist attractions in India. If modest dress, from shoulders to ankles, is required to visit St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the same requirements in India are reasonable. Foreign women who dress immodestly reinforce the unfortunate stereotype that Western women are "easy," and make it way more difficult for people like me, who hope to be respected (and not propositioned all the time) while living here. It only takes one person dressing immodestly to get their photo in the newspaper and come to represent all Western women.

Some Canadians Visit... and Some Thoughts on the German Bakery

If you're a regular reader you probably noticed that I haven't posted a blog for a while. My mom and stepfather Kirk were visiting from London, Canada for two weeks. This past weekend I spent in Lonavala with a side trip with the Firelords overnight. That means this will be an epic blog post.

Pune became Indian front-page news February 13, 2010 when a bomb exploded at the German Bakery in the Koregaon Park neighbourhood, killing 9 people and injuring 60. It's suspected to be a terrorist bombing because the German Bakery is popular with foreign visitors and locals alike. I'm safe, and all of my friends are safe as far as I'm aware, but it has affected all of us. I took my mom and Kirk for a coffee there two weeks ago. Some friends were at the cafe only 30 minutes earlier, and other friends were driving past when the explosion happened. I'll be thinking of the families and friends of the people killed, and the recovery of the injured. For me, it's important not to be afraid. Pune is a great place to visit, and a cool city. A minority of violent people can't ruin a city for everyone else. It's important to continue with our lives and demand our right to live freely and peacefully.

The last week of January and the first week of February I showed my mom and Kirk around Pune for a week and a half, then we visited Mumbai for three days. After their flight arrived on Monday we went shopping to buy a kurta for mom at FabIndia, then walked around my neighbourhood. The men in the local sweet shop were delighted. Then a quick tour of my flat before heading for Parvati Hill. We spent a lot of time eating and riding around in autorickshaws, and I saw some new things, although I also took them to places I'd visited before.

Tuesday was the 60th anniversary of Republic Day. (India became independent in 1947, and became a republic in 1950.) We visited Shaniwar Wada, and as I promised, took a good photo of the front. Laxmi Road Market gave a good idea of how the locals shop, and since it was a holiday, it was especially packed. Kirk lagged behind because he "didn't want to shove old ladies out of the way" only to have a demonstration of an old lady shoving me out of the way.

Wednesday we visited Pune University, where I showed them my regular canteen thali. Mom had read about Alice's grave before. From there we went to Rajiv Gandhi zoo to visit the famous snake park. We were really impressed with the zoo, since there was obvious care and effort put into creating a few habitats for animals native to India, rather than trying to squeeze in as many animals as possible from around the world. All the tigers were hiding, except for the white one.

Thursday we visited the Raja Kelkar museum, which is filled with local and Indian art and tools. I've included a photo of a Yali, which is a South Indian protective demon. Perhaps this is the same creature I photographed in the Hampi carvings?

Friday we spent a quiet day, then went out with the Firelords motorcycle club for a ride. The next day, much of the same, only we met for dinner with the Firelords at Kishor's place. Sunday mom and I ate dinner with my flatmates then walked to the temple that I can see from my flat.

Monday we visited the Tribal Cultural Museum, which was small but worthwhile. I was impressed by the warli painting, the metal jewelry, and the woven baskets. From there we stopped by Mahatma Gandhi (MG) Road, where the tourists shop, and where I stayed when I first arrived in Pune.

Tuesday we travelled to Lonavala to visit the Karla and Bhaja caves. I disagreed again with my guidebook which recommended Karla for the large chaitya. I loved Bhaja because of the many water tanks, and the collection of carved stupas lining the path.

Wednesday early morning we caught the bus to Mumbai to spend three days. We stayed right by the Taj Mahal Hotel, at the Moti Mahal. The first day mom and I walked around Colaba. This time we went into Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue! On the way out we were delayed by the convoy for the German President, which continued to block our direct travels for the rest of the week. We also went into the High Court and checked out the carvings of wolves in lawyers' clothing and peeking monkeys with the scales of justice. Thursday I sent mom and Kirk to Elephanta Island.

Friday we shopped and took some photos of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus), then mom and I travelled see the dhobi ghats, Hajj Ali Mosque--because it was Friday, some men were singing devotional songs on the porch--Mahalaxmi Temple, and Chowpatty Beach for bhel puri and mango kulfi. Saturday we returned to Pune to catch their evening flight back to Canada.

This past weekend I spent in Lonavala, which included an incredibly cool trip. Sadly I don't have any photos because I wasn't prepared, and didn't bring my camera. The Firelords planned a trip to the "Slopes of Hell" (or whatever they call it) which involved each of them riding up a steep incline to the top of a mountain in the Western Ghats. The communications tower at the top justifies a "road" with steep drops to either side, loose rocks, and overgrown cobblestones. Very few of them made it up without stalling. Then we spent the night on the mountain, and rose with the sun to travel home again.

Lonavala is a hill station selling chikki at four out of five shops, unbelievable traffic at night, and gorgeous panoramic views of the Western Ghats.

Mumbai Part II: A Little Colonialism, a Little Nationalism

On second consideration I managed to bring Mumbai down to four posts. That's fortunate since I couldn't post as often as I wanted, because I was sick yesterday. One of my less charming souvienirs from Mumbai.

One evening I visited the Gateway to India, and found a commemoration of the terrorist attacks on the Taj Mahal Hotel on November 26 last year. The Gateway was completely blocked off and they had also removed all the ships from the harbour. I found the event a mix of Western and Indian notes which seemed somewhat surreal. First a marching band came down the street, playing what sounded to me like a solid European march. Then came a demonstration of Indian military might in the face of terrorism, which included teams dropping from helicopters into the sea, and onto the plaza in front of the Gateway to India, where they pointed rifles at the Taj Mahal. That part was exceptionally eerie, since one of the soldiers seemed to be aiming directly at me. It made me smile to see the construction workers on the Taj Mahal take a seat on the scaffolding to watch.

The Gateway to India was built to commemorate the visit of King Edward and Queen Mary, and was completed in 1924, but they ceremoniously showed the British the gateway out only 24 years later. The Colaba area is largely Victorian architecture, since Bombay was the British outpost back in the days of empire. When the Shiv Sena, a Hindu nationalist party was in power in Maharashtra in the 1990s, they changed many of the names to discard the colonial history. This included changing Bombay's name to Mumbai, and the international airport, Victoria Terminal, and the Prince of Wales Museum were renamed after the Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji. The museum is a beautiful building surrounded by greenery. Palm trees make everything look luxurious here.

Elphinstone College, where the Maharashtrian Dalit leader Dr. Ambedkar went to school, has some wonderful carvings on it. I found this face rather quirky, and he has a wonderful moustache. Along this road many local artists display their artwork for sale. I walked this way too early in the morning to see much, but I did buy a lovely watercolour of the Hindu god Ganesh from another early riser.

Trains seem a fitting image to cross the divide between colonial and national, from the image of the palatial Maharaj to the image of the second class car with travellers on every available surface. This toy train saves you a whole ten minute walk from the ferry landing to the foot of the stairs on Elephanta Island. I took a ride on it just for the experience!

Finally, I took a side trip to London England. Just kidding. It really felt like I had wandered somehow into Europe when I arrived at Flora Fountain, though. Fortunately the women wearing saris across the street dispelled this image, and the FILA signs brought me right into the modern day. Since I don't see many foreigners in Pune, I found myself looking at white people at the tourists sites in Mumbai the way a lot of Indians must perceive them. I saw a mix of underdressed, plump, sunburnt people, and "dirty hippies". With some horror, since I'm not plump, underdressed, and sunburnt, I suspected that I must look like a dirty hippy. I've been assured since that I look like a "decent" foreigner. I hope that's true!