I spent this weekend in the state of Rajasthan visiting the Rathambore National Park with two of my flatmates Kathy and Chuck. I was excited to use this long weekend to see some of the country. Chuck had his heart set on doing a tiger safari and Rathambore is the closest one to Delhi google maps told us 7.5 hrs. We hired a driver and left Friday morning, I should have known that google maps predicts destination time when you keep a consistent speed...but this is India and that is not how they roll! All and all the drive took 9 hours.
Our trip into Rajasthan gave me my first look into rural India. During orientation one of our speakers told us that many Western powers colonized the outside rim of India-meaning the coastal areas and today it is apparent most of the major cities (Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata etc) are very well developed but the inner land of India didn't hold as much value to them and is still developmentally lagging. The speaker called this part of India the cow belt since most of the land is used for agriculture. The cities are smaller, there are more villages, and less access to basic services and education. As I sat in the car for 9 wonderful hours I was able to see the many differences between city and rural life.
Rajasthan is naturally a dry state and has a desert in the Western half but lack of access to water and a long standing drought has made times tough for Rajasthani farmers. Jassi, our driver told us that farmers work hard to grow their crops and take them to market, but barely make enough to cover their costs and feed their families. As we left the state of Haryana where Delhi is located the landscape changed, it reminded me of pictures of Arizona and New Mexico. There are groups of trees (like mango and palm) and shrubs but there are mostly fields. The ground is very dry and dusty there are splotches of green plants in some parts but I definitely saw more red clay. I saw a lot of wheat and what I think might be hay fields, which just added to the drabness of the scenery. However, in the fields bright splotches of color dotted the fields contrasting with the red clay. These are the Rajasthani women and they have some of the most beautiful saris I've ever seen. I don't know if the colors look brighter because the scenery is so monotonous or if they just love color. I saw neon pinks, yellows, and oranges mixed and matched together. The gold trim made the blue and green fabrics look even more luxurious. I would watch these women balance bales of hay, bags of grain, pots of water, and any other parcels they had on their heads with the utmost ease. Even some of the old men had bright orange or neon green turbans. The highway connecting Delhi to Jaipur caters to the truck business. The road was lined with stalls selling engine parts, wheels, and castrol oil. The dhabas also cater to the need of truckers by setting up beds and wells for them to wash in. The rucks were of the regular variety except they were surprisingly clean given the dusty conditions. They had murals painted on the sides and back-beautiful birds, women, trees, designs, Indian flags etc. and since I had 9 hours to stare at the trucks I noticed the beautiful metal work on the edges and sides that were meticulously painted. I rarely saw a truck that had faded paint. The fronts were decorated with tinsel made into tassels, and draped with garlands of flowers, even the edges of the windshield were outlined in paint. Its obvious that these people take pride in their vehicles. I could spend another few paragraphs describing the road and driving conditions but I've decided to put that in a separate post about Indian driving in general, that needs a post all of its own!
Our car attracted a lot of attention wherever we stopped especially after we passed Jaipur (the last major tourist area). At one dhaba we stopped for chai and Chuck asked the boys if he could try cricket. When he returned all the boys just stood around and stared, as people passed they would either slow down or stop all together and just watch. They weren't being rude, they were just curious, given the lack of tourism in the area, not many foreigners travel through the small villages. We went to pay for the chai and as I turned around I feel like the group instantly multiplied! I swear people came out of nowhere and they stood around the car. As I passed a few smiled and held out their hands I shook them and smiled what else could I do?! LOL Whenever we would pass through a village and slow down for a cow to move out of the middle of the road people would gather and look into the car; I got very used to smiling and waving. I could see they were staring at my hair as well as Kathy's whose hair is more blonde than mine. While in Sawai Madhopur people would slow down to walk next to me, they didn't speak a lick of English but it didn't stop them from trying to communicate. I tried to say what little phrases I knew in Hindi, but thank goodness a smile is always universal!
Our trip into Rajasthan gave me my first look into rural India. During orientation one of our speakers told us that many Western powers colonized the outside rim of India-meaning the coastal areas and today it is apparent most of the major cities (Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata etc) are very well developed but the inner land of India didn't hold as much value to them and is still developmentally lagging. The speaker called this part of India the cow belt since most of the land is used for agriculture. The cities are smaller, there are more villages, and less access to basic services and education. As I sat in the car for 9 wonderful hours I was able to see the many differences between city and rural life.
Rajasthan is naturally a dry state and has a desert in the Western half but lack of access to water and a long standing drought has made times tough for Rajasthani farmers. Jassi, our driver told us that farmers work hard to grow their crops and take them to market, but barely make enough to cover their costs and feed their families. As we left the state of Haryana where Delhi is located the landscape changed, it reminded me of pictures of Arizona and New Mexico. There are groups of trees (like mango and palm) and shrubs but there are mostly fields. The ground is very dry and dusty there are splotches of green plants in some parts but I definitely saw more red clay. I saw a lot of wheat and what I think might be hay fields, which just added to the drabness of the scenery. However, in the fields bright splotches of color dotted the fields contrasting with the red clay. These are the Rajasthani women and they have some of the most beautiful saris I've ever seen. I don't know if the colors look brighter because the scenery is so monotonous or if they just love color. I saw neon pinks, yellows, and oranges mixed and matched together. The gold trim made the blue and green fabrics look even more luxurious. I would watch these women balance bales of hay, bags of grain, pots of water, and any other parcels they had on their heads with the utmost ease. Even some of the old men had bright orange or neon green turbans. The highway connecting Delhi to Jaipur caters to the truck business. The road was lined with stalls selling engine parts, wheels, and castrol oil. The dhabas also cater to the need of truckers by setting up beds and wells for them to wash in. The rucks were of the regular variety except they were surprisingly clean given the dusty conditions. They had murals painted on the sides and back-beautiful birds, women, trees, designs, Indian flags etc. and since I had 9 hours to stare at the trucks I noticed the beautiful metal work on the edges and sides that were meticulously painted. I rarely saw a truck that had faded paint. The fronts were decorated with tinsel made into tassels, and draped with garlands of flowers, even the edges of the windshield were outlined in paint. Its obvious that these people take pride in their vehicles. I could spend another few paragraphs describing the road and driving conditions but I've decided to put that in a separate post about Indian driving in general, that needs a post all of its own!
Our car attracted a lot of attention wherever we stopped especially after we passed Jaipur (the last major tourist area). At one dhaba we stopped for chai and Chuck asked the boys if he could try cricket. When he returned all the boys just stood around and stared, as people passed they would either slow down or stop all together and just watch. They weren't being rude, they were just curious, given the lack of tourism in the area, not many foreigners travel through the small villages. We went to pay for the chai and as I turned around I feel like the group instantly multiplied! I swear people came out of nowhere and they stood around the car. As I passed a few smiled and held out their hands I shook them and smiled what else could I do?! LOL Whenever we would pass through a village and slow down for a cow to move out of the middle of the road people would gather and look into the car; I got very used to smiling and waving. I could see they were staring at my hair as well as Kathy's whose hair is more blonde than mine. While in Sawai Madhopur people would slow down to walk next to me, they didn't speak a lick of English but it didn't stop them from trying to communicate. I tried to say what little phrases I knew in Hindi, but thank goodness a smile is always universal!
Innocent smiles, heartfelt smiles, curious smiles.. all smiles beamed at you makes every moment in this journey a worthwhile experience aah!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful! Remember, you are an American Ambassador!
ReplyDeleteMiss you,
Dad