It would be wrong not to recognise the extra day we have this year. All over social media we are being reminded of the fact it is a Leap Year. Facebook is even posting in timelines reminding people of the fact and asking what we are doing with the extra day? Wow – the pressure! We have an extra day and we really should do something wonderful with it – all that extra time we have that we don’t usually get. Yes that pressure. The reality is that most people will spend it the same way as any other day – working, shopping, doing the chores, watching TV etc. Nothing special at all because the reality is that is what life is like. It won’t feel like we have an extra day – it’s just another day in another week.
Yes there may be some people who will find this day a special one. Those who have their birthdays today (called ‘leaplings’) will enjoy celebrating their birthday on their actual birthday. Some ladies will take the opportunity to pop the question and propose marriage to their partners (a tradition from the UK and Ireland Wikipedia tells us). Whereas Greeks consider it unlucky to get married in a Leap Year.
I must admit that it never occurred to me before now how other countries accommodate the extra day in a Leap Year – I merely assumed everyone did the same. However, there are calculations and reasons why different regions do different things. Now nothing could bore me more than talking about stars, planets and the solar systems so I’ll let you, dear reader, look up the facts if you so wish. I’m not going to regurgitate them here.
So I’m in Bangalore and the extra day has pretty much gone unremarked here. The Indian National Calendar organise their leap years so that the leap day is always close to 29th February in the Gregorian calendar. This makes it easy to convert dates to or from Gregorian.
In the Hindu calendar (also known as Vikram Samvat), which is a lunisolar calendar, this month is called ‘adhika maasa’ (extra month) and occurs once every 33 to 34 months. This compensates for the approximately eleven fewer days per year in twelve lunar months than the solar calendar. Hindu festivals tend to occur within a given span of the Gregorian calendar. For example: the No Moon during Diwali festival occurs between mid – October and mid – November. The calendar followed in some parts of South India (mainly in Tamil Nadu) is solar. It has a leap year every four years.
So what did I actually do with my extra day? Well I had to deal with security on the complex being ‘disrespectful’ to my housekeeper (allegedly- I’m still investigating); trying to get an electrician to fix the outside lights (unsuccessful); asking the painters to repaint our house number they’ve just painted over (next week apparently); trying to get the Aircon fixed (unsuccessful); doing the grocery shopping and school run with our borrowed driver as well as catching up on emails etc. Nothing notable. Nothing interesting. Just another day in the life of an expat living in Bangalore.
What did you do with yours? Whatever you did, enjoy your Leap Year extra day.
Car bumps are inevitable at some stage in a driver’s life. Everyone makes mistakes and that is what insurance is for. It’s a bit of a different ball game in Bangalore. Recent accidents have resulted in ‘foreigners’ (for want of a better word) passing by being attacked, stripped and beaten whilst the police look on and do nothing. It’s a scary thought and one you don’t ever want to encounter.
So when our driver turns the car left into the back end of another car in a traffic jam there is an inevitable bump. I sighed, I knew the man in front was going to be justifiably angry that we just went into the back of him. He got out of the car and remonstrated with our driver. Now I don’t speak Hindi/Kannada/Telegu but I understood enough to know that he wanted us to pull over to check the vehicles. That’s fair enough I thought and exactly what would have happened in the UK. The driver got back in his car and pulled over at a convenient lay-by. Our driver drove on straight past him.
My jaw dropped and I quickly looked around out of the back window. My gut feeling was he was going to chase us. I got my phone out ready to take pictures if necessary. He did chase us and he soon caught up in Bangalore traffic. Both cars still being driven, albeit slowly, and both drivers shouting and jesticulating to each other. I discreetly get my phone out and video. I’ve never seen our driver get so mad and frankly I didn’t understand why – it was our fault, we drove into the back of the other car. Much more shouting and jesticulating and the other car now drives around us to the other side. I’m genuinely scared now and even more determined to keep videoing in case it gets worse. This is escalating out of control and now I don’t want to stop for fear of what might happen. Cars behind us are being held up and there is a lot of car horn usage (although to be fair that’s not unusual in Bangalore).
Thankfully we reach a junction and we go one way and the other car and driver go the other. I stop videoing. I’m physically shaking now and my stomach is doing flips. Our driver starts talking in English trying to justify his actions by saying there’s nothing wrong with the other car. Hardly the point. I stare at him, angry and scared but don’t say a word. The journey continues in silence until we reach home.
I immediately log on to the wifi and send the video to Rez at work. HR translated the exchange. Lots of expletives and violent expressions and an immediate disciplinary hearing this evening for our driver.
I’m drinking a G&T trying to calm my nerves.
It’s going to be a fun few days ahead with a driver who has had a disciplinary that’s for sure. (And that’s British sarcasm for those of you who don’t recognise it!).
We learned via various WhatsApp groups that the Japan Habba was happening. We have never been to one before so decided to venture out and see what it was all about. It was held at the atrium of the central college campus of Bangalore University. We had no idea where it was but Google Maps did so we arrived nice and early at 10:30am before the crowds streamed in. We were greeted by people in traditional Japanese attire and asked to register whereupon we were given a guide book.
Chochin
This is the 12th such festival and it aims to promote the culture of both nations and encourage dignity and respect for each nation. This year the theme was “Chochin” with the tag line “guiding light”. A Chochin is a unique Japanese paper lantern covered with expandable structure paper on the frame supported by bamboos having a hole in the top portion to exhaust the smoke. A candle stands on the bottom and the light is protected from the wind via the paper. Now light bulbs are used instead of candles. “Tei” means the lamp can be carried or hung up. There were plenty on display at various locations.
Displays and Demonstrations
There was a display of Japanese flower arranging called Ikebana. Minimalist is probably how I would describe it.
There was Yukata trial dressing ie dress up in the traditional dress and have a photo with it on. This was very busy all day- people really seemed to enjoy it.
The Japanese school of Bangalore was teaching calligraphy throughout the day. There was a calligraphy trial where you could learn to draw Kanjis. Zahra had a go and managed the word flowers.
There was a Japanese book sale, a toy corner (Zahra had a go at a version of cup and ball), ‘Discovery Japan’ with DVD screenings of festivals and cultures in Japan, origami and a full program of entertainment on the main stage.
Some very impressive origami
There was a food court selling various foods including handmade chocolates and sushi. We saw one expat family come only to purchase a lot of sushi to take away- it was a popular stall!
Japanese Tea Ceremony
Tea ceremony by Oga-shachu
The highlight for us though was watching a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony. The ritual involved was fascinating. For the cha-no-yu a special powdered green tea is used called matcha. Hot water from the pot (“Kama”) is poured into the bowl (“chawan”) using a long handled ladle (“hishaku”). This is then stirred with something that looks like a shaving brush (“chasen”). To receive the tea one must bow and receive the chawan with the right hand and place it on the palm of the left hand. Then the chawan must be rotated clockwise twice with the right hand. After drinking the tea the drinker wipes the part of the chawan which the lips touched with the right hand, and rotates the chawan counterclockwise then returns it to the host.
It was a lot to remember for first timers and we saw a lot of people forgetting which way to turn the bowls. The tea was also very strong green tea which looked more like a paste than liquid. We were happy to watch others enjoy the experience.
It was an enjoyable morning out (and noticeably clean and tidy for Bangalore).
One of the things that strikes a visitor to India is the stark contrast between rich and poor. Vast opulent office buildings and housing complexes are side by side with slums and shanty dwellings. Poverty is everywhere and the stench fills the air. India may have a space program and Bangalore may be marketed as the Silicon Valley of India (without the infrastructure!) but I sat and watched an old lady beg at the side of a road whilst I waited for Rez.
As soon as I spotted her sat amidst the rubbish I got out of the car and handed her some money. She was grateful and thanked me (a rarity amongst beggars here). I got back in the car and whilst I waited I watched. I watched the rich young Bangalorians walk by ignoring her pleas. Gucci handbags, western clothes and an attitude of entitlement flounced passed her. The first person to stop was a young man on his own. He patiently waited for her to see him and handed her some cash. A couple nearby spotted him and as if compelled by guilt they then reached into their pockets and handed her some change. I watched for about 30 mins as groups walked by and yet others stopped and acknowledge her and gave her cash. One young man also bent down and touched her feet (she was shoeless) – a sign of respect for the elderly.
The thing is this is a common sight all over Bangalore. There are some desperately poor people begging at the side of the road, selling anything they can and knocking on car windows at junctions. We keep a supply of coins in the car just for such occasions – despite locals advising us not to give to beggars, we do.
Hunger Facts
Hunger remains the No.1 cause of death in the world. There are 820 million chronically hungry people in the world, 1/3rd of of whom live in India.
836 million Indians survive on less than 20 INR (20p) a day. Over 200m Indians will sleep hungry every night. India has 212 million undernourished people – a figure which hasn’t changed much in the last 20 years.
Over 7,000 Indians die of hunger every day. Just read that again. 7,000 every single day because of hunger. And India has a Space program. Read that and weep. Over 2.5m Indians die of hunger every year.
Almost 50 percent of Indian children are underweight and more than 70 percent of the women and children have serious nutritional deficiencies such as anemia. During 2006 – 2007, malnutrition contributed to seven million Indian children dying, nearly two million before the age of one. 30% of newborns have a low birth weight, 56% of married women are anaemic and 79% of children age 6-35 months are anaemic.
Eradicating hunger was one of the key Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. The target is to end hunger by 2030 and ensure food access to all parts of the population. Organisations like UNICEF are helping countries by supplying them with essential micronutrients and Feeding India (a not for profit youth organisation based in Dehli) are channelling excess food from individuals, corporates, weddings and restaurants to the ones in need. Food wastage can be converted into food security for others.
The Government of India has a current 5 year plan (2013-17) which includes the National Food Security Act 2013 which empowers more than 800m to legally claim their right to highly subsidised staple foods. The Targeted Public Distribution System (‘TPDS’) serves around 65m of the poorest families with monthly supplies of wheat, rice, sugar and kerosene oil. There is also the Mid-Day-Meal (‘MDM’) school feeding programme to boost nutrition of children. (Source: World Food Programme)
What would work?
The obvious answer to this is an efficient taxation system and the redistribution of wealth. The stark contrast between rich and poor is extraordinary. But why does the sticking plaster of a food security act stop at such basics? Surely poor people are also entitled to fruit, vegetables, milk or anything else to sustain a healthy diet? But of course there is the cost – the debt ridden Government here does not have the funds for the astronomical bill that is mounting for the food act already. Wealth creation is needed to have economic power, productivity and competitiveness- hence why the current government is enticing foreign investors and companies to set up base here. Businesses bring jobs and money (and tax). It is a long road ahead and it is strewn by the bodies of the poor who starving on the way.
Yesterday got a bit interesting. We share a housekeeper with a neighbour and fellow RR international assignee. She came to work yesterday a little flustered so of course I asked what the matter was.
“A snake, madam, a snake”she says. She now has my fight or flight mode on full alert. Now I don’t mind snakes as my brother used to keep them when we were children, but this is India, they’re a bit dangerous here. I asked where it was as calmly as I can muster. “Outside the door of the other Sir”. I relax. It’s not in or near our house but at our neighbours. “OK, tell me more” I say.
So she turns up for work at our neighbour’s house and stops on the drive as there is a snake outside the front door. She calls for help and a couple of maids come to assist. They all look at the snake – a King Cobra. She’s not stepping over that to get into the house, and anyway there could be more inside. (I simply wouldn’t have got that close to identify it!).
After some discussion (yes, I know – a discussion! What is there to discuss?!) they decide to call security to come and move it. It’s a Hindu country so unwelcome animals are not killed but simply moved on. By the time security arrive the snake has slithered into the hole in the wall leading to the guest bedroom. They search and search but they can’t find it.
Well, that’s all ok then they think. Except this happened on Monday and I was told about it on Wednesday. Our neighbour had been sleeping in a house with potentially a very unwelcome visitor. Our housekeeper asked me to tell him. So I immediately send him a message. It turns out that our neighbour’s driver also knew there was a snake about and failed to mention it to him.
On returning home from work Rez and our neighbour, armed with two tennis rackets (I’m not kidding), go to the house to check for snakes. They undertook a thorough search but couldn’t find anything. They then reported it to the complex manager who is arranging a snake catcher today. They spray “special medicine” to make the snake go away and keep it away.
In the meantime, we had a house guest last night who understandably didn’t want to sleep in a house with a King Cobra slithering around. After all it is the world’s longest venomous snake!
It’s certainly something that wouldn’t have happened in the UK. #IncredibleIndia indeed.
The temporary book nook at Stonehill International School
Last week was book week at Stonehill International School and it was fabulous. There was real excitement all week about reading books. Zahra was of course in here element being an avid reader – she absolutely loved it.
Book Fair
The primary hall was transformed into two books shops all week. It really was very impressive. There was a huge range of books and of course we purchased quite a few from both shops. There was a fun leader board for each class to see which class had bought the most books. Zahra was also given book marks, a backpack and a pen as she purchased so many.
Book Nook
A story telling area was set up outside. A sofa and cushions surrounded by flowing silks in the sun made an ideal reading area. Teachers read children stories during breaks and lunchtime.
Swap Shop
From Monday to Wednesday children were invited to bring in any unwanted books in good condition to exchange them for tokens which can be used to choose books from the other donations. Zahra donated 14 books (the recommended limit was 5!). She was so excited on Wednesday to go to the Sawp Shop to collect 14 new books. She eagerly showed me them all when she came home – delighted with her new range of books to read.
Stonehill Joke Book
Throughout the week the children we asked to submit jokes for the Stonehill joke book. Zahra took this as a personal challenge and wrote so many jokes down and submitted them all. (After she had tried them out on us for effectiveness!). The best jokes will appear in the joke book. Zahra won a prize (another book!) at the end of the week for her jokes.
Zahra with her prize for her joke book entries
Visiting Author
Bruce Hale was the visiting author in the school on Tuesday. He read his books and led workshops for the children on writing.he also signed copies of his books at the book fair. Zahra purchased two.
Chet Geko
Chet Geko is the “mysterious detective” in voting author Bruce Hale’s books. The children were asked to create a new villain for Chet Geko to face.
Book Reviews
Throughout the week the children were asked to submit reviews of books. There were prizes handed out at the special assembly at the end of the week.
Book Character Parade
At the end of the week was the book character parade. Children and teachers all dressed up as their famous book character. Zahra chose a girl hero from the Percy Jackson set of books. The outfits were amazing, both home made and bought. One whole class came as Mr Men characters. It was really impressive. The head of primary came as Azlan. A brave choice considering the 31C temperatures! The children paraded around the school grounds led by a band. It was such fun.
the book parade band
It was such a fun week for Zahra at school and one that she will remember for a long time. A fabulous book week.
Zahra enjoying sunrise on the beach in Pondicherry Oh I do like to be beside the seaside, oh I do like to be beside the sea
The old English song comes into my head as we wake up to the sound of the waves lapping onto the beach. I love the sea. I was born beside the sea in Southport and grew up there. I lived for many years in Southsea, Portsmouth – right on the seafront initially. I have a lot of lovely seaside related memories. It is something I have learned I miss a lot. Living in landlocked Derby in the UK for the best part of 15 years taught me how much I like the fresh sea air and a bracing breeze. Sunday afternoon walks are just not the same without them. Bangalore is also landlocked in the south of India and has no fresh air at all. I was therefore genuinely excited about the prospect of getting to the sea again (the last time was Goa in November).
I won’t bore you with the frankly terrible journey by road to get there. The guide book stated it would take 3.5 hours, Google maps said 5.5 hours but it actually took us 8 hours on the ‘national highway’ come dirt track. We arrived at the hotel at 1 am having expected to be there by 8.30pm the previous evening.
We booked the holiday once again through Kamalan Travel, who are proving to be brilliant frankly. They arranged the hotel, drivers accommodation and guide for Saturday morning. In addition gave us the recommendation to visit the Golden Temple in Vellore (see separate blog post on that). We stayed at Le Pondy, a lovely beachfront hotel with a pool. We had a seaview room on the first floor. The view was stunning. Waking up to sunrise over the sea was simply beautiful.
Zahra enjoying sunrise from the balcony
We quickly headed to the beach to enjoy the warm waves of the Indian Ocean lapping at our feet as the sun rose bright in the sky. The gentle warm breeze and fresh sea air were a tonic for the soul (and frankly my recovering body). We paddled and splashed about for a while watching the local fishermen in their small boats moving from one location to another hoping for a better and bigger catch. After a while we headed back to the hotel to wake up a sleepy Rez and head down for breakfast (a rather splendid buffet affair).
Pondicherry
Pondicherry is a former French colony on the south east coast of India and one of the few places in India that the French colonial past can be experienced. We were guided on a heritage walk through the French Quarter by Ashok Panda from INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage). He is pleasingly enthuastic about his work and the work of INTACH in trying to save and restore and control new bulilds in the French style in the French quarter. We were able to walk along the the streets, maintained to a European standard, without rubbish anywhere in sight. It was really refreshing to be able to just walk around the streets looking at buildings, listening to Ashok informing us about the past of each building and what was done to save and restore them. This is a rarity in India and impossible in Bangalore.
Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges
Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges
We headed into the Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges (literally ‘the church of Our Lady of Angels’) known locally as the French Church. The church front looks out to the Bay of Bengal over a garden and a statue of Joan of Arc, armoured and carrying a battle standard. The garden and statue were gifted by a politician and industrialist before his return to France in 1919. The church underwent a a major renovation between 2009-2012 led by the Pondicherry Heritage Association when the interior and exterior were completely repainted.
Our guide, Ashok Panda, from INTACH
By midday it was 32C and we headed back to the welcome coolness of the hotel Palais De Mahe where we enjoyed a cold glass of water whilst Ashok told us more about the town’s history and development.
Goubert Avenue
We took a short walk along the promenade on Goubert Avenue. It’s a long promenade with a wall to the raised beach and rocky edge to the sea (a bit of a drop frankly!). There’s a old jetty and a statue of Gandhi at one end and a governor of Pondicherry at the other, with various statues and monuments along the way – Joan of Arc being one. It’s pleasant enough but the lack of cafes and restaurants for an ice cream or coffee stop made the heat unbearable and the walk a short one, especially as I burnt my feet on the sand – scorching! We headed back to the hotel for a relaxing afternoon by the pool and trying keep Zahra’s plaster dry in a carry bag whilst she played in the shallow part of the pool!
Madame Shanthes
In the evening we headed back into Pondicherry to try out a local restaurant recommended in the guide book. We would normally go from personal recommendations but we had none for here. I’m glad we booked – it was a popular place and busy. We saw them turn away at least 10 people as they were full. Madame Shanthes is a rooftop restaurant and you can eat inside or outside. Inside is still open at the sides but has a rush roof. The waiters were friendly and helpful and made suggestions from the menu. I went for catch of the day – white snapper – it was delicious. (And considering it stayed down after 3 days of eating nothing I was really relieved).
Sunday morning was spent on the beach and having a leisurely breakfast before checking out and heading off to visit The Golden Temple in Vellore; Refreshed from my intake of fresh sea air and the sound of waves.
A picture of the Golden Temple taken from the guide book
The Golden Temple really is a marvel for the eyes. Anyone who has visited the Palace of Versailles will tell you that you do become overwhelmed with the amount of ornate gold; the Golden Temple is a similar experience. It is simply too much to take in all the ornate work in gold that the temple is covered with. Carvings of elephants, birds, swans, pheasants adorn the sides, columns, roof and ceiling of this temple. It is truly remarkable and breathtaking – jaw dropping in fact. Jaw dropping also is the amount of gold used – 1.5 tonnes in total. (1.5 metric tonnes of gold is currently valued at around £41m.)
The Golden Temple and grounds – a picture taken from the guide book
The building of the temple started in 1999 and was completed in 2007. It is situated in 100 acre green landscaped gardens in the middle of a star shaped covered path which you have to walk around to get to the temple itself. The path is surrounded by sign ages boards in English or Hindi each giving a ‘message’ of ‘truth and righteousness’.
It is “tipped” to be the world’s largest golden temple and is one of the most visited shrines in the world. It averages 20,000 visitors a day, 40,000 during school holidays and 70,000 during festivals. Thankfully we visited on a normal day and weren’t too overwhelmed. That was after the intial surge of people surrounding us as soon as we arrived. We only saw one other white person (a lovely Australian lady) the whole time we were there.
Entering the complex
After being accosted by an elderly lady speaking loudly to us in Hindi we just stopped mid track and waited (experience has taught us to just stop) – seconds later another visitor approached us and spoke to us in English. He wanted a picture with us and his family as they had never seen a white person before (which is also quite a common occurrence outside the city). As he spoke excellent English I asked what the lady was shouting at us for. He explained that Rez needed to cover his legs (he was wearing long shorts) to enter the temple and she was trying to sell us a cloth to cover his legs for 100 INR. The kind man paid for it for us after he took several photos. We ventured inside only to be greeted immediately by several people jesticulating about Rez’s camera. An official guide came over and rescued us. He introduced us to an English speaking guide who explained that there could be no electronics whatsoever in the temple – no cameras, phones, iPads – nothing. We also had to leave our shoes. Now we had just sent our driver on a break for lunch so we couldn’t put the equipment in the car. With some reluctance we deposited several thousand pounds worth of equipment with the deposit cage (60 INR for everything to be looked after). To be fair, it was secure, everything was sealed and tagged but we were so relieved when we got everything back at the end of the visit. There was no way any electronics were getting into the complex – two security gates and airport style bag and body scanners ensured nothing got through.
Entry was 504 INR each (9 is a significant number here) and children have free entry. Now the 504 entry was for a special ticket to actually get to sit in the temple (and pray if that was your religion) a cheaper 250 INR ticket could be bought to look inside the temple but not actually go in. The guide grouped us together with a JapaneseThe Golden Temple really is a marvel for the eyes. Anyone who has visited the Palace of Versailles will tell you that you do become overwhelmed with the amount of ornate gold; the Golden Temple is a similar experience. It is simply too much to take in all the ornate work in gold that the temple is covered with. Carvings of elephants, birds, swans, pheasants adorn the sides, columns, roof and ceiling of this temple. It is truly remarkable and breathtaking – jaw dropping in fact. Jaw dropping also is the amount of gold used – 1.5 tonnes in total. (1.5 metric tonnes of gold is currently valued at around £41m.)
images of the Golden Temple taken from the guide book The Golden Temple
As we approached the temple itself we were split into separate lines – a line closer to the temple for those who had paid the extra and an outside line for those with the cheaper tickets. A mesh fence separated us. As we walked around the moat of the temple people were praying holding coins on their heads and then tossing them in the moat. The guide explained that these prayers would become roots of things to grow in the water. Zahra refused the offer to do the same, despite being quite eagerly pressed to do so; I was so pleased she stood firm in her own faith without any prompting from me. There were also bells on the ceiling to ring as we walked around the moat of the temple.
When we entered the temple itself we had to go through floor to ceiling cages (for want of a better description) underneath the temple gain ensuring the split of visitors – it was a bit surreal. When we emerged there were two queues. The one on the left moved progressively. People looked in the temple at the God and quickly said a prayer and moved on. They then walked passed a priest who was holding a golden cone, who quickly placed it on their heads, said something and they walked on. I later found out that this gold cone represented the god’s feet and it was a blessing to have the one’s head touched by god’s feet. The priest was giving a blessing.
We were in the right hand side queue. This was the queue to enter and sit in the temple, which we did after a short wait. We were surrounded by Hindu worshippers who were praying fervently looking at the statue of their god. The appeared to be some sort of ceremony being performed but no one explained what was happening so Rez, Zahra and I sat quietly admiring the architecture, detail and vast amounts of gold used for this temple. It was truly a magnificent piece of work which could be appreciated.
After the ceremony had finished we exited the temple (avoiding the ‘blessing’) and waited for our Japanese tourist and his friend to finish their specific prayer offering to the god. Whilst we were waiting one of the young priests cakes and chatted to Zahra encouraging her to use Hindi. Lots of people walking passed wanted to touch Zahra’s face (a common term of endearment to children here)- she manged to avoid most but got her chin pulled and cheek pinched a couple of times. She was not happy as people are not gentle.
contents of the gift bag given to those who entered the temple Gift bag
The guide eventually returned with the other tourists and gave us a bag each containing a coconut sweet from the god, bindi, a wrist string to remind us of our visit (and prayers if you prayed), a couple of pictures of the god and the priest who’s vision this was and a guide book.
My thoughts on the experience
We were led out along the long path back to the entrance to gather our belongings. We had walked 2km and it had taken 2 hours to visit. It is a truly stunning piece of architecture in serene surroundings but my overwhelming thought, as a Christian, the whole time I was there was of the golden calf in Exodus 32. Aaron built The Israelites an idol in the form of a golden calf whilst Moses was spending 40 nights on Mount Sinai in the presence of God. Those Israelites who did not repent were killed – idol worship being a sin. The comparison here was direct – people worshipping an idol in a golden temple. It ran through my mind over and over. It was saddening to the soul.
I’m sat drinking Dioralyte and reading the paper. It’s all I have the energy for after my body, yet again, violently expelled unwanted items in my body. A full night without any sleep, and your stomach doing crunches constantly, is exhausting. The Dioralyte actually tastes ok – a sign my body is craving lost minerals. The repetitive incidents are starting to have a cumulative effect I think – they’re getting worse, if that was at all possible. Not that I am losing any weight – I’m not doing any exercise at the moment; the lack of energy isn’t helping with that. I need more sleep and I need to eat something – but my stomach responds with a involuntary crunch at the thought. I’m not risking it. I’ll stick with water and Dioralyte for now.
It’s frankly shocking how much it affects the body. As well as the obvious effects there is the sore throat and nose from violently vomiting. There is the stomach ache associated with these things but also a different stomach ache later as your body feels it’s done circuit training with a sadistic personal trainer. There is the loss of concentration – the brain turns inwards and focuses constantly on the stomach – everything revolves around those involuntary crunches, water and whether I can risk a bit of food. I cannot deal with the simple tasks – not that anything is simple here – but the shopping won’t be being done today for example. I simply do not have the energy do deal with the multiple store trips and language barrier. Doing anything technical work wise is impossible – I simply can’t concentrate. I just feel vulnerable and want to be looked after. But I am 5000+ miles away from the UK and all my family and friends. Rez is at work and Zahra is at school. So I decide to write a blog post instead – it’s taking a while.
I’m sat here (in between the dashes to the toilet, which thankfully are becoming more infrequent – but you know I must be nearing empty by now) trying to restore my energy levels, and I read The Times of India.
What the Papers Say
On page 6 there is an article titled: ‘Child brides born out of poverty, lack of security’. Now to be fair, pages 1 and 2 are taken up with yet more leopard sightings in Bangalore city (thankfully for us they’re in the East and we’re in the North) but why this article is relegated to page 6 is beyond me, but perhaps an indication of the resignation of the issue at hand.
The number of underage marriages the Child Marriage Prohibition Cell (‘CMPC’) (established in 2011) stopped was 1,412 in the last 2 years in Kannataka alone. Children are forcibly removed from schools and married. Now this evokes a lot of emotion around child protection in schools and how this could actually happen but those questions remain unanswered in this article as the focus is on child marriage. The acceptance that this happens is quite alarming. (Although it does give some explanation of the myriad of G4S security guards they have at Zahra’s school.)
According to the CMPC the reasons cited most often for child marriage were financial constraints and lack of security for women, even in the domestic sphere. Parents are worried about girls security at home when they are at work. They fear they “may fall prey to sexual violence as well as social atrocities” the article states. Parents also have to pay a small dowry if the girl is under 18 “as the groom’s family demands more, both in cash and in kind, for an adult bride,”. There is no discussion or analysis about either of these issues and whether anything is being done about it. The focus is how many child marriages have been prevented.
Dowries
It is difficult for a westerner to understand the payment of a dowry. It is such an outdated concept paying the groom and his family for your daughter or sister to be married. It is big business here. Our wonderful G4S driver has a sister getting married next month and he is worried about how much he will have to contribute to the dowry – and he has a father and 4 brothers chipping in. Not only money exchanges hands – goods and chattels are too as well as a lot of gold jewellery. (They literally do wear their wealth here – status is everything (after your caste I suspect).) It is just accepted practice and unfathomable to me.
Violence against women
The other issue mentioned but not discussed in the article is the violence against women. The fact that women cannot feel safe in their own home is alarming. The fact that there is little the police do when these crimes are reported is also alarming. The police can refuse to even record a complaint without any investigation if they think there has been no crime – it’s so arbitrary and of course open to corruption.
It is truly a sad states of affairs. The position of women in Indian society has got to advance into the modern era. Men are letting this happen – they need to stand up for their daughters, wives and sisters and say enough is enough. They also need to just stop – stop being violent against women and stop demanding a dowry. Stand up and be counted as a man.
Energy all gone
It’s time for me to stop. My energy is sapped and I need to lie down. It’s pathetic I know – but I am recuperating. Onwards and upwards from here (I hope!).
Expat Life in Bangalore 