Lindsay and I will be taking the next twelve months to do three things -- learn Spanish, see the US, and hopefully be involved with travel abroad with Semester at Sea.  We've loved the holidays with family, friends.  Over Christmas, we've gotten many questions about our schedule.  We'll be posting one!

Love you guys!
Mark

Good Bandh to you

Yesterday was a 12 hour bandh in Bangalore ("stop" in Hindi). For me, it was a day for me to stay home from work.

It was a protest organized by the Karnataka state to show their displeasure at the way water was portioned from the River Cauvery. Karnataka state shares water from Cauvery with Tamil Nadu and Andhra. It hasn't rained much lately, and the latter two states are faring better as far as water is concerned. Protesters in Cauvery want the water re-apportioned by the council that governs things.

I think the bandh was successful. Normally I don't put a lot of stock in protests in the US. A guy from work was telling me that protests in India are different -- they're serious. Most people stayed home. Active protesters chose to go to where people were already gathered -- at the airport, at the train station, on major roads near the border. I came in from Hosur yesterday afternoon (Hosur is just across the state border in Tamil Nadu) and there were already news cameras nearby, and a few groups of 5-20 people standing around at the border.

Near me on Monday, Bangalore was absolutely still during the 6AM to 6PM stoppage. (It was announced one week ago.) If it wasn't light outside, you'd think it was 1AM on the streets.

The Bangalore bandh was the headline in the national news. According to TV news, tech and BPO (business process outsourcing) companies were concerned protesters would gather near their campuses if people went to work today. So, most closed, which meant they weren't serving European markets during the day.

One estimate of the financial impact was $400M US. For a state that prides itself on service to the rest of the world, that should get the
politicians moving again....

One huge campout

Today we visited the place where the Yamuna River and Ganges River meet in north India, a city called Allahabad. Allahabad means "City of God". But, this city is also home to the largest
religious gathering in the world -- a Hindu rite called Kumbha Mela.

Every 12 years Hindus travel to this site to bathe in the Sangam ("confluence") between the two rivers. The last occurrence in 2001 drew 70 million people. Seventy million. Seventy million people packed up a tent, got on a train with their family and traveled to Allahabad. They shut down all motorized transportation near the site, because there are too many people. A special train station is created out in the middle of a field to bring everyone in and out.

When we got here today, the Ardha Kumbha Mela ("half", or 6-year Kumbha Mela) had just been completed two days before. There were acres and acres of dusty pavilions, people milling around, tents with meals cooking outside, speakers blaring Hindu music, goods for sale, and policemen wielding semi-automatic weapons. The entire site sits on a flood plane that'll be covered in water in July. This temporary city of 70 million (contained inside the city limits of the permanent city of Allahabad) is erected and torn down in a matter of months.

I'll post pictures when I'm able to. The sign of Hindu music playing as the sun dropped past the horizon behind this massive campsite was an experience unlike any other I've had.

Cooking utensils

Everyone needs a tandoor. Anything that comes out of these is excellent. I've had naan, buttered naan, chicken, kebab out of one so far. Today I even had paneer (a spongy, white cheese) and spinach from a tandor. It was good better than I expected! Pictures to follow....

Northward!

This week I'm going to North India, home to buttered naan, stuffed chipote, and tandoor chicken (all food that I like).

We're going to:
Delhi, to meet Levi and catch a train to Agra.
Agra, to see the Taj Majal
Allahabad
Hosur, to visit a place called ACA