The verdict came in. The High court decided to split the area up and give the central most disputed area to a Hindu party and another part to a Muslim part. A third part is being given to another Hindu sect, whose role in this I do not fully understand.
It has already been decided that the case will be appealed to the Supreme Court, so as far as I can tell nothing has happened or will. But the massive police presence certainly gave everyone the impression that something would happen.
We'll see tomorrow. But for now, I am happy that things seem to remain peaceful. I would have no problem if the Supreme Court decided to wait several years before making its ultimate decision.
Saw three buses filled with Police/Soldiers today going down the road as I went out to get my provisions for the next few days (Dates, Pomegranates, Soda Water, and Sweets). If I'm gonna be trapped I might as well get a treat for it, right? The Ayodhya decision that was supposed to come last friday will come out tomorrow at 330pm local time - about 6am on the East Coast.
No one knows what's going to happen, but everyone seems to be preparing for the worst. I'll keep you posted.
I changed the name for our blog today because I thought Portuguese didn't makes sense for us in India. The Roda Nama literally means "the writings of Roda" and follows in the great tradition of various Emperors such as Babur and Akbar who keptdiaries.
Not that I think we're royalty. Ahum (cough) but it's nice to know we have some thing in common with Emperors.
Today I went to check out the Ramlila in Ramnagar.
I have never seen so many people in one place in my life. A friend said he thought up to 500,000 people might come. I'd say he wasn't too far off the mark.
Here are some Videos:
This is probably 1/3 of what the crowd becomes after nightfall.
This is the climactic moment when Ram breaks Shiva's Bow. Watch out for the sound there is a huge explosion part way through. Even if you have it on mute you can tell by the sudden camera shaking - caught me off guard.
Yes, here in India this seems to be a comedy as everyone knew this would happen. They knew their government was corrupt and that the wealthy people involved in making these contracts would steal as much as they could from the tax payers in the process. So now, as the catastrophe unfolds, they laugh. And I laugh with them and weep for them; it is a tragic comedy of epic proportions.
However, what I hadn't thought about is how quickly the rest of the world is going to compare China's Olympic success with India's complete failure. For the rest of the world this shame is less amusing and more disturbing. The fragility of the Indian infrastructure has been exposed to the world in a way that I think it hadn't previously. What I don't think anyone here is ready to admit is that the negative effects of this fiasco are going to linger in International opinion for a long, long time. It's hilarious, right?
Sorry to those who were worried that I didn't post anything on September 24th when nothing happened. Basically, on the 23rd the governement decided to postpone the announcement until the 28th supposedly to give the parties a chance to work it out for themselves. Many Indians, as well as myself, found this to be tremendously annoying as they had already cancelled schools planned to close business, etc. Karnataka made the 24th and 25th state holidays so that everyone could stay home and hide from the potential riots. So now, after closing for those days, they will prepare themselves to close again on the 28th - though I expect that the announcement will be delayed again for one reason or another.
Frankly, I think this is about the worst time the Government could have POSSIBLY chosen for addressing this issue to the public. 1) The country is in the international spotlight for its complete and utter failure at the Commonwealth Games, and 2) This is the festival season in which all over India local theater groups are reenacting the story of Ram's life and adventures. the religious fervor surrounding RAM in particular makes this a terrible time to talk about whether or not a Mosque should be re-built on the mythical birthplace of this Deity. Why would you talk about this now? It would be like trying to address a topic sensitive to Christians during Advent, or a topic sensitive to Jews during Passover. Bad Idea.
In a related note, I am planning on attending a Ramlila performance tonight will hopefully have some pictures and/or video for you later. Or maybe my plans will fall through. This is India after all and expectations are best not had at all.
So I'm not exactly exaggerating when I report that it has been raining in Mussoorie since I arrived here almost 3 weeks ago. The rain has been unprecedented: monsoon rainfall this year broke a 44-year old record by registering 3013.3 mm so far. The subsequent flooding has caused landslides, roadblocks, and other such havoc. They are reporting that the Tehri dam (down the mountain from where I am thankfully) are threatening flooding in Uttarakhand (where Mussoorie is) and Uttar Pradesh (where Lucknow and Varanasi are). As of about 5 days ago, because roads have been destroyed and train lines have stopped running, Uttarakhand is completely cut off from the rest of India. There is no way in or out. The state has already been promised 500 crore rupees (over 100 million dollars - I think) by the central government, which considering the Common Wealth Games debacle - hell, the NYTimes is even reporting this! - seems pretty generous (assume that statement as cynical as you like). Hopefully, soon Allen will be able to report on what the fallout from the CWG has been from the Indian perspective (wink, wink, nudge, nudge Allen).
In my last post I alluded to getting electrocuted every time I touched my refrigerator and how I wasn't too fond of it. The truth is, I was only occasionally getting electrocuted, but nevertheless I didn't enjoy it. Fridges draw a fair amount of power you know. Anyhow, the electrician came and discovered that not only the refrigerator, but every electrical device in the entire upstairs of the building was drawing (and emitting) electrical current (especially powerful when barefoot and/or wet), but only doing so when the lights were on in my bedroom.
It turns out, after much investigation, that the problem was being caused by a faulty powerstrip that I bought last summer in Lucknow - shortly after I moved in. Somewhere inside it there was a bad connection and things that were not supposed to be touching each other were. The electrician was going to fix the powerstrip, but I told him that even if he did fix it I wouldn't trust it and would not use it. So I gave it to him as a gift for saving me from repeated although intermittent and inexplicable electrocutions. Here's a picture of my hero with his spoils:
Ragging, or hazing as it is called back in the states, is a huge problem here in India. Last year a handicapped student was videotaped by his assailants while being stripped naked and beaten before being thrown out of his dorm into the street. The assailants then immediately circulated the video to fellow students at BHU. The victim was forced to withdraw from school, but when the video began circulating in his home town he came back to try and press more charges. Yesterday (almost a year later) arrests were made:
the other night I was invited to go see a tabla solo performance. It was absolutely pouring rain, cats and dogs, and I wasn't sure where I was going. I took a rickshaw and held my umbrella out over the driver. he got me as far down the main road as he could, and then it was up to me to navigate the Gullis, (alleys). It was dark and now the alleys were rivers. What was neat though was that if I had tried this two weeks ago I probably would have been irritated and terrified of the filthy water, but this night it was more like an adventure. It was fun. I asked people all along the way and always got welcomed smiles and responses like "you know hindi?!"
Part way there I met a small boy with a huge backpack on his shoulders. He said that he would show me how to get there, so I held the umbrella over his head and the flashlight as we waded through ankle deep streams over large cobblestone blocks. We rounded a few corners when the road went down hill a ways. At the bottom, there was a lake easily 3 or 4 feet deep. I asked my 8 year old guide if there was another way to get there and he said "Come on." On the way we passed by his house and he ran in quickly to drop off his bag and then proceeded to take me the rest of the way to the concert - which wasn't that far at that point. When I got there, I thanked him and was so presently surprised that he didn't ask me for money or anything - I think he just really liked the fact that I talked to him. Now I feel like I am starting to "get" this place. It isn't intimidating any more. I can go anywhere find anything, just by asking. Yes it is confusing and filled with twists and turns, but people are always willing to help and it is nice that I have had so many experiences that have not directly resulted in requests for money. It is nice to feel like a human and not a walking wallet (as is usually the case in tourist India).
Inside the concert was held in honor of Ganesh for whom there is a 6 day festival held primarily in Maharashtra. Apparently, the Marathi community of Banaras was sponsoring this event. One thing I did learn is that when they say that it will start at 730, they really mean about 9. When I was leaving at 11pm they told me that there was still another act and invited me to return the next day as well. I asked the nice gentleman what time it would start tomorrow, he said 730. I said, like today? He said. Yes. :)
The concert itself was really good. It was better than most concerts I saw in Lucknow and just as good as many of the concerts I have seen in New York. It was in a small hall so they didn't overblast the microphones as they seemed to do every time I saw live music in Lucknow.
The next day was also great filled with fun conversations at the Tabla Makers' shop and more discussions about music performance with players.
Of course, I knew it couldn't last forever as I woke up this morning with a stomach bug, and forgot that if I touch my refrigerator door barefoot I will get an electric shock. Oh well, now I'm forced to make time to read (and wear sandals)!
Great Piece in the New York Times today about strikes and protests in India. With the Ayodhya decision pending it seems particularly relevant and also reminds me of our wonderful vacation in Darjeeling.
A visiting scholar of architecture and art history is staying here at the guesthouse for 2.5 days. She invited me to tag along to go visit some of the temples and mosques that she was interested in seeing for her research so I thought to myself, why not? When will I ever learn more about this?
the Gyanvapi Mosque and the Kashi Vishvanath Temple are in the same place. There are two doors that go into the compound. One for foreigners and another for everyone else. Or at least that is what it seemed like. We were not allowed in "Door number 1"
We had been told that this was an example of Hindus and Muslims going to the same site to worship and how no one seemed to have a problem with this. I was interested to see this site of potential harmonious public worship especially in light of the pending Ayodhya decision.
In order to get into the temple, we had to declare our Hindu faith in front of several police officers and write down our names and passport numbers in a book. When the first officer asked me if I was a Hindu, a second one replied "he speaks Hindi doesn't he", a third one then asked "WHY do you speak Hindi" I quickly said, "to study religion." only I almost used the Urdu word for religion which would have quickly gotten me thrown out for sure.
I really don't like lying, even to police officers.
that said, it was obvious to all that we were simply tourists when the guy across the tiny alleyway only 3 feet from the police officers was busy selling us drastically over priced offerings and teaching us how to go to the temple and what to do so that we didn't get "caught". As long you pay enough money it is very easy to convince the police that you are whatever religion you need to be that day.
When we get into the temple, it is a zoo. throngs of people are pushing this way and that way to get their Darshan or "divine sight." for many people we could sense the sincere devotion, but the pandits looked at us, knew we didn't know what to do, and began demanding donations by flashing 100 rupee notes at us (at this time I conveniently forgot all my Hindi and didn't understand anything they were saying). One pandit was even talking on his cell phone while blessing us and demanding money - all at the same time!.
One common practice of Hindu devotion is to bring offerings of food to the Gods, which are then blessed and distributed to one's friends and family. We had our little bag of nuts, raisins, coconut, etc. that we were using as our offering, although we almost lost it when Zirawat was attacked by a red faced monkey (everyone knows them to be much more aggressive than the black faced monkeys, albeit smaller in stature). Fortunately she was not clawed or bitten, but was quite startled.
As for the peaceful harmony of Hindus and Muslims worshipping together, I haven't seen this many rifles up close since I (foolishly) went to Kashmir back in 2000 to go hiking. The place was surrounded by more than a hundred armed officers and soldiers. The Mosque was surrounded by 6 foot high Iron fence that was topped with razor wire. One felt as if the mosque was in jail or caged like a dangerous animal. I wish that I could have shared some photos with you, but alas that was most certainly forbidden. After being frisked three times on my way in, I felt nothing of the peaceful side by side worshipping experience that had been described to me before hand. I was unnerved by the guns and commercialism that followed my every step through the space. I have no desire to go back.
For those who don't know Eid is officially the end of Ramadan when everyone stops fasting and eats sweets. If you ever wondered about the Islamic Crescent Moon and Star imagery. It's because after fasting for a month everyone is waiting to see this thin sliver of a moon come out.
This year it was perhaps a little thicker than previous year's because everyone expected it last night, but it didn't come out until tonight. You can just see it poking out above the trees.
Here is a picture that really captures how Babu experiences the Eid Fireworks on the rooftop:
Ayodhya is the mythic birth place of the Hindu God Ram or Rama who is the primary character in the ancient Sanskrit Epic poem called the Ramayana. (Prounounced "Ramaayan")
However, it is also the former location of the Babri Masjid (or "Babur Mosque") which was built by Babur the first of the Mughal Emperors in the early 1500's.
During the 1980's the Bharatiya Janatiya Party (BJP) a conservative Hindu political party which wished to challenge the preeminence of the Congress Party used Ayodhya as a rallying point for all Hindus. They were assisted by the Telebroadcast of the Ramayan in 1987 which was easily the most watched television program of that decade. I heard stories of people peforming puja to their televisions before the program would come on and that most stores would not open until after it was over (it aired on Sunday mornings). The attention drawn to this controversial site eventually led to Riots that tore down the 450 year old Mosque in 1992. The BJP and other radical Hindu organization such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad had sponsored a March to Ayodhya, but at first they claimed no responsibility for the raid that ultimately destroyed the Mosque. Since that time, Kalyan Singh, who was U.P's chief minister at the time has openly accepted responsibility for instigating the riots. He resigned shortly after the incident.
Here is a video of the Mosque being torn down:
Here is the longer version (in Hindi)
Since it was thought that Mosque itself was built out of materials used in an even older Hindu temple, even the pieces of the building have now completely vanished into various individuals homes as holy relics.
Since 1992, a small makeshift temple to Ram has been there, but the Indian Government has not yet decided what should be done to the location. Should they build a Mosque? Should they build a Temple? Both? Neither?
As you can imagine, no matter what the verdict is many people are going to be very unhappy about it. Subsequently, in preparation for the announcement security forces are being stepped up all across Uttar Pradesh. They have requested 685 more companies of police officers just for this date. Here in Varanasi, some social workers are trying to organize a peace march for the day BEFORE the announcement to encourage everyone to stay calm after hearing the news. It seems as if the delay in announcing the verdict was deliberate so that the government could prepare itself for what might be a particularly explosive moment in Communal violence in North India.
Of course, no matter what the verdict is, it will be immediately appealed and sent to the Federal Supreme Court - so India is far from finished with Ayodhya. As for the immediate future, it seems as if everyone here is holding their breath waiting to see what will happen two weeks from now....
So while I beat the heat and wait for Ramadan and Eid to end before really diving into my fieldwork I have spent the last few days reviewing and taking notes on interviews I recorded last year. It's really amazing how much my language skills have improved! It kind of inspires me and gives me hope that I can pull this whole dissertation thing off.
In the mean time I have started an exercise regime to try not to waste away like I did last year. I started in July with 20 push-ups and sit ups each day, then August it was 30 and now we're in September so it's 40. At this rate, I should be really cranking them out by next summer!
I decided to add to this regime a jump rope. Which I must say was surprisingly difficult at first. for the first few days I couldn't get more than 50 jumps in before tripping myself up. But today, I got 164 and am quite proud of it. Now that Nikki isn't blogging the pressure is on to pick up where she left off - we'll see how well that works.
... with the sound of one-on-one Hindi lessons......! I'm in cool, rainy, wonderul Mussoorie!! Poor Allen is still stuck in hot, sweaty, sticky Varanasi! (giggle)
I'm up here to go to the Landour Language School - work on my Hindi while trying to escape the heat (and subsequent heat rash and eczema). One of the wonderful things (depending I guess on how you look at it) is that I feel totally disconnected from anything up here. There is no internet at the guest house I'm staying at or at the school where I spend most of my time. Who needs Google Reader when the mountains are staring you right in the face! Who needs email when you can just sit in your room and think (or nap) for hours on end!
So, I'm warning you in advance that you might not hear much from me while I'm up here. So Allen will be the lead blogger for a while ....
......
So...... you may not hear from both of us for a month or so, but rest assured that we're having fun and having plenty of adventures - that I'll be sure to update you all about when I get back.
Early Tuesday morning, Allen and I packed up all our worldly possessions from Lucknow and took the 5+ hour drive out to Varanasi to begin his PhD fieldwork. We were totally floored by how much crap we had collected over the last year in Lucknow - though somehow it all seems so indispensable ("But I don't want to have to repurchase all the kitchen-wear or buy new buckets for hand washing clothes!") .... Seems like a moot complaint I guess coming from the US, but then we remembered that each extra item we might have to repurchase would require its own special outing ... and well .... we caved and tried to take as much as we could possibly cram into the car.
I gotta say, I think my dad would have been incredibly proud of Allen's packing job (and that's saying a lot). As it was, everyone at the institute (where we had stashed our stuff over the summer) and even the driver were amazed that we managed to get everything in.
So we made it safe and sound with our washing buckets in tow. Our new little flat is cheery and completely welcoming of all the crap we have to fill it.
Varanasi is in the throws of monsoon heat - with its contingent power-outages .... but also surprisingly water outages too! Our host have warned us that things will get much worse after the local elections (just trying to butter up the constituencies ahead of time).
Groan.
But I'll be in the mountains of Mussoorie soon enough - leaving poor Allen to fend for himself in the heat.
