5 Things I Love

After 1 week in India I feel it is time to espouse some of my loves:

1. Color: It's rather immediately obvious when you see an Indian, particular a women in traditional dress, that color is embraced more fully here than probably anywhere in the world. There's no holding back when it comes to sari color combinations in particular: magenta, deep green and gold; orange and nautical blue; bright red, orange and gold. It's brilliant. Literally. Figuratively. It's not just dress though. Temples, homes, autorickshaws... are all drenched with color. Holli is a holiday dedicated to color. People actually have the day off of work and they go around throwing handfuls of chalky color at each other. Sounds too good to be true, no? It's nothing short of a blessing that I will be here for the holiday in March. I promise pictures.

2. The religious amidst the secular: Temples and mosques of diverse faiths are found in the most unlikely of places. In between a bookstore and a run down home, behind where homeless men sit in front of a fire of garbage to keep warm is a hindu, bahai or jain temple, or a mosque, the outside covered in shiny, blue and green tiles and the inside alight with candles and draped with marigold chains. It's moving, the juxtaposition, but also the prevalence of religious symbology. Overly confident, wealthy businessmen have altars with candles and deities in their stores. I imagine everyone is carrying a personal deity around on their person in one form or another. I like the humility of it too. We all need a super power. Even a businessman who thinks he's better than someone he has more money and power than knows that he can't do it on his own.

3. Warmth of the people: Indians are much more familiar than Americans. It's not uncommon to share a personal moment with a stranger: a glance and a smile implying shared sentiment about an annoying street vendor, or a prolonged, shared laugh between two women when one makes it onto the metro before the doors shut and the other does not. Indians also recognize a much smaller domain of personal space. It's partly a function of geography and population. People are everywhere, and always. When I'm on the metro and my hand or leg brushes up against someone elses they don't quickly and self-consciously move it, like many Americans would. They leave their hand resting on the handhold, and on mine, indefinitely. It's partly to do with the more communal nature of the culture. Which I'm finding I like. It's hard to be lonely in India. It's hard not to connect with others and feel connected. If there is only one thing Americans can learn from communal cultures, it's that we're meant to be together and the pain of not being so is an unnecessary burden we inflict on ourselves.

4. Non-consumption: I work near a "market", which is Indian for shopping center. It's one of the bigger markets in South Delhi and people from miles around come here to do every kind of shopping imaginable: groceries, clothes, electronics, home appliances, even to get lunch and dinner. And yet, when I first saw it, indeed after days of seeing it, I did not register it as anything more than the the main street shopping center of a small town. This is comical to me now that I know that it meets everyone's needs quite well. Everything I've needed I've been able to find on this 2 block strip of tiny storefronts. It's a relief to not see giant retail chains every time I turn a corner (a more common view is dogs trotting and men standing conspiratorially together). It's a relief not to have to worry about buying clothes. I've been wearing the same pants for days and no one seems to care.

5. Tea Servers: For those of you who know me fairly well, you know of my love of tea. On an average day, I have 3-5 cups, sometimes more. Well, on my first day of work I was delighted when in the morning the maid/cook/office help (I'm still not sure what to call him) brought me a cup of black tea with obscene amounts of milk and sugar. And then 2 hours later another. And then 2 hours later another. And then 2 hours later... It was amazing! This is certainly one component of my personal utopia - an endless supply of tea. But the larger beauty is that it's kind of wonderful to be served without asking for something. And I like the assumption that everyone wants tea at regular intervals. It feels so right. I feel so normal. I'm not entirely comfortable with the inequity of the situation but the two men (OK, I admit, it does give me GREAT satisfaction that finally, for once, the "home" help is male, even though it is only because the women aren't allowed to leave the home) don't seem to mind. A job is a job, at least until the world is fair and we all live in a utopia where justice flows down like tea.