Yesterday morning we walked to the village and got on a bus to Kannur, the major city of this area where we go to drink coffee and work on the internet. We got so squeezed on the crowded bus that after a while we got off and paid a rickshaw (3 wheeled vehicle) to the city. First, we went to see the fort overlooking the harbor where we happened to meet our friend the tourist policeman, who was on duty there. He told us that the fort was built by the Portuguese in 1505 after Vasco de Gama had landed on the Malabar coast a few years earlier. There was a lot of trading going on from here; earlier by Arab traders between Europe and here. The Europeans wanted pepper, the "black gold", and other spices. The Portuguese were very cruel towards the local people and there were bloody conflicts between the Portuguese and the local population headed by local and regional monarchies. Later the Arabs got control for a few years followed by the Dutch who were in control for about 100 years. In 1780 the British seized control of this area until India became independent in 1949.
It is amazing how many different rulers India has had since civilization began in the Indus valley around 3500 BC. There have been Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim rulers. Foreign invaders from the North and West took control on several occasions. I have read that Christians got established here on the Malabar coast long before Vasco de Gama, perhaps during the Roman era, and that in Kerala about 20% 0f the people are Christian. In this region, there is also still a large Muslim population, too.
People often ask us where we are from. They don't know where El Salvador is so we explain that it lies south of the Untied States and Mexico and that the people speak Spanish. I tell them we live in the U.S. and a few times people have asked about Bush or Obama. In Madikeri, I became friendly with a store owner who saidmore than once "Bush bad, very bad", Obama good."
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Kerala
We decided to spend a few days on Kerala's beautiful palm fringed coast. We are at a hostel about 6 miles south of Kannur. It's about $40 a night which includes three meals for the two of us. There is no TV and its very quiet here with lots of bird life. Some pristine sandy beaches are about a ten minute walk down a dirt road and path. The swimming is wonderful. The people in this region are particularly friendly.
Yesterday we went into Kannur and tried to visit an English language school for adults. We spoke to the director but classes were not in
session. In the evening, we went to see a "theyyam" event ("extraordinary masked trance dances and oracle readings that take place in villages throughout the region"). We saw a muscular man all painted up and wearing a headdress that had intrikit symbols including cobras and wearing a colorful dress with many decorative features to it. Accompanied by about 20 drummers preforming loud and high energy drumming with an occasional high pitched instrument which sounds like a kazoo, this man pranced around for about an hour before taking a break. Sometimes people gave him monetary donations. there were about 700 people at this open air event. The performances are done by Dalits and the decorations and costumes are made there on the spot. Free food was provided to all. We were told that theyyams go on all night and can get really intense around dawn and that they tell a story about peoples lives and the lives of the gods. This is an important feature of north Kerala culture. If I learn more about theyyam, I will revise this account posted here.I also met a tourist policeman named Satyam at this event. He told us a little about theyyam. When I asked him about the Communist leadership of Kerala his eyes lit up and he proudly told me Kerala was the first place where a Communist Party was elected to power in the world (in the 1950s). He said that the central government had tried to undermine the Party but that Kerala had almost 100% literacy rate and good free education through higher ed and health care. Although the majority are still poor, the wealth is distributed more evenly in Kerala.
I told him my views on Obama, Bush and the Clintons and told him that he had met an American who did not agree with the policies of the U.S.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Down to the coast and on to Kerala
If you want to check Ana's blog for a different perspective go to: www.anainasia.blogspot.com. I highly recommend it.
Tuesday morning we visited a private school on the outskirts of Madikeri that has about 1000 students from pre-school to high school age. It also has a program for disabled children. We walked in and were shown to the principle's officehwere we introduced ourselves as American teachers. The assistant principal, a woman, took us to visit a social studies class for 14 year olds. Ana and I explained who we were and that we were interested in education. When Ana explained how she came from El Salvador to the United States, we drew a map to show them where El Salvador is. They knew who Martin Luther King was, and I told them that as a boy I had heard Martin Luther King speak at a demonstration against th war in Vietnam. They were very shy and, although we encouraged questions, only one asked a question: what do we think about Obama? I said we had worked to help Obama get elected, but that the people need to push him to do things to help the common people and not spend so much on military and war. When I asked them what they had learned last week no one responded so the teacher said they were now concentrating on the exams ahead (not on last week). It was a bit troubling but not surprising that the students seemed inhibited. My impression is that education in this school is very teacher centered and that respect for authority is central.
We also visited a pre-school class (maybe 4 year olds); they were singing (in English) and Ana also taught the kids some songs. The kids were shy but some of them got into it.
In the afternoon we took a three hour bus ride to the coastal city of Mangalore. The ride was very beautiful, going through some remote forests and mountains (the Ghats)and the road extremely curvy and narrow. In India the bigger vehicle seems to have the right of way and often vehicles pass another even when the road has room for only one vehicle at a time, on a curve and even with an oncoming vehicle approaching. Then, the lesser vehicle slows down and pulls off to the side of the road if necessary. Crossing the street is very difficult in Indian cities; you have to be very careful since vehicles tend to dart out from different directions.
After spending the night in a hotel in sweaty Mangalore, early the next morning we took the three hour train ride down the coast to Kannur, a city in northern Kerela state. The ride costs about 40 cents (U.S.) to go about 85 miles down the coast through very pretty lush countryside with thousands of palm trees, rice paddies, and mostly humble houses (also quite a few more prosperous ones). Kerala apparently means "land of a million coconut trees" in Malayalum, the Kerala language. The train is crowded, only second class cars, but we like it better that the buses because it is open air, a smoother ride and you get more of a chance to meet people. And there is a place to put our baggage too.
Kerala has been ruled by one of India's communist parties for a long time. The hammar and sickle symbol with CPIM (Communist Party of India Marxist) is very evident here on billboards, bus stops and flags. (We also see lots of mosques and the green Muslim flag with the crescent star). Kerala has the highest literacy rate in India and the lowest infant mortality and population increase statistics. Kerala has a population of about 37 million of which 60% are said to be Hindu with 20% Muslim and 20% Christian.
Tuesday morning we visited a private school on the outskirts of Madikeri that has about 1000 students from pre-school to high school age. It also has a program for disabled children. We walked in and were shown to the principle's officehwere we introduced ourselves as American teachers. The assistant principal, a woman, took us to visit a social studies class for 14 year olds. Ana and I explained who we were and that we were interested in education. When Ana explained how she came from El Salvador to the United States, we drew a map to show them where El Salvador is. They knew who Martin Luther King was, and I told them that as a boy I had heard Martin Luther King speak at a demonstration against th war in Vietnam. They were very shy and, although we encouraged questions, only one asked a question: what do we think about Obama? I said we had worked to help Obama get elected, but that the people need to push him to do things to help the common people and not spend so much on military and war. When I asked them what they had learned last week no one responded so the teacher said they were now concentrating on the exams ahead (not on last week). It was a bit troubling but not surprising that the students seemed inhibited. My impression is that education in this school is very teacher centered and that respect for authority is central.
We also visited a pre-school class (maybe 4 year olds); they were singing (in English) and Ana also taught the kids some songs. The kids were shy but some of them got into it.
In the afternoon we took a three hour bus ride to the coastal city of Mangalore. The ride was very beautiful, going through some remote forests and mountains (the Ghats)and the road extremely curvy and narrow. In India the bigger vehicle seems to have the right of way and often vehicles pass another even when the road has room for only one vehicle at a time, on a curve and even with an oncoming vehicle approaching. Then, the lesser vehicle slows down and pulls off to the side of the road if necessary. Crossing the street is very difficult in Indian cities; you have to be very careful since vehicles tend to dart out from different directions.
After spending the night in a hotel in sweaty Mangalore, early the next morning we took the three hour train ride down the coast to Kannur, a city in northern Kerela state. The ride costs about 40 cents (U.S.) to go about 85 miles down the coast through very pretty lush countryside with thousands of palm trees, rice paddies, and mostly humble houses (also quite a few more prosperous ones). Kerala apparently means "land of a million coconut trees" in Malayalum, the Kerala language. The train is crowded, only second class cars, but we like it better that the buses because it is open air, a smoother ride and you get more of a chance to meet people. And there is a place to put our baggage too.
Kerala has been ruled by one of India's communist parties for a long time. The hammar and sickle symbol with CPIM (Communist Party of India Marxist) is very evident here on billboards, bus stops and flags. (We also see lots of mosques and the green Muslim flag with the crescent star). Kerala has the highest literacy rate in India and the lowest infant mortality and population increase statistics. Kerala has a population of about 37 million of which 60% are said to be Hindu with 20% Muslim and 20% Christian.
Monday, January 26, 2009
More on India
We are still in Madikeri staying in a "homestay" where we are treated very well. Today Ana and I took a long walk before breakfast to a coffee estate owned by the sister of the woman who owns the home where we rent a room. Later, we went to visit the family of Padna, whom we had visited in Bangalore, and had lunch with them. Padna's niece is a physical therapist and we visited her clinic nearby. She also works in a government run hospital. She told us that there is free medical attention for India's poor as well as affirmative action programs to help the Dalits (the poor) get government jobs and into higher education. (I am not sure how this can work when the majority of the people are so poor and seemingly disadvantaged). She stated that opportunities for improvement exist but that in many cases people are not taking advantage of these opportunities. (Maybe they are not aware of them?) She also said that birth control was being promoted by the government and that the birth rate is now in decline, but its not declining fast enough.
Madikeri is a mountain town of about 50,000 people and quite a nice place that benefits from a nice climate, tourism (mostly people from Bangalore it seems), and the coffee production.
The food we have eaten here includes delicious sauces with mutton, pork, chicken or fish that can be eaten with chappaties. Also, lots of vegetarian curries that are good and for breakfast we have had a rice based kind of dumpling made with coconut and a donut-like fritter with a kind of chewy texture on the inside perhaps made from yucca. We were also served a delicious soup made from chick peas with a tomato base (sambar). We are enjoying the delicious coffee with milk and sugar. It seems to have a kind of caramel flavor to it.
Madikeri is a mountain town of about 50,000 people and quite a nice place that benefits from a nice climate, tourism (mostly people from Bangalore it seems), and the coffee production.
The food we have eaten here includes delicious sauces with mutton, pork, chicken or fish that can be eaten with chappaties. Also, lots of vegetarian curries that are good and for breakfast we have had a rice based kind of dumpling made with coconut and a donut-like fritter with a kind of chewy texture on the inside perhaps made from yucca. We were also served a delicious soup made from chick peas with a tomato base (sambar). We are enjoying the delicious coffee with milk and sugar. It seems to have a kind of caramel flavor to it.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Some comments on India
It is painful to see the suffering of so many people in India who are absolutely destitute. It is so unjust and it sometimes makes me feel ashamed to be here enjoying our visit to this fascinating country. We see homeless people in the U.S., but here the majority of the people live in very difficult circumstances. The middle class and affluent people we meet do not seem aware or concerned about this situation. India's neo-liberal free market policies have not helped the majority of the Indian people it seems. Rather it seems to have made the disparity of wealth more stark. On the other hand, there is a significant segment of the population who have benefited from these policies, especially if measured by increased per-capita income and by the number of vehicles on the road and cell phones in use. Statistics relating to health and education, probably also show some improvement.
English language newspapers are read frequently here. On the editorial pages and the letters section there is much blaming of Pakistan and focusing on fighting terrorism. Indian nationalist sentiments are very evident. There is pride in "Slumdog Millionaire" getting nominated for many academy awards and irritation at its focus on the life of India's poor. I have read some pieces that criticize U.S. militarism and a couple of articles by the liberal American economist Paul Krugman that are very critical of free market economics and critical of Obama for surrounding himself with conventional advisors unwilling to back more drastic remedies that will benefit the working class but would be costly to the power and wealth of the upper class.
We have been able to view many Indian news stations, and CNN, BBC and Al Gazira. I am very impressed with the professionalism of Al Gazeera and its giving a critical view of the U.S. and Israel's policies. They present many factual things that are not shown on the U.S. media. For example, they did an hour special on the aftermath of the U.S. bombing of Southeast Asia and its continuing effect on local populations. They did a short piece about a Palestinian peace activist who lost his two daughters in one of the bombings of Gaza and one on a 13 year old girl who lost her whole family. The U.S. media hides the suffering of the victims of U.S. policies.
English language newspapers are read frequently here. On the editorial pages and the letters section there is much blaming of Pakistan and focusing on fighting terrorism. Indian nationalist sentiments are very evident. There is pride in "Slumdog Millionaire" getting nominated for many academy awards and irritation at its focus on the life of India's poor. I have read some pieces that criticize U.S. militarism and a couple of articles by the liberal American economist Paul Krugman that are very critical of free market economics and critical of Obama for surrounding himself with conventional advisors unwilling to back more drastic remedies that will benefit the working class but would be costly to the power and wealth of the upper class.
We have been able to view many Indian news stations, and CNN, BBC and Al Gazira. I am very impressed with the professionalism of Al Gazeera and its giving a critical view of the U.S. and Israel's policies. They present many factual things that are not shown on the U.S. media. For example, they did an hour special on the aftermath of the U.S. bombing of Southeast Asia and its continuing effect on local populations. They did a short piece about a Palestinian peace activist who lost his two daughters in one of the bombings of Gaza and one on a 13 year old girl who lost her whole family. The U.S. media hides the suffering of the victims of U.S. policies.
Friday, January 23, 2009
On to Madikeri
We left Mysore on the 6 am bus and arrived in the busy city of Hassan about 9:30. It is difficult for us to take these crowded buses with our backpacks which we take inside the crowded buses. We sat in the back of the bus with our packs on our laps, next to a very nice Indian family, a teacher, his wife and two lovely daughters about 10-12 years old. They said they were traveling to Hassan for their daughter to receive an award for some drawings. The father was very proud. In Hassan we found a hotel (barely meeting our minimum standards) and took a bus ride in the afternoon to see the fabulous temples and ruins at Belur and Halabid. These Hindu civilizations had their heyday in the 11th to 14th centuries. They are very impressive with much extremely detailed, intrikit sculptures of different gods and goddesses and animals such as elephants and cobras. There were many school children here on excursions.
The next day we left Hassan by bus and arrived in Madikeri about 4 hours later. Madikeri is a town in the Kodava (semi-independent) coffee growing region that borders on the Ghats mountain range that runs along the western edge of southern India. This small city has a great climate since it lies at about 3000 feet elevation. The food in this region is non-vegetarian. Our first week in India we only ate vegetarian food. In fact, in our hotel in Mysore, a sign said meat products were prohibited from entering the premises.
Today we took a taxi a few miles and walked the rest of the way to a waterfall. On the way back, walking up the quiet road, we hitched a ride with a young Indian couple driving a fancy car. The young man was a businessman from Bangalore and his young wife was very dressed up. They offered to take us with them to see some temples in another town about 30 miles from Madikari. They stopped at a park by a waterfall and river, but the young woman did not want to get out of the car with us. We wonder if it was because we were not appropriately dressed since we were wearing shorts or because of some quarrel they were having. After that, we returned to Madikeri by bus.
The next day we left Hassan by bus and arrived in Madikeri about 4 hours later. Madikeri is a town in the Kodava (semi-independent) coffee growing region that borders on the Ghats mountain range that runs along the western edge of southern India. This small city has a great climate since it lies at about 3000 feet elevation. The food in this region is non-vegetarian. Our first week in India we only ate vegetarian food. In fact, in our hotel in Mysore, a sign said meat products were prohibited from entering the premises.
Today we took a taxi a few miles and walked the rest of the way to a waterfall. On the way back, walking up the quiet road, we hitched a ride with a young Indian couple driving a fancy car. The young man was a businessman from Bangalore and his young wife was very dressed up. They offered to take us with them to see some temples in another town about 30 miles from Madikari. They stopped at a park by a waterfall and river, but the young woman did not want to get out of the car with us. We wonder if it was because we were not appropriately dressed since we were wearing shorts or because of some quarrel they were having. After that, we returned to Madikeri by bus.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Days in Mysore, India
This is our second day in Mysore which is a three hour bus ride west of Bangalore in south India. We are staying in a comfortable but inexpensive hotel a bit away from the noisy, crowded city center and we are especially enjoying the delicious vegetarian Indian food offered in our hotel’s restaurant.
Today we took a three wheeled taxi to see some old ruins and temples outside of the city. On the way back we asked the driver to stop at a coconut stand beside the road in order to quench our thirst. I noticed a dirt road, almost a path, going away from the paved road we were on, so we decided to take a walk and see where it led to. This small road went along a river bank. It was a very peaceful scene as we observed the people working the land with oxen and doing other work. We observed some bid life along the river and saw the small houses the people resided in.
At the temples and tourist places we have visited the hawkers can be aggressive as they swarm around you and don't give up until you buy something or walk away. One of them would not give up on me until I finally bought a small wooden elephant he wanted me to buy. The beggars can also be very assertive. The good thing is that away from the sellers the people are very friendly and we feel very safe walking around India, but of course you better still be vigilant about your stuff. Also, the three wheeled motorized taxis are very cheap and many people speak English, so we can get around easily.
A while ago we saw a school. Entering the gate, we met with some teachers (all women) and they invited us to come back for an evening ceremony at the school. We went back that evening to witness the open air event with families and their children. It was nice to see the parents’ interest and participation and also the presence of so many girls who make up half the student body. It was a program with speeches promoting the importance of education and cultural events. Instruction at this school (financed by the National India Rail Company) is in English, but I have a hard time understanding most Indians as we speak a different dialect of English. The school was originally only for children of railway workers but is now open to anyone (if you can pay).
Today we took a three wheeled taxi to see some old ruins and temples outside of the city. On the way back we asked the driver to stop at a coconut stand beside the road in order to quench our thirst. I noticed a dirt road, almost a path, going away from the paved road we were on, so we decided to take a walk and see where it led to. This small road went along a river bank. It was a very peaceful scene as we observed the people working the land with oxen and doing other work. We observed some bid life along the river and saw the small houses the people resided in.
At the temples and tourist places we have visited the hawkers can be aggressive as they swarm around you and don't give up until you buy something or walk away. One of them would not give up on me until I finally bought a small wooden elephant he wanted me to buy. The beggars can also be very assertive. The good thing is that away from the sellers the people are very friendly and we feel very safe walking around India, but of course you better still be vigilant about your stuff. Also, the three wheeled motorized taxis are very cheap and many people speak English, so we can get around easily.
A while ago we saw a school. Entering the gate, we met with some teachers (all women) and they invited us to come back for an evening ceremony at the school. We went back that evening to witness the open air event with families and their children. It was nice to see the parents’ interest and participation and also the presence of so many girls who make up half the student body. It was a program with speeches promoting the importance of education and cultural events. Instruction at this school (financed by the National India Rail Company) is in English, but I have a hard time understanding most Indians as we speak a different dialect of English. The school was originally only for children of railway workers but is now open to anyone (if you can pay).
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