I’ve traveled more than 5000 miles across multiple cities and states via planes, trains, cars, buses, horse-drawn carriages, rikshaws, and boats. I’ve gotten sick from street food for the first time, and somehow managed to pull off a 4th grade reading level in Hindi. I’ve made it to 10 more of India’s 28 UNESCO World Heritage sites, and had an Indian woman stop me in the street to compliment my haggling skills(!!). I’ve spent a week meeting with some of India’s greatest academic, political, and artistic minds at think tanks in the capital. I’ve finally thrown colors at the Holi Festival, and may or may not have been cursed by a fake Hindu priest. I’ve visited one of India’s oldest Leprosy Hospitals, and officially said goodbye to teenage life. I've (barely) survived my first finals week that was filled with papers instead of portfolios.
But more than anything I've realized time and time again the degree to which people allow themselves to make generalizations about India, its people, and its culture. And I've realized time and time again how impossible India is to generalize. Our first destination in March - Delhi - was no exception.
Negative reactions to the capital’s name are an inevitable side effect of all the months it has been used to complete headlines flashing 'Gang Rape' and 'Murder.’ But believe it or not the city's 570+ square miles are not entirely covered in violent protests, and its 14+ million people are not all rapists or murderers. Instead it’s one of the most attractively historic and inspirationally eclectic cities I’ve ever been to.
But more than anything I've realized time and time again the degree to which people allow themselves to make generalizations about India, its people, and its culture. And I've realized time and time again how impossible India is to generalize. Our first destination in March - Delhi - was no exception.
Negative reactions to the capital’s name are an inevitable side effect of all the months it has been used to complete headlines flashing 'Gang Rape' and 'Murder.’ But believe it or not the city's 570+ square miles are not entirely covered in violent protests, and its 14+ million people are not all rapists or murderers. Instead it’s one of the most attractively historic and inspirationally eclectic cities I’ve ever been to.
We stayed in Delhi March 7th – 14th at a place called the India International Center, located between the Lodhi Gardens, World Bank, and UNICEF headquarters in the heart of Central New Delhi. The IIC is an "exclusive society for the academic and political elite" founded by John D. Rockefeller III, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and Indian Vice President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan as a platform for the world’s greatest minds to come together in order to promote intellectual relationships and dialogues between nations.
Just in the time we were there, staying members included India’s Chief Justice, the Dalai Lama, the King of Kashmir (Alicia actually ran into him in the lobby and shook his hand without knowing who he was), the head of India’s Election Committee, and a myriad of Nobel Prize winners, Ivy League professors, acclaimed artists, authors, international film crews, and the like. Some of Sanjeev’s friends in the film business pointed out John Malkovich eating breakfast at the table next to us one morning, but all I saw was the back of his head so I’ll just have to take their word for it.
Over the course of the week we had the chance to sit down and meet with some amazing people, from Air Commodore Jasjit Singh and documentarian Gautam Bose to the heads of government think tanks. Apparently we will forever be indebted to the mysterious someone at Manipal University who was willing to let two American students use their membership to rub shoulders with the powerful.
Whenever we weren't meeting over tea, we were busy trying to explore as much of the area as possible. From New Delhi to Old Delhi to Agra, the next couple posts are a glimpse at some of our trip highlights. Warning: I tried to use as many of my own pictures as possible, but my pictures couldn't do some of the places justice (or they didn't allow photography) so occasionally I had to resort to Google Images.
Just in the time we were there, staying members included India’s Chief Justice, the Dalai Lama, the King of Kashmir (Alicia actually ran into him in the lobby and shook his hand without knowing who he was), the head of India’s Election Committee, and a myriad of Nobel Prize winners, Ivy League professors, acclaimed artists, authors, international film crews, and the like. Some of Sanjeev’s friends in the film business pointed out John Malkovich eating breakfast at the table next to us one morning, but all I saw was the back of his head so I’ll just have to take their word for it.
Over the course of the week we had the chance to sit down and meet with some amazing people, from Air Commodore Jasjit Singh and documentarian Gautam Bose to the heads of government think tanks. Apparently we will forever be indebted to the mysterious someone at Manipal University who was willing to let two American students use their membership to rub shoulders with the powerful.
Whenever we weren't meeting over tea, we were busy trying to explore as much of the area as possible. From New Delhi to Old Delhi to Agra, the next couple posts are a glimpse at some of our trip highlights. Warning: I tried to use as many of my own pictures as possible, but my pictures couldn't do some of the places justice (or they didn't allow photography) so occasionally I had to resort to Google Images.