EYE OF THE TIGER

On Wednesday afternoon, following lunch at Tiger Moon Resort in Ranthambhore, we signed up for a visit and tour of Ranthambhore Fort - the second largest and probably the oldest fort in all of Rajasthan. Our guide was to have been Omi, but he had been engaged by another party, so we met Bharat. We boarded our Gypsie (open Jeep) and proceeded into the park. After passing through a security gate, we then drove to the entrance to the fort. We were told by Bharat that we had to climb "only two hundred steps" but they would be easy, because it was a step and then a bit of a walk and then another step and a bit of a walk. Since Heather had injured her left ankle in Jaipur the afternoon before, we were concerned about stressing the ankle too much, but Bharat insisted this would be no problem. (After all, it was not HIS ankle!)

We entered the beginning of the twenty-story walk, and started our ascent. Along the way were several university art students, who were perched on the walls or steps, and sitting along the walk, sketching in pencil, pastels, pen and ink, or even painting in acrylics and watercolors. They were quite accomplished and it was interesting to see the various interpretations of of the artists. We continued to climb, pausing occasionally to take photos of the surrounding landscapes or simply to give Heather a chance to rest her ankle. We passed by a number of Muslim entombments, where past rulers had been buried.

After climbing well over two hundred steps, Heather decided to sit down and rest her ankle, while J.,T. and I proceeded on with Bharat to the Ganesha Temple, located all the way at the top of the mountain. We trudged onward, like hundreds of natives who were making a daily, weekly, monthly or even an annual pilgrimage to the temple. Bharat explained that the day was considered god's day, and today, we pay special tribute to Lord Ganesha (the elephant god) because it is Wednesday." As we drew nearer to the temple, we noticed more and more black-faced monkeys, who were interested in the passers-by, and even accosted one of the ladies walking along and stole her bag of food and ran away with it! We both stayed pretty close to Bharat, and J.T. even mentioned we might have been better off if he had brought along a monkey stick to keep them away.

When we arrived at the temple, Bharat asked if we wanted to go inside and we said we did. I wanted to show J.T. how the Hindus worship their various gods, and also was hoping to receive a blessing from the priest. After removing our shoes and socks, we moved forward to the front of the queue and the priest placed a tikka on each of our foreheads. We moved along with others toward the exit and just before leaving we received another blessing and a second tikka from a second priest. When we left the temple, we put on our socks and shoes and then walked along to find Bharat. He asked if we wanted to feed the monkeys and when we said we did, he purchased a small bag of seeds and corn. J.T. and I both took some of the seeds and corn and held our hands down so the monkeys could come take some food from our hands. Just then, a big male monkey, BOSS MONKEY, actually ran up to Bharat and grabbed the whole bag of food from his hand and ran off with it!
There was no way we could retrieve the bag, so we just let him keep it.

We walked back to where Heather had been waiting, where she was watching several of the art students who were painting various scenes of the fort. We then moved on to the top gate where we began our descent. J.T. decided he was going to count the number of steps we had actually climbed. We took it slow and easy and counted two hundred steps, just between the upper and lower gates. This did not include about another hundred steps before we had reached the upper gate or from the lower gate down to the parking area. Although Bharat had not actually lied to us, he had not told us the whole truth. Once at the bottom and in the parking area, we boarded our Gypsie again and proceeded to take our leave of the park.

About halfway out of the park, our driver really sped up our Gypsie and I turned to Heather and told her, there had been a tiger spotting and to hold on to her seat and to J.T. We caught up to the other Gypsies and larger open trucks, where they were stopped, and nearly slammed into the back of one of the parked Gypsies. How all of this commotion was not going to disturb the tiger was beyond me. All passengers in all vehicles were on their feet and peering forward or pushing sideways in order to get a glimpse of this majestic feline, and majestic he was! He stood at one point and turned to face the other direction, but still with his head pointing toward our location. We learned later on, that this tiger was known as T-24. Heather asked how they knew which tiger had been seen - "Do they wear little tags around their necks, or what?" Our guide told us they are familiar with each of the forty tigers in this part of the preserve, and could recognize the jaw line from quite a distance. According to the guide, it was very special to see T-24, because he was to have been pairing with T-39 and evidently had experienced no success. A quick thought - with thousands of people screeching up in Gypsies and trucks and talking and taking photos of you, why would you possibly have any difficulties performing your husbandly duties???

We finally moved on and returned to the resort, where we fell sound asleep in our cabin - guess with all of the excitement, as well as climbing the mountain to the fort and then on to the temple, we really needed a good rest. After our nap, we wandered over to the dining building and had a bit of dinner and then went back to our cabin for the night. We really needed a good, long, uninterrupted sleep! I remember falling asleep humming the tune and remembering some of the lyrics to the theme song of ROCKY - The Eye of the Tiger...

TUESDAY - ELEPHANT DAY

After leaving the Taj Mahal and the city of Agra behind us, we proceeded to drive to Jaipur (the Pink City). About two hours along in the journey, we stopped at the Midway Hotel and Restaurant to enjoy some lunch, as well as to do some shopping in the adjacent gift shop, owned and operated by a jolly gentleman, Jagdish prasad Dhanetwal. I had met this man some ten years ago, on my first trip to India, and each successive year, when traveling between Agra and Jaipur, we have made it a point to stop here. He recognized me, and I was pleased to introduce him to Heather and J.T. Following a wonderful lunch outside in the garden and sitting in the warm sun (of which if you have no realized up until now, we had seen precious little) we returned to the shop, where J.T. was able to purchase a small gift for each of his classmates, as well as his two teachers.

We then departed for the remainder of our journey to Jaipur. We arrived at another shop, Anil Carpet and Textile Factory, and then were taken to our hotel - a Heritage Hotel, called Bissau Palace. The unbelievable fresco paintings on the walls and ceiling of our rooms and the accompanying antique furniture, made for a most pleasant stay.

Bright and early on Tuesday morning, we woke, dressed and ate breakfast and then met a new guide, who would show us the sites of the city. His name was Sabir. He first took us to Hawa Mahal - the palace of the winds, which is one of the three or four principal attractions in Jaipur. Basically, it is a facade of beautiful lattice-type work, behind which the Maharani and her women friends could remain hidden, but still view the various celebrations and parades which would occur from time to time.

We then went to Amber Fort, which was constructed centuries ago, on the top of the mountain, and maintained as a fortress and palace. The most exciting part of this attraction was the fact we were to ride elephants to travel up the mountain! J. T. had been given a Rajasthani turban by Sudhir - one of the owners of Anil Factory, and he enjoyed wearing it, as we rode up the mountain on the elephant! Many people saw him and commented on the fact that Heather and I were privileged to be riding with a Maharajah! When we reached the main courtyard and ceremonial plaza, we came down from our elephant, and met with Sabir, who began to explain the many aspects of this fort. We stopped and took lots of photos at various places within Amber Fort, and enjoyed the warmth of the sun, once again. We were pleased to see the amazing craftsmanship exhibited throughout the fort, especially the work in sandstone, as well as the beautiful fresco paintings we saw at nearly every turn. One particularly beautiful entrance gate was called Ganesha Gate and the painting at that location was really spectacular. We had our photo taken standing in an alcove, just to one side of the principal gate.

While we were standing in front of the "hall of mirrors", I thought I recognized a woman's voice. In turning to our guide, I asked him if he knew the name of the guide who was working with another couple. He said her name was Sunita. That rang a bell in my memory, and I called to her. She turned around and I called out her name, as she called out mine! The last time I saw Sunita was when she served as our guide in 2008! It was wonderful to see her again, after all these years. We also entered the Hindu temple at the fort, and received blessings and garlands from the priests inside. J.T. and Heather have both noticed how wonderfully welcoming and friendly all of the people have been toward us.

Following our visit to Amber Fort, we then departed for the City Palace, where the present Maharajah and his family still reside. There are several museums inside the City Palace, but the two favorite ones for Heather and J.T. were the textile museum and the weapons museum - bet you can guess which one held the most interest for J.T.! After lunch and a hotel called the Taj Palace, we visited another attraction - one of the world's largest astrological parks, filled with various sundials of various shapes and sizes, and which boast an accuracy of about two seconds! Very impressive.

Late in the afternoon, while doing some shopping, Heather fell into a ditch and twisted her ankle very severely, and we searched for about three quarters of an hour for ice, so she could pack her ankle and hopefully reduce the swelling. We returned to our hotel, and took some rest. That evening, since Heather felt a lot better (it may have been the ice) we ventured out to dinner at a local attraction for dinner and visiting dozens of displays from many artisans throughout all of Rajasthan. We returned to our rooms to totally crash for the evening.

Next morning, we were to leave for Ranthambhore and Tiger Moon Resort.

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW???

To say that getting to Agra was a challenge, with Rakesh hardly able to see the road, would be an understatement. To say that we could see much more than the outline of the Taj Mahal, upon entering through the west gate of the outer wall, would be gross exaggeration. Fog has been a huge problem in India during the past several weeks, due primarily to the devastating cold which has enveloped the northern half of the country. Actually, school has been cancelled for several days in many different cities, due to the freezing temperatures. As you know from previous postings, we truly suffered from the extraordinary cold during the wedding celebrations, since two of the three primary events were held outside.
When we entered through the West Gate, Sameer, Heather, J.T. and I all had to go through scanning devices and if any one of us had been carrying any items which could be termed a weapon, or even a water bottle (other than those provided to us when we purchased our tickets) we would have been forced to dispose of them right then and there. From the entrance area, we then proceeded to the area just in front of the entrance to the garden, where a professional photographer sold us on the idea of taking some forty different poses of us. We agreed primarily due to the fact we felt he might be able to enhance the photos, so the end result would actually SHOW the Taj. As you can see from the previous posting, you really have to squint and use your imagination to see the Taj. I can testify, we were actually there, although it does not appear to be so.
Sameer took us through a walking tour of the various formal gardens and then over to the right side of the Taj, where we sat for a while, and looked up at the magnificent tribute Shah Jahan had built in memory of his second wife, Mum Taz. She was really his true love, and after having given birth to fourteen children, she died. He was devastated by this loss and in response to a dying wish and request from Mum Taz, he hired architects and builders and stone masons and painters and those who worked in mosaic, and after twenty-two years, this jewel in the crown of Wonders of the World, was completed.
Many people feel the Taj Mahal is a palace, but in fact, it is a Muslim tomb, both for Mum Taz, as well as Shah Jahan. On the left side of the major building, there is a mosque constructed. On the opposite side, in order to maintain symmetry, an identical building was constructed, but only served as a "guest house" when the military dignitaries of the Britishers came to visit. On the outside of the Taj Mahal, there are four identical minars - or towers, which stand at each corner of the raised platform. Symbolically, these would be used as the place where imams would call the devout to prayer. Each of them is in perfect symmetrical proportion, and furthermore, they are constructed to be just barely tilted away from the main structure. This is so that in the event of an earthquake or other disaster that would cause them to fall, they would not damage the main structure, but fall away from it. The thought and the precision of this magnificent monument is really almost beyond comprehension. It is further believed that Shah Jahan mourned his beloved Mum Taz to such a degree, that while sitting on the opposite side of the Yamuna River from the Taj, he saw the reflection of the Taj in the water and it appeared black, and he considered building an identical "negative" of the Taj, using black marble. This was never to be, due to his being imprisoned by his own children for the remainder of his life.
When we left the Taj, J.T. backed out through the gate, in order to keep the image of this place foremost in his memory.

AGRA ON A MONDAY

The three of us at the West Gate to the courtyard of the Taj Mahal

Sitting on a bench just inside the gate

Getting closer to the tomb

SUNDAY IN THE PARK

Following a long evening the night before, we slept at the guest house one last time and then were picked up by Rakesh, who drove us into Delhi. Today, it was the reception hosted by the groom's family, held at the India Habitat Centre, again in an outside garden. The decorations were again spectacular, using lots of white flowers, in urns created by covering sticks and wooden bowls with banana leaves and tea leaves, and filled to overflowing with white Casablanca lilies, as well as white carnations. These were placed around the entire garden venue. There were also pergolas spaced around the garden, complete with comfortable couches, pillows and of course, the requisite propane gas heaters. Even though it was daytime, it was still terribly cold, and people were still fashionably dressed in Indian attire, but covering themselves with one or two pashmina shawls. Heather wore one of her mother's silk Salwar Kameeze outfits which looked quite handsome and she received many compliments. J.T. and I both wore traditional kurtas with pajama bottoms, but both with stoles and I even borrowed a pashmina to keep off the chill.

The food was served, after the bride and groom finally arrived, and it was wonderful - two distinct types, one was Cantonse and the other was Kashmiri. Fantastic tastes! It was a bit strange for us, at first, when we arrived, because we entered the garden and looked around to determine if we recognized anyone - a resounding NO! We walked around a bit and nodded politely to other guests, but still did not recognize anyone. Since our involvement with the wedding, up until now, had been primarily with the bride's family, I guess it was no wonder, except for the fact that somewhere, sometime, during the past three days, we must have met some of the groom's family and friends. Again, I asked Heather and J.T. if they recognized anyone or if, perhaps we were attending the wrong reception. At last, J.T. spied someone who looked familiar. It was the photographer, who had been working throughout the weekend! So, we guessed we were in the right place after all. Little by little, members of the brides family began to arrive, and they came over to us and enjoyed drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Sanjiv and Jyotsna and Olie arrived, as well, and we learned they had not gotten home until about 5:00 in the morning! It was no wonder they arrived at about 1:00 p.m.

While I was eating my lunch, I received a telephone call from Bani, who works for Sanjiv, advising me of bad weather coming on and expressing his concern that we should depart from Delhi right away, in order to avoid having to drive in dense fog on our way to Agra. We took his advice, called Rakesh and sad our farewells to the family and to the bride and groom. Although not having time to change into less formal clothing, we boarded the van and off we sped toward the city of the Taj Mahal.

After a four hour drive, we arrived at the Howard Park Hotel

KNIGHT ON A WHITE HORSE?

Saturday evening, while so many of the wedding guests were virtually freezing at the venue for the evening's events, the groom and his school chums - about twenty young men, arrived at the outside gate of the Vista Hotel - most likely by warm cars, and then the groom mounted a beautiful white horse that was adorned by a jewel encrusted blanket and head dress and saddle. They were accompanied by a brass band with drums and a string of chandeliers in groups of three on each side of the roadway. The lights in the chandeliers were all powered by a portable generator, carried on a truck that eased its way along the entrance beside the groom's entourage.
The drummers and the brass players continued with an assaulting cacophony of rapid fire percussion and trumpeting, much as you would hear from a charging bull elephant. The intensity strengthened and then diminished and what should have taken a total of ten minutes lasted more than two hours. Even the groom's mother seemed a bit perturbed as to how long the procession was taking to reach the portico that had been beautifully decorated with cascades of stephanotis blossoms appearing like rain, as well as garlands of marigolds and roses and gerbera daisies. All of the groom's party seemed to be smoking cigars and sharing a large bottle of scotch whiskey they passed from one to another. Finally, the party arrived and processed up the portico into the venue. Those of us who were standing on either side of the processing group showered them in rose petals and marigold petals.
The festive atmosphere pervaded the entire venue, with the color scheme of purple and gold being followed throughout the tented areas outside, as well as the ballroom inside.
Upon the arrival of the groom's party, the bride and groom proceeded to the stage, where they received blessings and prayers from the priest. They then moved onto a separate tented area, where seven sets of prayers and rituals continued for about two hours. All the while, guests mingled and ate and drank. Eventually, we all entered the ballroom and were treated to a variety of native dishes, as well as Oriental cooking.
As everyone can imagine, and those especially who have seen MONSOON WEDDING, the festivities went on into the wee hours of the morning, when the bridal couple finally departed - at about 2:00 in the morning. Our driver, Rakesh, took us back to our guest house and we got to sleep at about 3:00 in the morning. After all, we had to take rest, since we were expected to be in attendance at yet another event the following morning, hosted by the groom's family, at the India Habitat Center in Delhi.
Still trying to get some photos uploaded.

ICE CASTLES?

Coming from Maine, one would think we might be somewhat accustomed to cold weather. However, nothing had prepared us for the bone-chilling damp radiating-from-the-earth cold we experienced the night of the wedding (Saturday). When J.T. and I arrived at 5:30 in the afternoon, at the Vista Hotel, we noticed there was no heat in the lobby of the hotel, nor in the ballroom where we would be eating dinner. We ventured out into the side yard, adjacent to the ballroom, where about a dozen people were arranging floral centerpieces, draping chiffon fabric over super structural frames of various shapes and sizes and heights, while others rolled out astro-turf carpeting in shades of red and green. The motif was purple and gold and there were literally thousands of flowers arranged at the back of the stage area, where the bridal couple initially would sit on a very elaborate antique love seat. I inquired as to the current temperature and was told it was a whopping three degrees! Using a rough conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit, I believe it was about 38 degrees, and the festivities were not going to start until well after the sun set and an even deeper damper cold set in! And here we all were attired in traditional Indian dress - women in Sarees, men in kurtas and pajama bottoms, and most of us wearing sandals! YIKES! Sandals in the snow (wonder if Elton John could change the lyrics of his song!)
I was amazed at the fact that the decorating had not been even half completed by the time we arrived, and supposedly only two hours remaining before all the guests would arrive, along with the bride and then the groom. The locals arrived wearing pashmina shawls, fur hats, some with fur coats, wool capes and after some conversation, we learned they were all wearing "thermals" which we had not packed! We were concerned the bride would freeze outside, but that was not our problem at the moment. Two of our friends from France were more or less doing jumping jacks to stay warm, the two ladies from Germany were wrapped in heavy woolen coats and we, attempting to be respectful and punctual, had all arrived and stood around watching our breath while either sitting in the lobby or in the ballroom. We ordered tea (HOT TEA) and coffee, just to be able to hold a warm cup for a few moments. Eventually, some of the other family members arrived, also complaining of the bitter cold, and so some of us retreated to the bar, where we were greeted with a warmer venue, at least until the blush of the rose left and we realized that room was only warmer due to the lights shedding some heat!
Finally, it was time to return to the ballroom and the tents outside. The staff had installed several propane heaters, and several of us cuddled around one of them, to realize the only part of our bodies feeling any warmth were our faces, and that only when we looked up! More and more guests arrived and we speculated as to the current temperature and most of us surmised it was a blistering one degree!
Since we are about to lose Internet access, I will post this for now and pick up at the next stop to post more.

Saturday's festivities

Another wonderful tradition involves family of the bride, especially, with respect to the preparation of the bride for her wedding. In light of this, Pallavi's aunts and cousins (and some of the adoptive cousins and aunts, including Heather) gathered at her home and began several very elaborate and colorful ceremonies of preparation.
First, the eldest aunt takes two small bunches of freshly cut grass, which are tied with red threads, and she dips them into water. Afterward, the aunt, holding these bundles, touches various parts of Pallavi's body - head, shoulders, hands, feet, etc., all the while reciting various prayers. The next aunt follows this until either five or seven of the aunts follow the same ritual. After this, the aunts then scoop some turmeric from a bowl, and place it on the bride's body - on her forehead, her cheeks, her arms, her feet - this yellow paste is supposed to enhance the body and make the bride even more beautiful for the groom to receive at the evening's ceremonies. Once all of the seven aunts had finished this ritual, then another ritual began.
As a gift from the groom's family friends - girls the age of the bride, a box of multi-layered brass dangling earring-type pieces of jewelry had been presented to the bride earlier in the morning, and the tradition is that the girls in the family about the same age as the bride then tie one earring each on a silver bangle, one on each arm of the bride. If I could describe these earrings properly, I would say they appear to be tiny brass chandeliers. Heather joined in this ritual and once finished, the bride had about fifteen of these chandeliers hanging from each of the bracelets on her wrists.
Following this, all of the unmarried girls then kneel on the floor before the bride, who then clashes the bracelets together, banging the brass chandeliers together over the head of each of the single girls, as a sign of good luck and blessing that one of them should find a husband of their liking soon. Later on, following the marriage, the bride removed the bracelets from her arms, and with her back to all of the unmarried girls, tosses them over her head and whichever girl catches the bracelet with the chandeliers, is the next to be married - much like the bridal bouquet being tossed by the bride, before she leaves the reception.
Following yet another luncheon at the bride's home, we then returned to our guest house to dress for the evening. Heather wore a magnificent Saree, which had been made especially for her for this wedding, and she looked fantastic (see photos, when we figure out how to load them into the BLOG) and J.T. wore a kurta (long silk shirt) and pajama bottoms, and a wonderful stole around his neck. I wore a dark green kurta and pajama bottoms and a burgundy silk stole. All in all, we feel we represented "our side" of the family very well.
When I have more time, I will describe the evening's festivities, but suffice it to say, it was amazingly cold and the events all took place outside! We were told the temperature that evening at 5:00, was only 3 degrees Celsius. Look up the conversion, but I think it translates into about 38 degrees Fahrenheit! Pretty chilly for silks and sandals, don't you think?

JT makes the local paper

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20010106/GJCOMMUNITY03/701069830

Friday is First Day

Today, as is tradition in Hinduism, the ceremonies begin with what is called Mehendi - this is the ceremony where the bride is adorned with very elaborate henna designs on her hands, her arms, her feet and ankles, up to about mid-calf. Some of the bride's friends also have their hands and arms decorated, including Heather. The designs often contain a paisley design, as well as flowers and birds.
Early in the evening, guests began to arrive at the hotel where the ceremonies, including blessing by a Hindu priest, as well as various skits and performances by both the families of the bride and groom are shared with a few hundred guests. Special dances and songs with lyrics especially written to honor the bride and to poke fun at the groom make the evening very festive. The venue at the hotel was very elaborately decorated, with hundreds of flowers, as well as fabrics draped around the room. Over in the far corner of the room, there was a sort of lawn swing, also adorned with hundreds of traditional flowers, where the bride sat and had many photographs taken with the family and other guests.
Following dinner, a DJ played recordings well into the morning, and we finally left the party at about 1:30 a.m. Both Heather and J.T. truly enjoyed themselves on the dance floor. We were too tired for me to sit down at the computer and write anything. We will share some photos very soon.

Friday - day of Mehendi ceremony

There are so many traditions in India - based upon mythology, as well as religious ceremonies and today is no exception. The Mehendi ceremony takes place, beginning at the home of the bride and we were privileged enough to be included. First, however, Heather, J.T. and I went with our driver, Rakesh, into Delhi for a bit of sightseeing.
The first monument we visited was Qutab Minar - one of the oldest and largest Muslim holy places in the world. There are several tombs of Muslim mughals, as well as the principal tower or minar, from where the imams would call their followers to prayer, several times each day. As many know, when Muslims pray, they face Mecca. We also know, at least in the western world, facing Mecca means facing east. Well, from India, it is different - Muslims face the west when praying, as they are on the opposite side of Mecca from where we are in the USA or Europe. J.T. was constantly amazed at the different sites, each time we rounded a corner or walked into a new garden. But, the Minar itself was striking to him and remains so for me. To imagine how such arches and towers and walls were constructed more than eight centuries ago - all by hand, without automation and power tools, is almost more than one can comprehend.


Following our visit to Qutab Minar, we then visited Humayim's Tomb - and when we first entered through the west gate, J.T. exclaimed, "Wow, I see the Taj Mahal!" So many of the same domes and architectural features were used in those times, so the dome of Humayim's tomb is very similar to that of the Taj. After visiting those two attractions, we drove into Connaught Place at the center of New Delhi, which had been designed during the period when India was a part of the British Empire. Some also refer to this area as Connaught Circus, and after driving and walking through Connaught, one can certainly have a better understanding as to why! While we were there, we walked to a Money Exchange office to convert some Travelers' Cheques into Indian rupees. WORD TO THE WISE: Don't bother to purchase Travelers' Cheques to bring from home, as we were unable to locate one bank where we could cash them and change into local currency. We were forced to change our TCs and only got black market rates, from a man running a travel company, and who refused to give us a receipt! The rate we received is better than what is posted in hotels, so we did not fare too poorly.,

After this, we were called by Sanjiv who asked us to return to his home, as some of the festivities were beginning soon. I told him we wanted to make one stop along the way. Back in 2003, I had the honor of leading a Rotary Group Study Exchange team to India, on a professional and cultural exchange, and as a result, made many friends here. One family, in particular, was the Sikand Family: Deepak, Yogesh and their son,, Rishi. I asked our driver, Rakesh, if he could get me to K.G. Marg - one of the roads leading out of Connaught Place, where the Sikands had their home. I was hopeful that I could recognize their home, so we could stop and visit. Well, he did, and I did, and we did! When we arrived at the front gate of their home, I handed my Rotary business card to the security guard and asked him to take it into the house. He returned quickly with a smile on his face and invited us to come in. He took us to a table set up in the garden and asked us to wait. Just then, I turned to see the cook, Agnes, who emerged from the house with a huge smile on her face. She had actually remembered me from 2003! She came to me and I gave her a big hug and then introduced her to Heather and J.T. I explained that while staying at the Sikand home, and suffering from a temperature of nearly 105 degrees, Agnes had prepared fresh curd (yogurt) for me, and served it to me several times each day, along with dry toast and tea. She, as much as anyone, was responsible for the fever breaking and my restoration to health.

In a few minutes, Deepak came to greet us. He had not changed a bit from the time I had stayed at his home. He was pleased to meet Heather and J.T., and we sat and had reminesced for a while. I was disappointed Yogesh had not been at home, but was pleased to know she was well and that Rishi was now a sophomore in college in Washsington State. Wow, does time fly! We said our goodbyes and returned to the car, where Rakesh was waiting. I asked him to drive us out past the various embassies, because I wanted particularly to show my family the Embassy of the United States of America. It is always a welcoming sight to see the American flag flying when traveling in a foreign country. I had been pleased to take my team to the embassy back in 2003, and had met with the US AID director and his assistant. Another good memory.

We returned to Central Park (the location of Sanjiv's home in Gurgaon) and went straight to the clubhouse to meet other family and friends of the bride, to enjoy luncheon. It was wonderful to meet so many friends from my past travels to India and we were all made to truly feel a part of the family. Sanjiv's father (granddad to me) arrived with Rajiv (Sanjiv's older brother from Mumbai) and it was so good to see him in such good health, at the age of ninety!

Following lunch, J.T. played with some of the children, and Heather joined several of Pallavi's cousins and aunts, as they rehearsed for a few hours for a dance they would be performing at the Mehendi ceremonies that evening. We finally returned to the guest house where we were staying, and showered, changed our clothes and dressed for the evening, in semi-formal wear. Heather had been loaned a skirt, top and shawl by Sonia Sahny and she looked quite lovely. Off to another memory-making event!

Day One and counting

This morning at about 1:15, we arrived at the guest house where we are staying for the next few days. It is located in a complex known as Essel Towers. There are several rooms here and a central kitchen, dining area and living room. At that hour, a bed looked comfortable, until we realized there was NO HEAT!!! The buildings here are not centrally heated and there is no insulation in the walls, so that coupled with loose-fitting windows and doors, one could refer to one's room as a bit of a refrigeration unit! As I said, any bed at that hour, following a fourteen hour flight and then dinner at Sanjiv's home with friends and family, looked welcoming. After layering on a couple of shirts and climbing under the duvet and a bedspread, I settled down like a fish under a plank and slept with many interruptions until about 6:30.

We had morning tea followed by toast, jam, juice and scrambled eggs. Our driver, Rakesh, was waiting outside to drive us to the home of Vikram and Sonia Sahny. They are friends from previous trips of mine, and Vikram serves currently as president of the Rotary Club of Delhi-Megapolis. Sonia kindly offered to step in on Heather's behalf and have a saree and a salwar kameez made for her before we arrived in India, depending upon measurements sent along via Email. The two garments are beautiful and I know Heather will look amazing waring them, as well as some jewelry and bangles Sonia willingly let her borrow. A few minor alterations needed to be done and then we were driven back to Sanjiv's complex, where we met even more relatives who had come from long distances to join in a traditional luncheon, as well as the rehearsal which followed. Aunts, cousins, uncles and friends all gather together to create a skit presentation for the bridal couple, and Heather joined right in with the rest of the women. Heather also had her hands and wrists decorated with henna - a temporary tattoo, as did most of the other women and girls at today's luncheon. After running a few crucial errands, we all returned to Sanjiv's home tonight and enjoyed drinks, dinner and wonderful fellowship, meeting old friends and making new ones. JT and Heather seem to be adapting well to the crazy thing known as INDIA TIME, as well as assimilating into the family. Since it is now nearly 2:00 a.m., I am going to call it a day and try to warm up and sleep until the next event tomorrow morning!

TWO LEGGED STOOL

Many years ago, I remember hearing a story told by a farmer that it was difficult to milk a cow when sitting on a stool with only two legs. Balance seems to play a key role in the situation. Not so difference is where we are so far in our journey - we have only two legs so we need to have the third leg in order to complete the picture and to arrive at our first far-away destination. We drove to Logan Airport without incident and J.T. was really helpful in keeping his attention as "Lookout" so we could find our way to the airport and then to the long-term satellite parking garage.
When we arrived, we parked, offloaded the bags and proceeded to find the pick-up location for the shuttle to take us to Terminal A. Since we are travelling as a family, we were allowed to move forward in the queue and have our bags checked through to Delhi and get our boarding passes. We then walked over to the security area for the official TSA "pat-down". Heather and J.T. processed through quickly, while I set off the alarms with my knee prosthesis (or as J.T. calls it my bionic knee). The TSA screener was aptly named Pat Downe! Just kidding. However, thee process of moving his inside my waistband and then up and down my legs and around my groin area seemed to be a bit more thorough than necessary. Nevertheless, I did thank him for what the TSA does in trying to protect the public.
Leg Two was the flight from Boston to Newark, which for some reason yet to be disclosed, took us up through the Berkshires, the Green Mountains and possibly all the way to Montreal before our captain nosed our Boeing-737 southward toward the Big Apple and beyond. Finally, as I looked out the window, I spied the skyline of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. What a fantastic and almost majestic sight to see Lady Liberty standing guard over New York harbor. We touched down and then taxied into the terminal area and then walked until we found a place to have lunch and to sit and catch up on Emails and Blogging.
If one could only sit totally quiet in the terminal and observe passing travelers, one could almost write a novel - well, one of those thirty-minute speed novels. Something worth trying, perhaps, but not today.
J.T. is sitting next to me, working on some of his homework assignments, so he will not have to be plagued with assignments hanging over his head during the rest of our journey. His math and spelling lessons are completed and now he is working on writing down some of his HOPES for his family, his friends, his classmates, himself and the world!
All for now, but maybe another posting before we leave for Delhi.

ONLY A FEW HOURS BEFORE DEPARTURE

It is now 5:20 in the morning and I am here at my office, finishing up on tying up some last minute details and contacting some new clients. Last night, finally packed, was able to enjoy a bit of sleep. In order to prepare for welcoming my ROTARY DREAM TEAM - INDIA 2011 to India in February, I decided to have all of the official team shirts made and embroidered so that I could pack them for THIS trip, taking one of my large bags and allowing me to have an empty bag for bringing home lots of goodies when I come home in a couple of weeks! I have a few orders from friends and family as to what I should look to purchase for them. This being said, one bag has about 60 official team shirts, and the other bag has my clothing for the trip!
Last evening, we enjoyed dinner - just Jane, Heather, Chris and JT, and it was nice to pause as a family before separating for a couple of weeks. We are so blessed to be able to travel to participate in Pallavi's wedding, and then to view potential service projects for Dream Teams of the future.
Will try to bring an update on a daily basis, but please be patient if there are a few gaps in communication.
NAMASTE - (I honor the divinity in you!)

Countdown to departure

Over the Christmas holidays and through this past weekend of New Year's celebrations, the reality of actual departure remained somewhat nebulous, much as the foggy weather of the past two days here in southern Maine. However, when I awoke this morning at 4:00, I realized that I really SHOULD get packed, pick up Travelers' Cheques and finish up last minute details at my office. Well, the first task was to create this BLOG, and then to go to the gym for exercise and then to drive to doctor's appointments - (Gee, Elias, could you cram much more into your already tight schedule?) Also, since I will be leading the ROTARY DREAM TEAM - INDIA 2011, in February, for the purpose of immunizing children against the crippling, and sometimes deadly disease of POLIO, as well as working as common laborers in the construction of a water harvesting dam, I need to stop by MIKINI STITCHING in Sanford, Maine, where all of our team shirts are being embroidered. I will take the shirts with me to India tomorrow, rather than trying to get everything packed in February, with the rest of my clothing, etc.
The purpose of this immediate trip is to take my daughter and grandson to India, not only to attend the wedding ceremonies (how many days????) of our adopted niece, Pallavi Saran Mathur, who is the daughter of my little brother, Sanjiv Saran and his wife, Jyotsna. If you are interested in learning more about Pallavi, please follow this link: http://bharatnatyam-pallavi.com She is one of the most talented interpreters of classical Indian mythology and dance and is renowned throughout India, the USA and England.
Following the wedding, we will do some travel, and see India through the eyes of my 9-year old grandson. We will not simply keep to the typical tourist spots (although we will visit the Taj Mahal in Agra and Amber Fort in Jaipur), but I will be pleased to show J.T. and Heather some of the places where I have had the honor to lead previous Rotary Dream Teams in past years. One of the villages where we had worked is a totally Muslim village of Chahalka, and I look forward to sharing with my family the fantastic work we have been able to accomplish, with the help of Rotary and The Rotary Foundation.
More later, when I have a bit more time to write...