My First Temple and Bollywood Film

I have already started to fall behind. Not a great start...

The Sunday before last, I wanted to explore Gurgaon. I figured if I am to live here, I better start acting like a local. I googled "attractions in Gurgaon" and the Sheetla Mata Mandir (Mandir means "Hindu temple") was one of the top results. The google map images made it look like a relatively quiet locale with shaded benches and green gardens so I packed a book and set out. My first sign of trouble was the confused look I got from my taxi driver. I'm used to people not understanding me because of my accent but the expression stayed on his face even after I showed him my phone. I took the look as confusion on the exact location but in hindsight I think it was closer to "Why does he want to go there?!"

After dropping me off, I understood.

To say I was the only white person within a half mile radius is a drastic understatement. I'm used to sticking out here (I am slightly taller than the average Indian) but this was a whole new level. The stares would not end until I made it back to the car. 

The front gate was closed so I followed the wave of people through a side gate. There was a security checkpoint that was ignored by everyone so I followed suit. I walked into the first dirt patch and realized that this was once one of the gardens. The mandir is a huge structure, painted in orange and white stripes with decorative statues and figures surrounding.

It was beautiful to see and I decided I needed to go inside the inner gates. If I'm here, I should experience it all! All of the signage was in Hindi so I found the entrance by locating the largest mob of people. I have an irrational fear that someone will steal my shoes here. No one will fit in them but they may take them as proof to show future generations that some people have to wear clown shoes as normal shoes. I tried my best to place my shoes out of reach of everyone but the most desperate thief. I followed the crowd forward and tried to respectfully mimic any actions that everyone performed. Hanging above the doorway was a large bell with smaller bells along the arched frame. I followed the leader and rang the bell before proceeding inside.

There was a prayer line for the alter but I was intimidated by the process so I skipped that to save face. Inside was calmer and I was able to enjoy myself (no reading spot but the crush of other humans was gone for once). I walked near the various alters and watched as people gave thanks and said prayers for loved ones. It was a sight to see as every person chose different gods and prayed in differing fashions. It seemed both more and less structured than religions I am more familiar. While the prayers seemed more fluid in form, the individuals praying focused intently on the words and rhythm.

I walked down a flight of stairs behind a small group. Each stopped at a man who put a small mark on their foreheads. I attempted to walk by as I did not want to be offensive but the man pulled me in and placed the "tika" on me. I felt even more stares as I continued down the path. A man sitting at an alter started speaking very fast Hindi at me. I froze and he realized his mistake in my dumbfounded expression. He pointed to the table and said, "100 rupees". I told him I didn't have a 100 note. He then said, "500 rupee". I told him he was going the wrong way. He returned the look I had given him. I examined the table and saw that he had one 100 rupee note and a pile of 10's and I realized his game. I put some money on the table and continued on my way. 

After walking around for a few more minutes, I decided to find an exit. Everyone seemed to be walking the opposite way we entered but I was still nervous about my shoes and didn't want to walk across the entire temple to get them back. I made the decision to fight upstream to get back to the entrance. I tried to find the path of least resistance but that's impossible when you are me so I got some dirty looks. I made it to the door with the bells but it was very crowded and there were several small children standing in the way. I did not want to crush anyone so I had to pay very close attention to the ground in front of me. I successfully navigated through the children and I looked up just in time to SMACK my head on a small bell. The amount of people staring increased tenfold. I had to get out quickly. I found my shoes (thank goodness) and made my way to my taxi. I went straight home and called it a day.

This past Sunday, I went to a movie with my coworker and his family. The film is called Raees (pronounced rah-EESE). It's a fictional tale of smuggling based on the real life prohibition in the state of Gujarat (Northwestern state of India, just south of Pakistan). The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, one of the superstars in Bollywood (similar level to DiCaprio or Hanks). We ordered food to be brought at intermission (you read that right) and then went into the theater. 

I have learned many things in my day but Hindi is not one of them. The dialogue was lost on me and it's harder than you may think to blindly attempt to express the right emotion for three hours. The action scenes were understandable but I was thrown for a loop when the entire cast broke out into song six times throughout the film. Think West Side Story or Glee. This is not simple melodies or short tunes, this is a full stop of the action with choreographed dances for the entirety of the ballad. 

If you listen to the radio here, a large portion of songs are from various movies. Every Bollywood (India's movie capital, located in Mumbai) movie has several musical numbers that make up the soundtrack. And with around 1,000 movies per year (double Hollywood's output), you can only imagine the number of songs that are created this way. 

It was a fascinating experience and I highly recommend finding a way to watch one of these films (subtitles suggested).

Safari and Money

Well, I'm a week in so I thought it was a good time to catch everyone up on my time so far. Work last week went well. The typical work day is 9am-6pm but this generally stretches later when you have meetings with other areas of the world. It also depends on your commute. For the first month of my time here, I will be working in Bawal, approximately 40 miles from our sales office and my apartment in Gurgaon. This drive can take anywhere from just over an hour to well over two, depending on traffic. I will start the trip around 7:30 and get home after 8pm most days. After my first month, I will be working in our sales office and will enjoy a much shorter commute of 15-20 minutes. Work itself will be intense but fulfilling and it will make the nights and weekends that much sweeter.

This past weekend, I explored my street in Gurgaon and became more familiar with my surroundings. It's difficult to describe the scale here as it is so different than anything I have experienced before. Gurgaon is a the tech hub of Delhi NCR (National Capital Region) and many of the world's largest corporations have offices here. When travelling on main roads, you see high rise after high rise. There are several large contractors that are all fighting for real estate and each designs buildings in a slightly different way. This means that the street has a huge variety in building height, size, shape, material, and color. To save on space, many stores choose to open shop in malls. I'm used to one mall with a variety of shops and then a lot of smaller-scale buildings and strip malls where other stores operate. Here, malls are everywhere but not always fully occupied due to their overabundance. I have one next to my hotel that is a four-story open air mall that can hold around 50 shops. There are no stores on the top floor and 80% of the stores are salons and spas. The options are appreciated but I have no idea how these shops stay open. Driving less than a mile down the road, I will pass four more malls. These house movie theaters, grocery stores, clothing outlets (not that I fit in anything here), and restaurants.

On Sunday, I went with a few coworkers to a fort and a natural reserve, both located in Rajasthan. We left early in the morning and arrived at the Bala Quila Fort in Alwar around 10. We walked around and eventually made our way to the top levels which gave us beautiful vistas of our surroundings.

This was my first tourist experience in India and I recognized some differences from the US. First, guard rails are a luxury here. It is up to the individual to not get too close to the edge and to watch for soft spots as you walk on these 400 year old roofs. Doorways were not built for tall people and will not be altered for giants like myself- just duck. Lastly, most things are not labeled, so if you're not with a guide, expect to be left in the dark some of the time.

The safari was in the afternoon after a nice lunch of paneer (curd cheese), lentils, spinach, nuts, and mutton curry. We squeezed into a modified Jeep-inspired Suzuki and went into the Sariska National Park and Tiger Reserve. This park is over 1200 square kilometers (465 square miles) and the roads do not cover the majority of this area. To call this a tiger reserve is a stretch in my opinion as the have taken tigers from other park and reintroduced them to this environment after over-hunting. There are 14 tigers in the park as well as several panthers and leopards. Our guide could have told us any number he wanted to though as we didn't catch a glimpse of a big cat. There were plenty of warthogs, peacocks, antelopes, and deer but nothing that blew us away. The closest we got was a group of deer who caught the scent of a predator and sent out a warning call to others nearby. We waited for quite a while but had no luck.

I want to give you a brief summary of the current financial situation in India. On November 8th, 2016, the Prime Minister, Nerendra Modi, announced the demonetization of the 500 (about $7.34) and 1000( about $14.68) rupee note. This was announced as a way of annihilating corruption and money laundering. This threw the country into a state of shock and financial unknown. The India economy is 90% cash-based (compared to 40% in the US) and over 80% of those transactions involved either the 500 or 1000 rupee note. This was a huge blow to several markets here including agriculture, family-run business, as well as the black market. People could exchange old money for newly printed 500 and 2000 rupee notes by going to a branch of the exchange bank. There were other rules put into effect as well that limited the amount of money in bank accounts, curbing the number of bank accounts an individual could open, and defining weekly ATM withdrawal allowances. Lines became impossibly long at these facilities, forcing individuals to wait in line for hours on end and sometimes being turned away as the branch ran out of new bills.

Currently the withdrawal limit is 4000 INR per week (about $60) which has inhibited those dependent on cash payments. There are long lines at ATM's and many run out of money before they can be refilled. Many residents have adjusted to a cashless economy by using cards or payment apps (PayTM is by far the most popular) but these do not work for everyone. An Indian bank account is needed for many apps to work so I will be using cash while I'm here.

I move into my apartment today so I should have a story or two once I'm settled in.

And So It Begins

As I wait in the airport for my final leg to Delhi, I can't help but feel nervous. I have been looking forward to this moment for the last two years and now it is finally here. International travel has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. I am now lucky enough to have an international opportunity through work. I will be based in Greenheck's India sales office working with our international team.

I want to use this blog as a record of my travel but also as a teaching experience for others. The majority of the people reading this have not been to India or have extensive knowledge of Indian culture. I will not make the claim that I do either but, I hope, over the next five months we can learn together. I will try to include bits of history and cultural references into my posts but if you want more information, do not hesitate to ask me.

I will post as often as I can but unlike when I studied abroad, my days will be full and I plan to travel most weekends.