British Raj, the Pig Kingdom, Weddings, Chillies, and Other Associated Phenomena

Hmm, who's the out-of-place whitey here? Can you pick him out? Don't strain too hard, now...

Aren't these kids beautiful? On the left is the sparky and brilliant Komal, in the middle is the birthday boy Gabu, and on the right is Dipu, who I serve faithfully as a transport camel

Gabu with the ceremonial red forehead marking and a thread being tied around his wrist. Gopal's olderst daughter Tina.



Gopal taking apart a storage hut for maintenance and rebuilding. Tough work.

Village Hospital: So, as mentioned in the NGO work section, I got sick and had to visit the village hospital. When I arrived I saw a rather terrifying site: a man, I presume a staff member, ripping a tooth out of a women’s mouth with a pair of pliers and apparently without anaesthetic, as the woman gave a squeal of pain and then was whimpering. Pretty basic methods, I guess. However, on going inside I found a basic and well-kept facility, by no means modern and I’m not sure how well sterilized, but I think sufficient for its purpose. I saw the doctor, who was a sensitive and soft-spoken man, telling me gently that I could speak in English as I tried to express my symptoms in Hindi. He gave me a prescription for some basic medicine to treat the symptoms and gave me some chloroquinine (malaria prophylaxis). The chloroquinine was provided free of cost, as the government keeps it on hand for all of the people of India, since malaria is still present in India. I felt a little bad taking from the government of India supplies, but no one else seemed to feel that way and by now I am half-Indian anyhow, so no problem. To do a blood test a man pulled out two needles in sterile packages (air-sealed as far as I could see) and pricked both Rohitash and I on the finger, and then spread the blood across a slide. To stop the bleeding he had me press my finger to my thumb. He also stored the slides together in a single container before having them tested. Not sure how this is in terms of medical technique, but I think it is overall not bad given the still impoverished state of India in many aspects. I seem to be no worse for the wear, so that is good. It was good to see the rural hospital/clinic up close and personal, though, to see how it worked. My trip seems to have gone successfully, so I can’t really complain. The women who had here tooth pulled, though, would almost certainly disagree. Slowly, progress is made, for very few of these institutions existed around the independence of India (1947). In fact, Gopal has told me that hospitals would have existed in the city, but in the village there would be local treatments and charming. Now, I can see, people have gladly taken to scientific medicine, which is good. Anywho, interesting experience.

Articles from the Hindu: so, I read some really interesting articles in the Hindu, an Indian newspaper. They are all from the opinion page and all are fascinating in their own way. One is a memorial for an Indian professor at Stanford who mentored the founders of Google and who died of drowning at his home, another is about India’s historical and present role in mathematics, one is on how the India needs to stand up for its economic interests even if that means stepping on the US’s toes, another is about how the US’s slanted pro-Israeli policy must end, and the last is a negative review of Sonia Sotomayor, at least in one particular case, as being too much about process and not about justice. All of these show a wide range of views that don’t fit into the usual conservative/liberal mindset, as thought of in the US. This obviously makes sense, since every country’s politics is different. Nonetheless, it is really interesting to get the view on the US from the outside, especially with regards to its methods of pressing its policies. Very fascinating. I think I will try to read newspapers from several countries in the future (and hopefully in a few languages) in order to get as broad of a perspective as possible. Good insights come from this, I think (my brother previously suggested a Jordanian newspaper to me, and this provided similarly interesting perspectives). The links are below:

St. Prof:
http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/11/stories/2009061155121000.htm
Indian mathematics:
http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/11/stories/2009061155161000.htm
Indian economics:
http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/11/stories/2009061155181100.htm
US Israeli policy:
http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/11/stories/2009061155211100.htm
Sotomayor:
http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/11/stories/2009061155201100.htm

Skyrocketing prices: I was shocked to read in an Indian newspaper how much food prices went up in the period from 1 June to 18 June. During this time the price of rice went up by a third, the price of flour went up by half, the price of potatoes went up by two and a half times, and the price of onions tripled! These numbers just blew me away, since the time period is only 2.5 weeks. As the article was in Hindi I could not fully understand the reasons for this increase, but was told by my former host mother that this is also happening in the US (her daughters told her). Is anything comparable happening in the US? These increases are just mind-boggling to me.


“The guest is equal to God”: India has a strong culture of treating the guest well, summed up by this quote. To this end they will stuff you to the high heavens with all the good vegetables, sweets, and whatever else they might have if you are a guest. They will always give you the best stuff (blanket, cot, etc.) and make sure that you are cared for in every way. It really is a great sentiment, mirrored in many other religions, though in different forms.
Last weekend in fact, I was a guest at Gopal’s house. I had a heck of a time being his son’s camel, taking him around the surrounding areas on my back, and watching the kids squeal with joy as they heard their voices played back on the pulse pen. They also enjoyed playing on the laptop, which was a first. Unfortunately, I did not get to sleep with the goat tied to my bed as I did last time, but I got over that eventually. Also, jokingly, Gopal’s sister-in-law upon hearing that I had a girlfriend, said that I could take her back to the US and have two girlfriends. Later, she very seriously told me that under no circumstances should I get a divorce after marriage. And yes, I was well fed. I got one of my favourite dishes, kadhy, which is a buttermilk based dish, along with some sweet rice and tang-like juice. This food came when the family was doing preparation prayer and customs for an upcoming wedding (the 17th – I hope to attend). They have me the customary red streak on the forehead with rice embedded, and tied an orange and red string around my wrist (these strings are a definite mark of Hindus), which I was told would lead to a speedy marriage for me. Meg got a laugh out of this. I also got to have daal baati, which is a special occasion food, consisting of big buttery wheat rolls that you can dip into daal or eat plain. We also had a nice mixture of roasted wheat flour, sugar, and ghee (clarified butter) called churma. I had the pleasure of embarrassing myself while taking a bath, as a I had a hard time manoeuvring correctly on the concrete rim I was sitting on, so that I couldn’t completely wash up. I also had the pleasure of using an open toilet, which is a euphemism for the ground. Good times. Will try to send pictures of the parts you actually would like to see.

Rajasthani/Indian wedding customs: I’ll give my best shot at explaining some of the wedding customs, to the extent that I understand them. First of all, the groom spends the morning of the first day at his parents’ home, before setting out on horseback to go around the village. During this time he might go to the temple, go to a site to be fed by all of his sisters, and other such things. After this the groom and his family are transported to the bride’s family’s home, where food is eaten and the majority of ceremonies are carried out. After arriving snack is served. Then, everyone sets out to go around the village, following a truck band (a band in a truck) and leading the groom who is on horseback. In front of the groom and behind the band truck is a moving dance floor where people do all sorts of traditional dances. This whole scene is surrounded by young boys carrying jerry-rigged fluorescent light units that quite frankly scare me and other such lighting units. It really is a spectacle to see all of the people, hear all of the noise, and have the dark village lit up by the bright lights. I feel quite bad for the horse though. I suppose it goes through this pretty frequently, being a ceremonial horse. As such, it must frequently have bright lights in its eyes, horns and speakers blaring in its ears, and all sorts of people crowding it. Perhaps then it is no surprise that the horse’s eyes are bloodshot and people have to watch for it attempting to kick them to the moon. Don’t blame it.

The food consists of vegetables, fried tortillas (puris), and a whole lot of sweets. After the eating a whole bunch of hymns are sung by the priest while the bride and groom try to stay awake (it’s a whole night affair). This is done around a fire, which has great ceremonial significance in India. The fire comes from burning ghee (clarified butter), which also has great significance in Indian religion and custom. The bride and groom have to studiously not look at each other (though a daring glance by the male is tolerated, perhaps even considered amusing). After all of this and many other things I don’t understand ( the ceremonial area is filled with grains and coconuts), the bride and groom walk around the fire seven times, and switch from a position in which the bride is on the right of the groom to where the bride is to the left of the groom. This signifies that the marriage has been completed and the bride should always remain close to the groom’s heart.
During all of this people can come and go and watch as they please. Additionally, the dowry is set out for all to see (at least in the village wedding that I have been to). The dowry at this wedding was pretty impressive, consisting of a fridge, a washing machine, a TV, a new bed and furniture set, clothing, a very large storage container, a spice grinder/mixer, pots and pans, a DVD player, a swamp cooler, and many other smaller household items. I didn’t know how to feel about this, as it was very impressive, yet the institution of the dowry is one of the black eyes on India’s great culture. It leads to suicide by fathers who can’t fathom figuring out how to pay the dowry, and leads to the strong favouring of boys, to the point of malnourishing the girls and quite frankly, female infanticide. The bride’s family also pays for the wedding. This is the single largest cost an Indian will incur in his/her life (at least traditionally). If India is to change to being a place more friendly to women, elimination of the dowry system must be one of the first steps. It leads directly to the favouring of boys and disadvantaging of girls in pretty much all aspects of life.

Indeed, just to be frank I need to mention that when I say the whole groom’s family goes to the bride’s house, I mean pretty much just the men go; and when I say people dance in front of the band truck, I mean just men dance; and other such distortions. While it is interesting watching the difference in ideas of masculinity, i.e. Indian men have no problem getting real close on the dance floor and dancing in ways that would be considered effeminate in the US (though are not objectively so), the seclusion and segregation of women during the whole process made it hard for me to enjoy. This cancer on Indian society is on ample display during these village weddings, and I find it difficult. I wedding and customs are often beautiful, but this aspect simply must go.
Finally, after waking up the next day people groggily walk around and talk. The priest finishes up the ceremony, and all of the married couples in attendance walk around the dowry, with the men leading the women (surprising?). Then money is given to the newlyweds and food served again. Then the bride and the dowry are transported back the groom’s house, where the dowry will be unpacked and more festivities will occur. When we were preparing to leave the groom’s house all of the men got pink powder smeared on their faces and in their hair. Not sure the significance of this, but it once again seems to cross our usual gender lines. Additionally, on the way back we stopped the bus and got one of the marriage coconuts out, put it under the tire, ran over it, broke four pieces off and threw them in the four directions (N,S, etc.) and then shared the rest amongst the passengers. I have no idea what this meant. Once we arrived we hung out and socialized, as I spent most of time playing with the kids. Note that the previous account is an amalgamation of two weddings that I have attended.

Nehru’s “Discovery of India”: There’s a few quotes from Nehru’s “Discovery of India” that I simply must share with you.

“Over the top of the imperial structure sat the Viceroy, Lord Linlithgow, surrounded by all the pomp and ceremony befitting his high position. Heavy of body and slow of mind, solid as a rock and with almost a rock’s lack of awareness...”

-I thought this was a funny description. He goes on (here and elsewhere in the book) to devastatingly indict the British Raj as decrepit, aloof and unaware, fool of the conservative aristocracy that were so markedly different from the dynamic movers and shakers of British industrialism at the same time. Indeed, he often contrasts the dynamic, liberal atmosphere in Britain proper with the static, conservative/reactionary, deadening atmosphere of the Raj in India. If there is any doubt in anyone’s mind whether the British Raj overall benefitted India more than it hurt it, please let it be put to rest: it definitely hurt it more. Through squeezing peasants for rent and obstructing industry and commerce, as well as through direct violence, the British killed millions of Indians (perhaps tens of millions; don’t know), suppressed their spirits, ruthlessly divided and conquered and encouraged separatism, encouraged backward, reactionary ruling class to keep the people under control, held back the industrial development of India (in fact, destroying the industry that was already there), used its people and army to subjugate and enslave other peoples with whom Indians had no problems, and setting India back who know how far. They also plundered India’s riches, using it to fuel Britain’s industrial revolution. It is a peculiar fact that one of the few loan words that came to English from Hindi is “loot” (can this be a coincidence?). Indeed, Nehru points out that the big breakthroughs in British industry (spinning jenny, power loom, steam engine, etc.) came contemporaneously with the East India Company’s plunder of Bengal and taking of the treasure to the motherland. Nehru believed that this amount of concentrated capital was rarely before seen (if ever) and is the reason so many breakthroughs were possible. Now, I’m not well-versed enough in this, but someone who is – Meg – has told me that she does think this played a part in it. Three more quotes that sting:

“’one remembers the early history of British India which is perhaps the world’s high-water mark of graft.’” –Edward Thompson

“’Possibly since the world began, no investment has ever yielded the profit reaped from the Indian plunder, because for nearly fifty years Great Britain stood without a competitor.’” – Brooke Adams, American writer

“The result of all of this, even in its early stages, was the famine of 1770, which swept away over a third of the population of Bengal and Bihar. But it was all in the cause of progress, and Bengal can take pride in the fact that the helped greatly in giving birth to the industrial revolution in England.” -Nehru

So, the rapacity led to benefit for England, but led to death and destruction on a massive scale here in India. For this and many other reasons, it simply cannot be said any other way than that the British hurt India much more than they helped her. I think it is instructive to remember this in the discussions of current development and politics, that all developing countries have long memories of brutal subjugation at the hands of European powers, and the tactics of the European powers during their rule (usually oversimplified people’s similarities and differences, and attempted to cause disruption and division) and in their subsequent drawing of the map of the world have been at least part of today’s problems, e.g. Israel-Palestine, Iraq, backwardness in Pakistan (which may not have come into existence were it not for British instigation with regards to differences between Hindus and Muslims). By all means it is not the current generation’s fault and one should enjoy the sights that one sees in Europe, but one must never forget that much of what was achieved and built was on the base of stolen goods and labor, a theft that broke many peoples and led them into mass starvation and death. I hate to be grim, but this simply must be brought up at least once, lest we always wag out finger at developing countries for their flaws. We must remember that these countries might be much better off today were it not for the theft of their goods, willpower, their capacity to develop in a constructive way, and countless lives and the accompanying hope. Improvement in these countries will come, and we must demand it from their governments (especially in critical areas such as human rights and women’s development and education) and help wherever we can, for the sake of the peoples of these countries, but there are many reasons why they are not quite as developed as the Western world. One of these is surely that the fruits of their goods, labor, etc. are sitting in Western countries. Please never forget this. It is interesting to note that Nehru fully recognizes and is critical of the fact that India sort of led itself into a dominate-able state by dwelling on its glorious past, allowing its thought to become static and moribund (similar things, I think, have also occurred in many Muslim, and especially Arab, countries in recent times and up to today). He is very much in favour of and admires the dynamism that came out of the west in terms of democracy and industrialization, just not the imperialism/colonialism that at first accompanied it.

On a brighter note, a rather lovely set of spiritual thoughts from Swami Vivekanda (1863-1902):
“Vivekanda spoke of many thing but the one constant refrain of his speech and writing was abhay – be fearless, be strong. For him man was no miserable sinner but a part of divinity; why should he be afraid of anything? ‘If there is a sin in the world it is weakness; avoid all weakness, weakness is sin, weakness is death.’ That had been the great lesson of the Upanishads. Fear breeds evil and weeping and wailing. There had been enough of that, enough of softeness. ‘What our country now wants are muscles of iron and nevers of steel, gigantic wills which nothing can resist, which can penetrate into the mysteries and the secrets of the universe, and will accomplish their purpose in any fashion, even if it meant going down to the bottom of the ocean and meeting death fact to fact.’ He condemned: ‘occultism and mysticism...these creepy things; there may be great truths in them, but they have nearly destroyed us...and here is the test of truth – anything that makes you weak physically, intellectually, and spiritually, reject as poison, there is no life in it, it cannot be truth. Truth is strengthening. Truth is purity, truth is all-knowledge...And beware of superstition. I would rather see every one of you rank atheists than superstitious fools, for the atheist is alive, and you can make something of him. But if superstition enters, the brain is gone, the brain is softening, degradation has seized upon life...Mystery-mongering and superstition are always signs of weakness’”
Indian spirituality has a freedom and boldness about it that is refreshing and in which I feel at home.

Also, he was well ahead of his time in advocating internationalism:

“Even in politics and sociology, problems that were only national twenty years ago can no longer be solved on national grounds only. They are assuming huge proportions, gigantic shapes, They can only be solved when looked at in the broader light of international grounds. International organizations, international combination and international laws are the cry of the days. That shows solidarity. In science , every day they are coming to a similar broad view of matter.”
“There cannot be any progress without the whole world following in the wake, and it is becoming every day clearer that the solution of any problem can never be attained on racial, or national , or narrow grounds. Every idea has to become broad till it covers the whole of this world, every aspiration must go on increasing till it has engulfed the whole of humanity, nay the whole of life, within its scope.”

This seems very far-seeing, given current thinking about cooperation in combating terrorism and mitigating the effects of climate change. Amazing, heartening man. Great man from a great country. Its wonderful thing that there are so many amazing people in each and every country of the world.