Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Pulikali at Suraj Kund Mela
Artists performing the Pulikali ( meaning : play of tigers) dance at Suraj Kund Mela 2011 in Faridabad, Haryana. The Pulikali is a dance form which originated in Kerala over 200 years ago and is said to reflect the wild and macho spirit of the beast. The dancers use steps and body language peculiar to the tiger being stalked by a hunter to the beats of the drums.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Itchy
So I’ve been itching to travel quite a lot lately. Last month, I did the long- weekend trip to Jaipur, Rajasthan with a female colleague of mine and you would think that I wouldn’t be so restless after only 3 weeks after the trip – but here I find myself dreaming of backpacking my way to unknown destinations again.
This time, I am thinking of venturing out solo. Of course, I will have to tell my family about it before I leave and they will initially not be very welcoming to the idea – it was hard enough convincing them to let me have an independent apartment in a scary city like Delhi. I don’t worry about the convincing part too much because as long as I am able to effectively explain to them my reasons of wanting to travel solo and am able to convince them that I am confident and prepared enough to be able to take this venture on my own- they will be fine (albeit with nervous and trepidation). BUT they will be fine.
So I researched online for previous experiences of women who have backpacked in India before and read about their experiences and advice. I found tons of women travellers(yay !) who travel solo all over the world and especially through India which to-be-honest does NOT give much credibility and sense of security to a single woman unaccompanied by a male in most situations (more on this issue in another post). One such website where I found well archived and extensive information is the Journeywoman . However, most of the travelogues in the website are for the international woman traveler and focuses on the issues of the culture nuances of India, the clothes to wear, the appropriate ways to interact with the locals etc.
But what about an Indian woman backpacker, I then asked Google. And here is what Google told me- There are a few Indian women who take the road less travelled (pun intended) and do the unimaginable- Travel alone. I found a nice article on the stories of a few Indian women who have done it here. The report encouraged me – and I scrolled through the comments section and guess what? It was also nice to see some men cheer the ladies on and there were also a few chauvinist dickheads also contributed their stupidity to the general ignorance of ‘superior’ men folk . I also found out about Woman on Wanderlust (WOW) founded by Sumitra Senapaty which organizes travel trips exclusively for women. They have some really nice national and international trips coming up in 2011 and the trips to Bhutan and Ladakh instantly made my eyes shine with excitement. Yet, these trips are comparatively a tad bit pricey as most women who travel with WOW look for comparative comfort when traveling. What I am looking for mainly a backpacking experience in a
shoe-string budget . Wish me luck!!
"I read somewhere... how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong... but to feel strong." -Christopher McCandless
This time, I am thinking of venturing out solo. Of course, I will have to tell my family about it before I leave and they will initially not be very welcoming to the idea – it was hard enough convincing them to let me have an independent apartment in a scary city like Delhi. I don’t worry about the convincing part too much because as long as I am able to effectively explain to them my reasons of wanting to travel solo and am able to convince them that I am confident and prepared enough to be able to take this venture on my own- they will be fine (albeit with nervous and trepidation). BUT they will be fine.
So I researched online for previous experiences of women who have backpacked in India before and read about their experiences and advice. I found tons of women travellers(yay !) who travel solo all over the world and especially through India which to-be-honest does NOT give much credibility and sense of security to a single woman unaccompanied by a male in most situations (more on this issue in another post). One such website where I found well archived and extensive information is the Journeywoman . However, most of the travelogues in the website are for the international woman traveler and focuses on the issues of the culture nuances of India, the clothes to wear, the appropriate ways to interact with the locals etc.
But what about an Indian woman backpacker, I then asked Google. And here is what Google told me- There are a few Indian women who take the road less travelled (pun intended) and do the unimaginable- Travel alone. I found a nice article on the stories of a few Indian women who have done it here. The report encouraged me – and I scrolled through the comments section and guess what? It was also nice to see some men cheer the ladies on and there were also a few chauvinist dickheads also contributed their stupidity to the general ignorance of ‘superior’ men folk . I also found out about Woman on Wanderlust (WOW) founded by Sumitra Senapaty which organizes travel trips exclusively for women. They have some really nice national and international trips coming up in 2011 and the trips to Bhutan and Ladakh instantly made my eyes shine with excitement. Yet, these trips are comparatively a tad bit pricey as most women who travel with WOW look for comparative comfort when traveling. What I am looking for mainly a backpacking experience in a
shoe-string budget . Wish me luck!!
"I read somewhere... how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong... but to feel strong." -Christopher McCandless
Monday, February 7, 2011
Travails of working for development
One of the things that bugs me about the attitude of development workers from other 'developed' countries is their constant bitching about India for numerous reasons starting from the dust, the incessant noise, the overwhelming pollution, the annoying beggars , the malnourished street dogs, unclean water , Delhi belly, people peeing on the roadside, corruption, eave-teasing, cows on the streets, traffic ....(and so goes the list). Now, if it were say, a business man on a trip to India who has had no experience of poverty and the problems it entails, and no compassion towards it and lands in India unaware and unprepared - then maybe I would understand his discomfort and hell, I would even offer him sympathy at his lack of adaptability to a condition called poverty that afflicts 1.1 billion people in the world , forcing them to live in less than 1$ per day.
But I cannot understand and refuse to humor people who 'work' in the development sector with the intention of alleviating that poverty and speak ill of the country that they decide to work in. I agree that living in India is not easy- it's hard for me as well even though I have been born and brought up in this country and know its ways.
Yet, there is a difference between acknowledging these problems at face value and just being outright condescending about it. You are not being true to your profession otherwise.
But I cannot understand and refuse to humor people who 'work' in the development sector with the intention of alleviating that poverty and speak ill of the country that they decide to work in. I agree that living in India is not easy- it's hard for me as well even though I have been born and brought up in this country and know its ways.
Yet, there is a difference between acknowledging these problems at face value and just being outright condescending about it. You are not being true to your profession otherwise.
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