Sights and Sounds of India

Vijayawada, India, is a city of two million people, and the capital of India's Andrha Pradesh state. It's located on the Krishna River, and it's a rapidly-developing city, as the state capital was recently relocated here, from the nearby city of Hyderabad. It's also been my home base for the past week or so.  

It's difficult -- impossible, really -- to put into words what it's like to experience a city like this. That's true any time you visit another culture, actually; words can paint a pretty good picture, but words don't capture the sounds and the sights that you meet the moment you set foot on new soil. As Westerners, we have an unfortunate habit of focusing on the negatives that we see. We might, for example, shake our heads at the poverty that we see, and wonder to ourselves how people could live in such conditions. Or we might pay most of our attention to the sanitation problems or the street children. We might shake our heads at the way that people drive, and wonder how people get by with such chaos.These are legitimate social concerns -- concerns that actually, the gospel helps alleviate (Calvin's Geneva, I imagine, may have looked something like the streets of Delhi -- minus the driving, of course! -- and Calvin saw the gospel as an incentive for social reforms).

But these are only a small part of the picture. India has been a beautiful country to visit. The cities are colorful, and vibrant. The food smells and tastes delicious. The music is lively and energizing. The people are incredibly friendly. They have hopes and aspirations, just as you and I do. They love their children and want the best for them. They work hard, and they cultivate deep friendships. As with every nation, India is not a country without flaws and sins; corruption is a poison deeply embedded in many institutions that severely stunts the potential within the culture. It's a country in need of the hope given by the one who said, "Behold, I am making all things new again."

With that said, let me show you some images of my experience so far!

Here's a picture of one of the churches in a rural v community, near the city of Kavali.

Travelling throughout India is very different from what we might be used to in the west. It's tempting to dismiss it right away as too dangerous, or too chaotic, or a disorganized mess. On the other hand, I've noticed that there is a method amidst the madness. People seem to understand the unwritten rules even if they don't always adhere to the written rules of the road. 

Of course, the rules of the road are really secondary to the cows. When a herd of cows is coming your way, you really have no choice but to yield to them. So you do.

It's difficult to see in this picture (I was trying to be discreet), but in the distance is a group of children, preparing to collect a toll. They will stand on opposite sides of the street, and hold up a rope, so that you are forced to stop. They then try to get you to pay a toll that would be given to Ganesh. We didn't pay.

Some of the sights and sounds of both rural and urban environments.

Weddings are a big deal in India -- a really big deal. And, so is astrology. This week, these two came together, as the astrologers predicted that this was the lucky weekend to get married. So, as we drove through this small town of Kavali, there were wedding ceremonies in lots of different places. Families go all out for weddings, and they make them into very elaborate affairs.

Here's another wedding clip, this time in the city not far from where we were staying. This was a processional, leaving the ceremony, and walking through the (very crowded!) streets of Vijayawada.
In India, nearly all marriages are arranged marriages. But, as my friend put it, when I asked if his marriage was arranged "Yes. But now, it is a love marriage."

Indian food is delicious, but it takes a bit of getting used to. What you see above might be typical of an Indian dish, but the photo is missing the rice. Indians eat a lot of rice. Rice is piled on a plate, and then served with a series of chutneys, or side dishes. Naan bread or fritters will accompany the meal. Usually there are vegetables simmered in the sauce, along with chicken, or lamb, or maybe beef (in some places, beef is regarded as sacred and never eaten, but in other places, it is eaten just as it might be in the US). The flavors are complex, including coconut, cardamon, and corriander. Most dishes range from mildly spicy, to spicy enough to make your eyes water and your nose run. What would take getting used to is eating with your hands -- that's all that done here (with a few exceptions -- it's hard to eat soup with your hands!). The reason is that the food must be mixed just prior to eating -- as in just before you put it in your mouth -- to gain the maximum flavor. So, you have a pile of rice on your plate, along with a series of sacues or side-dishes (curry, for example). Using your hands, you will mix together a small pile of rice with the side, and then using your hands (there is a proper technique here!) put it in your mouth. You continue mixing and eating until the food is all gone. Naan (Indian flat bread) can be used to scoop up the food as well. Tea is served with every meal, and it's tea that is made with milk and sugar. Coffee is also served but it would be different from what Americans might expect -- it's made with milk and lots of sugar. Like in the US, meals are often social affairs.

Maybe not a good time to bring this up, but... hygiene is different too. I'll spare impolite details but the showering has been learning a new skill. In most places, it's done by bucket -- hot water is poured into a bucket, along with cold, to get the right temperature. Using a small pitcher (it's the blue one in the middle bucket, below), you pour the water over your head etc. and scrub off. Then, you do the same for a rinse. Honestly, it's really not bad -- and I haven't really minded it. The photo below was taken at the home where I stayed, one night in Kavali.

As Christians, we are, I believe, called to recognize that God is not only Lord of the nations in an abstract way, but in a very concrete way. That is, all cultures are being redeemed by him -- and for Christians, I believe that means that our responsibility then is not to immediately focus on the negatives in a given culture (likely, if we do, we are very blinded to the shortcomings of our own culture). Rather, we should see the beauty of each culture around us. I hope I've helped do that a bit here!