Republic Day Trip to Chor

This past Wednesday we celebrated Republic Day here in India -- the ratifying of the Constitution in 1948. I joined two friends for a trip down to Chor Bazaar, a market that we have been to several times but never blogged about. It is a great place to leisurely spend an afternoon.

It takes about 40min by taxi to get to the market and you never quite know what to expect when you get dropped off. Since we don't really know the neighborhood well and we have gotten dropped off at several different street corners, we ended up asking directions to get to the main antiques area on Mutton Street, about three blocks filled with old stuff and new stuff made to look old. After already shopping a few times, my focus this time was to take pictures of the workers and shopkeepers. On my last venture to Chor with Waciuma, I ended up chatting with a few shop keepers extensively and enjoyed learning about their lives.

A few observations:

Most antique dealers seem to be Muslim, giving me a great opportunity to learn about some of the basics regarding a religion that I know little about. From a few different conversations, I enjoyed being enlightened to the truly diverse amount of types of Islam, on par with the various types of Christianity -- it's good to remember that Christianity encompasses groups such as the Eastern Orthodox Christians as well as the UCC Christians when viewing the diversity of Islamic groups.

Dealers are more apt to give you a "more fair" price when they see you coming back to their shop, demonstrating that you live here. When I walked down Mutton St. this past Wednesday I got a number of waves and "welcome back sir" comments. For a brief second, this made me feel like a local.

The concept of "first business" is important. The first sale a merchant makes for the day is a lucky one and often will allow you to bargain harder. Therefor, it is best to go around noon when the merchants have just finished tidying their front stoops and arranged their pieces properly to entice you into their shop.

The amount of stuff available is unbelievable, and possible illegal (many pieces MAY have been pilfered from mansions, temples, or churches). Many shops are simply unnavigable due to the overwhelming inventory. This makes it hard to find items but it also makes each visit to Chor unique. Having already purchased two pieces -- the buffet side table for my birthday and recently a teak wood carving of a family of Hindu Gods -- I know that I will always enjoy a trip to Chor and I hope to take you there one day!

Enjoy the pictures, Reid

Jan 19, 2011 ASB Jazz in the Newspaper

Just fun to see how we are mentioned in relation to the Bollywood and corportate big wig scene here in Mumbai!

An Exciting Week for ASB Band

When we took our jobs here at ASB, I envisioned a week at work like the one I had this week. Two out-in-the-community performances and a week reading new music with the bands using constructivist techniques learned at UST with lots of students working in small groups solving musical problems.

In beginning band class for high schoolers the seven students have been working on solos using SmartMusic and their tablet PCs. Each student chose a piece to work on for a month independently. We had a nice mix of tunes from "Jingle Bell Rock" to "The Imperial March" from Star Wars. The other half of the project was preparing a piece of chamber music in trios using the outstanding series by Kjos, Festival Ensembles. These final projects represent a semesters worth of work learning the fundamental skills on their instruments. Instead of the tradition in-class recital, we chose to perform the recital at the orphanage that Rachel and I, along with many other ASB staffers, have been volunteering at. So, tonight, the seven students plus Rachel, Glenda and I, were at the orphanage providing live music for kids who had never had that experience. I was in awe at my students as they interacted with the kids, speaking Hindi, demonstrating the ever-popular trombone slide, and playing around. The kids at the orphanage sat quietly, clapped enthusiastically, and smiled in wonderment at the music. It was the best final exam I'll ever grade.

Last night, our jazz band performed at the opening benefit dinner for 400 people for Namaste America, a US Consulate initiated NGO with the intent on organizing cultural interactions between the U.S. and India. The event featured some of the best Indian classical dancers in the country to represent India and ... you guessed it ... the ASB Jazz Band to represent American culture. With such high standards to hold and not many practices under it's belt, the ASB Jazz Band performed admirably with several exciting improvised solos -- see picture of a flute solo in action -- and a traditional swing band sound. I even briefly taught the audience how to clap after each solo. Many Bollywood stars were in attendance and the press crews were hilarious to watch. It was a great event to give our band a goal to practice for and the students played really well under the pressure of the enormous crowd filled with their movie star heroes.

It's been a great week here in the ASB Band room and we look forward to many more interesting performing experiences. A HUGE thanks to the ASB Admin and staff for helping move equipment, transport students, and arrange our quick security in and out of the Consulate.

Sita Sings the Blues

This was shared at an after school event last week. A fun, quirky, and artsy retelling of the Ramayana. Sita is the wife of Rama, the hero of the Diwali story. This version is three different animations, all telling the same story, with one having Sita's side of the story told through classic 30's blues songs. There are several spots to download it, I went with the classic Youtube. It takes awhile to download, or, there are options to download it in several parts.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZzKtU8eH20

Rachel

Winter Break Trips-- Part I- Mumbai and Agra with Brian and Sara

After a big December full of concerts, we enjoyed a few days at home before our wonderful friends, Brian and Sara, came to visit for Christmas. They arrived after a grueling 38 hour trip, but didn't even stop to take a nap. We were out walking around our neighborhood, brought them to school, had our masseur over for both of them, and enjoyed a number of our favorite restaurants.

The next day we went downtown to explore more of Mumbai, including Elephanta Island (where some 1,000+ year old Hindu caves are), Victoria Terminus, British architecture, and the general mayhem that is this city.

Then early on Christmas Eve we set out for Agra. With the dust and fog (it's COLD in Agra now!), the sunlight leaves much earlier, so, we barely got the last rays in to see Agra Fort. By evening, we were all pretty tired. Jet lag and Indian microbes then did a number on our travel companions. We had visions of ourselves on our third day in India, also stomach sick and exhausted. But, like the rockstars they are, Brian and Sara rallied by the next afternoon (Christmas Day!) to go see the amazing Taj Mahal. Reid and I during the day had the chance to visit the gardens behind the Taj and enjoy a rooftop lunch. All four of us also enjoyed Akbar's Tomb, a peaceful, clean, and beautiful complex in the midst of dumpy and dirty Agra.

Then, more travel complications came our way when our plans to go to Jaipur fell through due to road and train blockades from rioting farmer-union groups wanting more jobs laid aside for their caste. We very wisely abandoned the idea of Jaipur, bought new plane tickets home, and headed back to Dehli. After a stomach-wrenching, knee-shaking ride back to Dehli, our delayed plane by 8hours, we made it back to Mumbai in 9am hour. A nap, some food, laundry, and a little shopping, and then Brian and Sara were back on a plane, this time to Hong Kong, for a wedding. They had managed to get in the full range of experiences (both amazing and awful) that India can be in a matter of 5 days. Whew! We were blessed to have them here and thankful for their positive attitudes and openness throughout our little adventure. More photos and details linked in the picassa web album!

Winter Break Trips Part II: Touring Tamil Nadu in the South of India

After an 8 year absence, I got to return to Tamil Nadu, this time, with my lovely travel companion. Since doing my student teaching at Kodaikanal International School in the fall/winter of 2003, I have wanted to return to this land that retains so much ancient characteristics and cultural traditions while existing as one of the technological hotbeds in the entire world. Many times, we witnessed the unexplainable images of modernity coinciding with traditional life. Here are just a few stories from the trip.

Here's the route: Chennai, Trichy, Tanjore, Pondicherry, Mahabalipuram, and back to Chennai to fly home



Chennai: We flew to Chennai in the morning and by 3:30pm we were sitting at a free concert at the Music Academy of Madras (the colonial name for Chennai) for the 84th Annual Festival of Indian Classical Music. This festival has faithfully kept Carnatic Music culture alive for decades and we enjoyed ourselves. Although neither of us has a detailed grasp of the complex musical structure, we enjoyed being a part of the live performance and watching devoted fans take notes. The experience was akin to my first Phish concert -- fans applauding at seemingly random occasions and people writing down the setlist (of which raga and tala was being played). We purchased several recordings and hope to learn more about this ancient musical art form.

Trichy: The draw of Trichy is that it has the largest Hindu temple complex in all of India. With the rain just abating to give us time to explore the city, we enjoyed seeing the temple full of life. We enjoyed the juxtaposition of neon signage on top of thousand year old stone carvings. Another highlight of Trichy was the Rock Fort, a towering fort/temple looming over the city center. It seemed that locals at both sites were surprised to see foreigners and we were approached by many curious worshipers eager to make a Western friend. Rachel, with her billowing blond hair, was quite an attraction. One girl kept on touching and twirling her hair!

Tanjore: The city of Tanjore is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It achieved real prominence during the Chola Era when it was the capital ruled by Rajaraja, whose empire reached all the way from present day South India to SE Asia, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It was New Years Eve and the main temple complex was filled with worshipers, most wearing ritual red. This was our favorite site of the trip (and perhaps all of India!) as we took hours to explore the many carvings, the huge metal bull or Nandi, and the enormous pyramid-like temples. The carvings are very similar to those at Ankor Wat in Cambodia (high on the travel list for us) which was constructed after the temples in Tanjore based on the artistic elements here. Very cool historical connections. We even spent time waiting in line to get blessed by the high priest -- a very cool experience.

For us, one of the most meaningful experiences of the trip was meeting with a traditional bronze sculptor. We spent a couple hours with Mr. Kathirvel who's family has been in the industry for six generations -- over 400 years -- and he walked us through the "lost wax method" of the Cholan empire. After learning and seeing the wonderful work, we chose two pieces: a large statue of Shiva as the Nataraja or Fire Dancer and a small elephant. Both will be treasured possessions from a bygone age of artists.

Pondicherry: Taking a break from ruins and old culture, we explored the city of Pondicherry for two days. A uniquely French colony until the mid-1960s (remember, India achieved Independence from Britain in 1947), Pondicherry features many French colonial buildings in various states of repair (or disrepair). It is decidedly NOT a provencal French town, but the coffee was great and yes, I had steak for dinner twice (and it wasn't that imitation steak we get here in Mumbai -- water buffalo -- but real steak). Since Pondy is a big weekend holiday destination, we had to book a hotel that was higher in price that our usual budget accommodations. Oh well, we slept on soft cotton sheets in a French colonial mansion and relaxed.

Mahabalipuram: Our final stop featured the ruins of a coastal empire, the Pallavas, who ruled the area during the 6th-9th centuries. They traded with Romans, exchanged artistic ideas with North Indian Hindus, and were some of the first Hindus to incorporate pre-Hindu tribal beliefs into South Indian tradition. They are also more directly descendant (genetically and linguistically speaking) to Africans that their North-Indian counterparts. This area was hit hard during the 2004 Tsunami and we spoke with several locals who were still struggling to rebuild their businesses. Impressively however, the only structure to survive on the coast was the 6th c. Shore Temple.

All in all, Tamil Nadu gave a much older perspective of life here in India along with the incredible cultural diversity that this country includes. This final story sums that up:

We spoke with a shopkeeper about us living in Mumbai, which he had visited several years earlier. As a Tamil-speaker, he was overwhelmed with Mumbai and could barely get around. No one dressed like him, very few restaurants served food he even recognized, his way of practicing Hinduism had no forum here, and he resorted to using his very broken English to communicate. In short, he was more of a foreigner in Mumbai than we are.

If you are interested in more details, check out the Picassa album, "Winter Break 2010," where we have put photos and comments.

Take care and as Rick Steves says, "Keep on traveling,"
Reid and Rachel

Winter Break 2010