Bean Bags on the Balcony

To celebrate my birthday I decided that I wanted to construct a bean bag toss game for the party. The enthusiasm for party games seems to be shared by many other friends, especially the midwesterners. After enlisting the help of fellow 'sconie Will, a new math/tech teacher, we set off for Pali Market.

In typical India fashion, there is no Home Depot or Menards where we could go to get all the materials we needed. Added to that, I don't have a jig saw here in Mumbai (it's back in Minneapolis). Luckily, Will has a power drill so at least we didn't have that obstacle. We went to the lumber store for some plywood, which is surprisingly expensive here (although when you think about it, there are a lot of people and not too many trees left). At the shop next door, we picked out six brass hinges and the 36 screws needed to install them. Then, we found a different lumber salesmen who actually had a jig saw. We left our wood with him for an hour while he cut out the circles. The shop next door to his sold us some sandpaper.

While we waited for the hole to be cut we shopped around for some bean substitutes for the bags. We eventually settled on a dal-like grain we got at Choice Foods, our favorite local grocer. We arranged for the kind folks at Choice to meticulously weigh six portions of the grain into six plastic bags. After walking into several fabric shops, we settled on Satnam's, the same store that provided us with our couch cushions. Mr. Satnam himself helped us pick out different colors and promised to have them ready in time for the party, which Will kindly picked up on the way from his apartment to our party.

So, to review:

4 pieces of cut plywood -- 575 INR

6 Brass Hinges and 36 3/4" screws -- 410 INR

Use of jig saw - 400 INR

4 sheets of sandpaper - 12 INR

Six bags of grain -- 270 INR

Fabric and tailoring -- 375 INR

TOTAL COST = 2042 INR ~ or about $41

Number of shops needed = 6!

Hours = 4 (+3 for the tailoring)

Maybe a lot money and certainly a lot of walking around the market asking questions (and getting confused looks!), but a wonderful insight into the local economy. Highly specialized small businesses drive the local economy here. This means many more jobs but lower efficiency. Conversely, customer service is WAY better because each exchange is more personal -- you better believe the next time I walk past those shops I'll get a smile from those shopkeepers. Think about that the next time you walk into Home Depot.

The bean bag toss was a wonderful addition to the birthday party and much fun was had by all. Perhaps it will catch on here in India?

Reading List

As I was writing an email to my parents and in-laws who are preparing for their upcoming journey to India, it occurred to me that other might enjoy knowing what books we have read that have broadened, deepened, and contextualized our experiences here in India.

Happy reading!

I made links to their amazon sites for further publisher info and reader reviews.

"In Spite of the Gods" Edward Luce This is a summary of the political history that took India from a 3rd world colonial subjugate to it's dominating economic position of today. Most importantly, Luce (of the Economist) explains how this happened and why it happened here. Super well written.

"Breathless in Bombay" Murzban F. Shroff Fictional short stories based on the author's experience wandering the neighborhoods. They are quick reads, insightful into everyday life, and tell the story of the city from a unique perspective. One story is about the dhobi wallahs (washermen) and how they have to defend their water rights. Another is about the internal politics inside a suburban apartment building. Yet another delves into the lives of the victoria-wallahs (fancy horse drawn carriage drivers).

"Midnight's Children" Salmon Rushdie Booker prize winning story about the partition between India and Pakistan told from the perspective of the first child born after midnight the night India became a free nation. Rushdie is an amazingly visceral writer. Highly recommended!

"Holy Cow" Sarah Macdonald Super fun Aussie journalist moves to Delhi with her partner. She has lots of travel stories and eventually goes on a spiritual journey through India with each chapter describing her experience with a different spiritual/cultural group. Great sense of humor and playfullness.

"The Ramayana" R. K. Narayan The fundamental book of the Hindu faith condensed into short-story format. This epic poem is the Diwali story, describing the battle between good and evil. Since Hinduism doesn't have one defining spiritual text (like the Torah, Koran or Bible), it relies on epic poems to teach morality, sprituality, duty, honor, etc.

"A Fine Balance" Rohinton Mistry Fictional story about several separate stories in Mumbai that eventually start to intersect in a way that could only happen here where the various economic classes intermingle so freely. The backdrop of the story is the political time period when Indira Gandhi (no relation to THAT guy, instead Nehru's daughter) imposed Emergency Rule to squelch rising inflation and political dissension.

These are just a few of the ones that we've read that would give you a great background of knowledge before you set off on your own unique Indian adventure. Cheers!

Mumbai's Melting Pot

True to it's form, Mumbai continues to amaze and fascinate. These past two weeks alone saw three huge festivals: Dahi Handi, Eid (with it's month-long eating extravaganza), and the beginnings of Ganpati.

Dahi Handi, or as the Westerners refer to it -- the human pyramid festival, was last Monday. Truck loads of men (with a few groups of women) sauntered through the streets to find honey pots strung up high. After assessing the situation, do some dancing, do a little planning and corralling of their group members (who get a bit distracted showing off for the local foreign tourists :-), they make a human pyramid to reach the honey pot. It is truly a spectacle. The roots of this festival are to celebrate the birth of Krishna, who was a naughty boy in his youth and would climb up to the kitchen counter.

He are the pictures that I took.

Dahi Handi 2011

And here is a link to a professional photography website. Super amazing images.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/08/krishna_janmashtami.html

Meanwhile, the Muslims were fasting during the day and eating extravagant meals at sundown. See my earlier post for the foodie adventure that Waciuma and had down on Mohammed Ali Rd, the heart of Islam in Mumbai. This festival culminates with Eid, which was this past Wednesday. Everywhere you looked you saw men dressed in pure white. We heard fireworks throughout the night. I was disappointed that we had to decline an invitation to join the festivities with a family from ASB. It would have been a fantastic opportunity to learn more about their culture. Next year.

And of course, for Hindus in Mumbai, the grandaddy of them all -- Ganpati, the Ganesha Festival -- began this past Thursday. The temples have been given a facelift and some have been erected in public spaces (one right next to the meat salesmen I always go to in the market). Leading up to the festival, stores produce hundreds of thousands Ganesha statues of all shapes large and small. In our neighborhood, the store is on S.V. Road and we popped in for a visit. Inside were thousands of statues, some as large as 8ft high but most small enough for one person to easily carry in their arms -- the size of a baritone. It felt like a Saturday in early December as families were milling around trying to pick one out. Unfortunately for these families, almost all had been pre-sold.

In the evenings there are processions down our street involving lots of fast-paced music, dancing, and a cart carrying the Ganesha statue. We looked down from our window and took these pictures and video.

Ganpati 2011

It's a melting pot for sure with some many people out in the streets celebrating so many things. And the rains keep coming -- these people don't hold back just because there are torrential downpours. In fact, this past Monday we left school at 10:30am because the rains in combination with the high tide were causing flooding.

Hope you are all well, keep in touch!