DAY ONE - INDIA -- AT WAR WITH THE OBVIOUS
My introduction to India occurs as the fasten seat belts light goes off, and the plane has safely landed in Delhi. I stand up and put on my backpack, finding myself adrift in a sea of Indian nationals, all gathering their families after 14 hours in an airplane. The older woman next to me smiles and says shyly, “Would you mind getting my bag from above?” “Of course”, I reply as I hand it to her with a smile. Within the next 2 minutes I have cleared the overhead compartment, filling request after request. It certainly makes sense, considering my giant reach and long legs - and immediately I an part of the group. “Where are you from? Where are you going? How long are you here?” It feels so lovely to be included for my different-ness, instead of avoided. We all smile and chat as the plane empties.
As I turn into the customs area, I see another invitation. Giant mudra hands gesturing welcome right over the entry counters! - Barb Finch had alerted me to watch for them - I sigh softly through my haze and again, say a little prayer of gratitude.
The promised driver is waiting for me outside of Exit door #6 (more gratitude) and after a short wander through the labyrinth of the airport parking garage, I am whisked into the chaos of Delhi traffic. I had been warned, but nothing can truly prepare you for this! All sizes, shapes, and manner of vehicles, completely ignoring the lane lines (why do they even paint them?), merging, honking, and gesturing. The trip is over an hour to Shalabh and Anita’s, so I have plenty of time to observe. One moped carries a family of 4 through the streets. Bicycles piled high with merchandise that sometimes rises 5 feet above the handle bars. Many women riding side saddle on motorcycles with saris and helmets. And lots and lots of cars and huge buses, all jockeying for position through roundabouts and crowded pedestrian intersections.
I am fortunate enough to be spending tonight with an Indian family, in an area of East Delhi called Maadhuban, thanks to meeting their wonderful nephew on a shuttle from Estes Park to Denver International Airport in June. Vaibhav assured me that the stereotype of Indian hospitality is very accurate and he was 100% on the mark with that prediction. Their home is urban, multiple leveled, spacious and inviting. Shalabh and Anita own an NGO that upcycles trash into designer bags and belts. Anita is the creative energy behind the endeavor and she will actually be displaying some of her works of art with this process at a local gallery in early December. Some of the canvases are made out of recycled plastic bags - and they are beautiful. As she describes the process, I realize what an all encompassing endeavor they have undertaken. Most of their workers are from the lowest castes and have no education or skills. They train them to do many soft skills, including civilized tasks like eating with utensils and living in a modern city. Their goal is to prepare them to work and function efficiently in their factory, and hopefully beyond. As the workers come from different areas of India, they speak many different languages, which causes its own unique challenges. One of those challenges has been to explain how to sort plastic bags by color. “In Hindi (and the many other Indian dialects spoken in the factory), there are not different words for variation in color like turquoise and sky blue. Its just blue.” But the nuances of color are important to designers who are exporting their products to American consumers that shop at places like Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters. Her solution? Each color is associated with a Bollywood star! It’s the common denominator that allows them all to speak the same language. Brilliant! They display a photo of the Movie Star wearing that color and suddenly chartreuse is no longer chartreuse, but Kajol - a Bollywood star dressed in that same color. Jet Black is Shahrukh Khan and Gossmer White can only be Aishwarya Rai. She shows me a wallet made completely from upcycled plastic bags and its beautiful. A work of art. Not a muddy collage of recycled waste, but a balanced palate of color that is pleasing to the eye and completely contemporary.
Anita asks me what I think of the name of her exhibition - At War With the Obvious. She tells explains that she doesn’t live in a world of crisp organic cotton and clear blue skies. The air in Delhi is heavy with pollution and the streets are littered with plastic bags and other waste that constantly encroaches them. Chaos is obvious. The people live in urban layers, both figuratively and literally. Their product, her work, reflects that world, where the obvious is transformed from a state of constant struggle, into peaces of art.
As the night unfolds, we talk poetry, a little more Bollywoord (I now have a must see list!) and share a wonderful dinner of curries, dal, and many other delicacies. I snap a picture of their lovely daughter, in her mother’s finest sari, as she heads to a friends house to play cards and celebrate Diwali - the celebration of the goddess Lakshmi - goddess of wealth and abundance. They compare Diwali to our Christmas, as there is lots of present giving and family time. It starts officially on Wednesday, but she’s getting an early start with some friends tonight. The card game is like 3 card poker - and if you win - it means you will have a year of abundance - so she’s hoping for more than a fun night out - its a prediction for the future!
As I settle into bed, exhausted, and still not that tired as it is 9:00 a.m. in Milwaukee, I say a little prayer of my own to Lakshmi and thank her for the abundance I have experienced already on my journey. Sweet dreams and Namaste.
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