I would like to thank Professor Farooqi for guiding our class through an exciting, albeit virtual, journey through South Asia. Her probing questions and book selections led to lively class discussions, and helped a large group of people gain a deeper, less media-driven view of South Asian society. This class has inspired me to write, to travel, and to try and seek a deeper cultural understanding of the places I travel to in the future.
-Kanchana
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Associated Press. "India Train Crash Death Toll Climbs to 68."Guardian11 Jul 2011. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/11/india-train-crash-death-toll>.
"Gateway of India."Mumbai. Web. 1 Dec 2011. <http://www.mumbainet.com/travel/gateway.htm>.
"IR History: Early Days."Indian Railways. IRFCA.org, 2010. Web. 30 Nov 2011. <http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-hist.html>.
"The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai."Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces. The Indian Hotels Company Limited, 1 Dec 2011. Web. 1 Dec 2011. <http://www.tajhotels.com/Luxury/Grand-Palaces-And-Iconic-Hotels/The-Taj-Mahal-Palace-Mumbai/Overview.html>.
My trips to India are so short! I feel like I just got here, ran through the epic rains of the monsoon season, ate delicious Indian street food, and was then dragged home. Where did the time go? I’m not done with this country. It fascinates me with its diversity, its conflicts and its culture. I want to explore all of Punjab, to walk to the border, to see the magic of Kashmir and the beautiful waters of Kerala. I want to delve deeper into the psyche of the people, and better understand how similar—or different—I am from them.
I come from an Indian family, but I am still removed in a sense from Indian culture because of my upbringing. I know I’ll be back, but what will I do when I come next? Change is the word resonating in Indian society right now, especially in the big cities. I want to be a part of that change, and I want to better understand India. Yes, this good-bye is anti-climactic. But that’s because I know it’s not really a good-bye; it’s more of an “I’ll be back.” But that’s not concise enough…so, good-bye [for now].
I love downtown Mumbai. The city is touched with splendor and greatness, it’s filled with celebrities, and it throbs with excitement. Maybe I’m just biased; I can’t help but love big cities, and I particularly love Mumbai because, unlike the suburbs, it actually feels more open and less congested. Usually the opposite is the case with big cities. Mumbai is very connected to its British past, but it “Indianizes” its British colonial history.
For example, the Gateway of India, a triumphal arch built to commemorate the visit of King George V, is now used by tourists as a starting point on their journey through the city (“Mumbai”).
Victoria Train Station, or VT Station, as it is affectionately referred as by locals, is the train station that led us into the hubbub of Mumbai. As we wandered into the city, we passed The Taj, the famous imperial hotel built 21 years before the Gateway of India (“Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces”).
All of these landmarks come of a British history, but they are all now distinctly Indian in their style and presentation.
Conspicuously missing from the scenes downtown is poverty. There isn’t necessarily a gate keeping the poor out like there is in my cousins’ apartment complex; rather, the downtown portion of the city is far too expensive and well-maintained to allow the poor any room to stake a spot as their own. This part of Mumbai is the hub of the richest, the crème de la crème of Indian society. Walking around with my aunt, I heard the constant refrain of “Oh, the governor lives here,” and “This is where Lata Mangeshkar (a widely renowned Indian singer) lives.” The homes my aunt pointed out looked nice to me, but paled in comparison to the grandeur of celebrity homes in America. People really pay millions of dollars to live here? I wondered as I looked at the homes. I felt uncomfortably guilty then, as I thought back to the plight of millions of urban Mumbai poor who lived in slums just miles away from where I stood. I guess I can’t quite reconcile the two sides of India in my head. We spent the rest of the day walking around the extremely touristy sites of Mumbai. We strolled through Priyadarshani Park, where I bemusedly watched rich Indians of all ages speed-walking in Juicy, Guess, and Ralph Lauren-branded sportswear. To quench my thirst while I entertained myself this way, I bought a 10-rupee coconut water from a small vendor at the edge of the sidewalk (a treat the brand-wearing Indians in the park would be hard-pressed to find in America).
I watched with interest as the vendor sliced the coconut open with swift cuts of his lathi (curved blade). He swiftly cut through the meat to get to the refreshing water inside, stuck a straw in the coconut, and handed it to me. He worked well and efficiently, but he took no sense of pride in his work like the bureaucrats and high-ranking workers I had met throughout my stay. In India, hierarchies still play an important role in society. The caste system has been officially abolished by the government, but caste and occupation continue to influence everyday interactions in Indian society. The upper classes (and castes) generally view their position in society with a distinct sense of entitlement and belonging. The lower classes, whether in the formal or informal sector, seem resigned to their situation and lot in life. They seem to me rather downtrodden and unable to seek out new opportunities…all very sad to me. But how, how can things change?
Today, my family and I decided to travel outside the confines of the Vasant Oscar complex in the suburbs of Mumbai where my dad’s family lives, and tour downtown Mumbai—where my aunt lives. We traveled there by taking a series of trains. My father has always had a special fondness for trains, funny as he grew up beside the train tracks and would theoretically have gotten quite tired of the squealing noises, horn-blowing beings. But instead, he developed a sort of obsession for the tracks and likes to take trains whenever possible. And Mumbai is a great city to have this obsession.
Arguably the best contribution the British made to India, India’s railway system is one of the largest in the world and carries 14 million passengers every day (Associated Press). The British first proposed a train line in Madras, in 1832, but not until 1851 did the first train become operational. The first passenger train officially ran from Bombay to Thane in 1853. The British worked to establish organized train routes, particularly in those cities—Bombay, Kolkata, Delhi—where the lines would serve them well (“Indian Railways”). By Independence, a total of 42 railway systems had been established, including lines owned by the princely states. These lines were all amalgamated post-Independence as the Indian Railways (Kumar). The trains are beloved by many Indians, and train journeys are ubiquitous in pop culture. Pick any five well-known Bollywood film, and one of them is bound to have a train-journey/dance sequence.
Quintessential Indian movie train dance scene
Many foreigners seem to realize this too, such as the critical traveler Paul Theroux who based his novel, The Great Railway Bazaar, simply off of his train journey through India. Of course, in such an extensive train system, accidents are common, with most blame placed on poor maintenance and human error (“Indian Railways”). The trains are also the target of much terrorist violence, like the 2006 Mumbai train bombings that killed 186 people (“BBC News”).
Nevertheless, trains are used by virtually all classes of Indian society; despite their danger and their problems, they are efficient and centrally located. Every city in the suburbs of Mumbai is bisected by a train station, thus the city of Mulund consists of Mulund East and Mulund West, the city of Dadar into Dadar East and Dadar West, and so on. Train stations are hubbubs of activity, with tea and snack hawkers, porters, and others mulling about. Their public bathrooms and protection from the elements also makes an ideal sleeping location for many homeless in the city. The varied activities that take place in a train station in fact almost make it a microcosm of the city as a whole—which is perhaps why Theroux decided to travel through India via rail?
My personal train journey started in the Mulund train station. We stood in a long, hot queue of people to buy our tickets (7 rupees each, just pennies in U.S. currency), then quickly strode over to the tracks to wait for our train. Indian train compartments are extensively divided, perhaps reflective of multifaceted Indian class divisions. Overnight trains have three tiers of first class compartments with beds, air-conditioning, personal rooms, and delicious food service. “Sleeper class” provides travelers with foldable beds and fans to keep them cool. Many of the Indian middle-class travel via sleeper class. Lastly, the second-class train section is saved for the masses, for those who cannot afford to travel in any sort of comfort. They are provided wooden benches that quickly fill up. Local trains are not quite as divided; they have a first class, second class, and “Ladies Only” class.
This may seem surprising and somewhat backward to the Western reader; how could a modern city like Mumbai still separates its men and women? In recent years, with the number of women joining the workforce greatly increasing, women have complained of much sexual harassment, lewd stares, and “eve-teasing” from men on trains. This discouraged many women from going out and traveling; to rectify this problem and to encourage women to keep traveling, the Indian government mandated a ladies only compartment. I can personally attest to the usefulness of this compartment. I have been the object of lewd stares, gestures, and pinches from men in India, and it is an unsettling and degrading experience. I love the Indian men in my family, and most of the Indian men I know personally would never dream of harassing women this way, but it seems to me that in public in India, behavior of this type from men somehow becomes acceptable and funny.
In any case, Ladies Only compartments can get rather frustrating. On my own journey, my mother, sister, and I crammed into the Ladies' section while my father squeezed into the first-class compartment by himself. "Well, I guess it's better that I'm not jammed up against men," I thought to myself as I stood pressed into the side of the car, a woman's bangles pressing into me on one side and a woman's hair ornaments brushing into my face on the other side.
