Today was our first day out into the city. To start our day, we had a nice breakfast at the hotel next door. From there, we walked over to the Gateway of India that symbolized India's colonization and independence, as it was the port in which the British first arrived to colonize and the last port in which the British left following colonial rule. Many Indians crowed around us and asked for our pictures or just listened about what our leader Krishna had to say to us. The attention was uncomfortable at times, but we have pretty much learned to roll with the punches, recognizing that the people staring and snapping pictures had only good intentions. Near the gateway was the Taj Hotel, known as the most expensive hotel in the world. Famous leaders from Vladimir Putin to Barack Obama have stayed at this hotel, and it was thrilling to see an international staple of power and diplomacy in the middle of Mumbai.
We went to a Hindu temple and were able to not only observe people in their religious setting, but to participate in the ceremonies as well. As we filed into the most sacred room of the temple, many of us with fresh kmukuma smeared on our foreheads, I was struck by the inviting atmosphere; although myself and the group do not identify as Hindu, we were as welcome to be active in the rituals as any other beings in the temple. After the temple, we journeyed to the house of Mohandas Gandhiji, a place where he lived and wrote. A representative of how powerful nonviolent protest can be, we were able to learn more about Gandhi's life and beliefs that we had never known before. He was an active fighter for women's rights, he supported coexistence between Hindu's and Muslim's, and he wrote letters to the likes of Hitler and President Roosevelt, holding them accountable for their actions, or imploring them for help in the fight against imperialism. After we left the Gandhi museum, we traveled to our final and most overwhelming destination-the marketplace. Once we entered through a gateway into the market, all chaos broke loose. People were everywhere, on foot and motorcycle, putting various garments for sale into our faces. Various smells hit us from every corner, and as we walked through the narrow labyrinth of the market I didn't know what sight, sound, or smell to focus on. As group leaders, the two of us were given 100 rupees (about 1.5 USD) and instructed to buy grass in order to feed the sacred cows, one of which licked my hand. The marketplace truly was an "assault on our senses", and allowed us to see one aspect of a complex and constantly evolving city. In between the market and dinner we returned to our hotel to refresh ourselves, and maybe even prank Mr. Fabris. Dinner was delicious, and when we came back to the hotel we journaled and spoke about our high and low points of the day. Although we have been in Mumbai for a short period, many of us have already grasped that India is a pendulum-where the most expensive hotel lies on one block, and crumbling infrastructure lies on the next. Poverty and wealth go side by side, and where one sees money they can be certain that they will see poverty in the next five minutes. The question rests on the minds of many, whether it is better to have the interweaving of wealth we see in India or the socioeconomic segregation that we see in Rhode Island. We both feel incredibly lucky to be in the fascinating city that is Mumbai, especially with an amazing group that is both bold and growing closer by the second.
Love, Fran + Marema:student, analyst, future presidential candidate
We went to a Hindu temple and were able to not only observe people in their religious setting, but to participate in the ceremonies as well. As we filed into the most sacred room of the temple, many of us with fresh kmukuma smeared on our foreheads, I was struck by the inviting atmosphere; although myself and the group do not identify as Hindu, we were as welcome to be active in the rituals as any other beings in the temple. After the temple, we journeyed to the house of Mohandas Gandhiji, a place where he lived and wrote. A representative of how powerful nonviolent protest can be, we were able to learn more about Gandhi's life and beliefs that we had never known before. He was an active fighter for women's rights, he supported coexistence between Hindu's and Muslim's, and he wrote letters to the likes of Hitler and President Roosevelt, holding them accountable for their actions, or imploring them for help in the fight against imperialism. After we left the Gandhi museum, we traveled to our final and most overwhelming destination-the marketplace. Once we entered through a gateway into the market, all chaos broke loose. People were everywhere, on foot and motorcycle, putting various garments for sale into our faces. Various smells hit us from every corner, and as we walked through the narrow labyrinth of the market I didn't know what sight, sound, or smell to focus on. As group leaders, the two of us were given 100 rupees (about 1.5 USD) and instructed to buy grass in order to feed the sacred cows, one of which licked my hand. The marketplace truly was an "assault on our senses", and allowed us to see one aspect of a complex and constantly evolving city. In between the market and dinner we returned to our hotel to refresh ourselves, and maybe even prank Mr. Fabris. Dinner was delicious, and when we came back to the hotel we journaled and spoke about our high and low points of the day. Although we have been in Mumbai for a short period, many of us have already grasped that India is a pendulum-where the most expensive hotel lies on one block, and crumbling infrastructure lies on the next. Poverty and wealth go side by side, and where one sees money they can be certain that they will see poverty in the next five minutes. The question rests on the minds of many, whether it is better to have the interweaving of wealth we see in India or the socioeconomic segregation that we see in Rhode Island. We both feel incredibly lucky to be in the fascinating city that is Mumbai, especially with an amazing group that is both bold and growing closer by the second.
Love, Fran + Marema:student, analyst, future presidential candidate
