Farewell, Namaskar, and Thank You!

By the last night in Delhi, we could not believe the program was over. It seemed like a very long time ago that we were checking in to the Taj hotel in New Delhi as new visitors. We had seen eleven cities in five weeks, visited temples, schools, museums, and markets. We met hundreds of amazing people. I feel so excited to come back to Hannah Senesh Community Day School in Brooklyn, NY with my arms full of things I collected here. I bought books for my classroom library by contemporary Indian authors, examples of Indian clothing for my students to wear, Indian games, artwork. I have set up a correspondence with a 5th grade class in Delhi which will enhance the curricular project I will develop. With all this, I'm excited to be able to share my pictures and stories with my students to help them get to know India -- an ancient civilization and a modern nation.

Thank you Adam Grotsky, Girish Kaul and all the people at USIEF for this incredible experience.  

Rain

After only an hour at the Taj Mahal, we stopped briefly at the Agra Fort and then toured the Itmad-ud-Daula which is also known as "Baby Taj" even though it preceded it. Baby Taj is the first tomb in India built entirely out of white marble and looks like a giant marble souvenir. It's covered in marble inlay and is gorgeous. At 9:00 AM, we were the only tourists at this site so, unlike the Taj it was quiet and peaceful.

Masal dosa for lunch at a south Indian restaurant

The eternal drive back to Delhi was made even longer because of the rain. When it rains in Delhi, the streets flood and traffic is even crazier. One man on a bike tried to ride around a massive puddle/pond but had to dismount when the water was just too deep.

The Taj in the rain

The Taj Mahal even under the white overcast sky, took my breath away. I wish we could have spent a few more hours here. 

On Poverty

There are many people, old and young, begging for money and food on the streets here—more in Varanasi than in any other city we’ve visited so far. While I've seen homelessness in New York, here there are whole families living on the streets and in Varanasi there seems to be many more people, babies carrying babies, asking for food and money. We were told specifically not to give money to beggars because once one person gives, out will pour a crowd of people begging. Of course, there are many poor people who do not beg but work. The streets are filled with rickshaw pullers, fruit sellers, barbers, brick workers, small shop owners, etc. The crowds here are endless. The numbers are inconceivable. Rather than give these children money or food on the street, I would rent a bus or 100 buses and load them with families and bring them to schools and shelters like the Asha Deep Vidyashram—a non-profit school for underprivileged children (http://asha-deep.com). But, for every amazing organization that helps a few hundred children and their families, there are thousands more who remain without help. Still, places like Asha Deep are encouraging. This school children out of the slums and into the classroom with teachers who can care about them. For many of these children, because of the circumstance in which they were born, they grow up too fast. Some are chewing tobacco leaves (or betel nut) and gambling by the time they are seven years old. Some come from abusive families. Poverty is extreme. Many of the families cannot afford school fees. The fee at Asha Deep is. 20 Rupees ($.50) a month for Kindergarten-1 and goes up to 30 Rupees ($.75) in 2^nd-8^th. 

Me and Shiva