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Chattanooga to Chennai |
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India, just like i pictured it! The words chaotic and bustling are massive understatements. Sensory overload is the norm. Yet there is grace and some kind of pattern in the way my auto-rickshaw weaves and darts through the fume-spewing traffic - motorbikes, foot and cycle rickshaws, Tata trucks |
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Tat Tai Mori |
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My first trip to India - and while it can be overwhelming, it's not nearly the ordeal I'd been led to believe. The purpose of my sojourn is to study Bharatanatyam - the ancient temple dance of South India - with a master teacher, Sri Narasimhachari of Kala Samarpana school. |
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Like a Rolling Stumbha |
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Going to fulfill a lifelong ambition -to see the Rolling Stones! Albeit in Bangalore, India! Concert actually takes place in the Tipu Sultan palace grounds (! an historical site) April 4.
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101 Uses for a Dupatta |
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Author's note: the dupatta is a major women's accessory
in India, a long scarf that is meant to be draped acrossthe chest for modesty. At first one chafes at the added heat and bulk of this garment, but it proves to come in
handy i oh, so many ways....add your own favorite |
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You've Been in India Too Long When.... |
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You know you've been in India too long when...
1. You can argue over 3 rupees (approx. 5.5 cents US).
2. --- ----- and you win.
3. You frequently take the public bus - sometimes with
your luggage.
4. You can get a Chennai autorickshaw driver |
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What to Bring ("All I need is this remote control...") |
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Without a doubt, this is the most common question on the Lonely Planet chat board for the Indian Subcontinent. What should I bring? should I bring a camcorder? tampons? and so on and on.
I must confess that I was warned by old India hands on that board |
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What NOT To Bring |
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Boy, did I bring too much stuff. Among the unecessary things I burdened myself with:
1-An expensive virus-filtering water bottle from REI. Unless you are planning on doing a serious trek or camping, or spending more than a day in a very rustic area - good safe bottled water is |
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Carnival for God |
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.....in the midst of all the uncertainty about what am i doing here anyway, did i waste all my money, etc. - in the midst of this i FORCE myself to NOT become dulled to the amazing surroundings - not to forget how amazing it is that i am here in |
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Happy English New Year |
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....as they call it here, though it doesn't stop most folks from celebrating. Upon questioning, Tamils will claim their New Year is really April 14 and insist they don't observe English holiday, but everywhere the incomplete sentence Wish You a Happy New Year is plastered. Yet |
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NEW-Top 5 Things about Christmas in India |
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1. Hearing Hark the Herald Angels Sing played on sitar as department store muzak (true story)
2. Seeing the locals bundle up in scarves, mufflers and woolen shawls when the temperature plummets to 75 Fahrenheit
3. Leftover Diwali fireworks can be recycled as Christmas crackers
4. Helping Hindu friends dress |
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The Pavement Dwellers |
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Prabhu's uncle is the watchman in the Jaiz Complex which
is the business
complex almost directly opposite from Hotel Maharaja.
Prabhu's grandmother
is a tiny and frail woman who is usually bent over
slightly. She sweeps the
halls of the Jaiz Complex. Prabhu has his belonging in |
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Robert's Kids |
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(This introduction to the cast of Chennai street kids characters in Triplicane, Madras was written by their friend and benefactor, Robert Purser.)
Prabhu's uncle is the watchman in the Jaiz Complex which
is the business
complex almost directly opposite from Hotel Maharaja.
Prabhu's grandmother
is a tiny and frail woman |
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School Dresses & Brain Fry |
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(The continuing saga of the Pavement Dwellers.)
....Anyway, we ate well today; perhaps too well (more than
300Rs!).
Shanti, Mumtaz, Vela and Nagamma all went to one Chettinadu hotel that serves junk like brain
fry and liver fry. I told them it was good to order fish,
which they all did,but unknown |
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The Money Pit |
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I admit: I reluctantly began to interface w/the kids out of a sense of duty to my friend Robert Purser. Now I find I somewhat enjoy it (though it's exhausting) and for better or worse, am a bit caught up in it. probably for worse, see earlier letter....but |
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The Money Pit II |
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try to keep expenditures to necessary things, or nutritious ones. That is, coconuts, juice and lassis are not exactly necessary, but are a compromise from ice cream; fun but still nutritious. I won't buy sweets or ice cream for them. Or movies, or bindis, etc. I |
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The Money Pit III |
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-phew, what a day!
From 10AM onward (it is now 2:30) I have spent running
w/the kids. To make a long story shorter:
1-before I could visit the school myself, or ask Prabhu,
Mumtaz took the initiative to get the forms countersigned
by her headmistress, along w/official stamp/seal. I
thought this was a good |
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 "Ellora Cave interior (11 sec)")
