India 8: Love Delhi

Today, I have to acknowledge the folks who made my time in Delhi not only productive, but a great pleasure. You've seen in previous blog posts about trips I took with Ravi and his family, whom I met through a mutual friend from my time at Baptist Campus Ministry at Western Kentucky University. Well, in addition to running a group of homes for children in north Delhi, Ravi and his ever-growing set of friends organize monthly outreaches in central Delhi, called "Love Delhi."

Love Delhi is all about encouraging young people, especially the many young and ambitious people who come to Delhi for educational and business opportunities. At its monthly gatherings in a Delhi venue called "The Attic" just off of Connaught Place (the central shopping district and gathering place in New Delhi), there is live music, comedy, and short talks meant to encourage young people toward finding meaning and purpose in life. For many of those involved in Love Delhi, that purpose is found in Christ, but not for all: the forum is open to everybody, and a variety of views about meaning are offered. Each month, there would be an overarching theme for the meeting, such as "Independence" (in August, for Independence Day), or "Peace."

The Friday afternoon before the Love Delhi meeting, leaders and volunteers would go to the central park in the middle of Connaught Place. There, where many young folks gather after work, they play music and hand out information about the event to take place the following evening. Sometimes they would also go to spread the word Saturday afternoon just before the event. Each time I went, we would meet all kinds of folks, many of whom were looking for some kind of community, and many would come to check out the music (and snacks).

The Love Delhi team (left) playing music to spread the word about the event in the central park at Connaught Place.

Love Delhi's team is blessed with quite a few skilled musicians, including Gary (guitar) and Rahul (drum) in the photo below. These guys would lead us in Bollywood songs, and sometimes perform Christian songs.

These Sikh men politely declined to come, since there would be Bollywood songs. I was glad they politely declined, since they carried swords.

Setting up in the Attic on Saturday afternoon, which is an important task...

Another great musician, on the left with the electric guitar: Joel

...as is manning the snack table...

Caitlin (Ravi's wife), and Kelsey (Gary's wife) guarding the snacks.

...since you needed to be ready for a big crowd:

The room was always packed--and it was a small room. The floor just in front of the stage was covered with people!

Every time I went, there was always a game. The one pictured below involved seeing how much cinnamon competitors could consume; harder than it sounds:

Vishal, on the left, organized the games/torments. One game involved Marmite, which he inexplicably came to love while spending time in Australia.

In addition to people sharing stories or ideas if they wanted to, usually Ravi or another leader, Moses (who works with the organization Youth With a Mission, or YWAM) would share a brief lesson relating to the day's topic, and how it fit into God's message.

Moses sharing at Love Delhi.

What really sets Love Delhi apart, in my book, is how it operates as a community, welcoming anyone and everyone who crosses the path of Ravi and his friends into a family. Over my four months in India, I felt I was a part of Ravi's family, from the day we met.

I got to celebrate Ravi and Caitlin's two kids' birthdays:

Oliver looking forward to his birthday cake.

Norah enjoying all the attention at her birthday party.

I really can't thank the Love Delhi family enough. If you're ever in Delhi, I'll put you in touch with them. They'll make you feel at home. I can't wait to go back, largely because of these friends.

***

The video for today is one I love, and have been thinking of because I'll be traveling home soon. I'm always hoping I can take option C.

India 7: Jaipur

Despite what these blog posts would suggest, I did in fact do archival work while I was in India. It just doesn't make for interesting photos (especially since none of the archives I worked at allowed photos!). My last trip was in September, when my friend Ravi and his family invited me to accompany them to Jaipur in Rajasthan.

As in Kolkata, Ravi went to Jaipur to conduct a workshop inviting Christians there to join in reaching out to those around them. I had the privilege of briefly sharing with this group too, but it was mainly Ravi and local leaders from Campus Crusade for Christ who led us in worship and teaching. The need for Christ to bring peace among peoples and transformation in hearts was underlined by recent events when we arrived: the center of the city was shut down due to clashes between Hindus and Muslims over the past several days. (In fact, the authorities shut down mobile internet connectivity in the city, too, to prevent outrage fueling reprisals among the various groups on social media!)

Oliver approved of the proceedings.

Relaxing (with tea, of course) with the Campus Crusade leaders after the workshop, in the hills above Jaipur.

After our one-day workshop, while Ravi attended a conference of Christian leaders from across Rajasthan, I took the opportunity to see the sights. Principally, I explored two fortresses which overlook Jaipur, sitting atop hills just outside the city. The first, Amer Fort, is often referred to as "Amber Fort" because of its sandstone walls. Since the fortresses are up a bit (Amer Fort is the lower of the two), you have to climb a lot of stairs.

Members of GAS: Goats Against Stairs. 

However, all that climbing allows for amazing views of the incredible lines of fortifications which stretch all across the hills:

The Amber Fort was built in the 1600s, and served as the seat of the Rajput Maharajas who ruled the region. Below are pictures of the Ganesh Gate, dedicated to one of the most popular and well-known Hindu gods, the elephant-headed Ganesh. The gate separates the public portion of the palace from the private residence.

Ganesh Gate

Door of the Ganesh Gate

Beyond the Ganesh Gate, in the private portion of the palace, you find not only perfectly manicured gardens, but also the Hall of Private Audience (Diwan-i-Khas), where royals would entertain special guests.

Garden facing Diwan-i-Khas (from above)

Enlarged to see the intricate decoration of the walls of Diwan-i-Khas.

Diwan-i-Khas from the garden

Surrounding fortifications, seen from rooftop of Amber Fort

Decoration in the Ladies' Chambers

Conveniently, a tunnel connects Amber Fort to the fortress which looms on the hilltop above it, known as Jaigarh Fort. Thankfully I didn't have to rely on torchlight to get through. Built in 1726, Jaigarh improved the security of Amber Fort, but it also protected a massive cannon foundry, which had operated for decades thanks to iron ore deposits in the surrounding hills. Also due to some fortunate politicking: according to the explanation at the fort, the Mughals closely guarded their mastery of gunpowder weapons after conquering north India from Afghanistan in the early 1500s. However, they sent the ruler of Amber Fort to wage a campaign in Afghanistan in the mid-1500s, and the rulers brought gunpowder and its attendant weapons technology back with them. (You'll see the gunpowder connection below.) Jaigarh sits at the very top of the hill, offering an unparalleled view.

Jaigarh looking down on Amber Fort

The view from Jaigarh

Looking down on Amber Fort, from Jaigarh Fort.

The fortifications snake around a small reservoir.

The cannon foundry was obviously successful, as it produced cannons both small and large:

Cannon cast in 1599

This big 'un is called Jaivana. Cast in 1720, it is 20 feet long, weighs 50 tons, and can fire a cannonball 22 miles.

Man standing in a poor position vis-a-vis Jaivana.

And the ever-present monkey, guarding Jaigarh.

From the heights at Jaigarh, you can see down to the city of Jaipur proper, by Man Sagar Lake. In the middle of the lake, you can make out an island with a palace on it:

Except it's not exactly an island with a palace on it: it's more of a palace-island. This is Jal Mahal (water palace), built in 1750, and it actually goes even further down into the lake, with 4 submerged stories! I don't really understand the engineering of all that, but it's really pretty.

Jal Mahal from eye level

On the way out of Jaipur at the end of a lovely week, we were accompanied by the elephants (which you can hire to take you up the hills to Amber Fort). Elephants are cool. I had to photo out the car window, so apologies for the poor quality.

My sincere thanks to Ravi and his family, yet again, for inviting me to join them on this incredible trip. In my next blog post, I will offer more information about what Ravi and his colleagues are doing, and how I got to offer a tiny bit of help.

***
For the video today, I pull out one of the big guns; my favorite of the short films viewed from the Satellite of Love on MST3K.

India 6: Calicut-up, or, What kind of pun can you make out of Kozhikode?

My final stop on my pleasure cruise through southern India was Calicut (or Kozhikode) in Kerala, on India's southeastern Malabar coast. Kozhikode is the city's name in Malayalam, the main language in Kerala (and which one Keralan informed me is the language spoken in heaven, so we'd better get a head start on it now); "Calicut" comes from an Anglicization of the Arabic name for the city. 

Calicut has been a center of trade, especially in spices, since the 7th century AD when Arab traders first interacted with it. Also, Vasco da Gama landed just north of the city in 1498, integrating Calicut into an inter-oceanic economy which by the early 1500s would ring the globe. The excellent Indian cloth traded through Calicut came to be known as "calico."

For my purposes, though, Calicut's interest lies in one of its later famous sons: the subject of my research in India, VK Krishna Menon. Although he spent little time in Kerala after leaving it for college in Madras in the 1910s, a small museum commemorates him in his hometown. As does an indoor stadium, which I think he would have found bemusing. Youngsters were playing volleyball in there the day I went by, as I recall.

But in any case, the museum was atop a hill in the lovely, amazingly green forest, in a compound with an art gallery and a planetarium. I focused on the Krishna Menon museum, which gathered many of his effects, and which I found revealing:

A model of Sputnik, gift of the Soviets

Gift from the UAR (Nasser's Egypt, known as the "United Arab Republic" after 1958)

Krishna Menon's desk, complete with bust of Lenin and framed photo of his friend and colleague, Jawaharlal Nehru

Krishna Menon in profile, complete with cane. (He always used one after being hit by a car in London once!)

Myself with Mr. Menon...

...and with the museum's curator, who kindly allowed me to take photographs.

Not all of Krishna Menon's effects were Soviet- or Third World-themed, but enough were to help me understand him better than I did before visiting the museum! Which helps me justify this as a research trip.

There is a strong Communist tradition in Kerala; in fact, Kerala was briefly home of the first democratically elected Communist government from 1957, but Nehru, while on the left, would not tolerate a Communist government in India, and had the government disbanded in 1959. (Communists would be elected and form the government of West Bengal in 1977, which they held until 2011.) The Communist Party retains a presence in Kerala, as evidenced by this poster I saw while walking through town:

The Four Amigos; or, the decreasing efficacy of facial hair over time

I didn't tarry long by the dictators of the proletariat, though, since I was on my way to the beach. Having put my feet in the Bay of Bengal back in Chennai, I was determined to put my feet in the Arabian Sea, thereby claiming the entire Indian Ocean for the Reeves family henceforth and forevermore. For reasons I cannot explain, while the Bay of Bengal was warm, the Arabian Sea was cold.

On the way back through town, I went through SM (Sweetmeat) Street, a thriving market which has reportedly been in operation since the 7th century.

Then, just to give you a taste of the contrasts contained within the continent that is India, later that night I ate the best beef of my life: cooked in banana leaf, it was so beautifully tender and seasoned; ah...bliss.

Along with Enugu in eastern Nigeria, Calicut is one of the greenest, most lush places I've ever been. Kerala is a popular holiday destination for Indians and foreigners alike, and I look forward to getting back. And this time, not for "work."

***
The video today offers the way I think many Western (and some Soviet) policymakers viewed Krishna Menon, who constantly frustrated them at the UN and on the sidelines of major diplomatic gatherings, such as the 1954 Geneva Conference on Korea and Indochina, and the conferences seeking a solution to 1956's Suez Crisis. The view was misguided based on the evidence I've seen, but I do sometimes like to think of him as a Bond villain.

Krishna Menon, making his case for Bond villain in 1955:

Compare, Time's super-villain of 1962:

The other super-villain of 1962: