Mumbai

You will never truly understand India until you visit and that is something I began to understand as soon as I spent my first two days here. Engrained in the environment is the mellow happiness that is ubiquitous here. I spent all yesterday in the entertainment (Bollywood) capital of India, Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay because of British control, hence Pune/Poona and Kolkata/Calcutta.) It has approximately 15 million people and is the 5th most populous city (people per square km) in the world.

It is hot and moist--crowded and diverse. Dirt and dust rise in clouds getting trapped in your shoes, blackening your feet. Hundreds of Gulmohar trees brighten the surroundings with deep orange blooms. The flowers and full and soft. The food is nourishing. And my goodness, the Mangoes! Here they are warm and pulpy and sweet.

I spent the day with my cousins, Ulil and Alykhan--who are both Indian males which was quite advantageous because I am ostensibly foreign and female. We visited Prince Aly Khan Hospital, a hospital staunchly involved in the community for medical care to the needy. The conditions there would have shocked any American doctor because the life, the people, the mentality--the whole "jing bang lot"--differs in ways that some Americans would find at detriment to the patients. I do no think this is carelessnes, but looser stringency placed on formality. Because it is a hospital that provides general care to those whom are living in poverty for 40 rupees (approximately $1 US for a 2 hour general consultation,) it is quite apparent that the doctors here are doctors because of who they are and how they have come to fit naturally into such a role. Because, at the end of the day, despite all the hard work and generosity, in some hospitals there are still hundreds of sick and dying crammed into the waiting rooms or the available hospital beds. On the other hand, hospitals here are incredible in their scope of care. An average doctor in India will see anywhere from 15-50 patients per day and those who are poor automatically receive free treatment with the proper government papers.

I saw a young boy while travelling by rickshaw (indian taxi) in a very poor part of Mumbai. He was naked, stooped on the ground, and pooping. And he had no toilet paper, he was using dirty stagnant water that had accumulated in a shallow area of the ground to clean himself. It is what it is. It is the only life he has known. And while there are incredible stories of people coming out of such poverty to lead very successful lives, such a life may only be there for him in the future. And so, for many, a future is quite bleak--without adequate shelter, food, and even proper education. However, right across the street the case is oolta (hindi for opposite.) There are metropolitan areas, hundreds of shopping malls, women and men wearing the latest fashions and using the best of technology. Hospitals here are still using state-of-the-art machinery, industries are developing some of the world's most advanced products, education is incredible, and the financial markets are thriving. To say that there is class polarity or diversity in India is a gross understatement.

With that said, I am exploring how my project fits in here with the people of India. I have found that many of my friends here in America are very excited or touched or inspired by the project. But I find that this concept in India for some is a luxury. It is an esoteric question without material significance because when it all boils down to the point, exploring such a philosophy will not, to be hackneyed, "feed the children" or "provide medical care to those whom are sick and dying." However, this in no means demeans the significance of such exploration because I think the Bollywood movie industry plays a similar role. (But that discussion is for another time.)

Good night/shub ratri