Kerala's landscape

Here are some observations of the living conditions of Indians and insight from Prof. Ali.  I so much appreciate being able to tap into his knowledge and life experiences as a native Indian from the north and his ability and willingness to bridge the two cultures for students like me.  So here are my ramblings and observations.  

 As a daughter of RJ and growing up in a family that was recycling before it became the "green" thing to do, I do notice there is trash everywhere, scattered along the streets, being burnt in small piles, etc.  A large house, surrounded by walls, piles its trash right outside its gated keep; plastic bags snag themselves along the landscape's shrub.  The only place I have seen public trash receptacles has been at the school and at St. Thomas' shrine. India does not have a public sanitation department.  People dispose of their trash at will.  Prof. Ali shared that there is no organized sanitation except for the wealthy.  People are unaware of the affect their trash has on others.  It is an issue for many reasons including environmental ones that occur during the monsoon season - inability of water to freely flow/drain and the pollution issues such as what we witnessed along the NJ shore in the past.  While driving back on Sunday from Tamil Nadu (the neighboring state), the air was thick with smoke - folks were burning their trash.

The electrical lines look like a bowl of spaghetti at the juncture boxes - no wonder there are so many power outages.  Kerala has planned outages and a few unplanned. The state of Tamil Nadu, where we went to be with the AIDS orphanages, has lots more unplanned.  The outages are a result of some folks protesting the building of a nuclear plant so this is the way the government pays back.  They do not have many telephone lines because phones went directly to cellular.  Folks get water from wells so many drink bottled water.  You cannot reuse the bottles because bacteria easily grow on the plastic.  The main mode of transportation for families is the scooter.  On Sunday I did see 3 women driving their scooters - that is the exception to the rule. Prof. Ali noticed some Muslim women riding on the scooters - that is a new rule within the past year.   Generally the women sit side saddle and look calm as if they were sitting in a chair in a living room.  Generally the driver is the only one with a helmet.  Young children sit between the driver and the handle bars.   I will post videos from the front seat later.  I would suggest you take some motion sickness pills first. 

I am finding the construction of the homes absolutely fascinating.  They start with a foundation and then columns of cement and rebar are poured.  Once that is in place, the ceiling is poured and it is held up with a myriad of poles until set.  The walls come next - built using either brick or cinder block and covered with cement similarly to stucco.  The whole floor is generally completed, even occupied before the next floor is done.  Many buildings are left with foot high columns of cement and rebar jutting out of the roof for further expansion.  



What was most particular was the nesting of squalor homes and square businesses around beautiful homes.  Ali shared that there really are no zoning laws and ordinances.  The mainstay of trade and the economy occur in these cement "garages" - basically a cement cube with a garage door and a blue tarp to keep out the sun.  I cannot imagine what it feels like in the heat of the summer.  Many of the shops look to sell items made in China.  I cannot imagine how they make enough to survive.  In our discussions, it was mentioned that Walt-Mart will be expanding into the Indian market and that will impact many of these folks' ability to eke out an existence selling whatever to whomever.  I am not sure what I feel about that - the coming over of Walt-Mart and the existence/potential non-existence of these businesses.  It is not an easy answer because all the threads that make up an individual's life is so intertwined with everyone else’s.  This trip has reminded me of how interdependent we are to one another.  

I notice most men wear the lungi cloth which "requires" constant adjustments. It reminds me of someone constantly flipping their bangs.  Despite the general atmosphere of poverty and pollution, the women are stunning in their saris and shalwar kameez, long trousers and long tunic, it is if they are the color of the land. The designs on the colorful cloth can be exquisite and this is their day wear, not for a special occasion.  Their ink black hair is long and often in a single braid whereas the men's hair is cut very similar to our culture. It is easy to spot the children because they wear uniforms - they differ between schools and between grades.



I will post my thoughts about the women at a later date.  They deserve a space for themselves since they are the flowers of the country - beautiful.