February 5, 2007
Rotary projects and City activity
February 5, 2007
Rotary Club of Bangalore West hosted us today and we began by touring one of their Rotary projects at the Academy for Severe Handicaps and Autism. Autism is a relatively new field in India. They also have an Early Intervention program from birth to age five and provide therapy services, instruction, and consultation. I was so excited to see them using the same Red Flags information card that is used in Early Intervention programs in Henry and Stark Counties. However, with the differences of cultural values, the developmental milestones are slightly different here. This school also operates an Information and Resource Center at a separate location that sponsors information for parents, awareness days for families, and play days for the children from the school. This school is not operated by the government and receives no government funding and is funded solely by private donors and organizations like Rotary. The school is led by the president-elect of the Rotary Club Bangalore West.
Another impressive Rotary project we toured was the health center. A 100 bed hospital building is being built immediately next to the current structure. Health care is a major need here, especially among the economically backward. The first area we toured of the center was the Autism Information and Resource Center. We were showed around the other areas of the center that included an x-ray and intensive heart evaluation area. The second addition to the property is down the street where eye exams, cataract surgery, dental exams, among other services. From the eye camps that are conducted out in the slums and villages, patients that require cataract surgery are assigned a day where a van picks them up and they are brought into the health care center for their surgery. After their surgery, the patient is given medication for the month following and they continue to receive visits to check their progress. The eye camp is a program that reaches so many people and the numbers continue to grow.
We shared lunch together and then headed our separate ways. Today the city of Bangalore is on high alert for riot activity. A decision from the high court regarding a river that splits two states is going to be made today. This decision has been under close scrutiny for over ten years and the decision will affect the source of 80% of Bangalore's water. Rumor has it the decision will not be in Bangalore's favor, so additional police are on duty schools were closed and many of the businesses were also closed. The Minister intervened and will not allow the decision to be released today, so tomorrow will bring new challenges as we are scheduled to change host families. It has been fascinating as we watch major political decisions unfold right before our eyes. Much of the city is on edge and we are confined to our homes this evening in the event riots break out overnight.
Posted by Carrie Titus at 9:12 AM
February 5, 2007
Mary's Comments from India
Mary Williams is one of Carrie's GSE team members. The following post is from Mary and give additional insight to things she and Carrie are experiencing in India.
Howdy from India.
Hmmm.. freedom in India is motivating and fresh. Freedom of speech, freedom to attend school, freedom of religion, (lack of) freedom in media...It's interesting and different than our American freedom. It's younger and more energetic. It'smonitored and still struggling. Here's what I've seen this past week...
I attended the Rotary District Conference last weekend. Although not the most interesting way to spend a cool breezy evening, there was a little bit of controversy that peeked my interest.A film director, Mahesh Baht, was invited to speak to the district about ethics and values. I'm not sure what they expected him to address, but he talked about Muslims who aren't allowed the opportuntityto reap the benefits of a booming India. He also pointed at the Rotary members and told them to stop congratulating themselves on humanitarian effort and, instead, focus on bringing all classes of Indians onto the prosperity bandwagon. Many Rotarians began hollaring at Mahesh Baht. Men started protesting in the aisles- standing andscreaming at him in Hindi. Mr. Baht camly looked at the audience and explained that this is freedom of speech, that they have the right to disagree with him, and that it's in his being to say what he is passionate about.
It was wild to watch this unfold. Exciting and even a little scary because of the yelling and chaos. The next few days were spent shopping and visiting Rotary sites (ahospital, hospice center, women's shelter). We also ventured into rural India. Trekked to a village to hand out blankets provided by the Rotary. Stopped by a village school to distribute drinking cups and lunch plates. We also ate at a hill station on top a small mountain-hill. I was told that old rich English women would come out to the hill stations to cool down during the hot Indian summer. The hill station was nestled in trees overlooking rolling and jagged hills. In reminded of the American West. It was very quiet and still.Undeveloped green and brown land.
We also participated in Republic Day. This is a national holiday celebrating the establishment of India as a republic in 1950. A very young republic. We sat as guests of honor at a Rotary school while the children danced in celebration. Then we went to city-wide celebration. We also sat as guests of honor here. I felt like a Caesar at the Coliseum! Sitting in a comfy padded chair under an awning while most other people saton theauditorium benches made of stone. The auditorium was built like a coliseum- a stone circular complex that houses soccer (football) games. Kids from all the schools in the town performed traditional dances and reinacted scenes from India's struggle for independence. The kids were so excited. The townspeople were so excited. Everyone seemed to understand and relish their fight for freedom. It was amazing and awe-ing to seepeoplestirred up about their history. Our fourth of Julyseems to bemore about burgers and fireworks than about appreciating our freedom and acknowledging the struggle to get here. However, we area much older republic than India. Will they still be celebrating with such enthusiasm 200 years from now?
While in the countryside, we also visited many ornate old temples. Dark stone structures with Indian mythological carvings that tell stories. Details sculptures of gods, dancers, elephants, and even the kama sutra. My favorite temple was less detailed, but much larger, than the other temples. Sravanabelagola is a Jain temple dating to 982 AD. You have to climb 614 steps, barefoot, to reach the stone temple. At the top is a 17.5 meter high granite statue of a naked Jain deity. He renounced material possessions and attained enlightenment. The structure receives a milk bath every twelve years, so it is shiny grey/silver color, even though it is over a thousand years old! It was a struggle to climb the hot stone steps ,but worth every breath. The amazing viewoverlooked the town, the hillside, and lots of brown pilgrams climbing the stairs. Many different people, many different beliefs, all climbing the stairs to appreciate godliness. Thank you freedom of religion.
Another look at freedom.... The beggars. They are rampant here. Even children, holding smaller children, ask for money. They will follow you into the car, hanging in the windows pointing to their mouths. The especially like us white folks. Though there are many schools and many efforts to persuade children to attend, it is not required that theyreceive an education.Some kids have to work to support their families. Education is a stepping stone from one class to another. The cycle of poverty perpetuates here without an education. It seems that in India, you only can go up at this point. Bangalore has a job for everyone. If you are not educated, you can clean someone's home or drive them around. If you are educated, your options are limitless.
Our freedom is different. Our children have the right, not the choice, of education. We have fought the freedom fight and won. Now we have other challenges. We have so much freedom that we have other directions to go than up.
This week I leave you with:
quietly mumbled prayers at the foot of the Jain deity
Vanilla ice cream with fresh tropical fruit
and a night of bollywood dancing.
your friend,
mary
Posted by Carrie Titus at 8:55 AM
February 4, 2007
Food and Movies
February 4, 2007
Today brought us all a much needed day of rest. I began my day by joining Marilyn and Renita to mass at St. Anthony's church. There were so many people there. I couldn't believe the different masses said each Sunday in four different languages and four different times.
After mass we headed over to Forum, one of the malls in Bangalore. We walked around for a little bit and then headed over to Rotarian C.K.'s house for lunch and an afternoon of a Bollywood movie. Eating times are so much different here than in the States. Breakfast at home is around 7:45 and usually eaten in the car, lunch around noon and dinner around 6:00 or 6:30. Here, we eat breakfast around 8:30, lunch around 2:00, tea around 4:00 and dinner around 9:30 or 10:00. The later eating times were really hard to get used to, but now, it will be equally challenging to reverse that.
Today's lunch was a great feast of Domino's pizza and Indian specialties. Every meal served has a platter of sliced cucumbers, carrots and red onions. Every meal has a platter of sliced vegetables. I'm really starting to get used to that and the quality and availability of fresh vegetables.
We watched a recent film called Lage Raho Munna Bhaj. It was an interesting movie, but unfortunately the sub title's translation into English weren't so great. You could pick up on the emotions of what was going on though but the actors included interspersed with English. Which made it at times really confusing. The atmosphere was great and so was the hospitality. It was just like watching a movie at home with a large group of friends and family. The only difference was that this movie was three and half hours long! Renita told me that this movie was short, most films are over four hours long! With the additional singing and dancing, it does add more length.
Frank, Marilyn, Renita, Robin and I returned home and relaxed for a bit. I checked email and spent time with Renita and we headed out for a walk around 9:00 to pick up a couple things for dinner. Marilyn cooked a wonderful meal of steak, mashed potatoes, garlic bread. So much food! It was the first time that I had eaten an actual meal of steak!
Posted by Carrie Titus at 9:08 AM
February 3, 2007
Humanitarian efforts
February 3, 2007
Our day started today with visiting the first game of the Rotatract Basketball tournament. It was so early in the morning and with the warm sun beating down on us, it was just perfect conditions for a nap. With the excitement of the game, there wasn't time for a quick snooze! It was fun to see an event that was entirely coordinated by Rotatract that we had heard about last week. The members have so much energy and a great desire to gain professional development while helping others.
After the game, we went out for breakfast at a local restaurant and then headed out to visit an Eye Camp sponsored by Rotary Club of Koramangala held in one of the slum areas. Almost 15,000 people live in this particular slum and at the last Eye Camp, 800 people were screened where 300 were given glasses (known as spectacles here), and 35 participated in cataract surgery. This project was made in part with a matching grant with a Rotary Club in Portugal and Rotary International Foundation. At this same slum, almost 6,000 children received polio drops through the Rotary Club's efforts.
We then made our way over to Jyoti Nivas College where an exposition was being held. Sister Philomena provided a tour of the facility for us and we met with students who shared with us their various projects on stem cell research, bio technology, down syndrome, and more.
Next we made a move to a school that is for the Mentally Handicapped called GERIZIM. The facility provides housing for children who are mentally handicapped or they have been orphaned by their families. The facility provides education, housing, and skills in vocational development. Today, the students performed dance routines that were also performed at the Republic Day celebration on January 26. The amount of time, dedication and enjoyment for dancing was very apparent. The students were so excited to share their skills with us and you could see through the expression on their face how this activity was building their self-confidence. It really was a wonderful program that has been funded entirely by Christian organizations and Rotary.
We returned to a feast of a lunch with Brandon's host Nikki of sweet corn, pasta and traditional Indian dishes. Afterwards, we returned home and took a quick rest before going out for dinner. In the evening, Frank and I met up with Brandon, John and their respective hosts at the Koramangala Club. After C.K. played a couple snooker games (kind of like pool), we made our way to the China Pearl for dinner. I discovered the very tasty dessert called Datsun. It resembles honey soaked corn flakes with ice cream. The flavor was amazing!
Posted by Carrie Titus at 9:05 AM
January 30, 2007
A day of relaxation
January 30, 2007
A much needed day of rest occupied our agendas today. It was nice to have a relaxed day of organizing our suitcases, resting and relaxing. We even had a chance to catch a little Hindi television. A first since we had arrived! Later in the afternoon, Melissa and I ventured out in an auto rickshaw and caught a ride to the shopping district of Commercial Street. She had really wanted to ride in a rickshaw and make stops at a couple stores that I had visited earlier in the trip with my first host family. We stopped at the Favorite Shop and a couple of my favorite jewelry dealers. At the Favorite Shop, Melissa and I picked up a couple sallwar suits. They basically are traditional Indian dress without the hassle of wrapping a saree. On the way home, we had a couple interesting encounters with rickshaw drivers. It was obvious two drivers tried to take full advantage of naïve American travelers, but we luckily found a driver who spoke English, knew the neighborhood and wasn't afraid to ask for directions. We made it home safely and had a fun evening out. After being home all day, it was nice to get out and see more of the city. Tomorrow, we change host families again, so tonight is a big packing night. My luggage has been expanding with each family and my bags are so heavy! It's time to start downsizing what I brought!
Posted by Carrie Titus at 9:05 AM
January 29, 2007
THe spa
January 29, 2007
Today was a relaxing day to catch up on some errands and sleep! Melissa and I spent the morning at one of the salons Sumitra owns. She operates over ten salons and spas in the city. What was so interesting about her business is that she established a training academy to train hearing impaired and visually impaired people to work in salons. Through training, they are providing a valued service and also building their self confidence. The students are so expressive and are keen to observe our expressions. Melissa and I enjoyed our pampering and we were greeted by Rotarians from the Bangalore Downtown Club for lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Following, we ventured on to M.G. Road for shopping. The highlight was Planet M for the latest Hindi music. One of the first things we noticed was the large amount of music from the U.S. played on the radio stations. Equally played is Hindi music that is featured in Bollywood films. It's really catchy and is a great example of current cultural trends among young people.
In the evening, the District Governor hosted a dinner to recognize the Rotarians who served on the District Conference planning committee. It was great to be reunited with friends from other clubs and to meet some of our future hosts. We enjoyed the opportunity to share our recent experiences with Rotarians. The hospitality has been fantastic and we have really enjoyed our stay.
Afterwards, Melissa and I stopped with a Rotarian for a quick visit to the Bangalore Club. It is the oldest Club in the city and it is rich in history dating back from the British. The facility was beautiful and it's amazing a place so serene can exist in such a bustling city. Sleep was the only thing on our minds and we returned back to Sumitra's apartment.
Posted by Carrie Titus at 9:01 AM
January 28, 2007
Shopping and Arranged Marriages
January 28, 2007
Since we returned from our sight seeing adventure so late last night, it was nice to sleep in a bit. After a quick breakfast, I was able to check email and I loved hearing news from friends and family. It's amazing that half a world away, I'm enjoying the warm weather and in Illinois, it's freezing! After getting ready, Vijai and I ventured to a couple of her favorite jewelry shops in the neighborhood. She also introduced me to the beautiful table linens and housewares. I wanted to bring everything back with me! Space is becoming more of a concern each day as my luggage is expanding. The option of buying another piece of luggage here is looking pretty good. There are just so many things that I want to share with others, that I really will be downsizing what I brought with me.
Our shopping continued to the afternoon and we rushed home to eat a quick lunch and I began the task of packing. That evening, GSE team members and Rotatract Club members met for a short program and question and answer session. It was fascinating to hear their perceptions of American's and gain a greater understanding of arranged marriage.
I have long held the perception of love marriages. Boy meets girl, falls in love, get married, start a family, etc. That theme is expressed in every facet of American culture and it is woven into every known context among all age groups. The idea of love and a lifetime of happiness is evident everywhere. However, in Indian culture, arranged marriage is the culturally and socially accepted practice. Although love marriages are present, predominately the union between man and wife is arranged by their parents. The first time I really understood this concept was when I was staying with my first host family. I've read about arranged marriages and I've read the matrimonial ads in the Indian newspapers, but facing a young couple who were an arranged marriage made me come face to face with this concept. The longer I've been here and the more people I've met, I've really come to respect arranged marriages. The young people know that they do not need to bother going out to clubs to meet someone, they can just go and have fun. They aren't preoccupied with the devastating break-up of a boyfriend of girlfriend that they can't concentrate on their schoolwork. The growth of India's educational capacity is evident in the top academically talented students in the world. Young people are only focused on studying, family, religious practices and friends. I've thought a lot about how different American culture would be if we had arranged marriages. We would have a society focused on personal fulfillment opposed to fulfilling someone else. Young people could concentrate solely on who they are. From what I have been told that in arranged marriages, there isn't the falling in love with the person first that jades your perception of them. You grow to learn to love the person. What I did learn was that the parents coordinate the initial meeting of the prospective couple, but the young person does have a say that if they dislike the person, they can continue seeking another prospective suitor.
Melissa and I are sharing the same hostess and since she wasn't home yet, we were treated to dinner with Rotatract members at Pizza Hut. I was thrilled to eat a deep dish extra cheesy pizza. In the U.S., cheese is on almost everything. However, cheese is rather rare on food items. Had I closed my eyes, I would have thought that I was in the States. It was surreal to hear American music playing in the background, eating American like pizza, in an American restaurant all while in India. The only difference was the dessert as the ice cream tastes much better here!
Afterwards, Melissa and I met Sumitra. She has a lovely home and we had a chance to visit with her before taking rest for the evening. It was fascinating to learn of the projects of the women entrepenuers group she belongs to are working on. They are working villages to train women how to save and educate them to obtain employment. Their work is being recognized locally through continued funding of such projects. More recently, they are working with the Clinton Foundation. Her husband is from Australian and lived and raised their children there for a number of years. Upon returning to India for her children to gain greater understanding of their cultural background, she continues to travel the world. Melissa and I were thrilled to hear of her occupation as a salon owner. We were screaming with excitement when she said that tomorrow, we will be guests at one of her salons. After walking barefoot and traveling, some pampering is exactly what we need! I don't think we'll be able to sleep because we are so excited!
Posted by Carrie Titus at 8:57 AM
January 23, 2007
"bunny, bunny"
Tuesday, January 23, 2007 (technically, Wednesday, January 24, 2007)
This morning I awoke to spend a few minutes getting to know Rasheb. He's very bright and has such good manners! He was especially helpful at showing me the ropes of connecting to the internet. Vijai and I shared breakfast and I was so excited to eat peanut butter toast and as a treat, topped off with fresh Wildflower honey from her home state of Coorg.
The morning began by our group assembling at the Rotary Club building to meet our ride to Tumkur for about an hour drive, so we thought. Currently, there is a very large tool show going on and traffic that is normally congested is even more congested. With our later than expected arrival time, one of our vocational visits unfortunately was cut short. We were greeted by an enthusiastic delegation of Rotarians from the three clubs in Tumkur. After meeting the group, they welcomed us each with a traditional garland and of course, lots of pictures.
We traveled to the home of a Rotarian where we shared brief introduction and delicious tea and biscuits. The phrase of the day was "Bunny, Bunny" which translates, to "move,move." We were on a tight schedule with many projects to experience. Our first stop was a detour with John and I's Rotarian. We stopped at the local University for a quick tour of the library. The building is state of the art and has a striking similarity to the big golf ball like structure at Epcot Center in Disney World. It was time to bunny bunny and we were off to Ramakrishna Vivekanadnda Ashrama. We had an opportunity to listen to the kind words of their Swami. He shared with us thoughtful insights of the relationship of their teachings to Western civilization and spiritual values. In short, he shared that at one time, east was east and west was west. Presently, that is no more as we are all one family. To summarize a quote he shared by Thomas Carlyle was very fitting as the theme for the day and this GSE experience, "The aim of civilization is the progress of mankind." I'm not sure if that's exactly how it was said, but that was my interpretation. The Swami also presented each of us a CD of his music, shawl, garland, tea and biscuits.
Bunny, bunny to view first hand some of the outstanding work the Rotary Clubs of Tumkur were engaged in to advance mankind. We had a chance to drive some through town and view the beautiful scenic landscape of the area. The club had been working with supplying bedding for residents of a local village. We had each had an opportunity to present residents with blankets and were presented more beautiful flowers, tea and biscuits. My neck really was starting to weigh down will all the beautiful flowers, but they were so pretty and had such a wonderful fragrance!
As I said, bunny bunny was the phrase of the day and it again was time to make a move. We next were drove to another village where the Club was working to provide plates and tumblers for the children of a primary school. The serving ware will be used for their mid day meal. We were greeted by extremely polite and well behaved children that were eager to shake hands and practice their English. It was so much fun to visit with the children and hear of their aspirations to become doctors, scientists, and more. The teachers are wonderful people who are exposing rural, isolated children to an outstanding education.
It was 4:00 p.m. by the time we departed for a special location for lunch. The Devarayana Durga Hills was a structure that was built during British rule as a location for the officer's wives and children to escape the heat of the city. High on the hill, the temperature is much cooler and provides a great view of the landscape. A Rotary meeting was held where we made a presentation to the club about the GSE team and our perceptions of India.
Afterwards, we made a move and hit quite a bit of traffic. We had a very experienced driver with us who navigated some rather rough terrain. Until today, I had never been off roading in a mini-van. That was an experience!
We returned home tired from the days adventures and returned to our respective hosts. Tomorrow brings another full day of activities. The hospitality here has been wonderful and I can't say enough great things about the people. I heard a saying today that in Indian hospitality, treat every guest as like a God. That has been particularly true this entire trip. We have been so fortunate to have great hosts and greatly appreciate the planning and effort going into an outstanding program.
Posted by Carrie Titus at 11:54 AM
January 22, 2007
Karunashraya Bangalore Hospice Trust
Monday, January 22, 2007 12:33 a.m. (technically Tuesday, January 23, 2007)
John and Helen were exactly right in describing the emotions of the departure day from our host families: heartbreaking. Once you get to know a family, it is very easy to become attached. It has been very difficult to leave the two wonderful families I have stayed with, but I know that there are so many other friendships that I will form with other Rotarians and their families. As I said good bye to Vijakumar's family, I said hello to a new host family family.
I met Vijiay's mother in law this morning as our group departed from the Rotary House of Friendship, home of the Bangalore City Club. For the next three days, we will be hosted by the Indiarnagar Rotary Club. They had an excellent program planned for the day with very interesting vocational visits to two of their projects.
Our first stop was at the Karunashraya Bangalore Hospice Trust. This project was a joint effort between Rotary and the Indian Cancer Society. The facility was breathtaking. Very serene, surrounded by lush dense trees. It was as if you felt you were somewhere else, far from the noise of the passing traffic and the movement of daily life. We were greeted by their staff and were given a tour of the facility.
The structure of the program is three-fold. One, the program assists families in poverty to allow their loved ones to die with dignity. Two, it educates young women 18-25 from poverty to serve as health assistants and provide for their families financially. Three, it provides staffing for the program.
The Hospice Trust has been the recipient of Rotary International Matching Grant and the prestigious 3H Award. The staff, facility, and efforts of Rotarians were inspiring. The facility currently houses 27 patients, but has the capacity to care for 55. This facility truly provides for a dignified death for terminally ill patients. The most common type of cancer found among patients is of the head, neck, tongue and cheek. A particular type of chewing tobacco that provides a short term high also serves as an appetite suppressant. For an individual from poverty with little access to food, this tobacco would suppress their appetite. The second most common cancer of admitted patients is ovarian. Women more likely are to encourage the income earning person of the home to seek medical attention prior to themselves. They are more likely to neglect their health to ensure the income bearer is healthy. The majority of patients finally see a doctor when the cancer has spread too far and they are beyond any form of medical assistance.
While on the tour, we had the opportunity to have a walking tour of the facility. We were not allowed to visit patients in their rooms as it would disturb their routine. Many of the patients are not at the facility long and their comfort and piece of mind is of the utmost importance. One room that we entered was the meditation room where group and individual counseling is conducted. When we entered the room, there was man, in silent prayer. Upon meeting the man, I was compelled to take a photo to share the physical impact of this program allowing a man who lived a full life to receive a death with dignity. As much as I desired to share this emotion of the experience with others, I was equally compelled to not. In my heart, searching for the words to describe the end of life is not only emotional, but gratifying to know that thanks to the efforts of Rotarians, this man will go in peace. For that, I am eternally grateful for the contributions of this program to improve the quality of life of Indians.
Following our lunch, we dined at Shogun restaurant on native South Indian food, in particular from Karnataka. This was the first time that I had ever eaten a meal off of a banana leaf. Different, but it really served it's purpose. It was like environmentally friendly paper plates, without the paper. Thus far, most of our lunch meals have not been served at the traditional noon, but somewhere around 2:00 p.m. The delayed mealtime sure makes the day fly by! Before we knew it, we were off to our next vocational visit, a facility that serves as a school and home for children abanndonen on the streets. Our tour began with viewing the girls dormitories, the school buildings, library, dining hall, and computer lab. It was wonderful to see another example of the outstanding humanitarian efforts Rotary is leading. The Lions Club is also an active partner in helping support the facility.
We returned to our host families where my hostess Vijai had assisted me in arranging a hair cut at a local salon. I was so excited to have my hair cut! It had been quite sometime and it was nice to have sometime to reflect on the days experiences. It's nice to have time to sit awhile and think.
The evening brought the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club. We joined in fellowship and shared a brief presentation of each of our team members family background. Instead of a stuffy, boring presentation, our team chose to use pictures as a vehicle for learning. Rotarians were very complementary of using pictures to give them a glimpse of the our daily lives as young Americans. Afterwards, we continued visiting with the members at the Indianagar Club, another version of a health/Country Club.
A wonderful meal of great conversation was shared by my hostess and I and we retired for the night very late, realizing that we both have a lot to talk and learn about each others cultures. I'm equally excited to spend time with their eight year old son and their yellow Labrador dog. Our hosts have been phenomenal and I have greatly enjoyed each club and host and we have many more to meet. It's hard to believe that we have been here for a week!
Posted by Carrie Titus at 11:51 AM
January 17, 2007
New Experiences
Wednesday, January 17, 2007 11:40 p.m.
Just when we have an amazing day of new experiences, along comes a new day full of new and exhilarating experiences. Today we were hosted by Bangalore South Rotary Club president Suresh Bhat and Past President Rotary Bangalore South T.R. Dwarakanath. Our day began by meeting at Rotary Club of Bangalore Friendship house where we were drove to the Century Club for breakfast and a review of the day's activities.
The Century Club is one of four big clubs in Bangalore. There was a shuttlecock court, tennis court, swimming pool and much more. The Century Club was founded by an Indian for Indian use only, even during British Rule.
Breakfast was delicious where we dined on toast, egg sandwiches, dosa (pancake) and fresh juices. It was a wonderful meal shared in fellowship with Rotarians. Our day was planned for a visit to Big Bull Temple, Karnisha Temple, The Palace last built by the Emperor of India, and a stop at the Botanical Garden for a preview of the Flower Show. Lunch at Suresh's home with time for a quick rest and then off to a very important Rotary meeting where a special project with Rotary Club Bangalore South and it's sister club in Fort Wayne Indiana will be recognized. Three months ago, Rotary Club Bangalore was recognized as a 100% Paul Harris Fellow Club. Quite an honor that was commemorated with a special banner, certificate, plaque on the Wall of Honor at the Rotary International Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois.
The Temples were amazing architectural masterpieces. Today was a special occasion of worship for Indian's that the Karnisha was entirely covered in butter and was decorated with ornate and colorful paper. When Hindu's paid homage to the God, it was displayed by receiving a special holy water, and others received a paper bag with something inside. This was the first occasion that I directly came into contact with begging women and children. They followed us throughout the Temple area, even to the car when we were leaving while we drove away, they continued to knock on the window. Mary brought along stickers to give the children and the little girl at first did not know what to do with it. When she realized that it wasn't money and she couldn't eat it, she was back again. The need is very apparent, but the motive behind it is always questionable. It was emotionally challenging to restrain myself from helping meet their immediate needs.
This was also my first experience removing my footwear before entering a Temple. I have long held a fear of going barefoot in public places for fear of stepping on glass, nails, etc. As the saying goes, when in India, do as the Indians. I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to see the interior of a temple and took a deep breath and let the shoes go. To make changing shoes easier, I realized that it really helps to wear slip on shoes or that I should have kept the free socks the air lines gave us for experiences of this nature. Perhaps by the end of the trip, I'll have conquered my fear of going barefoot in public places.
After the Temples, we drove over to Tipu Sultan's summer palace where we did not have to remove our shoes. The palace was the summer home for the emperor and it was surrounded by lush, green lawns and shrubbery and flowering trees. It was a beautiful location. It was funny that our hosts were allowed to enter free of charge, but foreigners were charged. It really was a beautiful sight to see.
We visited a neighboring temple and then drove over to Suresh's house with Jeetu for fellowship and a wonderful meal prepared by his wife. We also me their daughter Mahima who is in the ninth standard (grade). We even managed a quick rest and then were off to a very large Rotary Club meeting.
At this meeting, the completion of a special and unique project between Rotary and a club in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was great to hear the international partnership of the humanitarian efforts from the U.S. to India. The opportunity to meet more Rotarians was great, not to mention the hospitality.
Posted by Carrie Titus at 11:49 AM
