Hyderabad

Having been here for several weeks now, I feel like I'm beginning to know and understand the city a bit better. I wish I had more time, but I'm trying to work with what I have the best I can manage.

Hyderabad was founded under Mogul rule, so a significant portion of the population is Muslim, but Hindus still make up the majority. The culture has a mix of both, and the food also reflects this. Like I mentioned in my last post, the way of life here is incredibly different--I doubt I will be nearly as pestered by bugs or dirt when I return to the states. 

We've learned in class that poverty rates easily reach or transcend 40% in cities, and you can clearly see it. There are a lot of shanties, a lot of beggars, and the dollar goes a long way. It's interesting to see that in action, though--with that many people below poverty levels, it becomes something of a norm. People make due and adjust their lifestyle around it. That doesn't necessarily make it better, but it markedly effects the culture.

Among the most important differences in Indian culture is the importance of family and the treatment of groups of individuals. Although the government of India has outlawed caste, there are still signs of its presences--which makes perfect sense, of course. You cannot eradicate a system that determined people's economic standing according to birth in two generations, any more than we've cured American "ghettos" by "outlawing" racism. Allowing economic mobility doesn't necessarily ensnare the means to do so.

But, I digress. There are remnants of caste, as well as remnants of sexism...well, more than remnants. It's an interesting dichotomy, since women and female sexuality seems to be more "revered," but the efforts to preserve it also alienate it. For example, when entering buildings, people are often searched. For almost all of these places, men are searched in the open, but women are searched only by other women and behind screens. Women dress modestly and beautifully, and in some ways the taboo created from this causes unwanted and often rather rude attention from men when the expectation of modesty is not adhered to.

Personally, I don't have many problems in that arena because I only brought a few clothes, so I had to buy Indian ones anyway. But it has come as kind of a shock for many of the international girls.

Even so, I like it here. There are a lot of things that cause discomfort, but discomfort is not an evil. It's a part of life. I like chances to embrace it; once you fall from the cocoon of the idea that life should be easy and fair and accessible, you begin to discover what is worth revering. Things seem more real.

Anyways, Hyderabad is interesting. Maggie, a girl in our dorm (Tagore) who has been here for around 6 months now, several of which were spent traveling India and Nepal, talks about in what ways Hyderabad is different from other cities, and how other cities are different from each other.

India's big. 

India's diverse.

India's exciting. 

I'm hoping to travel this weekend. We're going to a temple on an overnight train. I'm excited! Hopefully I'll gather some riveting stories to tell. 

Also, Hindi: मैं दयान हूँ । मैं कलाकार हूँ ।

 It's a start.

And, finally, pictures: