My Last Few Months in India

I was sitting down to write this blog and became very disappointed in myself for not keeping up. Now I have too much to say. I will give you the summary of my last few months in India.

After leaving HPSS, I went Mukteshwar in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand is divided into two sides - the Western Garhwal and the Eastern Kumaon. My research has been focused on Garhwal, and up to this point, I had not ventured into Kumaon. I got the perfect chance though. A professor friend in Delhi invited me to come stay at his house in the Himalayas and work on writing up my research where his friend and author wrote her two books on Garhwal and Kumaon. I thought it would be a good opportunity to take advantage of the positive writing vibes and get myself to focus on writing up my research rather than collecting never-ending data and stories.

I arrived in Mukteshwar by train and then bus. I took the overnight train which meant that I slept most of the way. However, I was awake for the 2.5 hour bus ride. I got a window seat and enjoyed looking out the window; the Himalayan terrain was surprisingly different than the Garhwal side. People say that the life in Garhwal is much more difficult than that of Kumaon. Driving through Garhwal, there are mostly steep mountains and rivers below. Kumaon, on the other hand, is more rolling. Within an hour and  a half from the train station, I could already see the snow peaks of the Himalayas in the distance. I could not get over how quickly the landscape had changed. The roads here are also much better than those in Garhwal. Because there are fewer rivers here, this side was not as badly affected by the flooding in June.

I spent about 5 days in Mukteshwar which is becoming quite a tourist destination. There are a lot of hotels which have already been built and are under construction. Apparently, many locals are taking advantage of the increasing real estate prices by selling their land. This year, the tourism has taken a huge hit. After the flood in June, the governor of Uttarakhand advised anyone and everyone to avoid the entire state. He must have forgotten that some places will still be easy to access and that tourism is a major part of the state's economy.

My time in Mukteshwar was very relaxing and very productive. The house I stayed in was beautiful! It was more of a Western than Indian construction. I almost forgot which country I was in. I would wake up in the morning to do yoga and write for a few hours. Then, I would go for a walk and have lunch. The afternoons were filled with conversation and discussion about my research. The professor with whom I stayed was a huge help in framing my research and describing my research process. He helped me understand many of the issues I have been confused about related to my research. Being an archaeologist, anthropologist, and of course a philosopher, we had very interesting conversations about the meaning of life, rebirth, and Indian culture. We shared meals with some of his local friends in Mukteshwar as well as two professors who were visiting from the US at the same time. Needless to say, I was not ready to leave this productive place!

The neighborhood in Mukeshwar

The rolling hills of Kumaon

Fields in Mukteshwar

The pine forest in Mukteshwar

After Mukteshwar, I headed to Khaadi village to celebrate Diwali with some new and old friends. I met Manoj, who I have known since my first visit to India in 2010. We went around to villages nearby with his friend Ranjan who runs a nonprofit organization in Khaadi. They had been involved in successful movements in this area to protect the forests and to reduce alcoholism in villages. I learned a lot by visiting the surrounding villages and talking to some of the strong women who led these important movements.

Making vada

Because it was Diwali time, we ate a lot of food. At every house we visited, we were offered chai, a snack, and sometimes a meal. The food of this time is mostly vada and puri. Vada is like pakora - made by grinding black lentils by hand, mixed with spices, and fried in mustard oil. Puri is like a small tortilla made of wheat flour which is again deep fried. It is often served with vegetables. It can also be stuffed with either spiced black lentils or spicy potatoes. Both of these versions are absolutely delicious and probably one of my favorite special dishes. We ate so much food traveling from house to house that I would get back to where we were staying and not be able to eat dinner! It was worth it though! Plus, I always got cooking lessons at all the houses we visited.

My turn making vada

Manoj, Me, and Didi (leader of anti-alcohol movement)

We had lunch of hard-boiled eggs and samosas one day. I posed with the staff at the shop.

Showing off my threshing skills in Guja.

This is where the forest department harvested turpentine from the trees. The Chipko movement responded by bandaging the trees with mud and cloth bandages.

Grinding urud dal for vada by hand in Rampur village.

A spread of snacks.

Some friends in Rampur.

Making vada on Diwali in Khaadi

For Diwali itself, we made a feast. We pulled the gas burner on the floor and got to work making vada, potato-stuffed puri, cauliflower and potatoes, chickpeas, and spiced buttermilk. It was delicious. We lit candles and lined the windows of the house to invite Luxmi, the goddess of wealth, into the home. Outside, we lit firecrackers. I watched from a distance the Garhwali tradition/version of fireworks. Someone lights a small bundle of sticks on fire and swings them around.

After Diwali, I headed to Kimsar/Mala Banas village for a last visit before I left. I met Asha and Ashish at the house where I had lunch. Then, I went with Asha and Nisha to the field to harvest the black lentils from which the vada are made. We cut down the stalks in a beautiful setting and caught up on our lives. Asha's mother joined us in the field. The women in the adjacent fields joined the conversations about the latest drama on TV.

Bisht-ji and Nisha

The very cute goat

Bisht-ji's house

When it got dark, we headed back to the house for chai. I made them another batch of no-bake cookies, which I spoiled them on during my last visit. Then, they spoiled me by making me the delicious puri filled with aloo. It was made with wheat, potatoes, and oil from their farm. We sat around the fire outside the kitchen making this food because the weather was good. Some of the neighborhood boys came to visit. Everyone who has moved outside was back at this time celebrating Diwali. Unfortunately, I had to leave the next morning after breakfast. Again, they spoiled me with my favorite Garhwali dishes - potatoes and manduwa roti (bread made from a buckwheat-type flour). The ingredients were again grown on their farm.

From Mala Banas, I met my friend Sara in Rishikesh. I helped her with her shopping, and we took a cab up to Mussoorie for the Writers' Festival. In Mussoorie, we stopped in to see our previous landlord Mrs. Bhatty. Her husband - 88 years old - died this month from prostate cancer. Her daughters and grandchildren all came to Mussoorie to bury him (he was Christian). Mr. Bhatty was quite a special man. He is the reason I received an affiliation with the economics research institute in Delhi. He was not just an economist, but also an Urdu poet and very trusting man! Mrs. Bhatty misses him very much!

My first full day in Mussoorie, I went around meeting many of my old friends and catching up with my former teachers at the Language School. I had a very nice meeting with the Language School Principal who has been very helpful and supportive of my research! The next day, I made a hike to a village nearby to finish up some of my research questions. I took some friends along, and we really enjoyed the day. I had a productive trip! We did, however, get a little wet on the walk back. (The hike is about 2-2.5 hours each way.)

The next days were packed with incredible events as a part of the Mussoorie Writers' Festival. There were poets, documentary filmmakers, mountaineers, and so many other talented people. I had some great networking opportunities here! It is amazing the diversity of people who came to Mussoorie to share ideas about mountains from all different disciplines! We also enjoyed some rock-n-roll music/Elvis impersonators from Shillong in Northeast India. I can now boast of seeing a small, old Indian man with a voice and hip thrust just like Elvis!

After the Writers' Festival, I made a trip to Happy Valley and the George Everest House, which I have mentioned in previous blogs.

Happy Valley

Hathi Paon next to the George Everest House

That afternoon, I also got to attend a Garhwali drama. There was a production from one of the stories of the Mahabharata performed in the main bazaar.

Maze at Drama

The next day, I ran around to some different meetings and took a bus back to Dehradun. From Dehradun, I went to Lata for one last time before I left. I had some research to wrap up, some friends to see, and some weddings to attend. It was weird being in Lata at this time because more than half of the village had migrated down to the winter housing, while I was staying with a family in the summer village. The village seemed almost empty at this time. It was also much less green as it is becoming winter. Lata got its first dusting of snow a couple days before I arrived.

My companions who rode with me to Joshimath

[My first stop before Lata was Raji's village. We went to a pooja for her father and nephew who died. Her mother and niece were put into a trance where the spirits of their deceased relatives came through them. - No this was not my first experience like this.]

The pooja

Raji and Her Mom

  

Raji and Me

The weddings in Lata were especially fun. They last for three days, so I only had the chance to attend one and a half. Both were of young men from Lata, so I did not get to experience the female side. (There were two more weddings happening the few days after I left.)

The first day is the henna ceremony. The women sit in a room singing and dancing. For the last song, the groom comes in. His sister puts henna on his hand, and they take a couple of photos. The women sing a special song about henna. Afterwards, there are sweets and then dinner and dancing.

The women's sangeet at the henna ceremony

The second day, the groom gets ready to go pick up his bride. All his close relatives come and give him gifts. A priest is also there to perform important ceremonies. All the males from the village go with the groom to pick up the bride and bring her back. The groom rides down from the village to the street on a horse. (We had a fun time rounding up the horses for this occasion. The horses were pretty stubborn.)

The women singing as the men leave Lata

[In the meantime, there are a lot of guests to feed in the village. All the women from Lata gathered in a central location, set a quick fire, and served everyone namkeen chai and spicy potatoes. It was delicious and efficient. If only the women of Garhwal ran India...]

The next day, the bride and groom come back to the groom's village. (There is celebrating in the bride's village too.) The bride is carried up to the village on a palanquin, and the groom again rides a horse. Then, they sit with everyone who are fed snacks and chai. Everyone takes pictures with the bride and groom, and then we are served dinner and dance some more. It was quite a fun event!

I came back from Lata with another researcher and his friend from Germany. Unfortunately, their car broke down on the way back. We found a mechanic, but fixing the timing belt took longer than expected. We spent the night in the town in the last available hotel room. All the hotels were booked for weddings. Then, I parted ways with them in the morning by getting on the bus back to Dehradun.

I wrapped up my work in Dehradun quickly and said my goodbyes.

My friends in Dehradun

Then, I took a train to Delhi for a couple more meetings and to catch my flight back home. I will stop for a few days in Amsterdam before reaching the US. Delhi was quite a shock after spending so much time in the mountains. The extreme pollution and crowds always make me ready to go home, but I would be just as happy to go back to the mountains. I am looking forward to seeing all my family and friends soon! I have lots more to share than I have time to write in my blog, and I cannot wait to hear what you have been doing too!

Lots of love and see you soon!

Margaret