Photos of our time in Mysore

Here are some photos from the first two weeks; we took classes at SVYM in Mysore, Karnataka and were able to see some of the local temples and monuments.

Namaste!

For the past 2 weeks, Teresa and I have been taking Hindi so we will be able to communicate with people in Hyderabad.  We have been learning basic phrases and useful things to know, like directions, foods, and simple phrases.

A few days ago, we gave our Hindi teacher a list of words and phrases we wanted to learn to prepare for our specific projects at SERP. The list included things like "what education have you received?" "what transportation do you use?" and "is it accessible?".

One of the most important phrases we asked her for was "person with a disability." Around the world there are different ways of saying it.  In the U.S., we prefer the people-first language.  We learned during the pre-departure course that in South Africa they prefer "disabled person" for other reasoning.

Here in India, the term they use translates to "person blessed with special abilities."  I think that it is such a great phrase and a really good way to look at it.  While there are a lot of obstacles that people with disabilities have to overcome, I look forward to understanding how that phrase reflects the culture towards disabilities.

Finally, I would like to thank EDI for organizing our Hindi class so quickly.  We really appreciate your support!

           

Past Week

The last couple of days have been really busy and productive. The classes that we have been taking have given us good insights into various aspects of Indian culture and society. We have also been introduced to the local language of Karnataka, Kannada, it has been rewarding and challenging to try and learn the language. 

I also recently met with Arun and Mr. Basvaraju, my project director, to finalize what my tasks would be for the summer. My work with GRAAM will focus on the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREG), which intersects well with discussions that we have had in our classes at VIIS. Before my project officially begins, I will be reviewing some articles regarding the NREGA, so that I can hit the ground running.

One highlights of the past week was the dinner that was hosted by one of our professors Mr. Purshotam, who is a labor lawyer in India. At the dinner, I presented him with a book about the Finger Lakes, which all of us had signed. I will also be working with Mr. Purshotam as an intern to learn more about Indian Labor Law after the conclusion of the GSL program.

Tour of Mysore

Saturday we got a fantastic tour of the greater Mysore area.  The area is full of rich history and monuments-- everywhere I look there is another teple or shrine.  We left at 8am, which was great because it was the perfect temperature outside then (around 75*).  Looking out my window and from the drive here from Bangalore, I could not believe that Mysore is actually 1 million people.  However, when we went out today, there were people everywhere.  Everywhere I look there are people in shops, in homes, walking down the street—it’s really neat to see.

Our first stop was Chamundi Hill.  This hill is on the outskirts of Mysore.  On the top of this hill there is a shrine to the Goddess of Mysore.  It is customary to pay repsects to the god of the town when you go to a new place, so that is what we did today.  At the temple, there were many shops and people walking around selling things.

  It was extremely crowded, as Saturday is a popular time for people to visit the Goddess’s temple.  We had to take our shoes off to go inside (this is true for any Hindu temple) and that was not too bad.  We had to wait about 15 minutes to make it into the temple.  There are monkeys outside of the temple, and they were jumping around and scaring us.  

Inside, there was lots of religious men with holy candles and water, where you were supposed to wave the flame towards you and drink the water (we didn’t—we just watched).  The actual shrine was a little gold statue of the goddess.  We couldn’t get very close to it because it was roped off, and pictures weren’t allowed.

The outside of the temple

After Chamundi Hill, we stopped on the side of the hill to take pictures of Mysore.  It was a fantastic view, because you can see all of Mysore from the hill.

Then, we went to an old Catholic church.  It looks fairly similar to those in Europe or older churches in America.  There was beautiful stain glass inside.  The remarkable thing about the church was that all of the holy figures are depicted wearing traditional Indian attire.  For example, Mary is dressed in a Sari.  There were also many people there who were Hindi and Muslim.  We were told that people of all faiths like to go there to meditate, which really shows India's acceptance of many different religions.

Mary with a Sari

After that, we went to Mysore Palace, one of the biggest and most ornate palaces in India.  The palace was absolutely amazing.  We were not allowed to take pictures inside, but it was absolutely amazing.  It was so ornate and colorful. There were rooms made entirely of gold.  Many of the rooms were absolutely huge and they were all very symmetrical.  I’ve been in several castles in Europe, but this was by far the most amazing place I have ever seen.  I hope to visit again while I’m here.

The founder of SVYM knows the director of the palace, so we were able to go into special rooms that are normally not available for public use.  For example, we got to go see a room full of all the swords the family had owned.  There were all sorts of blades, including those covered in precious jewels or carved with ivory.  Another room we got to go into contained all of the animals the kings had hunted in taxidermy form.  It was full of exotic animals, lots of lions, rhinos, cheetahs, bison, elephants, giraffes, and more.  We were able to walk around the room and sit on stools made from elephant feet.  Because we were with the director, we were also able to go past the barricades to get really close the exhibits, and skip all of the lines. 

The day, while full, was absolutely amazing.  Mysore is such a vibrant place with rich history.  Mysore Palace was one of the most incredible man-made places that I have ever seen.