Thomases in India: April 2009

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Easter in Amritsar

From 200904Amritsar

The Grand Hotel is recommended by Lonely Planet, and deserves that mention. The room are spartan but clean and serviceable. As the hotel was converted from a Haveli – a rich man’s extended family/guest house – in 1951, the central garden courtyard is the best feature. The owner chatted with us over coffee, discussing the merits of different boarding schools. He is a graduate of St.George’s (in Mussoorie). He had considered sending his son to St.George’s, or Woodstock, but ending up sending him to Mayo, the school for Rajasthani princes, where they offer golfing and equitation.

From 200904Amritsar

During our discussion, we heard singing outside – a Good Friday procession of Christians, several hundred strong, all carrying crosses and processing through town.

Some nearby Woodstock parents invited us to their house for dinner. They live in a large house with extended family – grandmother, two brothers with their wives and children. It is even a legal entity, in terms of property ownership: the Hindu Extended Family. This social model is still typical in India, and seems to produce well-socialized and gregarious children.

From 200904Amritsar

We hired a car for Saturday, to take us 50km south to Kapurthala, the residence of the Spanish princess that Barb had read of. The maharajah traveled to Europe in the early 1900s, met and wooed a Lady in Spain. She returned with him to India and inspired him to build a palace modeled after Versailles.

From 200904Amritsar

The royal families were gradually disinherited by the new democratic socialist government in India.

From 200904Amritsar

In 1961 the palace was converted to a boys’ military school – the Sainik School is an important feeder school for the military academies, and is now accessible only to invited guests.

From 200904Amritsar

Another Woodstock family provided a local tourguide and entrée to the school and its dusty drawing room holding the maharajah’s curios – French tapestries, statues, clocks, and tiger skins.

From 200904Amritsar

The school library is a rigid square of old cloth-covered books lined up around a gorgeous spacious ballroom.

From 200904Amritsar

Our guide then took us to visit the home of the newly-appointed District Commissioner (chief civil servant), a Woodstock alumnus from the class of 1980. He noted that Kapurthala is a peaceful posting, though remote from the capital. We discussed the upcoming elections and the responsibility of the commissioners for ensuring a safe and transparent balloting process. The national elections take place in 5 phases in April and May – Punjab votes in the last phase – due to security concerns. They hold the boxes until May 16th, when all are counted at once.

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Amritsar travel

Last-minute long-weekend decision to visit Amritsar. We found an overnight train that was timed just right. But there was a curious feature of the train – it offered an un-airconditioned First Class ticket, rather cheap. Well, we would see what it was like. How bad could it be? We arrived at the station early, walked right past our train coach because it was not marked at all, and looked quite old and unkempt.

From 200904Amritsar

Indeed, it was a first-class coach with no air-conditioning, probably built thirty years ago and untouched sinnce then. The ceiling fans were whirring rapidly, unnecessarily in the cool evening. But only 1 of the 4 fan-switches worked. The cabin as spacious, with typical plastic covered berths; but it seemed to have been simply swept, not washed in so many months. The Ticket-Taker (TT) came by, graciously offered to get the mechanic to take care of the fan switches; and told us that no, there were no linens or blankets available for this coach (I even offered to pay something for that, but no…). Quite a shock, but the weather was cooperative, and we appreciated the privacy offered –we could close and latch the door to our compartment. Soon, all of the fans stopped, evidently shut at some master switch. We slept all night, jarred regularly by the train stopping and starting, and occasionally awakened by the chilly air. The train arrived at Amritsar twelve hours later.

From 200904Amritsar

In India’s economy, Amritsar is a relatively prosperous, peaceful, and spacious town. The train station was relatively clean and spacious and well-kept.
Perhaps when the dominant religious and cultural influence – Sikhism – has a strong tradition of charitable hospitality and rectitude, the destitute public do not settle in the train station. Most station platforms and walkways in India also serve as havens and sleeping places for destitute travelers, as it is the safest and cleanest public space. Sikh temples -- Gurdwaras -- are specificially designed to incorporate a soup-kitchen and dormitory for any peaceful person who arrives. Amritsar is the center of the Sikh religion, and thus especially equipped to feed and house the destitute. The Sikh sense of rectitude is reinforced by its explicitly warrior-centered notion of the defense of the faith. The Sikh turban is an iconic identifier of a righteous and fierce soldier. When lost in India, seek the turban for help – an observant Sikh will be trustworthy and helpful. Though the turbans are often a target of jokes, and the plump and preening Punjabi housewife a stereotype in TV sitcoms, that sense of rectitude and honor is also part of the cultural stereotype recognized throughout India.

From 200904Amritsar

Through history, many different societies developed traditions of assigning their children to specific occupations. In the Punjab, families – even Hindu families – traditionally offer their firstborn son to a Sikh military career. He then starts his own family, representing a mix of Sikh and Hindu observance.