Day 24 - Diwali Mela Tsunamika Varnasi Weavers

 

 

Today I went to a Diwali Celebration at the Epicentre in Gurgaon.  It was only 3.4 km from Eli's place, but it was difficult for the tuk tuk driver to understand where I wanted to go.  We stopped and had to turn around at one point and he went to the headquarters of a bank and I asked for help.  A nice man listened to where I wanted to go and explained to the driver how to get there. 


Five minutes later we arrived at the right place.  The Epicentre plaza was set up with food booths under a tent and an outdoor stage was set up in front of rows of concrete steps/seats facing the stage.

Ode to Earth is a specialized affiliate of ACCESS Development Services with an aim to link small producers to the mainstream markets.  They organized this annual event to give small businesses a place to market their products.
 
I went inside to find two floors of booths selling clothing, jewelry, decorations for celebrating Diwali, gift boxes of candy, fabric for sarees, and much more.  I enjoyed browsing the booths and talking to people. 

Ode to Earth is a specialized affiliate of ACCESS Development Services with an aim to link small producers to the mainstream markets.



I was most interested in a booth that gave away tiny handmade cloth dolls made by women survivors of the Tsunami that hit the southern coast of India.  Project Tsnamika was created by Upasana Design Studio of Auroville, India as a livelihood project to help about 180 women start their lives again by empowering the women to make these dolls from leftover waste cloth.  The project team, who trained the ladies, now supplies them with raw materials to continue producing the dolls. All dolls produced are bought from them in bulk and are gifted unconditionally worldwide by Upasana.

Tsunamika is not a brand, she is a living symbol, a conscious force with her own unique personality and mission. The doll was around a couple of years even before Tsunami; but only when the Tsunami brought death and destruction on Dec 26, 2004 did she became Tsunamika. She was not born out of any conventional design process, it happened spontaneously and naturally.

Tsunamika is given unconditionally to whoever wants her. She has no price tag. Unconditional self giving is one her characteristics and the distribution network is made of volunteers in different countries who unconditionally give their service....Tsumanika Ambassadors.  She is traveling all over the world through a network of love and friendship. There is no advertisement or salaries involved.

The project is entirely run by the donations received.  The first phase of the project – Handicraft Training to the fisherwomen – was funded by Concern Worldwide. With an investment of Rs.4,00,000/ - (US $ 8,000), training modules were developed and nearly 480 ladies from 7 villages were trained over a period of three months. The second phase of the project – Production and distribution of Tsunamika – was also funded by Concern Worldwide for one year.  Since 2006 the project is run by donations.

 In the beginning of the project the ladies were asked how much they would like to earn and they said Rs 1000 (US $20) month working from home. In the context of the concerned villages it is a significant amount. This money they earn when Upasana buy in bulk the Tsunamika's they make. Nearly 100 ladies are now earning this money; some of them earn up to Rs 3000/- (US $60) depending on their performance.

 Read more about the project at www.tsunamika.org.

A living symbol

She is a symbol, a living symbol with her own life.
As her name suggests, she is a child of tsunami;
The tsunami that changed the lives of millions.
She is the memory of Tsunami...
She has been hand-made by women,
The women who live by the ocean,
The women whose lives changed forever after the tsunami,
The women who are exploring a new way of living,
The women who are empowering themselves.
Tsunamika is an expression of their creative fire;
Through Tsunamika they enter a new & wider world.
She is made out of bits and pieces of cloth
Left over from other works;
Made from what is known as waste.
There is nothing called waste in Nature,
Everything has its creative role.
Everything can be living & beautiful,
As Tsunamika is …
She is a living message,
A message of a new way of living
In which Life is respected.
A message of the Oneness of Life
In which love has a place.
A message of the sacredness of life
In which we can celebrate, together.
And life can be very simple
Like Tsunamika is.
She is our beloved.
She has touched many lives.
Now, she is here.
With you!






Another project sponsored by Upsana is the project to help preserve the ancient craft of the Varanasi Weavers  Guild which served royalty for thousands of years.   The effects of globalization changed the structure of their economy.  Thousands of looms in Varanasi, India fell silent in the last decade.  Cheap, bad quality imitations flooded the market and left weavers and traders in despair.  These looms are busy again due to the assistance they received from Upsana.  I purchased a skirt and  scarf made of silk from Varnansi.

Then I went outside to watch a performance of the Ramayana play and get a bite to eat.  

Day 22 -- Gurgaon Connections Brunch

Yesterday I did not do much.  This morning I am getting ready to meet some members of the Gurgaon Connections at the Pullman Hotel at 9:30 am.  Last week I came on the wrong day.  Today is the right day.  After taking some time to decide what to wear...Western or Indian...I decide to stick with Indian because I have to take the tuk tuk there.  I blend in better with Indian clothing on. 

I leave the apartment early..about 8:15 am.  I don't want to be late.  The tuk tuk driver is not sure exactly where the Pullman Hotel is located.  I direct him to turn right onto Sunset Blvd and turn left onto MG Road.  We get there, but wants 80 Rupees. 

I get there a little early.  I have a chance to meet Penny, one of the organizers.  There are a few businesses displaying their products...gold jewelry, baby clothing, and scarves.  People trickle in a few at a time until about 11 am when most people arrived.  I especially enjoyed speaking to a woman from Israel that has been here for a few years.  I bought a ticket to the Australian High Commission BBQ for 3,000 rupees and a ticket for an Oktoberfest celebration at the Pullman Hotel next Friday from 7:30 pm - 11 pm.  One of the members is a singer in the band...2999 rupees.

At noon I walk out to the street to catch a tuk tuk back to Eli's place.  I stop at Le Marche grocery store for toilet paper, an avacado, an onion, a lime, and coconut oil for my hair..575 rupees (6 rolls of toilet paper is 447 rupees).

Not much else to report.

Day 20 - Carnival and Fireworks

I started the day searching the events pages for Delhi looking for festivals to go to.  The Ramlila will be celebrated today at several places.  I chose to go to the Red Fort area.  The celebration there should be pretty large.  There are three pretty large celebrations near the Chandni Chowk Metro station in the evening.  So I decide to go there late afternoon.

Before I left, I wanted to eat something because I had not eatten anything yet.  I went to the Kentucky Fried Chicken store in the South Point Mall.  I ordered 3 chicken breast sticks for 117 rupies.  They were pretty small pieces, but it was ok.  Here is the sign that greets you as you enter.

At about 4:30 pm I took the Metro to Chandni Chowk station and walked outside.  I was in the middle of old Delhi.  I saw so many goats being taken to market area for sale.  People and vehicles were all hurrying this way and that way.




 

In a distance I could see the lights of the Festival grounds with the Red Fort in the background.

As I got closer I could see two Ferris wheels all lit up rotating.  When I walked into the Festival grounds, I saw a carnival like atmosphere with carnival rides and carnival type games of tossing a ball to knock something down for a prize.  There even were a few carnival side shows advertising grotesque humans...a woman dressed like a vampire with vampire teeth, a woman with snake body, etc.  Food stalls selling Indian foods, popcorn, and cotton candy. Peanuts were served in a tube of  old magazine paper and then sprinkled with fresh lime juice.  A haunted house.

After walking through the whole area, I bought what looked like rice crispies with spices served in a bowl for 35 rupees.  It was pretty good.  I got two bowls to that.

About 6:30 pm I picked a seat in front of a stage set up for a Ramayana play and watched people.  There is a VIP air-conditioned tent, a platform with a fan above it for other VIPs.  The area just in front of the stage which was sectioned off for other VIPs with sofas for seating.  There was a large screen next to the VIP stage that showed the stage performance on large screen.

At 8 pm I decided it was time to go to the washroom before the show started.  It was a task trying to find a washroom.  I asked the security police booth.  They directed me to a porta-potty area near the entrance.  I did not know what to expect, but I knew it would be bad.  I had my own toilet paper and baby wipes.  After a few wrong turns, I found a set of ten porta-potties standing on a platform...five facing one way and five facing another way.  One side for men.  Other side for women.  I had to walk through a wet, stinky area to get to the steps going up to the narrow walkway in front of the doors.  I had to lean close to the doors or I may fall off the walkway into the mud.  No handrails.  I  chose a door farther down hoping it would be cleaner than the others.  It was a dirty hole in the floor with a porcelain place to squat.  No toilet paper.  No water to flush.  Who knows where mess went to.  I did my duty and got out of it as soon as I could.  I took a photo after I went a ways away.  They are the blue boxy structures in a distance in the photo.

At 8:30 pm a man started chanting prayers and mantras to god Ram accompanied with drums and the accordion  instrument.  The area was lit up by spot lights coming from a bamboo platform tower in the middle of the audience area.

At 9 pm the show started.  A man read the story of Rama into a microphone and stage actors mimed the play.  It was interesting to watch the play and the audience.  Rama is the avatar of the supreme god Vishnu.  His wife Sita is abducted by King Ravana, a demon.  The play presents teachings of ancient Hindi sages in narrative allegory, interspersed with philosophical and devotional elements. Ram helps to destroy the king of the monkey people.  Ram's younger brother becomes their king.  There are movies and TV serials telling this story. 

At about 10 pm the fireworks started.  Groups of fireworks were spinning in a circle from the ground just 25 feet away.  Fireworks were shot into the sky for the next hour.  Smoke filled the area below the fireworks.  I had to leave.  Smoke was too hard to breathe.  I walked for about half a mile and then looked for a tuk tuk.  It turned out that I went the wrong way.  It took a half hour to get back to the entrance of the Festival.  Then another half hour to get to the Metro station.



The last Metro train was about 11:30 pm..I got on the 11:15 train.  Too close for comfort.  Being stuck in Old Delhi would not be good.  It took about an hour to get back to Eli's house via Metro and tuk tuk.

Day 19 - Hair ...Steak....Packer Game

It is Sunday, but I don't feel like going to church.  Didn't do much this morning. 

In the afternoon I decide to check out the Central Plaza Mall which is not far from Eli's place.  It is just down the street the other way from the South Point Mall and the grocery store...There is a Subway Restaurant, an Indian Restaurant, a bakery with sweet pastries, cakes, and bread...not the kind I like.  I notice a sign that there is a beauty salon on the third floor...Hair Art Salon.  I decide to go there and ask about getting my gray hair colored.   The elevator door opens and I don't see the salon.  I go down a narrow hallway and don't know what to expect.

I open the door and there is a woman sitting in the waiting area and three men getting a hair cut.  The place is pretty clean, bright and modern.  The receptionist greets me and speaks good English.  I ask about coloring my hair...3500 rupies.  Do you take credit cards?   Yes.   I agree.  Let's do it.

I sit in a chair that is fixed to the floor and it spins around... just like the ones in America.  The salon stylists are all men.  The man who will work on me is Shammi.  He shows me a color pallette and asks me what shade of black or brown I want for me hair.  I point to dark brown.  He goes into the back room and mixes up the solution.  I am a little nervous and I look around at other men getting their hair cut. They get a head massage after the haircut.  A well dressed woman comes in and talks to a man and disappears in a back room.

Shammi comes back, wraps a towel around my shoulder, and begins to section off my hair and brushes on the solution.  It takes about 15 minutes.  He wraps a plastic thing around my head and I get a two year old Vogue magazine to read while I wait for the solution to cook my hair. 

After about a half hour, I go to the sink area and get the solution washed out, shampoo/conditioner and a head massage.  It feels rather good.  I have never had my hair colored in a salon before.  I usually do it myself with a mix from the store.

I then go back to my chair and Shammi blow dries my hair.  It looks pretty nice...no more gray.  Now it is time to pay.  3933 rupies with 18% tax...I show my American Express credit card.  No. They won't take it.    Oh oh.  I look in my purse for cash.  Only 3000 rupies.  I need 933 rupies more.  The receptionist suggests that I go to the ATM on the ground floor.  They assign a man to follow me downstairs.  I get the money and pay him 900 rupies.  He is happy.  The ATM machine only gives out 100 rupie bills.  No small change.

I feel pretty good with my gray hair gone.  It's 7 pm.  I am hungry, so I decide to go for a steak at Medium Well Done Restaurant in the lower level of Southpoint Mall.  Eli told me about it before he left.  When I get there I learn that there will be a live band playing out in the courtyard tonight.  Great!

The courtyard is nice.  It is an open area below the street level.  People at street level can look down into the courtyard.  Tables have an umbrella over them.  They are playing Beatle songs over the loud speaker.  Mrs. Robinson. I Want to Hold Your Hand.  I am the only customer there.  Later on another customer came in for a drink and left. 

I order a a glass of sweet lime soda and a medium rare tenderloin steak with potato wedges.  I get a basket of an assortment of breads...french bread was yummy.  I ate all the bread before the steak arrived.  Food portions are small in India compared to America.  I didn't get many potato wedges, but they were delicious.  Steak was large, so I only ate a fourth of it.  It didn't have much taste.  I am told that steaks in India are really buffalo meat.  No real beef sold in India.

Bill was 1120 rupies with another 27% tax...1440 rupies.  No wonder we are not expected to tip for services in India. The tax is high enough.  I hope some of the tax gets back to the waiter. 

The band started late, but they weren't bad once they got going...three guitars and a drummer. They play until 10 pm.  While the band is putting away their instruments, I go up to talk to them.  They play here every Sunday night.  The band is Squarez Attached. ..check them out on Facebook.  I am invited to come back next week.

It's time to hurry home for the Packer Game.  I put on my Packer jersey and set up in front of Eli's computer game to cheer on the Packers.  The Packer game is available for free online at a price....
every 15 minutes, the broadcast is interrupted with advertising.  I learned after trial and error that I have to click through 10 ads to get back to the game again.  So it's 15 minutes of game, click through 10 ads, 15 minutes of game, etc.  I have to tolerate this to see my favorite team...  Go Packers!!  They win!!  Yahoo.



That's all to report.  Fireworks tomorrow.

Day 18 - It's My Birthday and I'll Cry If I Want to

Today is my birthday.  I am alone in this apartment.  What will I do to celebrate??

I call Keary right away.  It's bedtime Saturday night in Wisconsin.  Keary gave me a birthday card to open for my birthday, so I open it and read it.  Very nice card, Keary.  I miss you.  Give me lots of hugs and back rubs when I get home.

For breakfast I made the Indian version of ramen noodles...still not as good as US ramen noodles....with leftover broccoli stems.  My stomach does not feel good.....ugh.

Eli and Nicole finally get back to me and give me the passwords I need.

My brother Arne and Zeke left voice mail messages on my cell phone.  I call them back.

I lay down and sleep for a few hours.  When I wake up I feel better.  I decide to go next door to Le Marche Market to buy myself a piece of chocolate cake and a six pack of Corona beer.  Wait, I'm going to the kitchen to get one of those beers right now.

The rest of the night I decide to pull out my Packer jersey and read about the Packer game tomorrow.  Which team are they playing and what time does the game start?  It starts at noon which is about 10 pm my time.  I plan to stay up late to watch the game via the internet. 

Nothing else to report.  Happy Birthday to Me!!

Day 17 Stay at Home Day

It is raining this morning.  I do some laundry and work on the computer.  The weather clears up later, but it is extremely humid outside. 

During the day I have a series of problems.  The electricity went out for 15 minutes.  The power to the rest of the apartment went back on, but not in the computer room.  I looked at the circuit braker box, but I don't see anything unusual.  I decide to ask the neighbor for help.   What a blessing!  God is watching over me....  When I open the door, there he is.  I catch him in the hallway outside and tell him I have no power in one room.  He checks the circuit braker box and locates one that needs to be flipped on.  Voila!  He fixed the problem.  I have not seen him again out in the hallway since that day.

I go back to the computer, but now Eli's computer has rebooted and now I am locked out.  I need the password  and then also the password to get back into his gmail account to be able to call Keary.  I try guessing all kinds of passwords, but no luck.  I email Eli from my laptop.  Help Help.  Then the cell phone touch screen stops working and it will not turn off.  I figure out that I have to remove the battery to reset it and then it turned back on. 

I make myself some dinner...chicken nuggets reheated in a frying pan, flipping often.  I work on the blog on my laptop and go to bed.  No response from Eli yet.

Tomorrow is my birthday!!    Maybe it will be a better day tomorrow.

Day 16 - Bump and Dilli Haat

Today is Thursday, but I start the day off thinking it is Wednesday.

Wednesday mornings, the women members of Gurgaon Connections get together for brunch at the Pullman Hotel, a five star hotel, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. 

Gurgaon Connection is a social community for expatriates (foreign passport holders only) who live or work in Gurgaon. With more than 1,800 member households, they have news, clubs, committees, and social activities for just about everyone! The group offers a way to share information and build a network with friends nearby via a Yahoo Group and website.  Members get a discount good for discounts at restaurants, bars, and spa services. 

I take a Tuk Tuk to the Pullman Hotel looking forward to meeting some women from the community.  When I arrive at the restaurant, they tell me that today is Thursday.  Wrong day.  It's not the first time that I show up for an appointment on the wrong day....a week ahead or a day too late..... I am very disappointed. 

Mr. Kumar, a sales manager, welcomes me,  offers a complimentary coffee and asks me about my business and Eli's work.  I give him my email address and he will contact me in the future.  He has another appointment, so I am left alone to finish my coffee.  

I notice a newspaper, so I pick it up and read it.  On the front page is an article about Puja celebrations in Gurgaon.  One celebration in particular is expecting over 10,000 people to attend their celebration.  I bring the story to the front registration desk and ask about the location of the celebration.  A nice woman checks the internet and gets a phone number for me to call to find out more about it.  I learn that it is at Nirvana South City 2, Sector 50 from 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm and from 7:30 pm to 930 pm everyday until October 13.  I won't go there today, but maybe tomorrow.

I want to hire a Tuk Tuk to take me to the Metro Station, but I only have large bills.  The nice woman gives me change for 1000 rupies...ten 100 rupie bills.  I am happy and I walk out the door ..walking rather quickly......except I walk right into a clear glass door and bang my head and cause a 3/4 inch gash by my right eyebrow .  I am bleeding.  They give me a cold wash cloth and I press down on the cut for 15 minutes before the bleeding stops.  I am so embarrassed.  They offer to take me to a doctor, but I decline.  They put a bandaid over the cut and I wait a few minutes to get over the shock.  My head is sore right by the cut, but I just want to get out of there.  

I go outside and tell the porter that I want to go to the Guru Dronacharya Metro Station.  He offers a complimentary car to take me there.  The road is under construction and not safe to walk on.  It is not far...three blocks.
  

I take the Metro  to INA station to visit the  Dilli Haat arts and crafts shopping area with very nice food courts. 20 rupies admission fee. It is managed by the Delhi Tourism Department which selects  vendors for its 62 stalls to bring products from different areas of India and only allow then to stay for no more that 15 days.  Each time shoppers come, there is a new variety of items to see.  Products offered may include rosewood, marble and sandalwood carvings, embellished camel hide footwear, sophisticated fabric and drapery, jewelry, purses, metal crafts, original art work, and silk and wool fabrics

I enjoy walking past the stalls and viewing such a variety of items in a small space.  The food stalls look and smell good.  I am not sure about sanitation.  Kitchen areas have windows and doors without screens.  Flies come and go.  I am especially looking for a necklace and earring set to match my saree.  I take a walk past all the stalls and take a mental note of any stalls I want to return to.  I find a stall with a nice necklace/earring set for 700 rupees that match the saree.  Another stall has a set of bracelets for 200 rupies.  Success!!  

As I walk by a stall with a variety of puppets for sale, I pick up a few to look at.  The woman there tries to sell me one for 1200 rupies.  I say no..too much.  She asks what I would be willing to pay..in her broken English.  I say 300 rupies.  She declines. I walk away.  She gets me to come back and shows me a puppet that is not so nice for 300 rupies.  I say no.  Then she puts a puppet into a bag and hands it to me to buy.  I give it back to her.  I say I will buy this one for 300 rupies.  She refuses and I walk away.  Finally she agrees and I have a puppet.   I want to surprise you when I get home, so I won't describe it.  It looks just like the ones that were used in the puppet show at the Kingdom of Dreams culture shows.  I have a cardboard puppet stage at home.  My grandkids will enjoy using it.

Just a few stalls later, an artist is selling original paintings made with ink on paper.  I say I don't want to buy any...my walls are covered with Keary's paintings.  He says...   Sit down.  Just let me talk.  I don't have to buy anything.  I say OK.  He talked for about an hour about Mithila folk art.  His family passed along this form of folk art from generation to generation.  He showed me each painting and talked about each one from his stack of paintings.  The paintings are done on recycled paper that is flexible, will not tear, and can be rolled it up again and again.

I found more information on the internet:  Women in the Mithila region of Bihar in north India have painted colorful auspicious images on the interior walls of their homes on the occasion of domestic rituals since at least the 14th century. This ancient tradition, especially elaborated for marriages, continues today. However in 1968 in the midst of a severe drought, a few women began to paint on paper for sale, as a new source of family income. At first they simply transferred onto paper the traditional images - gods and goddesses and symbolic icons - from the wall paintings.

Soon many other women followed, and even a few men. Over the next 30 years, while retaining the wall paintings' distinctive styles and conventions, they began painting many new subjects; episodes from the Ramayana, local epics and tales, ritual activities, village life, even autobiographical paintings.

The following website will tell you more about the history of how this form of folk art was discovered and how there has been an Art Institute formed to help girls.
http://www.mithilapaintings-eaf.org

After his presentation, he asked if I would buy a painting.  I said I could spend a 300 rupies.  He showed me what I could buy for 300 rupies.  I wasn't interested in those paintings.  I pointed to one painting in particular that was hanging on his wall.  He said it was special. It was painted by his sister who is an award winner at local competitions. He pointed to her signature on the bottom of the painting.  The other paintings by other artists are not signed.  Only hers.   He showed me three other paints that she did.  She does not have time to do much painting because she is working full-time at another job.  I asked him how much for the one I liked.  4,000 rupies...too much for me.  I declined.  I told him I will not buy any paintings today.  The only one I liked is too much.   I got up to walk away.  After some discussion he agreed to let me buy the painting for 1000 rupies.  I look in my purse and learn that I do not have enough money.  I have to go to an ATM machine to get more money.  He will hold it for me until I return.  I have to walk all the way back to the entrance and then a little bit down the street to an ATM.  Then back to the stall.  It is hot and humid, but I am enjoying the adventure.  So now I have an original painting by a recognized Mithila folk art painter.  I will show you when I get home.  :)

By this time I am hungry.  I have to break down and buy some food.  There is a big variety to choose from, but I decide to buy 8 steamed vegetarian momos for 80 rupies and a sweet lime soda for 40 rupies.  The lime soda also comes salty..meaning the drink would have extra salt added and the top edge of the cup would have salt on it...yuckky.   It doesn't taste anything near as good as San Francisco Chinese dim sum.  

I sit and relax in the shade for about an hour and take notes about what I did today.  Then I take another walk around and buy a tunic top for 150 rupies and a shirt for Keary for 750 rupies.  

It is about 6 pm.  Cultural performances will start at 7:30 pm. I take a seat near the front of the stage and watch people.  Three dance groups dance for about an hour and a half.  One group performs a funny skit/dance. There is no dialogue.  A hunter armed with a bow and arrow and accompanied with a friend attack another hunter also armed with a bow and arrow.  The first hunter successfully shoots the second hunter in the leg with an arrow.  The injured hunter and his companion limp up to a man and woman with a pot on her head.  The injured hunter's friend begs the man and woman for some holy water in the pot for his thirst.  The woman lowers her pot and gives it to her companion.  He pours some water into the man's hand.  He takes a drink and immediately is refreshed and dances around with joy.  He begs them again for holy water for his injured friend.  The woman's companion pours some water for the injured man.  He is immediately healed and he dances around.  Now the injured hunter chases the other hunter and injures him in the leg.  Then the second pair of hunters limp up to the man and woman and beg for holy water for themselves.  The woman's companion pours some water for the second hunter and his friend, but now no water comes out when he tips the pot.  There is no more water in the pot.  They hunters beg and beg for holy water.  The pot is poured again and miraculously there is now water enough for both of them.  They dance around in joy.  Then they go after the first hunter and his friend.  They succeed in injuring the first hunter and they all repeat this routine for two more times.  Each time the pot is empty, then miraculously has water in it for the hunters that are begging for help.  How does that small pot hold enough water for this dance? It is funny watching them.

When the performances are over, it is getting late and I do not want to miss the last Metro train going back home. I walk back to the Metro and get off at Sikanderput station and take a tuk tuk back to Eli's place.

Bye for now..

Day 15 - Tailor

Today is Wednesday.  I am tired from yesterday, so I worked on catching up on my blog.  I am still trying to get the registration numbers I need to buy railway tickets.  Sometime during the day I accidentally moved some wires which caused Eli's desktop computer to reboot.  Now I am locked out of his computer until I get the login password.

I did some laundry.  In the afternoon I called the tailor.  He came over right away.  I expected a woman, but he assured me that he is the tailor, not his wife.  His name is Soun.  His English is not great, but we communicated enough to settle on a fee and he knows what I want done.  650 rupies for sewing the saree, 100 rupies for adding trim to shawl, 20 rupies for adding sleeves to the tunic I bought.  I will get it all back on October 20.  He took some measurements and was done in 30 minutes.

Not much else to report.  A quiet day.

Day 14 - Shopping Day

Today is Tuesday.  Shopping Day....I left at 10 am.  Tuk tuk to the Metro station.  Got on the Metro to Karl Bagh Station.  Outside the station  I was hungry so I bought five steamed momos....like steamed potstickers, but round shape...for 20 rupies at a shop that looked clean.  Then I hired a Tuk Tuk to take me to Meena Bazaar, a store that sells Lehenge sarees.  It should be 4 km away.  The driver wanted 100 rupies to take me there.  I tried to bargain down, but he was insistent.  I gave in and said ok.

He drove off and kept going for a long way...past Sacred Heart Cathedral.......into the Chawri Chowk area......the streets of Old Delhi...Oh oh...There must be more than one Meena Bazaar.  I should have been more specific with a street address or called the shop and had them speak to the driver before he took off.  Oh, well.  Here I am.  Dropped off just outside the Jama Mesjid mosque Eastern Gate. 

I walked into Meena Bazaar and looked for sarees.  I was surprised to find quite a few shops with saree fabrics.  When I say "shop", it is not four walls with a concrete floor. The shops were located next to each other under a makeshift roof and dirt or wooden floor and wooden shelves full of fabric.  No doors.   I asked different shops about Lehenge style fabrics.  The fabric should be in packages of three pieces...skirt is one piece, blouse and sleeve is one piece,  and the shawl one piece.  The matching lining fabric is separate.  I walked around and around for a few hours.  

The space for pedestrians to walk under the covered areas is very narrow, wide enough for three people.  The ground is uneven dirt with  muddy spots.  People were leading their goats through.  Not odd for this market.  Vendors were eager to have me stop and go into their shop, but I was looking specifically for Lehenge style sarees.  A shop had a nice dress I liked for 750 rupies...after some bargaining.   I completely searched the area where the fabrics shops were located.  No sari.  The street food looked and smelled delicious, but I was afraid to eat or drink anything. 

Since I was right next to the mosque, I walked up the 770 red sandstone steps going into the East Gate of Jama Mesjid mosque.   There were people sitting on the steps relaxing and people watching.  Admission is free if you do not bring a camera or take any photos with a cell phone....200 rupies is charged if you do.  I took off my shoes and put them inside my bag and then covered my head with my scarf.  I wear the scarf everywhere.  I walked past security slowly and was asked if I had a camera.  I said no.  He rearranged my scarf to cover my arms because my tunic top is sleeveless.  No more questions.  I was in.

The name Jama Masjid refers to the weekly Friday noon congregational prayers of Muslims, Jummah, which are usually done in a mosque, the "congregational mosque" or "jāma masjid".   The mosque also houses several relics in a closet in the north gate, including an antique copy of the Qur'an written on deer skin.
 

The fifth Mughal Emperor of India Shah Jahan had the mosque built with the efforts of over 6,000 workers over a period of six years (1650–1656 AD).  There are  three great gates, four towers and two 40 meter high minarets constructed of strips of red sandstone and white marble.   The mosque has a vast paved rectangular courtyard which is large enough to  hold up to twenty-five thousand worshippers.  The whole of the western chamber is a big hall standing on 260 pillars all carved from Hindu and Jain traditions. The Eastern side entrance leads to another enclosure containing the mausoleum of Sultan Ahmed Shah.

I went out the South Gate.....another hundreds of steps... into the busy streets filled with rickshaws, tuk tuks,  wagons, carts, cars, pedestrians, and animals on their way to market.  Up one of the side streets, I found a pretty pair of  turquoise handmade shoes for 250 rupies.  Another shop had bracelets, but they wanted too much for them. 

Further down the street I found a shop that specialized in Lehenge style sarees.  The shopkeeper spoke good English.  He had me sit on a bench and showed me the range of fabrics he had.  I only wanted polyester netting fabric with hand embroidered designs.  We settled on which fabrics and colors I liked.  Now he discussed prices.  The nicest ones were 8,000 rupies.  Cheapest ones were 5,000 rupies.  I told him that it was way over my budget.  Then he said what is my budget...I said 2,000 rupies.  He showed me what I could get for that price....nothing I liked.  So back to bargaining for fabric I liked.  After 30 minutes, I bought a light turquoise colored fabric that had lovely embroidery on it for 4,500 rupies.  When it was time to pay, I didn't have enough money!  He recounted the bills and I did have enough, but it didn't leave me with money to pay the Tuk Tuk to get to the Metro and then to get from the Metro to Eli's place.   The man gave me some money back and laughed.  He got all the money I had brought with me.  He included some lace with dangling beads for the shawl for free.  I told him I wanted to go back to the Metro station.  He helped me get a rickshaw driver and told him to only charge me 20 rupies.  Off I went into the night on the back of a rickshaw.  

He went this way and that way down the street.  When we got about a half block from the Metro station, I could hear and see a parade going by.  Hundreds of people were there.  I got off the rickshaw, paid the driver, and quickly took a few photos.  People were carrying three large shrines of the goddess Durga down the street.  Durga with many arms riding a tiger.  The shrines were are a lit up.   Musicians playing music and drums followed them.  Boom Boom Boom.  A large crowd of people followed behind them.  I wish I could of captured it all on video.  The short parade was over in a few minutes.  I stood on the side of the street and watched people disperse.  Individuals were walking around selling balloons and horns.  Just like the parades in America.


I was hungry.  Nothing to eat or drink since the momos around noon.  I noticed a restaurant with bright neon signs up the street.  I went up the narrow stairway to the restaurant.  I asked where I could wash my hands.  He pointed to a sink in a hallway.  I washed my hands and sat down at a table to study the menu.  I asked if they took credit cards.  No.  Only cash.  Boo hoo.  I didn't have enough money to order anything.  He said there was an ATM down the street.  OK.  I went back down to the street.  Looked around.  Didn't see an ATM.  Forget it.  I went down into the Metro Station and went back to Eli's place. 


I am happy.  I will have a beautiful saree.  Wait and see.  I will make a appointment tomorrow with a tailor to cut the fabric and sew it together.  Eli has a business card on his bulletin board for a tailor that has a shop in Tower A2 on the ground floor.  Very convenient.   Now that I have the fabric,  I will be on alert for a necklace, earrings, and bracelets to match.

Another great day in India.  Good night.

Day 13 -- Planning for Tuesday Shopping

Today is Monday.   Most places that are tourist attractions are closed today.   I spent the day at home doing laundry and browsing the internet lo learning about where to go to shop for a saree, where the main tourist attractions are located and how to get to them via metro.

I shopped online for a saree to learn about the many different styles of sarees.   I learned I like Lehenge style sarees.   These sarees have three pieces...skirt, blouse (chohi) , and shawl (dupatta), instead of the traditional two pieces ...blouse  and one long fabric skirt/shawl.   I looked at different colors and fabrics and learned that I like polyester netting fabric with a hand embroidered design.  I want my fabric to be light weight and move when I move.  This narrowed down the choices of sarees a lot.

Where can I go to shop for sarees?  Not at the modern malls...too pricey.  The cheapest place would be at a street bazaar.  There are quite a few street bazaars around Delhi.  I decided to go to Karl Baugh and Delli Haat.  I remembered the Chawri Chowk area and wanted some place a step up from a street market.

I also studied about the Hindu holidays coming up.  I will tell you all about that in another posting.

I also reserved bed and breakfast lodging in Jaipur for November 7 to November 11 for Eli and me.

It is another story trying to make train reservations.   There are many steps to register to get codes to enable you to buy a ticket.  I am still working on it.

This is all I did today.  Bye for now.