AKI
Today was my fourth day working for AKI, and it has been quite enjoyable so far. I have been put under the wing of a Dr. K of Maharashtra, Phd in Geography (Poland, 1963). He has been treating me to lunch at the mess across the street from the office, and has generally laughed at my jokes. Tomorrow, since everybody else is at a workshop off-site, he and I have the office to ourselves, and I expect debauchery (as much as a 24 year old intern and 69 year old Geographer can collectively muster).

N. (managing director) has also been very nice to me--he gave me a ride to the grocery store on his scooter after work, and has been making plans for me to visit the various field offices in Gujarat with him next week. I am working on getting some software for the office, at which point I can work on the website--apparently anything related to PR has to go through 'his highness' (the Aga Khan), which explains why AKI has not yet had a site developed, even though they have been around for 20 years and have 159 staffers. i will also be designing a logo for AKI, because the last one was presonally scrapped by HH, and once my design is approved by the board of directors, it will be sent to France for approval--insane! talk about bureaucracy.

I have been busy with reading about microfinance, thinking about what i want to write my report on (my project), registering with the local police, reading training manuals, etc.

The office is very very hot during the day (after 11), as there is no air-conditioning. This makes it hard to concentrate, and since the work day is 10am to 6pm, most of the day is sweltering. Comedic relief is provided by the calls people make to each other using the intercom (even for talking across adjoining desks, think 'the office' with Tim and Gareth)--although they dont intend it be funny, i just think it is. The only relief is from the ceiling mounted fans (one for every desk), the sugary chai the boy serves at 10:30 and 4:00 and the cold coconut milk they sell down the street (straight out of the 'nut). Other authentic experiences recently have been the Muslim street food near my hotel (delicious, oily meats for 5 rupees=15 cents). I have also befriended a small, black goat that sits on the front steps of my hotel, as well as the Chinese food vendor in the Muslim area (human, not goat).

I am slowly getting used to how things work here in Ahmedabad (how much ARickshaws should cost, shopping for food: milk and eggs on the street, cereal in the store, etc.), and am realising that A'bad is quite liveable but very boring at night, when the principal activities are eating, talking, and watching tv and movies. alcohol is banned in gujarat (on account of gandi's influence here--his ashram is in a'bad), except in posh hotels, although i have not tried to get any.
- posted by aziz @ 10:00 a.m.

 
Delhi to Ahmedabad
As you may have read previously, Delhi was not
very nice--really hot, very polluted and congested, and everybody is on the
lookout for tourists. My hotel was in the center of delhi in an area
called connaught place. It is quite hard to get around in indian cities,
as there are no traffic lights and no sidewalk, which is frustrating if
you're used to canadian streets--so i have been using a lot of
auto-rickshaws, which are very cheap (about one canadian dollar for a ten
minute drive). on more than one occasion, i have considered hiring a
rickshaw wallah to help me cross the street. The other option for getting
around is the bicycle-rickshaw, which is even cheaper than the autors, and
more thrilling (if you enjoy merging into congested traffic circles at one
tenth the speed of the slowest vehicles). On that note, i should point out
that in india, the gutsiness of the driver is inversely proportional to
these size of the verhicle. Every other vehicle on the road is a
motorcycle or moped, with a man on the driving seat, a little kid just
behind the handlebars (in front of the man), a woman on the back portion of
the driver's seat with her baby/little kid in one arm and her other wrapped
around the driver--absolutely insane.

delhi did have its moment though--the red fort and jama masjid mosque were
pretty cool. from delhi i took a 6 hour train to jaipur in rajasthan.
jaipur is a lot smaller and more rustic, with cows and pigs and sheep
dozing on the side of the street (or middle of it). Learning from my delhi
experience, i spent a bit more cash (400 rs = 13 CAD) and stayed at a nice
hotel in bani park, which is about 1.5 km away from the old city (the main
attraction) but quiet and leafy. I had room service every night, satellite
tv (to watch india-pak cricket), a big clean bathroom, double bed.

Jaipur's old city is completely walled, and is like an enormous teeming
bazaar, about 3 km by 5km. as everywhere ive been, there is a lot of stuff
crammed into very little space--houses, chai shops, industrial stores, shoe
stores, cobblers, temples, etc. Many of these dirty, old buildings with
homesless/very dirty people spilling out of its doors onto the street are
actually very ornate--a shocking contrast to the poverty around and inside
them.

As i was walking to the main bazaar road one afternoon, a man asked me if i
wanted to sit on the roof of a shop and watch the parade. i didnt know
there was a parade, but there were a couple of other tourists sitting
there, and the man didnt want money, so i climbed up a winding staircase
and met these nice people (france, slovakia), and we waited for the parade.
You could hear the bands playing about 10 minutes before they arrived, and
the sense of anticipation was great--far better than any movie or book.
When the parade finally arrived, the first band was called the "sunder
band"--a sure sign i am meant to be here in india. the sunder band was
comprised of 30 indian euphoniums, a few trumpets, clarinets, and about 8
drummers--it was wicked and really really loud. i wish i had a MD recorder
to catch it--imagine a cheesy american marching band with tabla bangra
beats behind it, with trumpeting elephants in the background. About 30
elephants and 10 camels followed the sunder band, followed by dancers and
some hindu idols, at which people threw coins, intending them to land at
the idol's feet presumably, but mostly hitting the poor men carrying the
idol in the head--quite funny to watch, actually. After the parade we
walked back to the hotel and stopped for chai along the way, where we
watched two very cute girls play with sewage from the open gutter with a
hand shovel (for fun), until their dad (the chai wallah) yelled at them.
the whities i was with also attracked a small group of children, who didnt
say a word, but just stood about ten feet away and stared, open-mouthed,
for the entire 10 minutes that we were there drinking our chai.

i met a couple of guys from the UK while at a restaurant that evening, and
we tried to get into a bar but it was a private party (the swankiest place
in jaipur--a polo and golf club). so we hung out at the hotel (theirs was
next to mine) and listened to music.

the following day i hired an ARickshaw to take me to the sights for 200 rs
= 7 bucks. i saw the amber fort, built by one of the mughal kings, the
water palace (built in the middle of a lake), the royal gaitors
(cenotaphs), etc. i also had to endure a tour of the mughal city (shops
that give a cut to my driver if i buy anything), which was actually quite
educational.

i spent the evening relaxing with my little friend-servant at the hotel (12
yrs old, likes music and cricket, can only say 'music' and 'cricket' in
english), and with the UK friends, and then caught an overnight train to
ahmedabad.

I have just arrived here yesterday, and have alternated between liking and
disliking the city--hot (37C day, 20C night), really polluted (air is
filthy), but not without some charm if you are persistent and open minded
(i had dinner at some cool muslim street food stalls, made a friend at the
Ghandi cold drinks stand, sat in a nice park, visited a nice mosque where i
was besieged/befriended by a mass of cute little kids, ate dessert at a
very swanky hotel (a converted millionaires mansion) for a few bucks...).
The swanky hotel (the "house of MG") is great because it is just up the
road from my hotel but is very peaceful, a good break from the incessant
honking, hustle and bustle and filthy air of the streets.

i am meeting N from AKI tomorrow, and i suspect we will spend a few
days on logistics (checking in with the local police, finding me a place to
live, etc.).
- posted by aziz @ 4:14 a.m.