Ok, I’m aware that others are quite used to India & all that it offers in the rich tapestry of life & obviously films & TV reveal a lot but nevertheless, bear with me if I record my own first impressions as I left the airport at Chennai & was driven for 6 hours to the children’s home in Kadapa.
Overwhelming heat / traffic / noise / tooting / dust / rubbish strewn on the ground in every direction! The mass of cars & motor scooters seem to drive in a general direction but with little or no regard for lanes! The constant drone of tooting horns is apparently used as a signal of approach in every direction & at every opportunity – most of the time they seem to be saying, “Move over! I’m 2 inches to your right or left!” Or simply, “Get out of the way!” It’s obviously a good natured norm, as it’s even written on the back of most vans & lorries: “Sound your horn!” I counted only two helmets – most riders seem happy to embrace the whole traffic mêlée as a routine experience & the addition of scrawny cattle, dogs, goats, pigs & even a monkey using the road didn’t phase the locals at all. Even the beautiful ladies, riding side saddle in their saris on the back of motor scooters took it all in their stride, well ride anyway!
The contrast between new / modern & old / dilapidated is striking. I remember the same impression last year in Bangkok but here there appears to be far more of the latter & the little towns & hamlets, which we passed through after Chennai, were predominantly in need of more than a coat of paint! I was struck by a lot of old structures, literally crumbling away but with new parts of building attached. The mixture of temples, mosques & Christian churches, just as at home, reveals the multicultural norm. The trees, which my escort kindly pointed out to me, were emphasised by the piles or plates of fruit on offer at the roadside: bananas, coconuts, mangoes, melons & figs, & about two hours away from the airport, the flat scrubland began to become more interesting & we encountered both man-made mounds from mining & also gradual hills & an increase in vegetation.
Lunch was my first experience of eating truly authentically. We stopped at a “family restaurant” which was something of a misnomer, as only men were eating there & I was the only female & white too! I learned that “meals” is an expression denoting as much as you can eat from a set menu of rice & a selection of little curry dishes, pickles & curd. Served on a large banana leaf, the curries are then tipped on to the rice & mixed & eaten with the right hand. My two hosts, the escort & the taxi driver, instructed me well but despite washing my hands both before & after eating, I still couldn’t get rid of the yellow stains on my right hand! However, it was a tasty meal & in no time, we were back on the slow, potholed road, which for some strange reason, had multiple speed bumps at frequent intervals!
The clear deprivation & poverty around me are in stark contrast to the kindness of the people. I have been warmly welcomed & looked after since my arrival in India. 25 hours after leaving home & having seen the opulence of Dubai airport en route, I arrived at the orphanage & school in Kadapa.
No comments:
Post a Comment