Halfway

I think today is our halfway point... and we will be home all too soon!

Today has been great.. our lecturer this morning discussed India's failure to develop in a way that really helped the poor. The number of workers in the organized, formal sector is 23 million. This has remained constant for the past 20 years. Informal laborers have born the harsh hours that enabled the brunt of growth.

Then we had an intro to India's ancient history and art. One thing that struck me is that India doesn't have much of an artistic tradition that's not grounded in religion. Dutch painters broke religion's monopoly on art beginning in the 1600s as the merchant class grew. The middle class and paintings of everyday life went hand in hand. It's interesting to think about how India doesn't have much of a middle class.


Lectures are punctuated by breaks for chai tea and samosas, which is good because the classroom is FREEZING! It's even colder than outside because of the marble surfaces.

After lunch, we visited the National Museum and had an art historian guide us through the exhibits.

Then, we went to visit a Kashimiri shopkeeper who some of the group met last week. We talked about the conflict in Kashmir. It was amazing to hear the progression of the problem from his personal perspective as a respected member of the community. The sad truth is that the problem could be resolved if pressure was applied... but it's not important enough right now for the U.S. to apply pressure. So the people are frozen in the conflict.

We wrapped up the evening with cocktails at the Imperial Hotel, a five-star colonial relic. It's one of the nicest buildings I've ever been in. Palm Trees line the avenue. Every surface is covered in antique prints, marble, fleur de lis, glass or gilt.

And then we drove home from the palace past people sleeping outside under tents or just huddled under blankets on the street. Passed a motorcycle carrying a dad, five children under 8 and 25 balloons. Passed a man just trying to take a shower with a towel and bucket.

And that's the incredible contrast and complexity of New Dehli. There is so much money here. But it's like there are two countries. In one, people sleep in a marble palace. In the other, people sleep in a blue tarp tent.