Wow! It has been 5 months since I wrote to you about my experience in India.
Much has changed while a lot remains the same. I have moved to another apartment in South Chennai on the 4th floor in a true penthouse environment with an 800 sq. ft terrace and a 10 minute walk to the beach. The folks in this part of town tend to be a good mix of locals, NRIs (Non- Resident Indians) and foreigners. I am close to all the stores that sell the kind of produce and meats that I enjoy, making it a much more satisfying experience for me. What is fascinating despite the very urban, crowded environment with population bursting at the seams, infrastructure not in pace with the growth, is that there still is a large human touch element to services being rendered. It feels like some of the small towns in the US where you still get free delivery of groceries and dry goods, meat from the butchers, medicines from the pharmacies, and many other services including a personal trainer who comes 3 times a week for 1.5 hours at around $13/each visit!
My personal trainer strongly recommended that I consult a renowned sports physician for my rotator cuff problem and the doctor has a great practice. The reception area is a large room with many chairs set up in clusters to facilitate one of the staff members to complete the form, do an assessment of your medical needs, identify history of the problem(s) and then presents it to the doctor who checks your areas of concern and prescribes a series of physiotherapy sessions. He hit all the sore points for me and it was done in about 5-10 minutes. The consultation is $10 and I set up my session with the physical therapist for the next day. It was interesting to see older Indian women who were there for therapy as well- it is a common room with three therapy tables set up for 3 female patients to be treated if needed. I was so intrigued by one of them who was very conservatively dressed in a sari, with jewellery that identified her traditional roots who was probably in her 70s. She got up on the table and one of the exercises was to lift one leg up and cross over the other leg- surprisingly, she had a pair of Capris under the sari- even the therapist got a chuckle out of that!
The most challenging issue for me is the power cuts that are scheduled for 2 hours each day and 8 hours once a month- so they change the schedule every week- and you try to manage your life around that. The 8 hour cuts are just awful with no air conditioning in this heat. There is an inverter in my apartment that switches on automatically and fans and some lights work. No electricity to power refrigerators or microwaves during the power shut down. Apparently, politics has a lot to do with the current power deficit- the politicians did not anticipate the tremendous growth and need for more power in the state and the Electricity Board is run in such a dismal manner with no regard to infrastructure development.
Of course we had quite a show down recently at the nuclear power plant to be commissioned with Russian technology, where anti-nuclear activists had the local fishermen community up in arms against the start up of the plant despite safety assurances from experts and the ex-president of India, a renowned nuclear scientist. Many factors played into this scenario- some have argued that US and other European countries were involved since they did not get the project; the severe power cuts had the state residents up in arms about the shut- down of work at the plant; the state chief minister played her cards by refraining to take any action either for or against until after the local bye-election. Then she sent a large contingent of police and guards for the forceful removal of protesters and work is back on target! Now the central government is investigating whether some of the NGOs are involved with subversive activity against the country and has blocked all foreign funds into their accounts.
It is scorchingly hot in Chennai and with the heat comes the avalanche of tropical fruits- gorgeous mangoes of so many varieties, beautifully luscious figs, sweet aroma of jackfruit, so many varieties of melons- musk, cantaloupe, watermelon, lychees flooding the market and strawberries from neighboring Sr Lanka and mangosteens that are both slightly tart and oh so sweet (see picture below). This is my first introduction to mangosteens and I have thoroughly enjoyed this fruit. The gorgeous contrast of the white fleshy pods encased in the rich burgundy inner rind with a dark purplish outer layer and the color combination of the vibrant green leafy top against the purple exterior is so appealing to the eye.
Of course Chennai is also well known for its seafood and I have started taking the trip to the beach market near the famous Marina Beach. The crabs have been so good especially when cooked with the Singapore Black Pepper seasoning accompanied by a good mango salsa and a chilled glass of white wine- enough to forget the worries of the world! The past few weeks the government has a 40 day moratorium against fishing since it is the spawning period- so am glad I stocked up on my seafood.
I love going to this market since the selling of fish is done by the women under thatched roofs and once you buy the fish you take it across the lane to the men who will clean it and cut it up according to your needs. The women will clean the shrimp for you- but I like freezing the shrimp in its shell. You get to bargain with the women and it is fun chatting with the women and getting to know about their lives- they remember you and they even noticed that I had changed my driver! They are just as curious about me and what I do and why I returned to India- so I like the interaction while enjoying the seafood shopping.
I am taking an active role as a co-chair of the Religion and Philosophy Committee of the International Women’s Association. It should be an interesting assignment, planning the various lectures, events and discussions on topics related to religion and philosophy. I am planning a panel discussion with experts and researchers on why women have been relegated to a submissive and secondary role in most world religions. Even the so-called enlightened ones still seem to have no interest in changing the role!
I also noticed that there are many more divorces happening especially to middle aged women who are just not ready or prepared for a life of being single. Many are devastated and angry about the turn of events and feeling a sense of deprivation leading to victimisation. So a friend and I have started the No Strings Attached Women’s group (NSA Women) to provide a forum for conversations, dining out, doing fun activities, networking and entertaining with other women. Apparently travel groups have started in India for women to travel with other women- so the trend is on- being single is replete with opportunities to fulfil dreams that might have been shelved for family reasons, building meaningful relationships and bonding with other women and being supportive and understanding of challenges faced by women.
So Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers- may you continue to shower wisdom, energy and love on your family and your community.
Hope to hear from you- blessings of summer abundance to each of you.
