A Little Education: Profiles of India 4
This is the fourth set of profiles of people we have met in India. In this post, meet two people for whom education becomes a mixed blessing. (For the previous profiles, click Profiles 1 or…
Petronas Towers high above busy Surya mall, KL
Shock to the System: Our Tale of Two Cities after India
Coming to Singapore was a shock to our systems after six months in India. We booked nearly a week here as a form of R&R, thinking the city would be some kind of needed relief…
Smell and taste of the city, a street food stall
What is an Indian City like?
After a few months touring the length and breadth of India, we gained a good idea of how the cities look and how the daily life works. We know generally how to find the supplies…
Giant soupbowl, or astrolabe, Jantar Mantar
Star Struck in Jaipur
Entering the huge rectangular courtyard in Jaipur is like coming into a small walled palace, which would not be surprising in a town like this with old and new palaces all around. A low gate…
Jain Temple, Ranakpur
A Walk thru the Middle of Nowhere
"What are you doing here?" asked the father of three, a software engineer for Microsoft from Pune, Maharashtra. He was not threatening us or anything like that, but just astonished we were staying at this…
Brief encounter: the family we met, Aravali Hills
Tongue-Tied with a Monk and a Mother: Profiles of India 3
This is the third set of profiles of people we have met in India. In this post, meet two people for whom language differences made little difference. (For the previous profiles, click Profiles 1 or…
Shiva as trimurthi, three aspects of the divine, Elephanta
The Three Faces of Mumbai
The enormous three-headed bust of the god Shiva presides over a huge 8th century temple hand carved from solid rock on Elephanta Island in Mumbai Harbour. That's a one hour ferry ride from another emblem…
Divine family, Shiva and Parvati atop Nandi, with sons Ganesha and Murugan
Family Business: Profiles of India 2
This is the second of a group of profiles we will post of people we have met during our trip to India. (For the first pair, click here.) We've changed a few of their characteristics…
Nataraja, the dancing Shiva (Thanjavur)
Lord of the Dance: The God Shiva in Southern India
You've likely seen the sacred image in bronze many times. He dances, ringed by tongues of fire, the universe held in balance. The lithe, somewhat androgynous figure stands on his slightly bent right leg, his…
Bahubali
The Naked and the Clad: Heights of Admiration
One of them is in his mid-50s, a bit stiff and very gangly, a welcoming grin on his face, his hand raised in greeting and dressed in jeans and cowboy boots befitting a frontier past…