Ramble on. And now's the time, the time is now...

26 May 2013

The musical title for this week directly ties to what I anticipate will be the tone and nature of this blog entry. I had thought of a very clear, direct topic that I was going to address, but life has intervened and I think the results will be rambling. So whilst I am not a “rambling man” this blog entry will undoubtedly be so.

Let me start with how I ended last week: the devotional with Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  He spoke with his wife and with President Watson (of the Area Presidency) and his wife. All the talks were good and there was a warm convivial spirit. There were perhaps 500 – 600 people in attendance. Elder Anderson told several stories from his life that presented how the Church has grown in France and in Brazil. He spoke about the role the members of the Church in India today have in helping lay the foundation for future growth. As you know from the blog last week, I have been thinking a great deal about that very topic. Needless to say, his choice of topic resonated with me.

So let me jump forward to yesterday (rambling). I mentioned in my last blog that I had been called as Second Counselor in the New Delhi 1^st Branch. We had met earlier in the week and decided that on Saturday we would go make some member visits. One of the visits was eye and heart opening.

India is changing (here comes some more rambling). Historically there was a small middle class, with a relatively few having great wealth and a great number of poor - many profoundly so. Over the last twenty years, that has been changing. At least in the urban areas the middle class has been expanding and the number in extreme poverty has declined. In the decade plus I have been coming to India, I am able to see a clear difference in the number of homeless and in the beggars on the street. Poverty remains a serious problem but improvements have definitely been made in the urban areas (rural poverty remains a significant problem). Well, in the six weeks I have been here, I have been involved with those in the growing middle class. The people I have met and the homes I have visited could all be categorized so. Yesterday however the veil was peeled away from my eyes and I saw those who are struggling economically much more clearly.

We visited two related families: a mother, father, and teenage girl and a young husband, wife, a three year old and an eight month old baby. These families live next each other and both families came to New Delhi from a small village to make a better life for themselves. The younger family with two children are all members of the Church. The teenage girl of the other family has been taking lessons and wants to be baptized. Now her mother and father say they are interested and want to take the lessons too. In order to find them, we had to make our way through a warren of narrow passageways between buildings. These paths were dirt with patches of paving stone. There was no place where I couldn't extend my arms and touch walls on both sides; some places I didn't need to extend my arms, my shoulders were touching the two walls. The sky was barely visible. When we finally got to their homes, I was astounded.  The home of the younger family was a concrete cell with no doors and no widows that couldn't have been more than 6 feet by 8 feet. There was electricity but no running water. The husband, wife, two small children and the wife’s brother all live in this space. The family of three live in relative luxury: their home also had no windows or doors but their space was about 8 by 10. I believe these cubicles had originally been added to the back of existing buildings as servant quarters.

Both of the homes were neat and clean; we took our shoes off before we entered to keep the concrete floors as clean as possible. Each had a small burner with a couple of pots which they kept stacked in a corner. There was no art or any decorations on any of the walls, although they had been painted and, again were neat and clean. Each family is living on what we would consider the barest of incomes. The thing that struck me was how happy they seemed; the love they clearly have for each other; and their desire to be an active part of the Church in the case of the one family, and the interest the other has in the Church based on lives of the relatives. As I made my way back to my relative palace (large, clean, air conditioned) I was struck with how blessed I am, we all are really. I have reflected continually since then about what I have done with those advantages. I feel more than a little ashamed.

Rambling again and back to a lighter topic: there is in Old Delhi a bazaar that has continuously operated in the same place for nearly 1500 years. My well planned original blog was to go there, take some pictures, and share that with you. However, it was like 1000 degrees yesterday and the idea of plowing around a bazaar in those conditions was not something I wanted to do. However, I had shopping and pictures in my mind, so what to do? Quoting that hit Canadian song by Robin Sparkles, “Let’s go to the mall!” Which is, as it turns out, is what many in the aforementioned middle class also do on a hot Saturday afternoon.

Enclosed malls are a fairly newish development in India, really in the last 10 years or so. They definitely are following the model form the US. If you were suddenly dropped into one, it would seem much more like home to you than Oz did to Dorothy. Sure some of the stores are different, but as the pictures below show, there are so familiar brands. What would a mall be without a Sunglass Hut? And yes, that is a Starbuck’s lurking in the corner of that one picture. I didn’t take pictures of other known brands, like Polo, Gant, MAC, Nike, Adidas, Puma, HP, and others.

Well, as this picture shows, not everything is like a mall in the US.

As you see below, there is even a food court, although the offerings skew definitely to the cuisine from various parts of India. No hamburgers and hot dogs here.

They also don’t take money. At the desk below, one buys a card, or gets one reloaded with money and this is used to pay for the food. I assume the idea is this way counter workers don’t have to handle dirty money as they are cooking. It may also be a way for the food court to make a bit more money. How many people lose their card of stick it in a drawer with available credit still on it and forget about it, so that they have to buy a card the next time they get the desire for some delicious mall food? My lunch was good. I had a dosa (which is kind of like a giant crepe) stuffed with vegetables. But the very best part of lunch was the scoop of gelato made with ripe mangoes. Delish!

They even have their own version of a kids' fun zone. Sort of.

Just like in our malls, they have small, island kiosks through out selling all kinds of merchandise. Rae, as you can see by the picture below, your reputation has preceded you here to India. I saw this on display at one of those kiosks. They clearly know what sells!

The other thing you might find different about an Indian mall is security. Before you can enter the mall, you have to go through a security screen, kind of like the airport. As you can see in this picture, you have to pass through a metal detector and then a security guard scans you with a hand wand. Finally, at nearly each store there is a guard, sometimes two, checking people in and out of the store. You have to check your bags before you go in and, like Costco, they check your packages and receipts on the way out.

Well, I warned you at the very start this would be a rambling entry. I believe I have kept my word. I also promise when the weather cools off that I will make a tour through the Old Delhi bazaar and send a report. Until then....

Namaste.

They the builders of the nation....

19 May 2013

A year ago when I was in India pursuing joint ventures with Indian universities, towards the end of my trip our CEO came to meet with representatives of those institutions where a tie up seemed most promising. On his first day he asked the Indian woman who had been making introductions for us and facilitating the meetings, “How do you say ‘hello’ in Indian,” assuming I think she would say namaste or some other Hindi word. Instead she told him: “hello”. Which is true except the pronunciation is typically closer hahllo than hello. In any case, I digress, if it is possible to digress before one even “gresses.”

I have thought long and hard about what I should select as the topic of the blog this week. After several suggestions from Rae, some helpful and some, shall I say, a bit less so, I have decided to write about the Church in India. For those who read this and who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I apologize for the parochialism. Most of the readers of this blog are members of that church and that is how we refer to it. I must also apologize to those who are mostly interested in pictures. There are none this week. If a thousand words are worth a picture, I hope I can at least create a meaningful sketch.

According to a fascinating Facebook page, “Welcome to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints India”, (it’s on FB, it has to be accurate, right?) the Church entered India in 1850 when some British sailors started teaching some people in Calcutta. The first called missionary entered the same area a year later and some people were baptized, Priesthood was conferred and a small branch (a very small perish or congregation) was started. Over the next few years, missionaries were called to various cities in India but typically what would happen is when the missionaries went home, the most faithful members emigrated with them and a true foothold was never begun. Although there was at least one branch in India continuously organized until 1903.

Over the subsequent years until 1981 it doesn't appear there was much success in building the Church in India. In that year a missionary couple received permission to reestablish a branch and also in that year the Book of Mormon was translated into Telugu, one of the official languages in Southern India. In 1993 the Bangalore Mission was created (prior to that India was part of the Singapore Mission so Nick and Sue Collins can provide more information about that period). Now there are two missions: Bangalore and New Delhi. At this point I will switch reference materials from FB to what I have been told by those involved and what I have been able to observe.

New Delhi Mission covers all of Northern India, Pakistan, and Nepal. In the National Capital Region (basically Delhi and the closely connected cities) there are seven branches. Most of the branches meet in rented space except for the branch where I attend and two others who meet in a Church owned building that also houses the Mission Home, Mission Office and other Church administrative functions. I was just called last week and sustained today as the Second Counselor in the Branch Presidency for 1^st Branch. We average between 80 and 100 members a week in Church, although I understand there are many more on the rolls. The average age of the adult membership is probably 30 or so. There are many young returned missionaries, both men and women, a few families with children, and even fewer older folks. Meetings are conducted and lessons taught mostly in English, although there are some talks given and comments made in Hindi. When that happens, usually the person next to me as tried to make an abridged translation, or the teach will, so those who don’t speak Hindi can also understand.

I have told some of you this experience but when Rae and I were here in February for interviews, as we sat in the chapel listening to the prelude music and waiting for the meeting to start, I was strongly impressed by the Spirit and received the clear impression that this is where the Lord wants us to be.

Rae and I are and will be witnessing in many ways the “pioneer era” of the Church in India. It is the story of one such pioneer family I would like to make the heart of this post. Just over 20 years ago, Grandma Massey saw missionaries walking through her neighborhood. She called them over and talked with them and was intrigued with what they said. She invited them back to teach her family and her husband, although he was not thrilled consented. She joined the Church as did her husband and her three (I believe) sons. The Massey family is a bedrock family of the Church in Northern India. There are first and second generation Masseys serving in significant leadership positions throughout the New Delhi area. I don’t think it is too much a stretch to believe that years from now when a comprehensive history of the Church in India is written, that Masseys will play as important and prominent role as Youngs, Smiths, Snows, and other names we revere in Church history in the United States. I have gotten to know several members of the Massey family and they are amazing, strong, friendly, loving, righteous, and faithful people.

We will be here three years. I am intrigued to see what those years bring to the Church in this area. Bangalore now has a Stake. I wonder, can Delhi be far behind? What of a Temple. The members now, at great personal expense and sacrifice go to the nearest Temple, in Hong Kong. Will we be here when a Temple is built and dedicated in the subcontinent? For the answers to these and other amazing questions, stay tuned to this channel. For now I am looking forward to this evening. Elder Neal Anderson, one of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, is here in Delhi and is going to speak to us. It’s only 114 F today so I hope this auditorium has good AC! I would have been a terrible pioneer. I am such a wimp.

Namaste.

I'm a traveling soul And every mother's son....

12 May 2013

Once again before getting on with the blog about New Delhi, I need to insert a date appropriate commentary. Today is Mother’s Day. I was pleased to find out that is celebrated in India as well as the US and on the same day. So, Happy Mother’s Day to all the mother’s in my life: my mom and mother in law; my favorite mother, Rae; my daughters and daughter by marriage who are all growing into outstanding mothers in their own right; and to all the women who have nurtured, influenced, and guided me whether they had the title of mother or not. You all have influenced my life for good in ways that are beyond description. Thank you for being who you are!

Now on to the blog: One thing that all visitors to India, myself included, seem to like to talk about is traffic. The combination of inadequate roads, lack of maintenance, too much volume in too little space, and incredible array of vehicles, animals, and people sharing the same space, and complete disregard for lane discipline among drivers makes for some interesting experiences. I don’t think I can actually do justice to the heroic adventure it is to drive on Indian streets but I will try to at least provide a little color commentary.

First, I will say that Delhi does not have the worst traffic I have experienced in India; not by a long shot. That honor would have to belong to either Mumbai or Bangalore. Still as Mercucio said in Romeo and Juliet, “…merry, tis enough.” I used to say the good thing about Delhi traffic is that it moves so slowly that no one can really get hurt. Well, after yesterday I can’t say that anymore. I worked a half day yesterday and the drive home that normally takes 10 minutes on the weekend, or 20 minutes at the end of a work day, too an hour and a half. I found out this morning from our driver that four people had been killed in a wreck that involved a bus, a tuk tuk (see below), a car, an ice cream trolley, and pedestrians. I guess it actually could have been much worse.

Well on that sobering note, on to something a bit lighter.

The vehicle above is called a tuk tuk. Or auto rickshaw. Or rickshaw. Or taxi. I have it called many things and it seems to have different names in different towns, but I learned it first as tuk tuk, so that’s what I am going with. It is probably the most iconic vehicle in India, I believe. They are probably used elsewhere but I always associate them with India and they are everywhere. The only difference is the color combinations, which vary from city to city and now some run on CNG, as the one below does. I must say I haven’t seen the CNG has made a noticeable difference in the air pollution.

When you drive down a road in New Delhi you are likely to see a variety of vehicles. They will all be swarming together, interweaving through traffic with really the only rule is watch out for yourself because no one else will. If a road is designed for three lanes of traffic, there will be a minimum of five lanes of vehicles with bikes, and motor bikes intermingled, so that every inch is occupied. Then, just to make it interesting a car or truck will go against traffic on the far edge of the road (I almost wrote lane but that is a misnomer) because it is easier to go the wrong way for a quarter mile or whatever against traffic than it is to make a U turn, drive WITH traffic for that quarter mile or whatever, and make another U turn to get where you are going.

This is particularly fun at night on more rural roads where the use of headlights appears to be optional.

I keep getting side tracked – kind of like the traffic. So the “base vehicle” if you will is the bicycle. There are a fair number of bikes on the road, although not nearly as many as in China where they are the predominant vehicle. Bikes here come in three standard varieties: regular two wheels, three wheels for hauling people, and with a cart attached to haul goods. All three types are shown here.

You will note that they can get a tremendous amount piled on the carts. It really is amazing the loads they can haul.

So, the next step up after bikes is motor bikes. You see almost every type of motor bike of scooter on the road; well, I haven’t seen a Harley (sorry Dave Fuhriman). I find two things about the use of motor bikes remarkable. First, as you can see below, women often ride “side-saddle” behind the driver, as in the picture below. Note the driver has a helmet while the woman is protected by a scarf. I had hoped to snap a picture of something you see fairly often: a family using one scooter. I have seen five people on one scooter: a child in front of the driver holding onto the handle bars with his dad (wouldn’t Colvin love that?), the dad, another child wedged between the parents (I guess that would have to be Quincy), the mom riding side-saddle, holding a baby in her arms (there’s Lincoln!).

I’ll pass over the more general category of cars other than to note they are almost uniformly smaller than what we are used to in the United States. Our car, a Honda City (which I have noted in a previous blog is about the size of Civic) is one of the larger cars on the road. The vast majority of cars are built by Tata or Mahindra (two major Indian companies) although Suzuki, Hyundai, Toyota and Honda are also common. There are a few luxury cars but given the road, I am not sure why if you could afford a luxury car you wouldn’t have a Range Rover!

The next broad category is utility vehicles or trucks. Here too as the pictures below show there is a variety of sizes from the small to the very large. I couple of things of note I want to point out: you will note the tail gate of the truck with the instruction to use your dipper (dimmer) or horn to pass. It is customary to do just that to toot your horn or flash your light as you pass on the right. This seems to have started as a polite courtesy and still is most often used that way; “Beep, beep. I am just letting you know I am here and passing so you don’t inadvertently pull in front of me.” However, at times I have noticed that the honks get a bit longer than beeps and more emphatic!

Please also note the men standing in the back of the truck. I don’t think the passenger safety laws here are just a bit looser than we are used to.

The final area about traffic about which I want to traffic is people. During the morning and evening at every major intersection there will be people winding their way between vehicles. Most are vendors such as the two in the pictures below. In addition to auto accessories, I have seen people selling clothes, magazines, ceramic wall hangings, coconut pieces, and water. There are also from time to time beggars. I am glad this doesn’t happen as often in New Delhi as I have seen in other parts of India. Women with babies or little children begging break my heart.

As I said, I can’t truly convey what New Delhi traffic is like. Overall, it is not too bad but I don’t think I will be driving anytime soon. Thank goodness for Mehndi!

Namaste.

Baby you can drive my car....

5 May 2013

Before I get started on this week’s blog, I want to report some exciting news from the other side of the world. Our daughter Sarah delivered a beautiful, healthy baby girl yesterday. Carrigan Leigh Clifford came into the world at 7 lbs 4 oz and 18.5 inches long. Jeremy and Sarah are great parents. Having CC join their family and ours is a great blessing.

“Good news; nice intro; now how’s he going to tie it to a blog about New Delhi” you may be thinking to yourself.

Technology is a wonderful thing. It is making this time of separation from family much less of a challenge than it would have been otherwise. While I was at the church cleaning the chapel getting ready for our Sunday worship, I got a text from Rae Saturday afternoon my time that Sarah and Jeremy were on the way to the hospital. From that moment, through texts and then phone calls over Vonage I was as involved as I could have been without actually being there. There was functionally no difference between being half way around the world or half way across town. Now I don’t know about you, but since I remember the days of rotary phones and VERY expensive international calls, I consider that a modern day miracle.

Now, on to the actual blog.

I have been wondering what to write about this week. I decided to try and give you an insight into what my daily life is like. I have been in India almost a month (next Thursday marks that anniversary). I can’t say I have done anything particularly “touristy”, in fact I am deliberately holding off on those things until Rae gets here. My weeks kind of consist of long hours of work, Church on Sunday, and trying to get by in between. This is a picture of our main campus where my office is and where I spend 12 -14 hours a day and a few hours most Saturdays. I hope this will slow down by the time Rae gets here.

This week has marked the addition of two people to my life both of whom have made life easier and more enjoyable. Below is Christina Massey. As of last Monday, she comes in five days a week, cleans, and cooks an evening meal. She is also teaching me some Hindi (mostly by text, since she comes while I am at work). Christina is a returned missionary and she and her fiancé are saving money to go to Hong Kong to get married in the Temple. She is a sweet, fun, helpful young woman. I can’t wait for her to meet and connect with Rae. It will be a good match I think.

She also is a good cook, which has made my evenings much nicer. For the past few weeks, I have pretty much lived on some version of eggs and toast or sandwiches. I am not a bad cook, if I do say so myself, and I kinda enjoy it but I can’t get excited about cooking for just myself. Since Monday, I have enjoyed a variety of Indian and Western food – no eggs! In addition, her portions are large enough I haven’t had to cook this weekend either. Christina is another blessing!

  

The second major change is in transportation. On Tuesday my car was delivered, a Honda City, which is about the size of a Civic but it is a little taller, a little shorter, and it has suspension tuned for the Indian roads. This is a picture of the car.

So you don’t worry, I took off the ribbons before we used it. So, car on Tuesday but no driver until Friday. Below is Mehendi, our driver. His English is not great, but we are getting by. He also is teaching me some Hindi and I am teaching him some English. It’s pretty amazing actually. He lives in a town called Faridabad. It takes him over an hour to get from home to here. He has to take a bus until he is close enough to catch the metro. 

So that's it for this week.Stay tuned for more of our lives and times in New Delhi.

Namaste.