Terrorism

I never really imagined that I would post on this topic but it's impossible to ignore the current events. I was at a dinner party and a guy answered his mobile. When he hung up and returned to the group he excitedly explained that a series of bombs had exploded in Ahmadabad...he was quoting number of bombs and numbers of people dead. The contrast of our music/food/wine and the knowledge that there bombs going off somewhere in India was very disconcerting. And, this was following bombings in Jaipur earlier this year.

People are talking about how it's just a matter of time until 'they' bomb Delhi...which totally freaks me out...and all I can really hope for is that if that happens, I won't be near it...which strikes me as a very selfish thought...but it's really how I feel.

UPDATE - Nov 21, 2008

Following the blasts in Jaipur and Ahmadabad, there were events in Bangalore and then there were bombings in Delhi in September.

Luckily, I was not in Delhi at the time. Megan and I were eating dinner in a very lively bar/pub in the Himalayan town of Mcleod Ganj (where the Dalai Lama lives) when I received a text message asking me if I was ok. Completely confused, I called the friend who sent the message. She explained that two bombs had gone off in very popular shopping districts in Delhi...three more bombs exploded after we hung up. Immediately I started checking on all of my co-workers and friends. Amazingly very few people were actually killed (this is truly amazing considering how popular the locations are for shopping).

The source of the violence appears to be a Muslim group called Indian Mujahideen . Honestly, I don't understand all of it...but this group has claimed responsibility for a lot of nasty things lately.

What I find more interesting is the reactions. For a lot of my friends/co-workers, there was about 20 minutes of panic and once they concluded that everyone they knew was ok things went back to normal. In fact, even the location of the bombs have gone back to normal and it would be very difficult to find the actual location now.

For me the effect has been a bit more lasting. Whereas usually I love the 4th of July and firecrackers, I did not enjoy the 'cracker' exuberence during Diwali. When an errant firecracker went off in the garage under our building I was terrified and shaking for a few minutes. I don't think the Mujahideen is going to bomb my apartment complex but loud blast really get my attention these days. While I know no place in the world is safe; leaving this country where terrorism is a part of life will be a welcome change.

Shiva

Kawariyas are the approximately 6-7 million followers of Shiva that walk annually to Haridwar, a city in Northern India, gather water from the Ganga river and bring it back to Lord Shiva in their hometowns. Shiva is the destroyer god in Hinduism as well as one of the three heavyweights amongst the many thousands.

My first sightings of these missionaries dressed in orange was when I was in Varanasi. I assumed that this event was specific to the holy city and was quite surprised to see thousands of men (and a couple of women) walking through Delhi and Gurgaon for almost a month.

I've walked two marathons and understand that it's not easy to walk 26.2 miles and this is given weeks of training as well as high tech shoes and fancy apparel. These people just get up one day and walk hundreds of miles without training and certainly without Nike's. Some men were even barefoot! And so I was completely impressed with the endeavor from a athletic perspective. I also liked the flashy orange uniform and highly decorated water carrying devices.

Carrying the marathon theme a bit further the support system for this event was phenomenal. Hundreds of miles of Indians supported the kawariyas with food and places to rest and bandage sore feet. And for a country that does not seem to believe in road safety, a protective sidewalk suddenly appeared in Gurgaon. All in all, a very impressive display.

Tax Time

India is a rampantly sexist country...which is fine, I can deal with it...but this blew my mind.

There is a verification on my Indian income tax filing that includes my father's name. Essentially the words read, "I, Heather, the daughter of SSR, solemnly declare that to the best of my knowledge.....mind you I also have a unique tax ID number as well.

What does my father have to do with my income tax return?

Home

First trip home....was a work trip. Barely saw my family but managed to see a ton of friends over the 4th of July, went to a few doctor's appointments and checked in on my house (LOVE the new hot tub). Also got a sail in on the Bay.

But each time I get onto the plane to leave home, it's hard to stop the tears.

Time Differences

Reason #713 why I love my BlackBerry:

Even though the Swiss are obsessed with time, they do not have clocks everywhere and especially not at the beach. And when my phone clock is stuck on Indian Standard Time, I can still use Google Search and query the “current time in Switzerland” and it gives perfect time. Quite convoluted solution, but this translates to fewer annoying questions to strangers. Do you know what time it is?