for a while, everyday i would write one sentence in my journal about a crazy (or sad or funny or interesting or absurd) observation i had during the day. it saved on time (one sentence, that means like 2 minutes!) but at the same time allowed me to be more engaged and observant during my day - to look for that perfect sentence to write. i have since stopped (but should start again) - time has gotten away from me, and work has taken over and ive gotten sucked into the daily drudge - but i will share a few of them with you now - so you can know a few of the crazy (or sad or funny or interesting or absurd) things that i see and think daily.
-october 26: today i saw...a man absentmindedly (and QUICKLY) complete a rubix cube while riding the crowded bus number 460.
yesterday i saw....a bundar riding the back of a bicycle (bundar is hindi for monkey)
-october 27: today i saw...a street child with blood streaming down his face because of two self-inflicted wounds on his scalp, as a way to escape the police.
-october 28: today i learned...that indians put oil in dirty hair so that all the dust & dirt sticks to it and washes out easier - NOT because their hair already looks dirty so they are making it look dirtier.
-november 4: today it was confirmed...that in india, boys who sing alone on the streets are considered romantics, not lunatics.
-november 5: today i was mistaken for an indian, for the second day in a row...but this time was only an excuse for a boy to speak to me. if you want to know if i'm indian, why are you asking me in English?
-november 5 (yes thats two from the same day!): today i noticed that there has been a considerable increase in pet dogs in Delhi in the last year. francesco says they are killing off all the old dogs for the commonwealth game makeover. i say its just the next dimension to Delhi snobbery.
-november 17: some pending book titles - to be released when i have the time to (co-)write more than just the titles
GOLD, GHEE AND GULAB JAMON: A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE PUNJABI TAKEOVER IN IMAGE AND CULTURE
WINE, CHEESE AND CHAPATI: FRANCESCO & JESSIE'S DAILY DELHI LIFE
SAMOSAS & THEIR DISCONTENTS: HOW 5PM SNACKS CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
a story of street smarts (from sometime in early november)
background: the other day i stayed at the office late for a meeting with a few volunteers. while we were sitting around, a young boy, about 8 years old, comes in, fear and worry clouding his eyes, chin quivering, small twisted piece of metal as a homemade earring in his left ear. he asked, "when am i going home?" through thickening whimpers and heavy breathing he explained to us that he was from a village close to allighar and was sold by his parents just 6 days ago to a man promising him employment in Delhi. upon reaching Delhi, the man abandoned him on the streets. a different NGO picked him up and promised him and a group of other boys a picnic but when those plans fell through, dumped them on SBT with no explanation and bolted. the boy explained earnestly that he HAS to go home because he was the oldest of the 6 children and both of his parents are blind. that means that the sole responsibility of the whole family is resting on his shoulders and if he doesn't get home to cook for his parents they will "eat dirt until they die."
the reality: i saw the boy's father....and THE FATHER SAW ME. through a cloud of sobs and snot, the coordinator forced the boy to present me to his father. when i looked in shock between the old man sitting stoically on the stool and the young boy crying like crazy, i asked honestly, "ye con hai?" (who is this?) and the boy replied....."BAPU" (DAD). i couldn't be upset with him - and no one could be upset with me for believing him because we were both doing what we needed to do in the situation. he needed (wanted) to get home at all costs and i needed (wanted) to believe him and the innocence of childhood...and we both learned something too. he learned he could get home. and i learned street smarts.
and a final story to close:
i have made a few connections in SBT world - enough to get a response in case of emergency - for example - i was pickpocketed about a month ago walking from one shelter to another for a staff meeting. there was a huge procession going on in the back streets of paharganj with some strange sai baba wanna be surrounded by dancing boys in full makeup holding an umbrella over his head...bands everywhere, loud music, the whole works. i stopped to ask a shopkeeper what was going on and while one guy distracted me, his friend sneakily reached into my pocket and took my work mobile (thankfully nothing else). i didn't even notice until a little schoolboy told me after i walked away. clever. so i get to the shelter and have to skip the meeting (darn!) to go to the paharganj police station! imagine: about 30 police all with their feet on the table tops, laid back in their chairs, scratching their balls! so i go from one to the other, requesting a report, each one passes me down the chain of command to his subordinate until finally i am at the very bottom with no one else to get passed to and a very upset police man who has to actually do some work. connections kicked in - i call up the coordinator of childline (SBT's 24 hour toll free response phoneline for children in distress) who was at the shelter when i showed up after the incident - he knows all the heads of police - i give the police the phone and all of a sudden its all "haan ji. tike. kohi bat nahi. ji haaaaaan" and i get passed one by one UP the chain of command until im with the chief of police and his three stars and get a handwritten report (dictated by him and written by me - i have to provide my own pen!) within minutes! the best was that then i went back to the meeting - which i had never gone inside - and of course EVERYONE knew already what happened, they stopped the meeting to ask the details, and then CONGRATULATED me on receiving a very official FRI (First Response Investigation) report - as if it was a big accomplishment. handshakes and everything!
(since said incident, my phone has been stolen again...on the bus, from inside my bag...beyond being incredibly annoyed, i am disheartened by the communal trust - or lack thereof - between indians, and the intense apathy that indians show when they believe a problem to not be their's...but its a discussion for another day)
thats all for now. all this news is quite old - i haven't been good recently about writing anything - personal or otherwise - or even THINKING anything except sleep and work. throw in a mysterious skin rash that itches like crazy, and nothing much gets done. BUT its christmas now, and im taking a few days off, and i have high hopes of restoring my sanity. so stay tuned :)
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
(or happy christmas as they say here)
