Parties and Protest

On Sunday, we wanted to have a farewell party for Milind. Helen and I went outside to get some groceries at the supermarket. They didn’t have cream, though, so Milind led us around to about six different little shops and bakeries until we found a (very overpriced) carton for sale. Worth it, though, as Helen is going to make Banoffee Pie again. That’s definitely a recipe I’m bringing home. While searching for the cream, we came across this cool temple just one block down from the main road…

We prepared some diverse, delicious food. I made more no-bake cookies, Sahima made an Afghani rice dish and accompanying curry/gravy, Mari made fried plantains; we had pappads with raita (yogurt with vegetables), chocolate pudding, and dahl. It was delicious.

And Monday was the Fourth of July! During work, Usha took Huyen and I to the greenhouse where I got to try cross-breeding a soybean flower. It was more basic than I expected; you use a tweezer to emasculate (remove the pollen) one flower (and make it the female), then take some pollen from another flower (now the male) and dust it on the female flower. And that’s it,.

Just cross-bred this flower

It felt so weird not being home; during the day I kept thinking how, while I was about to eat dinner the parade was going on at home, and as I was waking up it was the fireworks. But fortunately my friends were really nice and thought we should throw a party. So after work and a trip to the gym, we began to bake again. This time the menu included potato salad (with paneer), Indian-spiced nuts, fried chicken, corn salsa with more pappads, Indian-style ramen, another Banoffee pie, and leftovers from the night before…

Potato salad with paneer

Corn salsa

Banoffee pie!!

The full spread

Very proud

We also set off a cracker. J

Happy Fourth of July!!

We have today off from work because of a strike/protest in the city. Here is what I understand: During partition, Hyderabad was a sort of unique case because it was ruled by one powerful nizam. It was supposed to be broken into 2 or 3 states, but became only one – Andhra Pradesh (of which the city of Hyderabad is now capital). Since then, there have been frequent political protests from people still opting for the split into another state, Telangana. So now supporters of Telangana have called for a 2-day bandh (or strike protest). This means busses/auto-rickshaws aren’t running, of course, and some trains have been closed for security measures. So the people living outside can’t get to work, so the offices are closed. However, it’s a bizarre sort of strike – it’s already been decided that this Saturday will be made a work day to make up for it. Oh well, it feels a bit like a snow day now.

So on the day off, I went on a bicycle ride around the campus perimeter with Helen, Milind, Phillip and Nina. You can rent bikes for 10 rupees/hour. The bike I got was much too small, and it was one of the most uncomfortable bike rides of my life, but still it felt good to get back on a bike after a month. We saw some peacocks and a mongoose! Here are some pictures from around campus…

(Planting rice)

Can you see the peacock?

Also, the Ganesh statue was painted yellow today...

July 2 - Charminar

After lunch on Saturday, Helen, Sahima and I went to the Charminar. I’ve been looking forward to getting to see that one, and to shop at the nearby Laad Bazaar. It took about 2 hours by bus to get there. This would be fine – it’s pretty exciting and fascinating and nerve-racking to watch the traffic – but I have to keep a surgeon’s mask on to be able to breathe decently. Oh well, I see a lot of other people with masks too. But it is still sort of amazing to me how so many people do get by here in these conditions. It is soooo polluted.

Street sign across from the bus station

The Charminar, the symbol of the, was built in 1591 by Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah after he shifted the capital from Golconda, where there had been a water crisis, to Hyderabad. It has four tours topped by minarets and is about 170 feet tall.

You pay to go inside – 5 rupees for Indians, 100 rupees for everyone else. You can climb up any of the towers. The staircases are really narrow spirals; the steps were almost as high as my knees.

Looking up inside the Charminar

The stairway

Apparently this is not a major international tourist destination, because I got a lot of excited attention. Lots of people asked me my country, were very excited when I told them U.S, wanted to know how I liked India, what part I was from, and so on. I had a few requests to be in pictures with people, and happily obliged.

Some views from the top of the Charminar, looking in different directions…

And some Charminar pigeons for Ava.

There is a huge, beautiful mosque nearby as well, but unfortunately it was closed for prayer and we could only look from outside the gate.

Charminar at night, lights changing color

After the Charminar, we went to the Laad Bazaar, famous for its bangles and cloths. We browsed around different stalls and tried out our bargaining skills. Sahima had a bit of an advantage as she can speak some Hindi, but I think we still did pretty well. Some Indian friends told me some examples of reasonable prices, and I was even able to beat those. I got a lot of attention in the stores, too. One shopkeeper kept asking about the “lines” on my eyes and saying they were very beautiful. I was really confused until Helen realized he was asking if I was wearing “lenses” to make my eyes green.

Bangles! There were shops like this all down the row. As you walk by, vendors from almost all of them call out "Madame! Madame!"

I came out with lots of pretty bangles, most of which I will be bringing home as gifts :).

There were a lot of interesting snack vendors. We tried some peanuts that had been cooked and mixed with spices that were delicious, and had some pineapple juice with do-it-yourself pani puri.

There were also snack carts with mounds of broken up Kit Kat bars that, for a few rupees, would be scooped into a paper cone for you. (I didn't actually try this one.)

After that, we met Milind, Mari and Uma for dinner at Paradise, a nice restaurant favorite for its biryani, a dish of spiced rice. It was delicious!

The famous vegetable biryani and some Mexican-seeming papads

Just like home.

We caught a bus and then an auto-rickshaw back to ICRISAT. Helen and I hopped in the back to get the authentic Indian experience. Fortunately the driver thought we were hilarious.

Also, we saw a snake on the walk back in campus.

Week 3

This week was somewhat slow. I’ve gotten a sort of rhythm down – work, gym, pool, dinner. At work I finished up and submitted my report to my adviser, and was able to check in on the soybeans in the greenhouse and field a couple of times with Huyen and Usha…

It has been very

The vegetable soybean pods are growing! When they are harvested, I'll be doing a taste-test survey/experiment with them

We also checked out the ICRISAT museum one day:

Examples of displays at the ICRISAT museum...

Also, the monsoon is about three weeks late here. It’s hitting other parts of India, but for whatever reason, not Hyderabad. Which is a problem for the farmers waiting to sow their seeds…

Harshal and Amita left this week, and Uma and Millind will be leaving in a few days, unfortunately! I accidentally fell asleep after work and missed Harshal’s goodbye dinner, but at least was able to wish Amita well during her last lunch here. For both of their last nights we gathered in one of their dorm rooms and had snacks and watched movies. While watching one Bollywood movie, where three male roommates each found girlfriends and were shown romantically frolicking around the city with them, I asked if that wasn’t illegal. Puja told me that yes, it would be illegal, but this is the movies.

On Friday, there was an organized tour of the campus , beginning with the museum and then with two hours on a bus (air conditioned!) through the fields. The tour guide was an ICRISAT veteran, and had quite a lot to say about the campus, and his personal philosophical view on sometimes-relevant political, economic and moral issues. Here are shots from our tour…

The four types of soil at ICRISAT

Tea/coffee break before the tour. They take their tea (and lunch) breaks very seriously here.

In front of the tour bus - Hashish? and Millind from India, Mari from Puerto Rico, Sarah and Alice from Kenya, me, and Huyen from Vietnam

Farmers sowing seeds, despite the lack of rain...

Sahima and I at the back of the bus

I didn't catch the explanation for this one...

Rice field

It's bright and I am pale.

Hooray solar!

Part of the large, multi-shot, multi-location post-tour photo-shoot...

I just finished reading One Hundred Years of Solitude - loved it!

Also, I will be starting to volunteer at one of the schools on campus for employees' children! I think I will be helping to supplement English lessons and teaching basic computer skills. :)