Interlachen Travelers: Incredible Mystic India

Ann's Memories... Our excellent tour guide with Abercrombie and Kent, Vishal Ghai, is a traditional Hindu so much of my information is based on his traditional Hindu beliefs and interpretation.(and my notes and memory and interpretation!) Vishal lives in New Dehli with his parents in their home, along with his wife, 3 year old daughter, his brother and his sister-in-law. Both he and the brother have arranged marriages which he says for a middle class family averages $100,000. Below are some interesting facts I learned during my trip to India.

Marriage and Divorce:
In a Hindu family there are several ways a marriage is arranged, the process often beginning during college years. There are marriage bureaus where the date, time and place of birth are used as a basis, and newspapers have a section each Sunday dedicated to those looking for brides. Vishal's brother advertised in the Dehli newspaper for a bride and the family received 2000 responses. Vishal decided to forgo this method and asked relatives to select his bride through mutual friends.

Marriage Facts:

98% of the population have arranged marriages.
The groom must be taller than the bride or the marriage cannot take place.
Men must also be more educated than their wife.
In some poorer families a girl might be married as early as age 4 but then not live with the husband until she matures.

Divorce Facts:

Divorce rate is less than 1 percent.
A divorce can be simplest for a woman
to get in the first 7 years of marriage.
The groom's family must return the
dowry

Government:
India has 85 political parties. The President is chosen by the Parliament members who are elected representatives. One-third of the seats in Parliament are held by women. A Prime Minister is elected every 5 years. Each of the 29 states has a governor appointed by the president, but like the president, the governor has little power. No day to day responsibility.

The Hindu caste system is officially outlawed by Indian constitution yet the system lives on. There are family names common to each caste. Priests make up the first caste, the second are the warriors; third are traders and merchants, and fourth is the menial class. In Parliament 25 percent of the seats are 4th caste.

There is no social security or government support system. A son is actually the support system.

Religion:
In India there are 300 religions. In fact, there are more religious establishments than schools and hospitals combined. India gave birth to 4 religions... Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism. Sikhs maintain their identity by wearing turbans in public.

American food chains:
McDonald's came into India in the 1980's selling beef burgers. They closed within a few months. Later they reopened, serving chicken and vegetable burgers. Their Big Mac version is called the Maharajah Mac and is a chicken sandwich. Every McDonalds has to display a notice "no beef for sale."

In the 90's Kentucky Fried Chicken was forced to close their restaurants because it was seen as a threat to Indian farmers.

What part animals play in India:
Cows can wander and sit down anywhere. They are identified with Mother Earth as both are sources of food, fuel and fertilizer. Hindus might touch the forehead of a passing cow and utter a prayer as a gesture of devotion and respect. It is considered good karma to feed a cow leftover food. No female cattle are used for farming or as beasts of burden because of being revered.

Mail is delivered on camelback in certain areas. Along the border the army corps guards on camelback.

Elephants are very important in Hindu mythology. One of the most popular of the many, many (330,000?) Hindu gods is Ganesha, the Elephant God. Before every undertaking, whether laying the foundation of a house, or opening a shop, or beginning any other work, blessings of Lord Ganesha are invoked by worshipping him first.

Cities of India:

Bombay is again called Mumbai, but not by many of the residents. Forty percent live in slums, often in tents at the edge of town. About 300 people arrive in Mumbai daily, many coming from the rural areas to seek their fortune. Bollywood is the world's largest movie producer, churning out an average of 3 new movies each day.

Varanasi has long represented the capital of Hinduism. Devout Hindus bathe daily in the Ganges River and drink water from it to cleanse their souls. Upon death their bodies are cremated at the one holiest crematorium (outdoors and visible to tourists) and the ashes scattered in the Ganges.

Dehli is a microcosm of all India. 13 million people; 400,000 bicycle rickshaws; 200,000 auto rickshaws; 2 million cars; many camels and elephants; and an undeterminable number of cows.

India truly is incredible. It is wonderfully generous of spirit, land, culture and people. Freedom, democracy, and tolerance are its treasures. I shall go back.