This is India: Language
India is a complicated mix of languages. Not only are there 18 distinct languages spoken, but there are several hundred dialects floating around as well. Being bilingual is not a special trait at all, especially in a city like Kolkata, where your typical taxi driver can at least converse in Bengali and Hindi, and if you’re in the normal tourist areas, they probably have a passable understanding of English as
Food I Eat: Koki
My wife’s family is Sindhi and when Pakistan and India split, they left their homeland, Sindh - now part of Pakistan - and eventually settled here in Kolkata. Sindhis are sprinkled across the country, usually you’ll find them where business opportunities are to be had. They have their own traditions, their own language, and of course their own food. Almost every Sunday we have Sindhi Curry for lunch - often
Why I’m Doing This to Myself: Reason 002
My wife is from India and moved to the US in 2000 to pursue her Master’s. Through a series of seemingly random choices and events we met, fell in love, and got married - a process that took over 5 years. It’s amazing to think that a guy who grew up in a small town in North Dakota would eventually marry, or even encounter
Dispatches
Mumbai tries to address its parking problems.
Indian designers showcase their work in Paris.
Mumbai will begin removing buildings that were built pre-1940 to make way for high rise towers. I’m trying to decide if this is a stupid short term answer to the real estate crunch or a crude way to revive the dilapedated architecture of the city.
The condom ringtone that is sweeping across India. Still waiting to hear it in the wild.
My recent trip to Patna got me close to the current flooding in the region which has tallied a death toll of 47.
The Devi Art Foundation will open this weekend and become India’s first museum dedicated to contemporary art.
- Two favorite men’s hair salons in Patna: The Pink Comb & Eye Catcher. #
Big B announces that India is no longer a Third World Nation.
The Government of Bihar is suggesting that people start eating rats to solve the food crisis.
- Mother reads my blog for the first time, then spends the rest of the day giving me “great ideas” for new posts. Can you say “Guest Blogger?” #
- My son’s baptism application is rejected by local churches. We’re told his name isn’t Christian enough. #
India is moving towards more sustainable ideals, as shown in this project in Gurgaon as well as the new NanoCity.
HIV vaccine is being tested in Chennai with some positive results.
A new film, Barah Aana, looks at life from the servant’s perspective. Helping people to understand how for some, India isn’t changing at all.
- Parents arrive in India. Crazy neighbor is yelling from his deck, pacing back & forth: “They shouldn’t give visas to foreigners.” Welcome! #
Finally a date is announced for the iPhone launch: August 22.
Dharavi.org is a collection of information - text, photos, videos - on the Dharavi slum in Mumbai.
India hasn’t always been a non factor in the Olympics.
Indian students in Australia are making an impact on the college cricket pitch.
India is ranked #1 on the new Human Rights Index.
- Like “tan in a can” is a product in the US, here we have whitening products that make your skin more fair and they make me look like a ghost #
A look at the Auroville experiment.
After the recent bombings and the hoax threat in Kolkata, local security is very high, especially at the malls.
Salt Lake Stadium, the second largest sports stadium in the world, is finally getting a facelift.
Apparently the $100 laptop goal is too easy for Indians who are developing a $10 $12 laptop. Details are sketchy, very sketchy. Update: Not so sketchy anymore.
Recent research suggests that the yeti has Indian origins.
18 bombs discovered in Surat.
Dalmiya takes back his role with the CAB.
Anil Ambani is getting on the One Laptop Per Child bandwagon.
Snoop Dogg & Akshay Kumar are teaming up for some Bollywood/Hip-hop fun. Snoop: “I like how the Punjabis get down; the way they dress is fresh and they got a real appreciation for music.”