Gandhi... Mahatma?

Well folks, I have some bad news. It turns out that Gandhi was not such a beacon of freedom and justice after all. Sure, he was a charismatic spiritual figure who taught the world the meaning of non-violent protest... But did you know that Gandhi was adamantly pro-caste system?

Now, I don't claim to be an expert on the topic. Like most Americans, in my mind Gandhi still exists as a somewhat ambiguous figure from world history. Also, I recognize the fact that he is revered as a hero in much of the modern world and as a saint here in India (thus the name "Mahatma" meaning "Great Soul").

But imagine my surprise when I discovered a few of the things that he stood for...

In 1932, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (more on him later) proposed separate electorates for Untouchables in India. They were not being represented in the government, and this would have been a chance to allow them to have a voice.

Gandhi, however, believed so strongly in the need for upper caste governance, that he actually started his first hunger strike to prevent the untouchables from representing themselves in government! Gandhi fasted against the rights of untouchables? What?!?

Later, talking about the degrading and exploitative occupations of the untouchables (latrine cleaning, corpse clearing, scavenging, etc.), Gandhi said, "I do not advise the untouchables to give up their trades and professions... For, a scavenger is as worthy of his hire as a lawyer or your President. That, according to me, is Hinduism" (Harijan, 6 Mar 1937).

Once, Gandhi asked a Christian missionary to pray for the untouchables, but not to try to convert them, saying that they "did not have the mind and intelligence to understand what you talked... Would you preach the Gospel to a cow?" (Harijan, 19 Dec 1936).

Basically, Gandhi was a full-blooded Hindu. He believed strongly in the caste system and thought that everyone was born into their caste due to actions in a previous life. From a purely religious standpoint, one can hardly blame him for saying and doing the things he did (after all, it was this same religious fervor that led him to oppose British rule in the first place).

However, if you're like me, knowing these things about Gandhi definitely puts a damper on the usual vision of a small, saintly man committed to equality. I still respect the man as a striking example of non-violence and simplicity, but my understanding of his values has, well... expanded.

At the very least, it once more reminds us that history is never as black and white as it seems. As the world continues to grow, more and more information must be crammed into our history books. You can believe that when the educated elite are writing narratives of the past, the poor, oppressed and uneducated masses are the first to slip off the page.

One last thought...

If some of you are discouraged knowing that Gandhi was not, in fact, perfect, I would like to suggest another early 20th century Indian "hero" for you to look into.

His name was B. R. Ambedkar. Champion of the rights of the oppressed, drafter of the Indian constitution and born as an untouchable himself, Ambedkar rose above persecution to become one of the greatest advocates of lower-caste rights in the history of this country.

Check out his wikipedia page, read about his work on the Truthseekers website or simply google his name and wade into the sea of praise that has arisen from the mouths and pens of his followers.

But remember... Ambedkar, like Gandhi, was never a perfect man.

Good to know... good to know...

Here are a few important lessons and facts that I have learned since coming to India. You might want to stick these in your suitcase if you ever happen to come to Delhi...

1. When everyone is drinking their chai, DO NOT NOTICE the slurping. The moment you notice the slurping, it's all you will hear!!! *slurp* *slurp* *slurp* *slurp* Noooo!!!!!

2. Don't say 'thank you' very often. It offends people! When you thank someone for doing their job (bringing you chai, clearing your plate, etc.), you are basically implying, "I am surprised that you are actually capable of doing your job." Woah. Sorry Mom. I know you taught me to be polite, but... well, I can't.

3. Auto rickshaw drivers are mean. Well, maybe they're just misunderstood. But they sure do seem annoyed every time I want them to take me anywhere...

4. With 85% humidity, you're going to sweat a little. Get used to it!

5. We get a lot of English words from Hindi (thanks to the British). Pajamas, bungalow, cushy, pundit, thug, khaki, juggernaut, pariah, shampoo, loot, caravan, bandanna and a bunch more! Nifty...

Ok, this picture has nothing to do with this post, but I
like it. I found this tomb in a nearby park. More here.

6. If you're a westerner, don't ever pay the first price a merchant says. People joke about "skin tax." But oh, it's real. I usually start about halfway down and work my way up...

7. When going for a run, be sure to remember which way is north. After a few minutes, all the streets of South Extension 2 start to look exactly the same. Don't worry, though. I eventually found my way home. Haha...

8. With no word for "please" in Hindi, many Indians don't know how to use the word in English. So don't be offended when someone tells you to "Just come do this now." They're probably not trying to be rude.

9. If you ever want to taste again, go easy on the green chilies.

And probably the most important lesson I've learned here...

10. Smiles go a long way. Use them often.

India cracks me up...

Let me tell you the story of why going to see The Dark Knight took my entire Saturday. It's a perfect example of how things in India tend to be a lot more difficult than they need to be...

I had been wanting to see the movie for a long time, so when a couple of American missionaries came into town to see the movie, we decided it would be good for me to go with them. We set off at 10:30 in the morning with plenty of time to spare.

After an hour of travel we reached where the theater was supposed to be. But it was nowhere to be found! There was a mall there, but it wasn't the mall we were looking for.

Important fact: Indian culture is one of landmarks, not one of maps and accurate directions. The basic mindset seems to be: just head off in the direction you want to go and figure things out when you get there!

Well, we couldn't "figure things out." Wave Cinemas was nowhere to be found. What we didn't realize is that, on top of a building right in front of us was a large red and yellow symbol that was apparently the Wave Cinemas logo. Well, we didn't know what the logo was supposed to look like, so we started walking off in another direction.

Eventually, after getting thoroughly sweaty and exhausted, we gave up and paid to have a bicycle rickshaw take us back the way we came. Unfortunately, with the three of us on the back of the rickshaw, the poor guy driving had to struggle just to get us moving. He threw all of his 94 pounds into it like a cyclist riding up a vertical cliff, but we were barely able to get moving faster than a leisurely stroll.

With time running short, we got off, walked quickly back to the mall, found the theater and went up to buy our tickets. Turns out, however, that the ticketing counter is not on the third floor with the theater. It's downstairs, outside the mall and around the corner near the parking lot. What.

So, we ran down the stairs and finally got to the counter. The two guys with me picked up their pre-paid tickets, and I stepped up to find out that the theater was full. Totally full. Which means that, while they got to go in and enjoy the movie, I had to walk back the way I had come, get back on the subway and take another auto rickshaw back to my neighborhood. Hah!

Well, now I was determined. I set off for another theater in different part of town. I got there with plenty of time to spare, bought my ticket and waited around for the movie to start. When the doors finally opened, I walked up, only to be stopped by one of the ticket-takers.

"I'm sorry," he said, "no bags allowed."

"Um... I'm sorry?"

"No bags allowed."

"Ok... So, can I just leave my backpack with the guard?"

"No bags allowed."

"Um, can I leave it at the concession stand?"

"I'm sorry, but we do not allow bags."

At this point I was thinking, Oh no you don't. I'm not about to miss my movie because I have a backpack! So I asked, "What am I supposed to do with it, then?"

"You can leave your bag there at the stand."

I turned around and looked where he was pointing. There was a really shady looking samosa stand where apparently they store backpacks and purses and things for the movie. I went over, laughing tiredly, wondering why he didn't just tell me that right away.

Anyway, long story short, I finally saw the movie. Other than a jarring and completely unnecessary intermission right in the middle of an intense scene, it was a rather pleasant cinematic experience.

I walked out of the theater surprised to see that it was night time already. I fought through a huge crowd of other movie-goers, picked up my bag and went back home wondering how exactly it took me 10 hours to see a single movie...

Maharastra - Part 2

If you read Maharastra - Part 1, you know that I had plenty of crazy stories from the first few days in rural India. But things got even cooler after that...

First of all, I met so many unique people that I have a hard time keeping them all straight in my head. I met ancient men and women who were there at the beginning of the Dinbandhu ministry. I met young Christian men who wanted nothing more than to sit at the feet of the Sardars and head out to plant churches of their own.

These sweet elderly villagers were among the first to
receive Christ in the area many years ago.

But there is one meeting that stands out in my memory as both unique and unforgettable. One evening, Sunil invited me to join a group of visiting Muslims for dinner. They were meeting with Sunil and Nitin (his brother) at the church to honor a high-ranking police officer who had, in the recent past, done great work in protecting lower-caste people.

I was blown away by how effortlessly they dialogued about the issues of caste, discrimination and injustice. They were fighting for the same cause, despite their differences of religion. It was powerful. And, upon seeing it for myself, it became a phenomenon no longer limited in my mind to the musings of guys with faux-hawks and soul patches!

Another experience that will stick with me for a long while was a night-time visit to a village that had mostly burned down (due to the fact that there is no water source within 3km). Nitin and the Dinbandhu guys were going to pass out relief supplies and share the gospel with the village, which had never heard it in any form...

To get there, we had to walk about a half of a mile through ankle deep mud in the dark! Wearing jeans and flip-flops, I wasn't exactly prepared for such a treacherous journey. Thankfully, the sheer gratitude of the villagers more than made up for any discomfort I felt. In fact, I had to suppress tears in the midst of the ceremony. This was the gospel (the "good news") being lived out.

The whole village gathered to hear what Nitin had to say.

Oh, but things were not to remain peachy forever. No. For a hideous and monstrous illness found only in the remotest regions of central India struck me down. The common cold. Wait, what? Of all things to get while visiting Maharastra, I get a cold?

Well I'll tell you one thing. It was some cold. I came down with a really bad fever that has come and gone for almost a week. To give you an idea of how high it was, we took my temperature at a point in which I was feeling pretty good. 101.9! Yikes. How bad was it when I wasn't feeling so great?

Well, as with most experiences of this trip, my "cold" became a valuable learning opportunity. The moment word got out that I was sick, everyone just poured into my room to pray for me, bring me chai, force feed me a bunch of really shady looking pills... In other words, a beautiful example of a community coming together to comfort a stranger in need. Wow.

I had one last adventure before returning to Delhi. The Indian railways. Instead of flying back, I decided to take a train alone. When I got onto the train, I was surprised to see that my seat was actually this tiny 6'x2' bunk crammed along one wall near the ceiling. It was, um... cozy. And quite a memorable experience. A 15 hour-long memorable experience. :)

Me laughing about how tiny my bunk was. At least I could almost stretch out all the way if I lay down!

Driving back into Delhi Thursday morning however, I had a bit of re-entry shock. It was early morning, so I was privy to a sight I had not seen before. Row after row of homeless men, women and children sleeping on the sidewalks and medians.

The sight was bitterly sobering. And it reminded me once again of the reason why I am here...