Raindrops on roses....

There are a lot of things that I love about India. Here are a few:

1) Little boys chasing kites in northern cities like Jaipur. Their eyes are turned towards the heavens as they scurry through the streets and it imbues them with an innocence I scarcely see on urban children here.

2) "Meals" for vegetarians. That's plural. In India they'll call a main dish "meals" and like to think it's because they plop enough food on your plate for multiple people. The sublime feeling of stuffing yourself with deliciously spiced, well cooked and healthy vegetarian entrees is the best (especially after being relegated to garnish and side dishes in many other countries).

3) The smell of jasmine. Most women in southern India tie an eight inch garland of jasmine to their hair and it scents an elevator or a small crowded place with a subtle sweetness. In the midst of all the horrifically stinky odors that India can produce, these white little flowers are an elegant and welcome reprieve.

4) Piles and piles of coconuts. Whether they are used for religious celebrations, the base for cooking delicious thalis, or to smash against a wall for fun, these are omnipresent. Prior to use they lie in verdant green heaps along the side of the road or next to a street vendor. After being used their now-brown and rough outsides are strewn everywhere as well. Most have been halved and after some time they harden to look like wooden bowls.

I will add to this list in the future......:)

Inauguration in India

The time difference between Washington DC and Chennai (10.5 hours) was a perfect setting for an inauguration cocktail party. Right around the time when the political VIPs and random celebrities descended upon the steps of the Hill, some friends popped into a hotel bar for some celebratory champagne. We finagled with the bar's owner to switch off the cricket match and switch on the inauguration festivities. Turns out that all the Indian stations were carrying the inauguration feed as well so listened to Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper fill the air time with anticipatory babble until around 10:30pm. Indian tv stations reported factoids like, "Obama wears a good luck charm of the Hindu God Hanuman." Who knew?

Right when Obama stood up to take the oath of office, the entire bar fell silent (except for a few obnoxious local college students who were playing an inauguration drinking game, taking shots/sips for the mention of key words like, "hope," "crisis," and "dream" i think the crisis guy got hammered). More than a few tears were shed by Americans and Indian revelers stared as much at us as they did the television screens to gauge our reactions. It was an out-of-body experience to feel such a swell of patriotism and pride so far away from home. Yet I feel that the world is watching, hoping themselves that America can once again blaze the trail for the international community. Here's hoping - cheers to Obama!