Song of India - V - South India

Next I went on south to visit my friend in Bangalore. The train went first to Madra on the coast and then another train went inland to Bangalore. We arrived late in the evening and I took a motor tonga out to the house.

My friend’s name was Anna. When I had known her she had been only 21, and a graduate student at the University of Illinois. I had known many students at the University. One of the largest groups of Indians in the United States is there, studying engineering and agriculture. There are many connections between the department of agriculture there and sister or affiliate institutions in India, with exchange of professors, materials, etc. Anna had studied biology, and then gone on to Kentucky to finish there.

Anna was a Christian name, and she and her family were Christians. They say that St. Paul in his travels hit the southern coast of India in Kerala, and spread Christianity there. Hence many of the people there are Christians. Now she was married and had moved to Bangalore. Her husband was finishing his degree at the Indian Institute of Sciences.

We had some difficulty in finding the house, but at last we discovered it. Anna was radiant. She looked beautiful in her sari, and very matronly. She welcomed me warmly. “At last you have come,” she exclaimed. I was to be their guest for as long as I wished, a month or more. They were very hospitable. They moved out of their bed into the next room and gave me their own bed, with mosquito netting, etc. Since it was late we retired for the night.

The next morning after a breakfast of eggs I gave her the toaster I had brought from Hong Kong. There were toasters in India but they were very expensive. She was quite pleased, and we used it the other mornings. I also brought some other gifts from Japan.

Her house was quite modern. It had a living room, two bedrooms, a dining room and kitchen. The living room had a davenport, cushioned chairs, coffee table and rugs. Only the windows were Indian style, open but barred. I saw no window screening in the whole country. The bedrooms had big plush beds with mosquito netting, and chests and dressers. The dining room had table and chairs. Only the kitchen was rather Indian. It had a counter around the edge which held, among other things, two round kerosene burners which they used. It also had running tap water which was quite unusual. The bath was also Indian, a small room with a drum full of water and jugs for dipping and pouring it over you. They also heated some water for washing. The toilet was just outside the back door, with a spigot for washing and flushing, inside. The house also had electric lights.

Anna and I talked a lot. Her husband was also studying biochemistry and stood first in his class, so she was very proud of him. They had chosen each other in marriage and their families had agreed. Then she had come to Bangalore to live. Choosing marriage partners was still unusual; usually it was the families that made all arrangements. The modern films in India however showed many love marriages. It was the theme of most of the shows.

So besides a modern home she had a modern marriage. They also had a huge dog which they kept on the front porch. I guess it was for protection. A servant girl also came during the day to help with the work, sweeping and cleaning. Anna did the cooking.

The days were cool because Bangalore as well as Mysore is on a plateau, and even in the summer it never gets too hot. The same was true for Madras on the seacoast where I went later. Thus the days were pleasant.

It seems that when one visits in India one rests at the house for several days before going out, just talking and relaxing and getting used to the hospitality. I didn’t know this however and was anxious to see the city. I’m afraid I broke the rule and took several trips downtown when I should have stayed at the house.

Bangalore had different sections. The part I first visited seemed like a crowded city, with narrow streets and bullock carts and cows wandering thru the crowds like people. It was in the older part of the city. There were many little shops lined along the streets, and the usual bustle and commotion.

When Anna and I went shopping however it was in a part of town with big wide street and cars running along them. The stores too, were larger and very nice. The city seemed wide and spacious.

One day we visited some friends of theirs, a doctor and his wife and children. We caught a bus over to the house. There was a big fence around the front yard, and sidewalk up to the porch. They had a car too, which seemed very unusual. They were the only people I met who had a car in India.

The house was also fixed up like Anna’s, with furniture, sofas, chairs, tables, etc. There were also two built-in bookcases on each side of the door leading into the dining room. They had books and odds and ends and flowers on the shelves. Part of the cooking was done in the house and part in another building in back, where there was a large stove made of brick with places for the pans on top.

The children showed me the back yard with its trees and ducks and chickens. Toilet facilities were also in the back yard. Two of the geese which were running around in the morning when we came were our meal in the afternoon. All the process of cleaning and cooking them was done within that time. It was quite a feast, with many special dishes which she had cooked in honor of the guests. It was quite delicious. The doctor kidded her about putting so much red pepper in the food. He said it even was too much for him and that she came from a part of the country that used more chilies than here. Anyway, she had held back for this meal for me. There were even some sweet dishes. There was one bread-like dish made from rice flour and water that is put in a piece of bamboo and the ends sealed and then steamed. It was like sweet white cakes.

After we had eaten, we sat in the living room and talked for a while more. One visitor came to see the doctor. Then they said they would take us for a ride in the car so we could see more of the country. So we all got in the little European make, with the children in our laps, and drove to the country. On the way we saw a funeral procession. They were carrying the body and there were many colored banners. The people walked behind. He said they were going to bury the body. There are some burials though most of the people are cremated.

We stopped at a village in the country, as I had asked to see a village. It had some brick walls but not long. There were wells and houses. We walked among the dung and straw and it seemed quite different from the house we had come from. I asked him how the people managed to stay well and he said the only thing that saved them from the mosquitoes was that the houses were dark at night and so they weren’t attracted. Thus lacking light was an aid.

On the way back form the village we had a flat tire. I was quite embarrassed because it was I who had wanted to see the village. Now we were far from the city and it was dark. What trouble it was! The two men had to go all the way back to the city to get tools and a tire, while the women and children waited. Besides it was raining. A police station was nearby and we waited on the porch and in the little room there. I brought some bananas at a stall nearby to help compensate for my misadventure. Finally the men came back and we made it back to the city.

Anna’s cousin also had a motor scooter which he was very proud of. He insisted that we see the city on it, and many times took me through the city riding on the back of it. We saw all the new government buildings which were very impressive. We also went to a large park with huge trees and full of flowers. It stretched on and on, with huge trees and was very lovely.

In the city at that time was a festival in honor of machines and metal utensils of all kinds. Buses and cars were decked out with wreaths of flowers in front, and encircling the headlights, making them appear like eyes peeking out from the flowers. It looked funny to see garlanded cars. The cousin said at the plant where he worked they broke cocoanuts over the machines and then had a holiday. We went next door to see the decorations inside the house. The lady greeted us and gave us a leaf of sweetmeats. There was a table set up in the living room with sand and decorations and many flowers, arranged by her daughter, and in front of it being honored were all the metal utensils of the household. This is an annual celebration in the south.

I stayed almost two weeks at Anna’s and then it was time to go. They walked with me down the street to the bus stop. The lady servant carried my small suitcase, Anna said this was the custom, and then as I was leaving, I could tip her a rupee or two for her work while I was at the house. The bus came and we said goodbyes. It had been a lovely stay, full of warm hospitality.

Now I was going on to Mysore to see the Dasara festival. I went downtown and transferred to another bus and was on my way. At the border between Madras and Mysore states that bus had to stop while they searched through it for articles forbidden in the next state. At another place the bus stopped by a wayside shrine. The priest was just breaking a cocoanut someone had brought and the people wee picking up the flying pieces.

Soon we were at Mysore. All accommodations had been reserved weeks ahead for the festival and all hotels, dak bungalows, railroad stations and rest houses were full for miles around. But I was going to try at the Maharani College where they had a youth hostel set up during the school’s holiday for the festival. I applied there and everything was full, typically in this country where they always found a place for a foreign girl, they gave me a room that ordinarily was not used for lodging. IT had a separate entrance in the back of the main dormitory, and inside were several chairs and a long wide bench that could be used for a bed. It was very plain but I was thankful for it. Why shouldn’t a youth hostel be like roughing it? I made myself at home.

Later I saw the rooms inside the dormitory. The halls were large and spacious and the rooms much like ours at home. There was bedding on the beds and everything seemed quite comfortable. I saw the room of a family whom I traveled with while I was in Mysore. There was a mother and many daughters and one small son who had come here for the festival. They took me along and we saw many of the sights together.

Outside of the palace, Mysore was like a sleepy country town. The palace was the center of the city and there were large buildings around it, but then only the streets and scenes of a small town. Of course there were large crowds because of the festival. I stood in the courtyard of the palace amid the throng, waiting to catch a glimpse of the maharajah. There were several elephants standing by too. While I was waiting I saw two temples in the corners of the courtyard. We were allowed to go inside them. At last some uniformed boys began marching and the procession began. The maharajah was reputed to be a good man, and was also elected head of the state. He rode an elephant and constantly raised and lowered his jeweled hand to the people, but kept looking straight ahead, only his hand moving. It was hard to get close enough to see the parade so I missed most of it.

Even more important than the parade was a huge exhibition set up in town. It was so large that it took several days to see it all. On display were booths from all over Mysore state showing handicrafts and local products. The government also had many displays showing all the new dams built, and the new water system in large relief maps. They also had agricultural displays of all the products grown in the state. There were also book displays. Then, there was the usual candy and food for sale at the fair. The exhibits were excellent and I spent several days exploring them.

After Dasara, Mysore returned to its sleepy self. Cows wandered among the people on the streets. Merchants sold their wares along the sidewalks. In front of one store were a number of woodcarvings by the children of Mysore. They were done on heavy dark blocks of wood and were of cows, bullock carts and other animals. Each was incomplete in a different way typical of children. They were quite nice. I bought a cow on wheels to send to some friends back home. The same merchant also had various kitchen utensils all made of wood.

Along the main street were more shops. Mysore was famous for sandalwood and many of them sold inlaid sandalwood boxes of all sorts with delicate and complicated designs. The scenes on the boxes were also done in different colors. India is well known for its various handicrafts of which this is one.
There was also a perfume shop! This is the only place in India where sandalwood perfume may be bought. Sandalwood is naturally fragrant, and this is the perfume. In itself it was peerless, but the way it was packaged. In typical Indian fashion it was put in small chemistry bottles! Such excellent perfume in such plain bottles. The top was wrapped in cotton and sealed with the tiny thread-like string wrapped around and around. I bought several bottles for presents.

There was also the typical market. It had a baffle of cement posts set in the ground, keeping the animals out. There were gunny sacks of different grades of rice, and some of dahl and other kinds of lentils. There were cans of sugar, salt, flour, and powdered milk. There were squares of jaggery or partially refined brown sugar, not too clean with little specks of black in it. For the ladies were little pyramids of red and purple colored powders for the red mark on the forehead. Wreathes of yellow and white flowers were also sold. The stalls were old and worn with the years of trading. At one stall I was looking at one of the little oil lamps made out of cinder block and he gave it to me for a present. I was quite surprised.

The streets were wide and dusty on the way back to the college. Along the road were people sitting cross legged, selling their wares. On some of the street corners were food carts. Cows wandered along the streets the same as people. At last I arrived at the walled courtyard of the college. Outside people stood or sat along the wall. Inside was spaciousness and huge bending trees.
That night I went to Brindaban gardens with my friends. It was a change to go out at night, with the family. We caught the bus and then walked down the long approach. It was a formal garden full of all kinds of flower beds, and ponds with colored lights along the water, and fountains. It was full of colored lights and water. It is supposed to be one of the most famous sights to see, but the artificiality was not to my taste. We walked among the plots of flowers and then sat down on the lawn and ate some sweets. Then back to the hostel where were staying.

The next morning I woke early, and the stars were still shining in the sky. I could see across to the house across the lawn where everyone ate. There in the early grayness the men had gathered outside for an early smoke. I listened to them talking across the darkness. Soon they would begin preparing the tea and cakes for breakfast. In this little house all the guest were fed. Inside they swept the floor and then put mats in a row on each side. The girls sat in back of the mats on the floor and they brought the food on leaves and served them. At first it doesn’t seem clean to eat on the floor but gradually you get used to it.

One of the men who worked there also washed my sari for me. There were several raised stone ledges, slightly sloping, used for washing clothes. First he put some soap powder on it, then one, two, three, pause…one, two, three, pause…he rhythmically worked the soap into the material. After it was washed he dipped it into a bucket of water and rinsed it several times. Then he rung it out, twisting it very tight. Then he hung it up to dry. How nice of him to have done it for me.

The next day I went to visit a temple at nearby Somnathpur. At first when the bus stopped it looked as if nothing were around, but then I saw a building across an open field. The temple was a marvelous structure beautifully designed. It was shaped rather like a maple leaf with groups of point jutting out all around. There were several layers of stone to about head-height, all carved alike. Around the outside were stationed enormous carved elephants. I walked around and around the temple admiring the structure. Inside the round stone pillars looked as if they had been machined on a lathe. They were smooth and perfect.

The following day I visited the temple at Sriringapatna, another small town nearby. There were the traditional three courtyards of a Hindu temple. Entering the temple there were long hallways on all sides of the next inner temple. Along these hallways were grated niches and some of them were open. In them sat carved statues of the different gods. They were colorfully done. In front was a plate where you could throw a penny or two in offering. At some of them you could receive a dipper of holy water. I walked along the hallways viewing the gods.

The doors were wood paneled with carved strips and bells on them. Some of them were chained and padlocked. The ceiling had half pillars of stone around the sides with ledges between them. In the outer temple people sat around talking and lounging on the ledges. It didn’t seem like a religious atmosphere at all. Hindu temples open at 5:30 in the morning and close at noon so you must visit them early.

In the inner temple people pressed noisily against the railing holding up their offerings of cocoanuts and flowers on leaves. The priest would come along and take one of the offerings and carry it into the next room where another priest would split the cocoanut and keeping half, give back the other half. Some people also brought bananas. One priest carried a big tray with money on it, and a flame. The women would scoop the flame toward them twice. Another priest carried a pot of holy water and put a tiny dipper full into each hand. The people would drink it and ten put it on their forehead.

After a week I left Mysore and went on south to Madura. Here I saw the famous Meenakshee temple. It had four huge tiered gateways, each soaring high in the air. I slipped off my sandals at the gateway and entered. Inside on the stone floor were many statues of the gods along the hallway. People prostrated themselves full length on the floor in front of them. Others walked around and around the gods. Others sat meditating before them.

Inside, with the open sky above, was a huge tank full of water. Steps led down and down into it. People bathed and washed in the talk. The whole temple was huge, and very impressive.

I stayed at Madura only a few hours and then caught the train again north to Madras.

On to VI - Manabalipuram