It always amazes me to see the unbelievable contrasts of India. Today we awoke to the sound of Tur Dal being beat on the concrete of the basketball court. 
This is the same process that has been used for centuries, and yet right outside the wall is a near modern cosmopolitan city. Better yet, one-lady answers her cell phone, but quickly puts it away when she see me taking pictures.
Talk about confusing, India’s constitution guarantees freedom on religion, but we just read in the newspaper there is now a draft of a Bill being presented to Maharashtra Government to ban “forced” conversions. They claim that all conversions are done with some type of allurement. One representative alleged, “It might cause discomfort to Christians and Muslims.” DUD-You think?
Here in the village they have NO indoor plumbing…the land around used for their toilet facilities, BUT they have money for a huge flat screen TV on the wall of the tiny home….GO FIGURE.
We constantly see very nice cars;
Toyota, Mercedes, Jags, Porsche, even a Ferrari, but also these cars share the rode with bullock carts.
Loren says he would never want a really expensive car in India, too much congestion, and absolutely no parking. It is rare to see a car without scratches.
Also there are tremendous contrasts in the way you can do shopping. The other day we were crossing a bridge on our way to Iwari, I saw a cart loaded with area rugs. “Bos, bos, stop, stop, I think there is a one that would look good in our room.” Loren said, “Let’s wait till we get to the other side of the bridge.” “NO, NO stop now.” “Oh, Sylvia, you are crazy, it will cause a huge traffic jam.” “That’s OK! Just raise the bonnet (hood) and everyone will simply think we are having car trouble.”
As Loren is haggling on price and finally purchasing the carpet, a bus managed to get around us, the “tea wallas” hanging on the edge, yelled, “Sir, chai, chai?”
This was a memory maker that would not have happened in the mall. 
Even after all the years of coming to India, I am still overwhelmed at times by the extreme contrasts, in a county that is changing at such a fast pace.We were driving back to Prakash and I spotted a young man with a loom. Stopping to take a picture we found that he makes rugs out of old rags…ingenuity.
But look closely, he has an IPod.
Like I said, “India is the land of contrast—don’t you think?
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Thank you again for your prayers and support
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| * Some names have been changed to protected the privacy and safety of the characters in my stories. |
