For my first field mission with work, I traveled with two colleagues to a small town around Jalandhar, Punjab. Punjab is the only majority Sikh area in the world. There was a higher number of turbans than in Delhi -- though not ubiquitous -- as well as impressively high rate of bejeweled daggers per capita. (Carrying a dagger, called a kirpan, is a requirement of Sikhism. I heard a recent story about bandits trying to rob a train in Punjab full of Sikh women, unaware that the women all had kirpans strapped to their ankles. It did not end well for the bandits.) We stopped at the market in nearby Ludhiana, where we hired a couple bicycle rickshaws to show us around. I'm going to go back to Punjab in a few weeks to see the Golden Temple, the holiest site in Sikhism.
My coworker bragged that our train to Punjab was the fastest in India, which is why I was somewhat surprised when it showed up looking like something from a Buster Keaton movie. Nonetheless it was a fast ride, and most impressively, they served more food than I've ever seen on a vehicle in my life. At least four trays of food and three rounds of (non-alcoholic) drinks for a four-hour train. I think that service is specific to that one train, but still, well done India.
In Punjab we met with an organization that assists bonded laborers -- people who have been forced into slave-like conditions after incurring a debt to their employer. I spoke with several of the escaped laborers through a translator, and they told me stories about being beaten for attempting to take a sick day and other disturbing incidents. Bonded labor issues only loosely connect to my actual work assignments (on caste discrimination), but it felt worthwhile to have some first-hand interactions while I'm here.
I explored more of Delhi this week as well – in particular Akshardham Temple, one of the most massive, ornate buildings I’ve ever seen. (Unfortunately they don't permit cameras.) Every inch of the building is a stone carving of an elephant or a Hindu deity. The area surrounding the temple can best be described as a Hindu amusement park. First there was a boat ride through 10,000 years of Indian history. (Though as my friend, a Muslim, pointed out, it was a somewhat selective recounting of Indian history). The boat ride gave India credit for inventing every field from atomic science to plastic surgery, which reminded me of similar claims from my time in Greece. Next there was a series of animatronics scenes depicting the life of the temple’s spiritual founder, a 19th century swami, in what was probably my first experience receiving spiritual wisdom from a robot.
Here are some pictures of Punjab (the street with the bricks is outside the bonded laborer organization):
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