I arrived in Hyderabad for work early in September at about 9 a.m. It is a beautiful city – well, the area around the airport is very beautiful. Some employees from our office picked me up and gave me some history about the state. Andra Pradesh, the state in which Hyderabad resides, is currently considering splitting into two states based on the coastal people’s desire for an autonomous state. The issue is being decided by a panel of people from outside of AP that know nothing about AP so they won’t be biased. Just in case you didn’t know, that is how they drew the line for partition of India and Pakistan – they hired some map guy that knew nothing about India to do it in a “scientific” manner. He split entire villages, the Punjab, Kashmir – English logic at it’s best. There are also so many Muslims in Hyderabad they wanted to join Pakistan and be an autonomous region in the south. There are women in burkas everywhere – they make me feel hot and sweaty.
Driving around the city, you get a feel for a place that the English never touched – winding streets, bazaars and temples at every corner – it is the most beautiful and fascinating place I have ever been. There are pink rocky outcrops all over town like in Sedona. The architecture spans ultra modern to traditional white washed block style houses to entire hills covered with slum houses (tarp on a few sticks).
Today is Ganesh Immersion Day. I know what you are thinking, but the reality is there are giant pink elephants on every corner lit up with rope lights. There will be a parade of Ganesh’s today, and then they will float hundreds of thousands of statues lit by candles in the lake and the people will party in the streets all day. It seems like my only opportunity to dance in the streets of India, but I am headed off to Bangalore in an hour, so will miss the madness. It is surreal to have giant pink elephants on every corner. My friends at the New Bardo Hotel and Conference Center would find it pretty damn funny as we have an annual Pink Elephant Party. I am just happy to pass 20 foot high pink elephant by 20 foot high pink elephant, knowing that J would be insanely jealous at all the pink elephantey goodness that awaits him in India. The pink elephants are also fitting because of the 50 million hour flights and constant mini flights, my ankles have swollen to the size of elephant legs. I am unable to escape the modern traveler’s curse – fat ankles.
I spent a few hours in our office and gave a presentation. That office is full of attorneys and they wanted to debate everything, which I love. I finally came into contact with my first non-western bathroom. There is a bucket, a scoop and a water supply next to the toilet. I literally didn’t know what to do and still don’t and certainly didn’t want anyone to have to explain it to me. Luckily, I just had to pee.
Our state director, S, invited me to his home for dinner, which was an incredible honor. He has a fantastic literature collection and his wife is a judge. As the guest, I had to just sit there and be served. That was hard for me to do as a natural helper (I am helping, right?). I got to meet his father, a retired politician who was home recovering from a serious illness and see his extensive collection of Noam Chomsky books. Noam is a national hero. He is the Justin Beiber of India. It is amazing.
I got a call from some of my team members in Orissa - there was a Cholera and Dengue Fever outbreak in Bhubaneswar where I am headed tomorrow and 3 staff members are sick with Cholera. One said, “it is fine as long as you don’t get dehydrated. I get this all the time, you just need a bunch of Gatorade”. I hang with some tough chicks at work. Don’t cross an aid worker, they will shank you.
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