Relaxing in Jandiala Guru

(Written Dec. 25, 2009, but posted after our trip, due to serious bandwidth and computer issues.)

DECEMBER 25, 2009 — Christmas day in India is interesting. While no one I am near is Christian, they all seem very excited to to say “Merry Christmas!” It is very sweet, really. I knew when we planned the trip that we wouldn’t really have a Christmas. My sister Joyce knew as well. But Kuldip’s family here is doing everything they can to make it feel like Christmas. Gogi is very excited to make a Christmas dinner for us, but from what we can find, just about the only thing available that resembles Christmas dinner is sweet potatoes. That said, I like sweet potatoes.

In a few days we will be heading back to New Delhi before we fly back to Malaysia. In the meantime, we have had some time to hang out, relax and get to know Jandiala Guru, the town outside Amritsar where Kuldip’s family lives.

New Delhi is super crowded and super polluted, and is a very Indian city, but compared to Jandiala Guru, it is almost too Western. By the time you travel far enough to reach Jandiala Guru, the pretense of Westernism is gone. Almost no one speaks English here. And those who say they speak English basically have no idea what I am saying most of the time. Everybody here with a little money does have satellite TV, but almost nobody watches the English channels that are available to them. Virtually no one has an internet connection in their home. Very few people here own a computer. Not many people understand that the Internet comes on things other than mobile phones. And the best part: There are a lot fewer cars here than in New Delhi. Bicycles, horse drawn carts, motorcycles and feet seem to be the most common forms of transportation.

While some people may scowl at the lack of Internet and transportation, it does keep the area very tied to its Punjabi roots. All of the women still wear Punjabi suits every day, all day. There are no rebellious teenage girls running around in mini skirts or jeans. None. The food here is very traditional as well. Women still make their own butter from the milk that comes from the cow (buffalo?) right outside the house. My point? In New Delhi, you can live like you do in the West and observe Indian culture. When you come to Jandiala Guru, you live it. You get to know and understand Punjabis a lot better than you would if you stay in a four-star hotel and ride a bus tour through a village and stare at the people with the colorful outfits.

So, while it hasn’t always been easy, it has always been interesting and usually fun.

The day here for us begins with roti paratha (a freshly made, whole wheat buttery and thicker version of regular roti) and tea.

After breakfast and a lot of chatting comes shower time, which does get complicated. The showers here are of the bucket variety, which means you fill a bucket with hot water and use a cup to pour it over you. But that isn’t so bad. At the right temperature, if feels pretty good to pour the water on you. The real shower challenge is electricity. The power tends to go off here every day around 9am and doesn’t come back on till at least 11am. So either everybody gets up really early or waits till after 11am to shower. The comfort level of the shower also depends on the temperature outside, since the bathrooms tend to lack climate control. That’s the complicated part. When it’s 40 degrees and I have to pour water over me in the cold, it’s challenging. But when I listen to Kulidp or my sister doing the same, it’s fun.

So while one person showers, the rest of us move up to the rooftop to warm up in the winter sun.

By the time everybody has showered and dressed, Gogi and her helpers are already working on lunch, usually some spicy mixed veggies (fresh, of course) and freshly made whole wheat roti. This is about the time that Swinder, a friend of the family, drops by each day. Swinder joins us for lunch, and, being one of the lucky few who has a car, then takes us for a drive to a nearby village, the bazaar, a temple, or the Internet cafe (if there is electricity).

After our afternoon outings, we all head back to the house and eat dinner, chat for a few hours and head to bed.

That, in a nutshell, is life in Jandiala Guru.

Working our way through the Jandiala Guru bazaar.

Catching some rays on the rooftop.

Bicycles are still one of the main forms of transportation here.

Kuldip’s cousin Gogi and Kuldip in Swinder’s living room, waiting for lunch. It was a bit chilly, so we headed for the rooftop.

Kuldip, my sister Joyce and Uncle Sardool in the courtyard waiting for lunch.

Family friend Swinder Singh, who has been driving us around and showing us the sights.

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