Women Wandering India

Travel is great for overhauling our gratitude, isn’t it? I’m currently in India with my girlfriends, a plan we made years ago that we committed to making happen, and for me something I had wanted to do since my twenties. A friend who had travelled India a few times had said to me that it would exhilarate you and disgust you simultaneously. How true this is. We have marvelled at history, architecture, the shopping and master craftsmanship; the colour, the energy, the cheeky sense of humour and the glorious food. At the same time the poverty, lack of sanitation, rubbish, pollution and the smell has also overwhelmed. Every day on the street in the towns we have visited we dodge all kinds of excrement and spit – Oh the spitting will be a sound I won't miss and the chaotic driving and traffic.

We, westerners, have got it sooooo good in our countries.

I have met some wonderful people and will have cherished memories.

I look forward to sharing them with you all. We met some impressive business women that I will introduce you to in Brave Magazine.  I’m currently writing this from Delhi, I have my last two days before I fly out Tuesday night and I find myself wishing I had met more women.  Men dominate here. In a country with over a billion people that’s not surprising I suppose. Men front everything from beauty salons to henna art. There were plenty of women in their beautiful colour and splendid sari’s, and I didn’t see any who were idle or not busy making food or looking after children, but the ratio of men to women we saw would be at least 20.1  

The caste system is in place here that I wonder will ever change. The Brahmans are at the top and came from priests or holy people, the Kshatriyas who are the warriors military and rulers: the Vaishyas, the merchants and farmers. Next come the Shudras, the peasants, and finally the Dalits - the untouchables who are right at the bottom.  There is more on these levels and what they mean here. To the travelling outsider, we are not sure who is who except for some of the obvious such as the untouchables and peasants, but we did discover that you're born into your caste and it doesn’t change until you reincarnate. One man we met who was a waiter and was Brahman (top class) gave this example.  Let's say a shudra or lower caste came into some money and opened a shop.  Nobody in India would enter or patron there because of their class. In India they know who is who – I find this so challenging. I have a lot of questions that possibly won't get answered on one visit around the caste system.

As for the question of equality, well that’s a whole other conversation. We met a young woman on her own, a lawyer from Dallas. This intelligent, smart woman had to continually lie about her status, had to pretend her boyfriend was just back at the hotel, or she was already married so that she didn’t get hassled. We have even been ogled, which we found somewhat funny as we are in our 40’s and 50’s LOL!

In a major city like Delhi, we can see some progress here. Cabs with stickers that say they are safe for women to ride in. Education programs and advertising on women's rights and educating men on how to treat women, but its slow going.

We saw a bride and a groom  (its wedding season here)  and the bride we saw didn’t look happy and excited, this, of course, could be many reasons but we couldn't help but wonder if the union was arranged.

Well, that’s it from me right now. I have appreciated the rest and time out, but I'm recharged and super keen to get the year going. I’m full of gratitude and vigour and look forward to connecting and catching up with you all.

Love and hugs

Andy x