For "Division - Part 1. New Zealand's Darkest Day" you can read my non-travelling blog on my thoughts after the Christchurch mosque shootings. This blog is the original one I was musing over when this horrific act happened and I felt compelled to reflect on divisions at home before turning my mind to India.
India is a fantastic country to travel in. It’s intense, it’s vibrant, it’s hard work, it’s fun, it’s an ambush on your senses and your mentality.
I must love it…this is my third visit!
The first time I visited I travelled in the North and felt much the same way as I have described above. It was towards the end of 2000 (the world’s computers hadn’t all crashed) and I was 10 months into a year’s travel. I mostly travelled genteelly with my friend Lucy who joined me straight from the UK for a couple of weeks and after one overnight bus trip (my backpacking style) organised a car, driver and nice hotels!! It was a return to backpacking normality when I said goodbye to Lucy and travelled for the next month with Tammy and onto Nepal.
The second time I came to India it was with Chris. It was Christmas 2002 and we had a package tour to Goa. It was a surprisingly romantic holiday as I opened up my Christmas present to find an engagement ring inside! While lovely, lying by the beach in a holiday resort is not like ‘real’ India.
The more I open my eyes in India, the more I see divisions, so I thought I’d summarise some of them below. These are my observations only and not a well researched thesis. If people have got perspectives or feedback about these interpretations then I would love to hear them. I’m definitely here to learn.
The Haves and The Have-Nots
India will never be the developed nation it seems to yearn for while so many live in such poverty. The South of India seems a little less poor than I remembered the North being. I think this has eased us in gently to the real poverty of India, however in two days we will be going on a tour of Dharavi, the largest slum in Asia, so that might put a different perspective on things. Having said that, there’s poverty everywhere you go - this could be a whole separate blog.
There are over 4 million beggars in India, but it’s not just those begging; it’s the millions of people who work, striving to make a living on very little. There are people who travel far away from their families for months and months in order to earn money to send back home. There’s the people selling to tourists who try and make enough during the season to see them through to the next year; who notice the global political situation through the lack of people to trade with.
At the other end of the spectrum - and I never noticed this on previous visits - there are the middle classes and the super dooper fabulously rich. Smart phones don’t suddenly get cheaper in India, yet there’s an abundance of stores selling them; top end clothing, cars and jewellery. There’s high-end brands like Samsonite, Bentley, Chanel and Yamaha …and it’s not the tourists who are keeping them in business.
India ranks third in the world for the number of billionaires (in USD $) with 131 - NZ is 54th with only 2!!
Estimates of the number of middle class Indians seem to range too widely to make much sense to me...but anything between 30 to 300 million...however all stats seem to agree it's a rapidly growing number.
While the superrich have drivers and fancy apartments, we are still seeing a large number of the population (women) walking to the well to get water; cooking outside on open fires and with open sewers running past their doors.
It's ironic in a country that is known globally for its IT "tech" talent you can still walk down the street past rows of men offering "typing" services.
The Colour of Your Skin
Being “famous" in India is amusing, but a bit wearing after the 10th selfie, but it’s the underlying reason why people want photos with us that is sad. Essentially white skin gets you revered.
As with lots of other parts of Asia, shops sell whitening creams and potions and people cover up for fear of getting the tan we pale people often aim for.
As first mentioned in a previous blog I still don’t think I have seen an advert with anyone other than a pale-skinned person on it and I’m pretty sure that is the same for the very limited amount of TV I have seen.
That must mean that many, many people in India don’t see themselves represented within advertising. As I understand it, those in the South tend (not always) to be darker-skinned than those in the north, so that also could mean a geographical split.
Even on my search for anti-perspirant shows a number of products that are for whitening of your underarms. Really?
Women
Quite simply, India has got a horrendous attitude towards women. Over the last few years this has hit the global news with stories about gang rapes.
I see questions pretty regularly in the travel forums that go along the lines of: “is this hotel / town / beach / area safe for a woman travelling alone?” And some of the responses are pretty scary.
Trains have women-only carriages and railway stations women-only waiting rooms. I don’t believe segregation is the way, surely education, effective police support and action and a cultural attitude-shift led by civic and political leaders are needed?
Honour killings aren’t that infrequent in the news here - there have been 300 in the last 3 years. The fact it has a label indicates it isn’t a one-off - it means that (usually) a woman can get killed for bringing her family into disrepute. Even worse, the murderer is usually a member of the woman’s family - such as a father, brother or uncle; often with the explicit encouragement of the mother. The law doesn't seem that effective at dealing with the perpetrators either.
India has poor representation of women in government with only 11.6% and only 39% of women over 25 years have a secondary education, compared with 63% of men.
Even a simple thing like going to school is fraught with difficulties. This article shows only 1/3 schools in India have that were suitable for girls at school. Can you imagine sending your daughters to a school that only had toilets for the boys?
And that’s before you start having your periods, which seems to mean many girls end up staying at home as it still is seen as ’shameful’ and not something that gets discussed. I haven’t quite got my head around the reasons why, but tampons are only available in tourist areas and so not something that Indian girls or women use.
Having a baby seems the prime purpose of getting married. People do not seem to understand Chris and I when we say we have chosen not to have children. We usually get sympathy that we haven’t had any children, or hopes that they will come one day (do they realise how old I am?!) One of the beach sellers told me it was important to have children otherwise you could get divorced…she assured me one of her friends had been cast aside when she couldn’t have children. And it is never the man’s fault (her emphasis, not mine!)
And becoming widowed? Even though 'sati' (burning the widow on the funeral pyre with the husband) isn't used any more, it does seem that being a widow is not great in India for many. They are deemed to have brought 'bad luck' by having their husbands die and so aren't allowed to remarry; may be sent to an ashram; shave their hair (sometimes for the rest of their lives)....
On the plus side, there is a growth in educated middle-classes and so attitudes are definitely changing. The Indian women I know in Christchurch are smart, strong-minded women who I admire. I only hope for India’s sake that the country isn’t losing all its amazing women overseas.
Where You’re Born
India is a massive country. I feel like it's more like travelling through Europe than travelling through one country. We’re just heading to our fifth Indian state - Mumbai is in Maharashtra. Each state seems to have a different language, different food and different cultures.
I therefore think that the divisions across India are somewhat dialled up or down depending on where you are born. Certainly the ’Southern States’ like to think of themselves as somewhat more educated and cultured than other states; whereas there’s a group of states in the North East “the Seven Sisters” that are apparently seen as the “poor cousins” - ignored by legislators and investors. This includes West Bengal where we are heading next, so it will be interesting to see if it is obvious to the outsider.
I also think there is a very different experience if you are a woman from the city than if you are born in a more rural environment which appears to be more conservative and traditional in its attitudes.
Being Gay
This must be exceptionally hard in India, where the family unit is so narrowly defined and so focused on man plus woman making babies.
It was only in September 2018 that the law changed to make it legal to be gay / lesbian. That is, unless you’re in the northern state of Jammu & Kashmir which seems to have its own laws which are more religiously conservative.
It’s still illegal to marry a same-sex partner or have a civil partnership. Sex doesn’t seem to get talked about at all in India, so sexuality isn’t a conversation around the dinner table either - or even at school, or between parent and child.
Ironically, India seems (?) a lot more open about hirjas (intersex and transgender people). They are recognised legally as a third sex and in some states give them special assistance with housing and healthcare. Having said that, it's because they are usually marginalised by society - we've seen a lot of them on our train journeys where they pass through the carriage in groups of 2-3 clapping to get attention and asking for money in exchange for a 'blessing.'
The Caste System
This is a bit like a ‘class' system, but more rigid. It stipulates what you do for a living (eg a priest, a leather worker, rubbish collector), who you can marry (someone in your caste, not outside) and even who you can worship or eat with.
If you're in the know, apparently certain surnames are associated with certain castes, so you can work out who to avoid or buddy up to?
It was officially made illegal in 1950, still seems to be very much a part of India, but not talked about openly. A look in the news mentions caste honour killings, but my online travel app doesn’t mention it.
Even though it is illegal, there are certain 'quotas' set aside in government jobs and for university entrance for people of certain castes and a chat with people as we've been travelling shows it's very much alive.
Religion
Mmmm, so I know this is one that is particularly controversial.
India is primarily a Hindu nation (80%), with 14% Muslims, 2% Christians, 1.7% Sikhs, 0.7% Buddhists and 0.4% Jains making up the other faiths. On the whole, it seems people live harmoniously across many different religions. The call-to-prayer echoes from mosques; drums bang as another Hindu festival is celebrated and occasionally we’ve even heard the chime of church bells!
Having said that, India has seen a number of religious flare-ups over the years, with thousands of people killed. The current Prime Minister, Modi and his party appear to be biased towards Hindus which have increased religious tensions.
India gained independence from the British in 1949. Gandhi was famous for his non-violent approach and was a big advocate of an independent AND united India. What actually happened in 1949 was that religious differences meant that India got divided - Pakistan was created for Muslims; the Hindus got India. This led to the biggest mass migration the world had ever seen as 14 million people were displaced by their religion. Many literally lifted themselves up from where they had been living and relocated; up to two million people died in the process. The Kashmir region is still disputed and the last few weeks have again seen India and Pakistan playing a serious game of tit for tat airstrikes and apparently being the most antagonistic to each other since 1972.
As an outside observer this hatred towards each other does seem to stem from a basis of religious division. I made a comment on social media following the Christchurch shootings and got a couple of comments (gratefully received) that it was not about religion, so I understand it is more “complicated” and nuanced than that. I am sure political posturing plays a large part, especially as India has its General Elections in April and May and Modi will be seeking a second term, however I wonder why the argument is specifically with Pakistan? I've spoken with a few Muslims who feel more “Indian” than “Muslim” if you are asking them about the situation….I’m genuinely interested so still seeking to understand this one.
As we have travelled through India, I do notice that religion pervades every day conversations.
While at our Workaway, I was told the majority of the things the British brought to India were great, including Christianity, education and transport. All the bad things I know the Brits did (like kill people and take over the country) weren't that bad on reflection. I'm paraphrasing obviously, but the message was that Christians were great and Hindus had not done so much for the country.
A few days later Chris and I got talked at in a cafe by a man who basically said all the things Muslims did were bad and Hindus did were good.
No middle grounds, no reference to specifics, just broad brushes.
I could go on.
I know this is a very top level set of observations coming from my very limited understanding of this country and I’ve already acknowledged it is super complex. The divisions that I have observed over the last couple of months are ones that limit India. I've read books, looked online and talked with people, so have formed some of these opinions from trying to understand this country and getting other perspectives too.
I acknowledge that we are in the 'elite' as we view things. I really enjoy being in India (mostly!) and Chris and I mention on a regular basis how lovely people are to us.
While watching people pulling carts, carrying water on their heads or washing their clothes in a river is part of what makes India fascinating to me as a voyeur; I am not so keen on travelling when I hear India and Pakistan are having another tit for tat. Or listening to people making comments based purely on race.
I think it would be better for everyone if differences were put aside and people worked to build India better together.
I suppose it goes back to my belief that diversity and difference brings strength.
Of course, India isn't the only country or group that this could apply to.