Wait.

Did you see what just happened there? You were in despair. You said "What have I done wrong?" You said, "The wrong choice I made in the past is being paid for now." Just this afternoon you said, "I am suffering and it is my fault that things are not changing for the better, that nothing I try will work."

But did you see what I did? I presented you with something out of the blue. Something that you were convincing yourself was not possible. You had given up. And as soon as I provided for you, you almost forgot. Shocking wasn't it? You haven't had a wake up thought like that in a while, have you?

I know you are having a hard time. I know it is not comfortable right now. I know that what comes along doesn't fit exactly into what you think things should be. But wait. Take the moment that is in front of you. Take today. I have tomorrow already taken care of. I am standing in front of the past. Don't try to peak around me. There are no "But... but... but..." conversations. Just stand in the midst of today, with me.

And wait.

Eating Elephants

Satyamev Jayate

Satyamev Jayate is a show airing in India that is becoming very important to creating some corrections to the injustices that are common to the people and ignored by those in authority, both official and cultural. Hosted by Amir Khan (and produced by him and his wife Kiran Rao), the topics being addressed are raising the ire of those that want the status quo kept the same. It is a similar show format to Oprah's talk show when she dealt with serious stuff.

All of the episodes are available with English subtitles. This is the 5th episode, I believe, and addresses love marriages and honor killings associated with them.

If you are wondering about some of the issues Hindustanis (Indian citizens) are facing on a regular basis, please check out episodes or segments of this program on YouTube. It is certainly not all issues, but change comes with each forward step. 

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

This is kinda for me, kinda for the curious others...

Every culture/country in the world has some form of staple "bread" item. Usually, it's a flat bread, often made out of a grain or sometimes a root. It's hard to figure out America's because there is so much influence from other countries. If I had to pick one, I would say Native American Fry Bread, but I think that came after the Europeans got here. 

So, in India, there are several types and varieties of bread native to Indian cooking. My favorite is chapati because of the flavor and, when I am at an Indian restaurant, I try to get roti because it is usually less filling than naan. Leaves more room for the good stuff.

I Googled Paratha Vs. Roti because I wanted to see if anyone had a good side by side description of the types of  Indian bread. I found this and it does a pretty good job. Wikipedia also has good pages and pictures about each of these. Here is the link to this info: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081013075612AAkR6KB

Enjoy!

Roti, Chapati & Paratha are all Indian flatbreads. They are made on a flat top griddle or tawa. They are similar but there are subtle differences:

ROTI is a traditional unleavened whole-wheat bread which, depending on the country and the cook, can be as thin as a "skin" or soft and pliable, closer to a pita. Rotis are eaten mainly in North India but are known as "phulkas" in the West & the South parts of India. Deep fried versions are known as "poori".

CHAPATI is traditionally made from very finely milled whole wheat "chapati flour" and tend to be thin and papery. They are made using a 3 fold process into a triangular shape and then rolled out into a circle. Each layer is well oiled (ghee), resulting in thin layers. This type of flatbread is also known as "poli" and eaten commonly in the Western & Southern regions of India. Nowadays, many cooks add a tbsp or so of yogurt to the dough with the end result being soft chapatis without the excess use of oil or ghee.

PARATHA is a North Indian flatbread that may be stuffed or not. It is usually on the thicker side and may have several layers (8-10) that are well oiled with ghee.

NAAN, which is made from white flour and leavened either with a starter or with yeast. It is traditionally made in a tandoor oven.

BHATURAS are fried versions of naans. They are eaten with chole. (Chole is a dish made with chickpeas, like a curry or masala.)

My New Love Speaks Marathi (Part 3)

So, as I learned more about Inida and how vast and diverse it is, I became enthralled. I began reading about non-movie news every day. I found, as more and more Americans seem to be, that India has this fascinating diversity that co-exists somehow. The conundrum seems to be that there are vast numbers of lower class and poverty stricken people whose numbers are getting larger and a higher class that seems to be getting smaller. The middle classes are struggling to emerge and define themselves. It seems they don't know how to resolve the poverty they see with the affluent life they think they want.


I wanted to understand what was going on more. I also developed an urge to help people there see that they can rise above where they were. I realized that it would be much easier by learning Hindi. Each Indian state or region also has it's own language. Since I want to go to Mumbai and Pune the most, I decided I also want to learn Marathi, which is what is spoken in Marharashtra.


I also decided to focus on Maharashtra because, even though there is so much work that could be done throughout the rest of the country, I would quickly become overwhelmed. (My brain needs something to focus on or it will focus on nothing.) There is so much facing that area right now, BUT there are so many who want to make life in Mumbai better for everyone!


So, how to get there? Well, like I said, language is important. I finally found a teacher in Rancho Cordova that can teach me Hindi and Marathi. I start in a few weeks and am very excited about it. I decided to also present a paper at a symposium at my school in March. It will be on the Jan Lokpal Bill which was recently introduced to the congress there. It is an anti-corruption bill that they have trouble getting passed. It's no too much of a surprise since India has often been found to be the one of the most corrupt countries. Although, per the list I liked here, it's better than it was; but for being the world's largest democracy, it's not doing too hot.


I guess there are a few reasons I want to go to India at this point. I am going to observe. I am going to serve. I am going to have fun. I am going to learn. I am going to connect with humans that are more worried about feeding their kids then posting on Facebook. Maybe I'll even get to help teach kids, which is something that will definitely keep India looking up! There are so many groups there working to help India rise above. I think I will have a hard time deciding where to start when I am ready.


So, that's the direction I am headed in. Not sure of all the steps yet or what the final product will look like. I need to focus on school and language right now. Challo!

My New Love Speaks Marathi (Part 2)

I started watching several movies a week at that point. I read about Bollywood every day. I learned about a movie that was coming out at the time called Ra.One. The closest place it was playing at was in Folsom so I drove down there one weekend to see it. It was so good I drove over to Elk Grove where it was also playing to watch it again. Movies are so much better on a big screen! Some other fun things that I have encountered since this new leg of my journey...

I recently finished Fantasies of a Bollywood Love Thief by Stephen Alter. This was a great book about the whole process of making one movie in particular, Omkara. It also has a lot about the history of the process as well. I got to watch Omkara this week and it was really one of the better Bolly flicks I've seen. It's based on Othello and they did a great job of combining the play into Indian life. Having read the book first made the movie more rich to me, I think. 

I started listening to music and online radio shows so I can keep learning the language. I was listening to BBC Asia on my iTunes at work on the last Thursday of 2011. The show that was on was Friction and the DJ asked people to email requests and what they wanted to see done away with from 2011. I emailed him and he READ MY EMAIL on the air! It was the best - that means people all over the world heard him. 

Another fun thing is I entered a online contest to have this guy, Akshay Kumar, call the winner. 

He's my second favorite Indian actor. After THIS guy...

So, as with many online social media type contests, you were supposed to post answers to a few questions. I know I probably won't win of course, but here are my answers:

1) Which talent would like to have the most and why? 
I would like to be able to learn a full Bollywood style dance and be able to dance with 100 people at once
2) What is it that u dislike the most?
People making judgments about others or what is going on in situations without being able to put themselves in the other person's position or realizing what part of their own fear is getting in the way 
3) Which is ur most treasured possession and why?
My family, someone who knows the things that make me me 
4) How would u like to die?
Quickly, like being shot or in a car wreck or in my sleep because I have the best dreams so it would hopefully just be a continuation of whatever story I was dreaming of 
5) What is ur motto in life? 
There are always two sides to every story, sometimes more. Don't decide until you've learned all you can.
6) If u were to die and come back as a person or a thing what would it be?
I would like to be myself, but keep the knowledge that I have gained. I wonder what I would do the same and what I would do differently.

So, in Part 3, I'll talk about how this opened up into a love for India and a desire to hop over there as soon as possible. 

My New Love Speaks Marathi (Part 1)

I have fallen in love... WITH INDIA!


So, since October 2011, I have begun to focus my efforts on getting to India. I don't know exactly what the path will be but I am learning and taking as many steps as I can while finishing school here. I want to live and work in Mumbai. I don't know if that will look like exactly. I am open to working for the US government, an NGO, a private company or a school. 


For a long time (I mean 5+ years) I have loved watching Showbiz India and Namaste America on Saturday mornings. It's on TV36 in the Bay Area. I loved hearing about the movies and the latest happenings of those Khan fellows. I could follow things pretty much and could recognize quite a few of the actors. I really loved the music and dancing, though.


I moved to Redding for school this fall. It took me a while to find a job and it's part time at that. I haven't had to spend too much time on homework, so that left quite a few hours to fill. I have read some good books (Wilder Life), joined some local interest groups (Redding Folk Dancers, Shasta Miners & Prospectors), visited church a few times and checked out a few local trails.


One weekend, I was looking for movies to watch on Hulu, since I don't have TV here. I decided on a movie called Baabul. Oh. My. Goodness. This is the day I fell in love. 


The movie was long. There were lots of bits and pieces to the characters but I found my self caring about what happened to them. It was like I was watching a Sandra Bullock movie in a language I couldn't understand. But the thing was, I could understand it, partly because there were subtitles. But mostly because I didn't need the subtitles. I knew why the girl was so sad she couldn't eat, and why she was crying and eating at the same time when it was time to bless her husband. 


So the quest began that night. I looked up Indian weddings and marriages. I looked up some of the words and phrases. The world opened up and I realized This is just the beginning.