WELCOME TO BANGALORE

Part One: Mumbai Airport Part Two: Arriving in Bangalore Part Three: Private Tour Stop One Part Four: Private Tour Stop Two Part Five: Private Tour Part Three Part Six: Into the City Part One Mom is reading a book right now called Behind the Beautiful Forevers, which is a true story about the slums just outside of the Mumbai Airport. According to her book, there are walls built up around the slums with “Beautiful Forever” written on them, preventing people from seeing the city’s poverty and making the city seem more “up and coming.” Our hotel was near the airport, so I have been keeping an eye out for them since we arrived. However, I did not see them until we were walking down the bridge to the airplane. Just past the concrete wall, signifying the edge of the airport property, there were miles of slums. Again, it was remarkable to see the contrast–rags to riches. Part Two Prerna was unable to hide her excitement and nervousness to see her family after a year apart. I could not help but smile when they were all reunited, as they were beyond happy. Her father, mother, and sister greeted us with nothing but warmth and kindness. One of the first statements her father made to us was “here, we say guests are like gods, so now, you are a god.” He has since ensured that we are always taken care of and comfortable. The tour of Bangalore began right away, consisting of three stops. Part Three Immediately, we noticed three differences between Bangalore and Mumbai: the weather is much more pleasant here in Bangalore, the traffic is not nearly as crazy, and it is quieter because car horns are not constant noise. Driving to the Girijamba temple, the reduced noise was refreshing. However, the sides of the street were, again, lined with trash. We drove through a small town that was full of activity, and on either side of the road, there were rows of cattle. Here, people come to buy and sell cattle. I could not help but sympathize with the animals. They were tied up tightly, and from what I could tell, there was even a rope strung through the animals’ noses. Prerna’s sister explained to us that there is a festival on Tuesday in the town holding the temple we were going to visit, and the town was busy due to preparations for the festival. Entering the temple, Prerna’s father and sister explained that the temple is 1,300 years old and where Shiva got married. Tuesday signifies the wedding anniversary, so therefore, the festival is taking place. Along the pathway to the temple, set-up for the festival was taking place. Tall towers, on wheels, were being build out of wood. On Tuesday, these towers will be decorated and moved throughout the city–there will be temples everywhere, as each of these towers is a temple. Men were sitting high up on the towers, building them, so I can only hope that they are very sturdy. It would be a long fall. Before entering the temple, we took off our shoes and washed our hands. The detail in and age of the temple is incredible. Prerna and her family showed us each section of the temple, and we participated in the Hindu rituals. Indian weddings take place in the temple still today, and Prerna explained some of the traditions, including circling a fire to signify that the husband and wife will be together for seven lives. Just beyond the section of the temple that the weddings take place, there is an open room with a pool of water, which is common in temples. As we were leaving, Prerna’s mom placed a Bindi on each of our foreheads, which is the third eye in the Hindu religion and wards off bad luck. It was a unique and valuable experience to be guided through the temple and the rituals within by Prerna’s family. Part Four The second stop of our tour by Prerna’s family was at the Sai Baba temple. Sai Baba is not a God but rather a really good person. Again, we removed our shoes and washed our hands before entering. This temple did not appear to be nearly as old as the other. We moved through each room of the temple, and carried out rituals similar to the ones in the other temple. However, in one room a large fire burned. Before entering the temple, Prerna’s mother purchased small bags of nine different grains, signifying the nine planets. It is believed that these nine planets influence human lives and are responsible for the good and bad times. In the fire, we poured the bags of grains, while thinking of our dreams and desires. It is said that those dreams and desires will then come true. After visiting the temple, homemade food that was served. The food is eaten with the hands, rather then silverware, and is entirely free of charge, the idea being that no one go hungry.

Part Five For dinner, Prerna’s family took us to a quiet, nice location. It was beautiful and very peaceful. Joelle and I took a walk around the grounds of the resort with Prerna’s sister, who is sixteen, and talked about our hobbies and the different schooling systems in the United States and India. Prerna, her mother, and Mom joined us shortly after, and we played on a small playset that we found while talking more. Dinner appetizers ready, we returned to the restaurant area. Stories were exchanged and conversations took place before we transferred tables for dinner. Once again, a great amount of food was ordered. It seemed never ending, and no was not an acceptable answer. Everything had to be tried, and everything had to be eaten. There certainly is no shortage of food on this trip. After dinner, we were invited back into the kitchen. One of the chefs showed up how naan bread is made. At table level, there is a circular oven. The naan dough is in a ball, so the chef flattened it. Then, he put the dough on what appeared to be a sort of cushion and used his bare hand, holding the cushion, to throw the naan to the wall of the oven. Here, it stuck and baked. Next, the chef used a long, metal stick to peel the naan from the wall and flip it. Despite how much naan I have eaten this trip, I had no idea how it was made, although it was not how I would have imagined. Following the kitchen tour, we received a tour of the bakery. Fresh cookies were baking in the oven, and the waiter took them out to let us try each of them. Again, no was not an acceptable answer, and we found ourselves overwhelmed with cookies. Part Six Completely stuffed and exhausted, it was time to say goodnight and head to the hotel. Since leaving the airport, everything was noticeably quiet compared to Mumbai. However, we were outside of the city of Bangalore. Driving into it, we started to get a taste of Mumbai again, although not nearly as bad. Some horns were honking and there was a bit of traffic, but thankfully, it is all on a much smaller scale compared to Mumbai.

Portable wooden temple

Girijamba Temple

Girijamba Temple

Prerna's family

Water pool

Hindu ritual

The parents

The sisters

Bindi

Cattle sale

Hindu ritual

Hindu ritual

Local selfie

Naan bread oven

Bakery