We also have a moon in Canada....

Observations:

Though I'm pretty sure homosexuality is not accepted, there are crossdressers here that wear sarees. They act like a stereotypical gay person... which is quite funny considering how conservative India is! They often travel in groups and are thought to be bad luck, so they come up to people and clap in their faces and are quickly given money. I do not give them money and they are quite snotty about it! They also show up at weddings and demand money or will "bring bad luck to the couple." hmmm...someone said that they are also castrated, but I don't know if that is true (I didn't ask).

Another ridiculous example of how conservative India: Richard Gere was recently in Delhi at an AIDS awareness campaign with an Indian actress Shilpa Shetty, and jokingly kissed her on stage!! Huge PANIC!!! There were huge protests all over the country saying how Gere offended India's women, culture and religion, and they marched around burning a Gere doll yelling about how evil both him and Shetty were etc etc. There is now a ban on some of her movies and they want him arrested!!!

Gandhi's ideas of non-violent protest are still used; I often see signs for hunger fasts for various causes etc. There are also these "bund days" which is when all the shops are supposed to stay closed to protest something. A few weeks ago there was a bund day because the supreme court delayed a case regarding affirmative action in the universities for the scheduled castes/tribes (SC/ST-former untouchables).

While the caste system is thought to be "old-fashioned" and "only in the villages" it is still very present. There is not so much of a connection between caste and occupation, but the upper castes still hold the highest positions and the lower castes are still the poorest. There are various government affirmative action programs for SC/ST but they have had varying success rates. Though within each caste, there are sub-castes so higher sub-castes of the lower castes have taken advantage of all the programs. Caste is kind of a touchy subject, so I only know the basics...

While I was under the misconception that arranged marriages were decreasing, I was quickly told "love marriages never work." The students that I was with for 2 weeks all said they will have arranged marriages. Most of the girls had boyfriends, but "there were caste differences" (probably only sub-caste) so they wouldn't be able to marry them. So, arranged marriages both reflect and reinforce the caste system....

To discourage this, the government will pay inter-caste couples that marry 10, 000 rps (280 CDN), which is a lot here!! There is also free counselling for these couples. The government will also pay women 1000 rps (30CDN) for a hysterectomy.

The number of men here are starting to drive me crazy. You can easily look into a crowd of 20-30 and there only be 1 or 2 women or you can get on a crowded bus full of men! The NGO head office has about 20 men and I am one of 3 women, though it was started by a woman who they all worship :). When I do research, my interpretor is a man, I travel with men, live with men, interview individual men and roomfuls of men!!!! India is the only country with such an uneven sex ratio with the worse state (Punjab) having only 775 females to 1000 males. This is because there is a huge preference for male babies and baby girls are often killed. The numbers are actually getting worse, due to the increased spread of ultra-sound technology (though it is illegal). Punjab is also the richest state! I talked about this with some of the students and they just joked that India will have to start importing wives....

I have been invited to a Muslim wedding here in Hyderabad and am also going to a wedding reception in Delhi. I was really excited about buying a saree, but shopping was actually quite stressful! I had no idea there were so many kinds of Sarees. Thankfully my friend came with me or I would have been totally lost...I would choose one and be quickly told "Sarah please, I told you that silk is totally inappropriate for a wedding!!" The blouse is just getting made and then I have to learn how to tie it (it is a 9 by 1 metre piece of material). :)

I have now been here for 3 months and think I have figured out the basics of living here. Though sometimes I realize some people think I'm an absolute idiot! Recently a man I was talking to told me what and how the cycles of the moon work....

I just got back from a week in the villages researching..and have so much to say but will have to wait...