Catavino is Back in Spain: The Customs, Culture and Cuisine of India(2)
We watched the bride¡¯s 80 year old grandmother dance to both traditional Bengali music and western techno, ate authentic Bengali food from the north of India, enjoyed long conversations over the customs and norms of both Hindu and Indian culture and saw traditional rituals that make many American celebrations seem rather vapid and meaningless.
We experienced the art of handmade Persian rugs, made by two men sitting side by side at a loom and singing the various colors to one another while cutting each string at lightening speed. Tip: true Persian rugs should have a darker shade and a lighter shade depending on which end of the rug you are standing on. We learned that the descendants of those who worked on the meticulous and awe inspiring Taj Mahal, inlaying semi-precious stones in the translucent white Indian marble, to date, are selling their crafts. And although we didn¡¯t meet the descendants, we did see the artwork in practice, where tiny slivers of precious stones are inlaid into the marble to make three dimensional designs of incredible detail. Tip: true Indian white marble used in this work is translucent, unable to corrode and very difficult to break. Finally, we were given a demonstration on what determines real Pashmina, a type of fine cashmere taken from the Pashmina goat in the Himalayas. Tip: Although even I can find ¡°Pashmina¡± here in Spain, only those scarves that can repel water for a length of time, as a result of the goats dander, is true Pashmina. (Keep watch of Ryan¡¯s Flickr account in the coming days to see photos of these amazing crafts)
On the other end of the spectrum, we felt small ripples from the Mumbai bombing located not 1000 km southwest of Delhi. Bombarded by pictures of blood stained streets on local tv and newspaper reports, we wondered how safe we were, as the continual tensions between Pakistan and India mounted over the course of the day. However, newspapers also condemned the Indian government, declaring that their reaction to the explosions were slow and inefficient. The gentleman at the receptionist desk at the hotel claimed that foreigners have never been targeted like this on Indian soil, and that this will be the wake up call for Indians to put their caste and cultural differences aside to unite, demanding a less corrupt government that is devoted to the people and for the people. “Maybe we too can finally attract a uniting force as Obama!â€
How does one unite 1.2 billion people across 3.3 million square km, speaking over 21 official languages? Considering that India is one of the most culturally, linguistically and genetically diverse geographical areas next to Africa, I have no idea! Add the caste system (a social construct outlawed and therefore, ¡°doesn¡¯t exist¡± - wink, wink) to the mix, approximately 40% of the population living in poverty and over 1000 spoken dialects, and you have an incredible feat ahead of you.
