In a land of contrast, we have been exposed to extreme poverty and extreme wealth — from beggars banging on the car window to posh homes filled with chandeliers. We've left the Megapolis Rotary Club and are now with the Gurgaon Rotary Club. Gurgaon is considered the suburbs of Delhi, and there's plenty of industry and construction here.
Tours during the past few days include:
• Rotary Public School, which serves students from ages 2 to 18. The school started in 1981 in a small building with four rooms. It's now housed on an impressive five-acre campus. Some things that stood out to me are the bulletin boards filled with inspirational quotes and the fact that yoga is part of the school's curriculum.
• Ambience Mall, the largest shopping mall in India. A major difference between this mall and those in the states is you have to pay to park and security guards search your trunk for bombs.
• Factories that make rubber, fabric (buyers include Calvin Klein) and auto parts (supplying companies such as BMW and Toyota). These tours created a much greater awareness of where products we purchase in the U.S. come from.
My first host family is in the tile and mosaic business, while my new family has a variety of endeavors. I discovered one of them while having a conversation about Hinduism in my bedroom. From the living room next door I could hear loud dance music all of a sudden. As it turns out, my new house is full of dance instructors. Children come after school to learn dance on their large marble floor (see photos above).
Today we drove to what seemed like the Tuscany of India, where we attended a catered party at a large villa. There was drinking, gambling, kite flying, cricket playing and lots of food. As a vegetarian, one of the best things about India is the abundance of tasty meat-free food. Check out these kabobs made with paneer (cheese) and peppers.
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