What Captured My Eyes, Trip to Tirupathi, Tirumala, India (Feb 2008)

In India, you see cows by the road side it is a common site, as this is not my first trip to India. It was hard to take picture anyway I never thought I post my thoughts here. In future I will try to take pictures.

I saw this funny or unusual, selling helmets by the roadside and nobody is manning it too. At first I do not know it was helmet as they were wrapped up. I asked my god-sister what are those things. She said helmets. I was surprise you mean they sell helmets by the roadside not in the shop. The funny part is most of the people on the motorbike don’t use helmet.

While traveling on the highway, I thought I saw girls selling jasmine flower garland. They don’t sell in group, you see one after about a mile or so. They were tried to sell to vehicles passing by. I told my god-sister did you see the garland girls. She said see what, okay she did not see the girl. It is so dangerous selling on the highway, and I asked myself who would stop and buy as it is so dangerous and cars are moving so fast. On the way to the airport, I asked the driver if he sees the flower girls by the road side please stop. I was trying my luck or to proof me wrong. Yes the driver stop, when he stopped the girl will come running towards the car. I bought 2 garlands, one for myself and one for the driver. It was so cheap, 5 rupee for a garland. I pay RM10 in Kuala Lumpur for a garland like that. With RM10 I can buy the whole tray of flowers from her.

Paddy harvest season was just over. I noticed all the straws were stack nicely by the side. I saw farmers cutting mud in the shape of a brick. They were stack up like an oven, (the type of oven you burn bricks). I asked myself why are they stacking it in the middle of the paddy field, are they going to build a house right in the middle of the paddy field. On the way to the airport, at certain places I saw farmers putting all the paddy straws on the mud bricks. At one place I was lucky I saw a farmer burned the straws, I was so that is what they are trying to do. They are making bricks. You get fertilizer and bricks at the same time. No wonder some of the houses are half finished. I told myself they look backward but they really know how to make full use of what they have.

Let me tell you about my first trip to India March 1999, it was Calcutta (now it is Kolkata). What you heard about Calcutta is true, the dirtiest city in India. Pack with vehicles, which city is not packed with vehicles. I had a cultural shock here.

From the airport to the temple, we were going to the temple hostel to stay. The taxi that we got in, his car horn never stop horning. It was noisy. Every vehicle on the road will horn at each other. Each driver tries their level best not to stop their car. Red traffic light then no choice else it is like go go go. Here in Kuala Lumpur or Malaysia if two cars come so close that they scratch each other, you get out and look at your car, the damaged done. In Calcutta, no such thing, keep driving. I told myself no wonder all the cars have scratch and bang mark on them. I cannot see a car with no scratch mark.

Besides this, I saw man standing against the wall. I told myself why in India, men like to face the wall. I asked another Malaysian that had been there many times. What are they doing? He replied they are urinating. I was shocked. You mean they urinate in the open in the public eyes. No wonder the streets smell of urine.

I learned when I am in India, when you see a man facing the wall, don’t look . I will try to get away from the place as fast as possible.