More bombs in Hyderabad :-(

Sad news yet again from Hyderabad....

BBC: Deadly explosions hit Indian city

Lumbini Park is in the vicinity of Necklace Road, where we visited earlier.

Deadly bomb blast in Hyderabad

Yikes....and to think we were at the Mecca Masjid just within the past two months! Prayers for the families of the victims....

BBC: Bomb hits historic India mosque



Charminar gate near Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad --- the area near the mosque was left strewn with personal possessions (photo: BBC)

Coming to an end

Well, it's hard to believe....almost 5 weeks have gone by since we left on our work/play adventure to India. It's our last full day here in Hyderabad. Mammayya (uncle) from Oman just arrived today to see us and "B". We're having a good time catching up.

We leave early tomorrow morning around 2:30 am and will spend pretty much all of Easter up in the sky. If we should find anything else of interest to post of our time here, I'll put an update and link to it in this entry.

Thanks for reading! Until our next look-in on our next journey-out....

"S","L", and "B"

-------

4/25/2007 Update: The Power of Listening

Twilight cricket under the CPI flag

The other day, "L" and I were walking just a block from home. We passed by a group of kids and adults playing gully cricket. They invited me to try hitting the ball, which I did. So I finally took my first swing of a cricket bat ever! Luckily, the kids bowled easy on me, as I went "2-for-3".





If you look carefully at the top of the group photo of the children, you'll notice red flags atop two flagpoles. They're flags of the CPI....the Communist Party of India. You can just make out the bottom of the hammer-and-sickle adorning the top of the flagpole on the left.


Close-up of aforementioned "hammer-and-sickle", as seen from the roof of our house.

I don't fully understand the role of communism in India, but it's more prevalent than I realized. There are definitely some extremist views here, to be sure. But I don't sense communism is perceived in India the same way it is in the USA, where it's equated more with totalitarianism, atheism, and suppression of freedom (particularly for those of us who grew up during the Cold War years). Something I'd like to learn more about in the future....

The Power of Listening

Something happened today that I thought deserved a separate post...

I've met several people here who became Christians after growing up Hindu most of their lives. In a country where such decisions are not made lightly, I really wanted to hear their stories. I knew one such elderly gentleman at church, "H".

Today after service, I asked "H" if he could share his story with me. His face lit up at my request and he proceeded to tell me, with much enthusiasm, about his struggle years ago searching for spiritual truth while comparing Hindu scriptures with the Bible.

Right now, I reflect not so much on "H's" story (which I loved hearing), but rather his remarks afterwards. He told me how blessed he was that I was interested to hear his story in the first place. "H" lamented the generation gap that he senses keeps people from learning about each other. He appreciated that I, as a younger person, desired and initiated to learn something from his generation. As we parted, "H" unexpectedly gave me a big, hearty bear hug....a surprisingly demonstrative gesture for anyone in India!

I serendipitously took away a lesson from my encounter with "H" today....about the value of valuing others' life journeys, simply by asking to hear their stories.

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday. We went to a Good Friday service at 9:30 am. In the morning? Yep. How can that be on a working weekday, you may ask? Reason being....Good Friday is celebrated as a holiday throughout much of India. Most schools, businesses (including US ones, like Google and Microsoft), banks, gov't offices, etc. in Hyderabad are closed....including non-Christian ones. Some even have Monday off in commemoration of Easter. I can't recall ever having Good Friday or the Monday following Easter off as a holiday in the USA.

So today's weekday morning Good Friday service was full at SBF.

The youth performed a touching drama using the song "Above All".

Contrasts

Not an uncommon sight --- the rich and the poor, co-existing side by side.

Gas prices

I've been checking seattlegasprices.com from time to time....and I see gas has gone up considerably since we left a month ago (from $2.60 a month ago then to $3.00 a gallon now).

But your average Hyderabadian would drool over such a bargain. Here, it's 48-50 rupees per liter. What's that calculate out to? Let's see....

48 rupees/liter X 3.785411 liters/gallon = 181.699728 rupees/gallon
181.699728 rupees/gallon divided by 43 rupees/dollar =

$4.22
for ONE gallon of gas in Hyderabad

Yow.

Kids' club

Uncle and Auntie took me and "L" to visit a weekly kids' club that runs in a neighborhood they used to live in. A good friend of "L" oversees this club. It was quite amazing to see 50+ kids from the surrounding slums cram into a room to participate. Games, songs, stories, and snacks filled the 2 hours. The kids vascillated between being attentive to being disruptive. Still, "L's" friend and her volunteers persevered....their patience, drive, and compassion are most admirable.

A couple living nearby pays rent for the apartment in which the activities take place. The apartment also runs as a library and a homework drop-in for neighborhood kids. It reminded us of our own ministry back in Seattle, tho' on a slightly larger and more challenging scale. This club has been going on for about the last 10-15 years.



Many kids who attend live in these slums, overshadowed by an abandoned fortress/water-tower.


Over 50 children gather to hear stories and sing songs, all done in Telugu (native language of Andhra Pradesh). It's amazing how much they can do in such a small space.


Grace before snacks are served.


The older youth acted as "serving leaders" to the younger ones, passing out snacks to their assigned groups.

At least it's a DRY heat...

Dad moved the air conditioner into the living room yesterday evening and spent the night there on the cool floor. Now when Dad does that, you KNOW it's hot! I noticed it'd been feeling a little warmer myself, but I figured it was just me....'til I moseyed over to Hyderabad's forecast on CNN's weather site....



Nice to know it's not just me. `:-P

Necklace Road

We drove by Necklace Road along Hussain Sagar tonight. We got there a bit late, but were able to get in some last-minute shopping and eats at an exhibition they were having.



A sign advertising the exhibition (called Utsav Mela)


Even tho' it was closing time, one restaurant was still willing to serve us food....as long as we didn't mind sitting in the dark (yes, it was this dark when we ate).


"Oh....so that's what we ate!"

"Ambassador" sports a new do!

"B", our little "ambassador", greets more friends, brings more smiles to faces....and shows off her new haircut! Ammamma (i.e. Grandma) cut it for her..."B's" first haircut ever! Today, the pastor from the church who performed the recent baptisms stopped by, along with his family. We spent some time praying for them as well.

Birthday at Mickee Dee's!

Impossible just a few months ago, but today, quite possible....we went to McDonald's. Just opened a few weeks ago, the first McD's in Hyderabad is now reputedly THE place to be for "special occasions" here. So (despite "L's" protestations) 12 of us (family/friends) piled into van and scooter to celebrate the very special occasion of...."L's" birthday!



Happy birthday, Sweets!

Sharing at SBF

Dad asked "L" and I to share about our ministry at Parkway to the SBF church. Thanks to some last-minute help from friends here in Hyderabad as well as back in Seattle, we managed to put together a Powerpoint presentation to give a visual idea of what God's been doing at Parkway the past year and a half. Our work was almost thwarted by power cuts, causing us to arrive late to the service. Despite all this, the sharing went very well....it even got emotional on occasion. Many people commented favorably, telling us how touched they were. I'm not a pulpit guy by any stretch of the imagination (and I really hate microphones!), so if anything meaningful happened to be communicated, all praise to Him!

(Btw, we had to cancel the medical camp slated for this afternoon, due to lack of medical supplies.)

Graduation

We had a final-day celebration at the nearby Nissi Church for all the students in Dad's school. Over 200 people came to see 22 men and women cross the podium as graduates. Some scenes seen....

"Out siders"

Remember that sign at Mecca Masjid I mentioned in an earlier post? I returned to Charminar and the masjid today, this time with "A" and "D", and got a photo of it....



I'd seen an "excluding" sign like this (albeit a bit milder in tone) once before at a mosque in Guangzhou, tho' I've never seen one in a mosque in the USA. And I've never seen one on any church, temple, or synagogue in the world.

Thanks to "A" and "D", a lot more attention came our way than in my first visit to Charminar....from child-hawkers, street vendors, beggars, and stares from regular folks. Most were friendly and non-hostile.

But one tense encounter with a random passerby reminded me most of our "outsiderness". Addressing me, this bespectacled, heavily-bearded fellow in his 30's or 40's asked where I was from.

"America", I replied.

Not smiling, he nodded his head toward "A" and "D" (who were unaware of what we were discussing) and asked....

"Are you with them?"

I said yes. He then murmured a question that needed repeating several times, because it sounded really odd and his voice was getting lower....

"Do you trust them?"

I was perplexed. "Do I trust them? Of course!" I said emphatically. He then told me in an exasperated tone that I should "remove the screen from my eyes". He asked if "A" and "D" were "ethnic Americans" (a comment I half-ignored) and then muttered some stuff about the FBI, CIA, etc. It was evident he wasn't fond of Americans, particularly those of Anglo persuasion, like "A" and "D". I made the most of the opportunity to inform him that America was filled with people from all races, colors, and backgrounds, and that there are good/bad in all countries, societies, and races. Tho' unable to argue with that, he didn't seem to soften much. Annoyed, but hoping to disarm him a bit, I had him chat with "A" and "D", which they did smilingly. Our friend seemed a little accepting of "A" and "D" then. Maybe a small breakthrough?

After a while, our friend and I shook hands before parting. I asked him his name. "Zaki", I thought I heard him say. He asked me mine. Upon hearing my name, he huffed disdainfully as he went on his way, "Shouldn't your name be more like 'Ching-Chow' or 'Wing-Foo' or something like that?!?"

I guess Zaki's image of me as a "sell-out" was complete at this point. Oh, well....hopefully, his view of "out siders" is getting a little re-adjustment from our brief encounter. :-)

Welcome, "A" and "D"

"A" and "D" came in today. They're folks from the USA whom "L" knew back in her college days. They're in India as well, long-term, but in a different city. Over email, a visit to Hyderabad was arranged, so they'll be spending the next few days with us.

What's all that noise?

Around mid-day, we heard someone chanting over loudspeakers. It sounded like a bored auctioneer. Curious, I walked over to the source of the noise, only about 100 yards away. It turned out to be a Hindu ceremony at a community gathering place. We looked at the calendar....sure enough, today was Sri Rama Navami (celebration of the birth of the Hindu man-god Rama). Businesses, schools, and offices all had the day off today.

The folks at the ceremony saw me and invited me to join them. I told them I preferred to watch from the outside. They asked if I was a Christian, which I said yes. Even tho' I politely turned down their invitation to enter the celebration floor and to eat with them, they were quite friendly, allowed me to take photos, and, in their limited English, tried to explain to me what was going on. I got bits and pieces, but not a really clear picture. Here's Wikipedia's description of the Sri Rama Navami.



Here's where the celebration took place, just a hundred yards from where we live.



The "pandit" (man without shirt in background) is a scholar in Hindu scriptures. It was his voice we heard blaring over the loudspeakers. He chanted mantras, possibly pieces from the story of Rama's marriage to Sita. I believe the man and woman on the right facing the pandit are playing the part of Rama and Sita, re-enacting their marriage.



Another shot of the celebration. The audience comprised mainly of children. Some of them, as you can see, got distracted by me taking photos. It wasn't long before I was surrounded by them, trying to get a glimpse of the digital photos in my camera or just wanting to check out the "strange-looking Indian".



Later, someone lit a fire on a plate and started carrying it through the group. Wherever it went, people tried to touch the flames. I'm not sure of the significance of this ritual.



The fire made its way to the back for those there to touch. It got a little close, as you can see (whoa). The woman carrying the "plate of fire" around was a 17-year-old girl who recognized me from Sunday's medical camp. She received a pair of reading glasses and had asked me questions about it.

Medical camp

Meanwhile, back at home, the medical camp was taking off! Both "DC" and our doctor-friend saw over 150 people each in about 3 hours time. Almost 1 person a minute....that's a serious clip! A few people from SBF pitched in to translate, run errands, and provide moral support. It was a great success. There is talk about having another one at the same place next week.

Below are photos from the camp. The last pic that looks somewhat unrelated are of two boys who came to the camp and, perhaps inspired by the goodwill shared, offered to help carry supplies back home for us (while requesting a photo be taken of them).

Baptisms

After church this morning, Dad and I went to visit another church in the afternoon, way in the outskirts of Hyderabad. The pastor is a student at Dad's school. The church currently meets in the pastor's home, but they eventually plan to move nearby to another place, donated by a member. The church asked Dad to baptize 9 people. The baptism took place at another site in what appeared to be a watering hole. Singing filled the air as the congregants paraded to the baptismal and as each person was baptized. It was a touching, inspiring sight.


The church's non-descript entrance (circled in green)....


....leads inside to a small room tightly packed with worshippers.


A ladder was needed to descend into the makeshift baptismal...


....before baptism was administered.


The future site of the church meeting, a few yards away from the current one.

Welcome, "DC"

A doctor-friend of ours from Seattle, "DC", arrived by plane in Hyderabad a few hours before our train did. He'll be visiting different parts of India to help out and observe ophthalmologic ministries. Meanwhile, he'll be staying with us for a couple of days. "DC" may also help out at the "inaugural" neighborhood medical camp tomorrow (if he feels up to it).

It's been getting hotter of late....almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit daily. Am told it's unusual for Hyderabad to be this hot this early. This morning, however, we did get a short stint of cool rain. Dad said it was the first in many months! Lasted but a few minutes, tho'....still, we made the most of it. Thanks, "DC", for bringing in the much-needed liquid sunshine from the Pac NW, even if just a sprinkle!

Cricket update #3

Well, the unthinkable has happened....India's pretty much out of the Cricket World Cup tournament, losing to Sri Lanka.

India virtually crashed out in the first round of the World Cup after they suffered a shattering 69-run defeat in their crunch Group B match against Sri Lanka on Friday.

A stunning batting collapse on a good Queen's Park Oval pitch condemned India to a total of 185 all out and allowed Sri Lanka to top the group with a maximum six points.

The 1983 champions were skittle in the 44th over as they failed miserably in their attempt to chase Sri Lanka's challenging total of 254 for six.

India's slim hopes of progressing now hinge on an unlikely defeat for Bangladesh in Sunday's final group game against debutants Bermuda.

Once again, disappointed fans react....

• Angry fans bring players down from pedestal


• Police guard cricketers' homes, restaurants


• 'Clones' duck for cover

Fortunately, we know or have seen no one personally who's taking India's loss anywhere THIS hard! It appears to be a minority of fans behaving this way. Besides, one could make the argument that a difference between India and the USA is that the former riots when their teams lose, whereas the latter riots when their teams win.

The multiple Championships won by the Chicago Bulls Championships in the early 1990’s instigated riots each year. The 1991 Championship was followed by 100 arrests. The 1992 Championship (occurring approximately one month after the Rodney King verdict) was followed by 1000 arrests, hundreds of injuries (including 95 injured police officers), and many burned and looted buildings. These were not the first riots of this type, however. In 1990, 7 people were killed in Detroit after the Pistons won the Championship and one person was killed in 1984 after the Tigers won the World Series.

Almost "downed" at Daund

Sunset at a train stop in Daund, India. Thinking we had time, "L" and Dad got off to shop for snacks, while "B" and I got off to stretch.


Seconds after this photo was taken, the train unexpectedly started to pull away. Yikes!!! With "B" in one arm, I grabbed a railing by the door to haul the two of us into our slowly-moving car. Mom was already on board. But where was "L" and Dad?!? Ack! Should we pull the emergency chain to stop the train? The train was picking up speed. An anxious minute later, "L" burst in....out of breath, but thankfully okay. She'd barely made it on herself. But where was Dad? What? Last seen bartering for bananas?!? Ack, ack!!!

A train employee later came by to tell us Dad made it on the next car. Whew! But Dad had to wait until the next stop to join us, since entry into our AC car was restricted to other cars. An half-hour and one stop later, we were together again. Double whew!

Otherwise, it would've been one looooong wait for another train in Nowhere-ville.

Thumb-printed!

Between acquiring propery in India vs. property in the USA, I'm not sure which process is easier. One difference is that thumb prints were required in India.



Behold!


We all got thumb-prints, including Mom and Dad who also acquired some "Solitude". "B" didn't get thumb-printed, but still wanted to get her digit in the picture.

Prayers in Paud

To register our plot of "Solitude", we had to go to the government magistrate in a small town called Paud, about 30 km outside Pune. Compared to the millions in Pune and Hyderabad, Paud boasts a population of about 21,000. Situated in the state of Maharashtra, where the Marathi language is spoken.....different from the Telugu that Mom, Dad, and "L" speak.

From the get-go, we had difficulties. The "Solitude" sellers communicated poorly with us, not letting us know what we needed until the day of (e.g. photos), so we had to get those taken at a nearby shop. Then our sales rep failed to show up as promised, sending one of his underlings. Once at the magistrate's building, we submitted our signatures on some paperwork, then waited for our number to be called to get fingerprinted on more documents. We waited....10 am...11 am....12 pm....1 am. We were #33 and they were only at #17. We were getting frantic, since we were scheduled to catch the train back to Hyderabad at 4:30 pm later that afternoon, and we needed at least a hour and half to get back to our friend's apartment, pick up our luggage, and race to the train station. To boot, we didn't have seat confirmations for the return train tickets we'd bought. Dad gathered us to pray. To make a long story short, after praying, the train tickets not only got confirmed, but after our friend pleaded directly to the magistrate on our behalf, we got our paperwork processed and our fingerprints in! The magistrate was a gruff, abrupt person who wielded a lot of power. Our friend was quite nervous confronting her, but somehow we found favor in her eyes. The magistrate even chewed out her meeker associates for not expediting our paperwork, given our time-crunch. Miraculously, we made it to the train station on time, marveling and thanking God for His goodness all the way.



Main road going through Paud


Veggie/fruit stand along the main road going through Paud


Stray goats outside the magistrate building that ate the peels from the bananas we bought from the veggie/fruit stand along the main road going through Paud