India

[MacCruiskeen]

Thread for India, a fascinating country subcontinent with a long and rich history.

Let's talk about Indian religions, Indian thought, Indian architecture, Indian music, Indian food, British India, Gandhi, anything that takes your fancy, including the famous Indian caste system and even current affairs.

[MacCruiskeen]

First result after a quick google:

India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world.

Wikipedia

Prime minister: Narendra Modi. Trending
Population: 1.339 billion (2017) World Bank

PLAN A TRIP

I would like to follow Google's orders and plan a trip to India, but there appears to be something wrong with the airlines here. Those recorded voices keep telling me I have to stay at home.

Weird.

[MacCruiskeen]

Trump and Melania visited India just a few weeks ago. There were photos of them at the famous Taj Mahal. I'm sure I saw Prince Charles there once too, him and Camilla, posing for the press. (Hope he's recovering well, btw. Poor old Boris too, who I believe has also visited India and is now bravely battling some deadly virus.)

I'm having big computer problems right now, btw, can't post images, and wifi is unreliable.

[MacCruiskeen]

Let's hope those 1,339,000,000,000 Indians are following the best experts' best expert advice and self-isolating for at least another 28 days. It would be most irresponsible of them not to. We all have to take good care of our own and each other's health.

Good health starts with sensible nutrition, because after all, we are what we eat! Indian food is healthy, nourishing and delicious.

Indian recipes

63 Recipes

Everyone loves a curry. From a big-flavoured balti to a fragrant veggie biryani, and a refreshing lassi drink to refresh the palate.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/indian

Yoga helps too, you'll find, and meditation, especially in your garden in this lovely spring weather.

[thrulookingglass]

Another slave plantation raped by the violent empires of the world. Where what was once a peaceful coexistence between Hindu and Muslims turned into a blood feud. Gandhi once spoke of how they'd read from the Koran and the Vedas without partiality, now Pakistan and India point nuclear arms at one another. The Ganges, one of the most polluted water ways in the world, once a baptismal consecration:

Pollution of the Ganges (or Ganga), the largest river in India, poses significant threats to human health and the larger environment. Severely polluted with human waste and industrial contaminants, the river provides water to about 40% of India's population across 11 states, serving an estimated population of 500 million people which is more than any other river in the world.

Perhaps Greta's not an asshole. With the largest population of vegetarians on the planet, who serve each other free communal meals now cannot offer each other such accommodations. They've saved those blessings for an aircraft carrier in this ever skittish world. At least there is a little more room for respect of sexuality within Hindu faiths. Or you could send your child off to die in a period hut, because shaming a woman for something far beyond her control is necessary. You'll find this in that Holy Scripture known as the Bible as well, don't sit anywhere that a woman may have if she's ovulating.

1. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the East India Company relied on slave labor and trafficked in slaves from West and East Africa, especially Mozambique and Madagascar, transporting them to its holdings in India and Indonesia as well as to the island of St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean. Although its slave traffic was small in comparison with transatlantic slave-trading enterprises such as the Royal African Company, the East India Company crucially relied on transfers of slaves with specialized skills and experience to manage its far-flung territories.

2. The East India Company controlled its own army, which by 1800 comprised some 200,000 soldiers, more than twice the membership of the British Army at that time. The company used its armed force to subdue Indian states and principalities with which it had initially entered into trading agreements, to enforce ruinous taxation, to carry out officially sanctioned looting, and to protect its economic exploitation of both skilled and unskilled Indian labor. The company’s army played a notorious role in the unsuccessful Indian Uprising (also called the Indian Mutiny) of 1857–58, in which Indian soldiers in the company’s employ led an armed revolt against their British officers that quickly gained popular support as a war for Indian independence. During more than a year of fighting, both sides committed atrocities, including massacres of civilians, though the company’s reprisals ultimately far outweighed the violence of the rebels. The rebellion brought about the effective abolishment of the East India Company in 1858.

3. Beginning in the early 19th century, the East India Company illegally sold opium to China to finance its purchases of Indian tea and other goods. Chinese opposition to that trade precipitated the First and Second Opium Wars (1839–42; 1856–60), in both of which British forces were victorious.

4. The company’s management was remarkably efficient and economical. During its first 20 years the East India Company was run from the home of its governor, Sir Thomas Smythe, and had a permanent staff of only six. In 1700 it operated with 35 permanent employees in its small London office. In 1785 it controlled a vast empire of millions of people with a permanent London staff of 159.

5. Following several years of misrule and a massive famine (1770) in Bengal, where the company had installed a puppet regime in 1757, the company’s land revenues fell precipitously, forcing it to appeal (1772) for an emergency loan of £1 million to avoid bankruptcy. Although the East India Company was bailed out by the British government, harsh criticism and investigations by parliamentary committees led to government oversight of its management (the Regulating Act of 1773) and later to government control of political policy in India (the India Act of 1784).

Seems the drug trade has been around for a while. Corporate bail outs. Slave labor. Management ran it very efficiently (your poverty is our profit). Imperialism. White supremacy. Victory through bloodshed. Thank God we've learned our lessons from the oh so accurate accounting of our historians who never forget to tell us who won each war, but certainly draw a blank when it comes to educating us as to what was lost.

Peace.

Namaste.

[NeonLX]

I have a special place in my heart for India, as my daughter was born in New Delhi. She was adopted at nine months of age. Her biological mother likely lived on the streets and somehow found a way to drop off her newborn baby in the bassinet in front of the orphanage.

[Cordelia]

Trump and Melania visited India just a few weeks ago. There were photos of them at the famous Taj Mahal.

As did Jeff Bezos, with his girlfriend this past January, pledging to invest $1 Billion in something in India.

[thrulookingglass]

^ *Can't believe that asshole wore a tan suit! ^

[SonicG]

Went once. Not interested in going back again. Much prefer Sri Lanka...

[Elvis]

A close American friend who lives part of the year in India wrote me :

March 25

I'm confined to one room in Abhilash's apartment. The entire building is in lockdown. We can't even go out for groceries. We can only buy groceries from an improvised stand downstairs. From outside my window, I hear loudspeaker warnings telling us to stay inside, in Marathi and Hindi mixed with Arabic calls from a mosque. The streets are empty.

My medicine has to be brought in. A foreigner is not supposed to be in this building, but we have a very understanding landlord. Besides, I paid this month's rent.

There are no weed shops.

The schedule of film festivals, of course, has been disrupted. Fortunately, I have my own loo.

India has had only 11 coronavirus deaths so far.

[Joe Hillshoist]

People in my family still worship Kali. My eldest daughter is named after her.

[Elvis]

Pertinent fact here, he is 82 years old, but very rugged, always on the go. Also pertinent, last year here in the States I suggested he get a home Internet connection instead of walking four blocks to the Coop cafe every day to use the wifi there. He said, "I'm eighty-two years old, I have to keep moving." He'll find ways; for one thing, he dances. He's now talking about staying permanently in India, but of course everything's up in the air. I'll post more from his updates as they come in.

A close American friend who lives part of the year in India wrote me :

March 25

I'm confined to one room in Abhilash's apartment. The entire building is in lockdown. We can't even go out for groceries. We can only buy groceries from an improvised stand downstairs. From outside my window, I hear loudspeaker warnings telling us to stay inside, in Marathi and Hindi mixed with Arabic calls from a mosque. The streets are empty.

My medicine has to be brought in. A foreigner is not supposed to be in this building, but we have a very understanding landlord. Besides, I paid this month's rent.

There are no weed shops.

The schedule of film festivals, of course, has been disrupted. Fortunately, I have my own loo.

India has had only 11 coronavirus deaths so far.

[Elvis]

More notes from India

March 31

Really it's surprising because so far we have only about 227 cases and only 32 deaths. Everything has come to a stop.

One reason, most Indians fear the police. Police carry laathis (long sticks) and use them against unruly crowds, political protesters etc. So the lockdown here is very effective; if you're in the street when you shouldn't, you might get beaten.

Indians are perhaps more aware of disease, because they've seen more of it, and there is less of an economy to ruin. Health services may be minimal, but some are very good. Remember, I've had two operations here, one on my heart, and that one only after my [US] cardiologist said, "Medical expenses in the US are the highest in the world."

Also, there are probably fewer foreign travelers here than in most countries, so there are fewer chances for the virus to come from abroad. We were hit after the US, I believe, and the Prime Minister acted earlier in the crisis than did Trump. There has been no dillydallying on the part of PM Modi. He's about as autocratic as Trump, but there has been no attempt to open up any part of the country for any religious holiday. Funny, I had never thought of Easter before as a financial holiday.

Some Hindus are unhappy that some religious sites are closed, but Modi has made no attempt to open any of them. At least one shrine was attacked by worshippers because it was closed, but that's all I've heard.

So I'm staying here, possibly until my scheduled ticket back, on June 30.

Really, there's practically no one in the streets. 60 cars a minute were going slowly by beneath our window previously, but this morning I saw about one motorcycle every 30 seconds. For India, that's nothing.

But do watch out for scams. The telephones and internet are still working.

Nemataji

india phone scams.jpg

[Elvis]

This correspondence was shared with me today (edited to remove personal info).

From: [email]
Sent: 11 April 2020 15:22
To: MUMBAI ACS <MUMBAIACS@state.gov>
Subject: REPATRIATION?

Dear Consulate,

This is a request for information and advice on my own possible repatriation to the US from Mumbai.

I have spent ten years, on and off, in India. This trip I arrived on December 1. I have given all my pertinent information to authorities. I have had my wrists photographed to show that I am not under quarantine. My return ticket to the US is for the last day in June. I have little desire to return home at this time.

But I have been requested by my host in Mumbai to check with other Indian friends and the consulate on the advisability of repatriation at this time. One friend has suggested contacting you, the US consulate in Mumbai, for advice.

I do have a place to stay in East Kandivali, in isolation, if my host agrees. A place to stay would be more difficult if I return to my US home city, in Washington state. My apartment there has been sublet until June 30.

I have tried to phone the consulate several times, but the phone does not ring. Please, I would like some information on this matter, the advisability of repatriation in the next few weeks.

[name/address]
Kandivali East
Mumbai 400101

---

From: MUMBAI ACS <mumbaiacs@state.gov>
To: [email]
Sent: Saturday, April 11, 2020, 04:13:56 PM GMT+5:30
Subject: Re: REPATRIATION?

Good evening,

Thank you for your message. We are advising individuals who feel safe and have places to stay in India to shelter in place. As you know, there are risks of infection associated with the evacuation process as well from being in airplanes and buses with hundreds of other people for long periods. If you are interested in signing up for potential repatriation flights, you may register your interest at https://tinyurl.com/uscit-india.

You should monitor the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (https://mohfw.gov.in/) for additional information on infection rates across India as well as our website (https://in.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-se ... formation/).


Travelers are urged to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency. The Department uses these Alerts to convey information about terrorist threats, security incidents, planned demonstrations, natural disasters, etc. In an emergency, please contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate or call the following numbers: 1(888) 407-4747 (toll-free in the United States and Canada) or 1 (202) 501-4444 from other countries or jurisdictions.

Hope the above information is useful to you.

Sincerely,

American Citizen Services

U.S. Consulate General Mumbai

[0_0]

Cases overview
India
Confirmed
21.700
Recovered
4.325
Deaths
686

The current population of India is 1,377,418,724