The Tattoo, the Zoo, and the Dancing Debut

It’s been 3 weeks since I have come to Bhopal, and I have many stories to tell…it’s hard not to get some stories in this city where kids flock like geese to every foreigner’s footstep; where everyone has a story ready to be told to an open ear, and where just riding in a rickshaw to market can give your senses a real jolt.  In this posting, I shall share 3 of my favorite stories thus far:

1) The Tattoo

So my very first day at the clinic, when I did not know a soul outside of a few email exchanges, a staff member named Jamila befriends me.  She knows about as much English as I know Hindi (which is to say, not much), but somehow we come to understand each other. She invites me to her house, and I, wanting to know the neighborhood a bit, tell her sure, why not? Except that it was a 20+ minute walk, through bad traffic, some streams here and there, and a number of unmarked roads (actually, I have yet to see a street name here; though if there was one, it would probably be in Hindi so I wouldn’t be able to read it anyway.)  So I make a mental note to be more aware of people’s ability to exaggerate distances here.

We get to Jamila’s house, and I quickly realize this visit will be a neighborhood affair.   After getting a tour of Jamila’s house and family, they give me a chair and sit me in the middle of the narrow street between two houses.  All of the “extended family” comes out to greet me - a steady procession of uncles, aunts, cousins, in-laws, and especially kids.  Even friends, friends of friends, and the neighborhood dogs come out for good measure.  Why not?  Bring the whole family!  We then proceed to stare at each other as only strangers speaking two different tongues could. 

Roxanna the (Henna) tattoo artist and her subject

I am amused, as one set of people wearing some shade of blue is staring from one house, and another set of people wearing some shade of red is staring from the other house.  Eventually, we all focus our attention on the activity at hand:  namely, it is decided that I should be inaugurated to the Indian and Bhopal way of life by getting a henna tattoo.   And so for the next hour or so, a lady named Roxanna proceeds to paint her masterpiece all the way up and down both of my arms.   They were quite beautiful designs, it definitely is an art form and I thanked her for it.  However, when they motioned to my ear, as if to ask me if I wanted to get my ears pierced as well, I politely but quickly said no thank you!    The henna was quite enough thank you very much!   It was dinnertime so I had to go, but I had to make a couple more rounds saying hello to neighbors.  One was a grandmotherly type who didn’t seem to accept any semblance of no to her invitation, so I came in and sat for 1 minute, and then left.   And finally, two little girls accompanied me home.  

2) The Zoo 

From the museum: early foosball table?

The following weekend, I wanted to do some sight-seeing around town, and get to know Bhopal a little better.   I was the only volunteer around,  and everyone else seemed to be resting or with their families, so I decided to take  a trip by myself.  I took a rickshaw to the Museum of Man, which is Bhopal’s natural history museum, complete with a life-and-times of Charles Darwin exhibit, along with pictures and artifacts from indigenous life with the various Adivasi (or aboriginal) tribes of India. 

There was an exhibit outside, which showcased the traditional technologies used in crushing sugard cane, making oil, lifting water, making salt, etc.  They were giant tools that were still being used today.  Inside the museum, there was a room full of masks, as well as actual re-created homes in the decor of the various tribes.  

So I completed the inside tour, and was about to go to the other outdoor showcase of Adivasi habitats, when I spotted something I had not yet seen in India:  a yellow schoolbus.   Most of the buses I have seen are quite old and various shades of dingy white, and look like they are breathing their last breath.  This one, however, seemed to stand out.   I was drawn to it somehow – it was a field trip to the museum, much like what we have back home.   I was curious, so I waved to the students, and took a picture.  This is where my adventure began.

The students waved back, and as I was turning my attention elsewhere, one man from the bus approached me and made a motion for me to come inside.    I wasn’t sure what he was saying, but I figured perhaps the students wanted another picture?   I am not one to turn down a picture, so I climbed on board the bus.   I found about 30 ladies smiling warmly back at me.   It turns out that they were teachers of Sanskrit, not students.  They had gathered from all over India for one week, to share best practices and discover Bhopal.  Every year they do this, in a different city.

The schoolbus full of schoolteachers

So I started talking to the women — some of them knew English pretty well so we got into a conversation.   I had my film camera with me, so they were quite taken with it.   I was quite surprised to be thrust right at the center of attention.   But I find with age, you really can’t worry about these things, you have to just kind of go with it.

And so I literally went with it…..because as I continued talking, I realized that the bus started moving!   I was still on the bus!  I started laughing, as I realized that I was joining their little field trip for the day.  I just got my ride back to town, and I was having a grand old time – I figured, why not? 

So I learned that the teachers were going to the zoo — this was on my list of places to visit anyway, so it was quite serendipitous that I was at the right time and place.   The mood was quite jolly, the whole bus started singing, and I have it all on film!   (I haven’t quite mastered the webification of HDV film, so I will post that another time).  It was just such a good time, I couldn’t believe my good luck.

We get to the zoo (that is, Van Vihar National Park) and the first thing we see are big brown bears.  They are mostly sleeping, as it is very hot, and in the middle of the day.   There was an albino sloth bear, that had thicker than average fur, that seemed to be suffering in this heat.   The delayed monsoon was taking a toll on these animals unfortunately, and I learned from the local paper that 11 animals had died in the past year (whether it was old age or other factors was up for debate).    After the bears and a leopard, we saw the prize of the zoo:  the white Bengal tigers.   There were also crocodiles and birds, but the animals seemed to be a little scarce.   Whenever we saw any wildlife, someone would shout something like “Stop the bus!” and everyone would get out hoping to catch a glimpse of the animal.  And then it was quickly back on the bus.   It was always quite lively on the bus, with everyone chatting and singing and getting on and off.

The student goes on a field trip with the teachers...

After the zoo, the teachers went to the chowk, or market.   They dropped me off at the center of town, and told me which bus to take to get back to the clinic.   I ended up filming some street scenes in central Bhopal — the traffic is notorious here, as it is in most of India — and then I went home on the bus.  This is the last part of the story, which wasn’t as pleasant but I thought I would include it to be complete.  I got on the bus and sat at a window seat.   At one of the stops, some people came onboard and a man sat next to me.   After a bit, I wanted to ask him if we were at the right stop for me to get off.  He seemed to be a bit sleepy when he spoke, but I soon realized that he was drunk and starting to make overtures of some kind in Hindi.   He was with a friend or relative who sat in front of him, and was apologizing for him.   I figured his friend would keep him in check, and I started ignoring the drunk man and looking away.  But then, I felt a touch on my leg and had enough.  I quickly showed my disgust and told him to stop.   I got up and moved to another seat.   The drunk man’s friend apologized profusely again, but I just wanted to leave.  At this point, people were staring at us.   The bus stopped, and most people got off, including the drunk man.  Then, I see that the bus driver, who was clued into what was happening, also got off the bus.   He was walking quite quickly, and I realized that he was going after the drunk man…a few seconds later, the bus driver punched him right in the face, and the drunk man toppled over!   I was on the bus staring speechless — I didn’t know what to say.   I thought I saw a policeman, and wondered if this would turn into a bigger commotion.   But the bus driver just got back on the bus and started driving.   He and his assistant (the guy who collects money on the bus) were quite helpful in getting me to the next bus where I needed to go, and I finally made it home. 

It took a while to sink in what had happened at the end of the day, but I came away with positive feelings overall.  I wasn’t going to let one bad apple spoil this amazing day I was having.  And it seems the people on the bus (especially the bus driver) were very keen on making sure I was protected from this;  they didn’t want it to spoil my view of India by my interaction with this one man.  They did not tolerate this behavior as well, which I was very happy about.   Overall, the spirit of this day was kind and carefree.  The teachers were all so kind, and fun!   Despite the incident at the end of the day, I was in a jovial mood coming back from the museum and the zoo, and amazed at my adventure. 

3) The Dancing Debut

Salman (left), Masirath (middle), and Nassir (right) at a community meeting

For my final story, I want to talk about one of the times that I went to film the healthworkers.   These healthworkers — Masirath, Salman, and Nassir — go out into the community everyday, and do amazing things.   They are one part doctor, lab technician, organizer, advocate, teacher, recruiter, cheerleader…and all parts miracle workers!  I wanted to film all of these activities, so I joined them one day as they made their rounds in a small community talking about malaria prevention.

The day consisted of going to a couple of community gathering places.  Masirath and the healthworkers went door to door to gather the community volunteers together.  She then launched into the lesson.  The idea is that the community volunteers carry on the work of the healthworkers by delivering the message to the rest of the community.  Masirath and Nassir also brought a blood sample kit to test for malaria, where the community members put  a tiny drop of blood onto a slide, for further analysis in the lab.

This was like a traveling roadshow, so the same lessons were taught at each gathering.  I had gotten enough footage of this, so my attention was starting to turn elsewhere…..that is, my ears perked up as I heard the sounds of drums nearby.  There was something going on, but I was busy filming the healthworkers and thought I shouldn’t distract myself.  The drums got louder however, and I saw people walking towards another gathering place about 50 meters away.    There was something going on, and I wanted to find out what it was.    I couldn’t resist!  I told Masirath that I would be back in 5 minutes, and I made my way to where this spirited music was coming from.   She sent a couple of volunteers with me, just in case I needed backup.   I saw that this was a celebration of some kind, and I was told by the volunteers that this was a hair-cutting ceremony for a young child.  As I approached, I was thrust once again into the spotlight.  I didn’t mean to interrupt in any way, I just wanted to observe quietly, and maybe get some footage.   But there is no such thing as quiet observation when you’re a foreigner, as you are the object of observation.  So I just pointed to the drums and said I liked the music (it was more of a universal thumbs up sign as you know my Hindi skills, but you understand the idea), so the drumming man continued on with his quick beats.  It was amazing —  I got my camera out, as well as my sound recorder which I gave to a volunteer to hold.   A circle was formed, and a woman came out and started dancing to the music.  It was a kind of dancing that I haven’t seen here before – very fast, rhythmic, almost like a trance.   Then another man came out and started dancing.   

I soon couldn’t resist - the music was too tantalizing and inviting!  I gave my camera to another volunteer, and started dancing as well.  Another girl came out, and then a man, and then even the little baby whose hair was getting cut for the ceremony.   I picked the baby up and swung it round and round.  People were laughing and chanting all around — it seemed they liked it but for all I know they could have been making fun of my strange foreigner moves.  I was loving it for sure — a little cultural exchange through dance — it was unexpected but so very cool!   I think my 5 minutes were up, so I made a motion that I had to go.  But they wanted to keep dancing, so I said one more song.  And then it turned into 2 more songs.  The kids were pushing each other to get into the circle to dance with me, but some of them were really shy.  They liked to watch more than dance.  But everyone seemed to be having a good time.  And then it really was time to go, but what an unexpected treat I had.