India Follow-up

Luggage for 7 - just barely fits!

What a trip! We thought we were free and clear, having returned to the U.S. with all of the students we took along, aside from the two we put on a plane to New York in Paris. At O'Hare, we stood in a really long line for immigration. Just like last year, I was pulled aside to wait while they made sure I'm not some other James Johnson who apparently ended up on a list. Funny, this didn't happen when returning from Ireland through Atlanta.

Anyway, we breezed through customs and gave the bus company a call. Then we waited while the dispatcher tried to contact the driver. And we waited. After an hour of waiting (remember - our journey home began 31 hours earlier), we learned that the bus company hadn't scheduled anyone to pick us up. Rather than wait another 5 hours for them to send someone, we rented two mini-vans to drive ourselves back to Bloomington. Fortunately, enough students left us at O'Hare that we only had 14 people to take back to Indiana - otherwise, we would have been stuck! An hour later, we pulled out of the Enterprise parking lot. Driving on the toll road around Chicago at a high rate of speed was much different than the roads and traffic we had experienced for the last 9 days in India. We drivers managed to stay awake to get everyone home safely, and I finally made it home at 12:40 am on May 22 - approximately 37 hours after leaving the hotel in Bangalore.

Facebook gave me some challenges, but I've finally managed to post my India photo album. The link is also available in the album list to the right.

I still plan to post some video, but that will have to wait - I'm leaving tomorrow to meet Barry in New Orleans and then take a road trip to El Paso. So far this blog has been entirely about foreign travel, but if I get inspired you may soon find a blog post here from our domestic vacation.

Headed Home

Yesterday was our final day in India. We started the day with a visit to Mindtree, which has beautiful facilities on the west side of the city. To get there, we drove past some interesting places like the old city center and its fruit market, around which the streets were teeming with people.

I couldn't believe the infrastructure we encountered on our way to Mindtree - or lack thereof. Bangalore is the 5th largest city in India, with about 10 million people. The city just seems to go on forever, and there is no good way to get around. We saw elevated roads to nowhere in various states of completion. We drove across dirt patches with potholes that rocked the bus. We traveled on streets paved in the middle but lined with rubble along the edges. At one point we passed workers scooping up dirt along the median and I just couldn't see the point of it. Why? And why this spot? What about the rest of the city? Finally we turned off the "main" road onto and unmarked, poorly surfaced side road in an industrial-looking area when all of a sudden we arrived at the pristine, landscaped, lush Mundtree campus, complete with working sprinkler systems and putting greens.

Our afternoon was spent on a nice city tour where we visited the Bull Temple and botanical gardens. An unexpected stop was a visit to a Sikh temple, where we got a tour and an introduction to the religion. In the evening we hung out at the hotel. Some people got henna tattoos, but I blogged and ran across the street in the rain to get a wonderful gift for Barry. Before leaving for the airport, the owner of our tour company bought dinner for Tia, Ramesh, and me.

We left for the airport at 9:30 pm, boarded the flight at 1:05 am and left India shortly thereafter. Here I sit now in the airport in Paris, just before 11 am. I think I will eat something, but I'm not sure what to do... it's already 2:30 pm India time, but it's only 5 am at home and I know we will get some sort of food on the plane. I guess I will make it a "lunch" just for fun.

Stay tuned... once I get home I will post photos and video. (Not immediately; first I will sleep!)

Shopping Day

Not much on the agenda today, other than shopping and a group dinner tonight. I made it to Commercial Street for several hours today. Lots of interesting sights, smells, and sounds. I got some nice gifts for people and some clothes for myself. One of the more interesting things I saw was the cow walking down the sidewalk, right in from of the brand name retail stores, and stopping to eat out of a garbage can. Just a normal Indian thing...

Friday in Bangalore

Yesterday, after sleeping in for once, we visited Deloitte US in India. They put a lot into the visit, devoting a lot of staff time to is and providing a mice catered lunch. Next we went to the National Association for the Blind. It was interesting, but difficult to hear on the tour with such a large group. We also didn't have much context, because we took the tour before hearing about what the organization does.

The day concluded with a "Parallel Strings" concert at Chowdiah, a venue shaped like a violin. The concert featured carnatic music, but withban unusual combination of veena, piano, and drums. The performers were amazing, but the pieces were long and ethereal...combined  with a dark auditorium, it put some students right to sleep.

Now we are on our way to Mysore for the day. There were some interesting rock hills along the way, in an area with a lot of silk production. We just stopped at the rest area where last year I bought a wonderful carved penguin.

Rooftops

Yesterday afternoon one student and I headed out in a hotel car to meet the rest of the group at the Target headquarters. We saw interesting neighborhoods, temples, nice homes, tent cities, new construction, and cows on our 40 minute ride.

When we arrived at Target we walked in the lobby to discover a sizable portion of the workforce posing for a picture in their ethnic clothing. Lots of women I'm beautiful saris and some men in nice kurtas, too. It was quite a sight. They dressed up to celebrate the departure of one expat worker and the arrival of another.

They gave us a nice presentation about the company and some of the work they do there. Then we got a tour of the facility including the 8th floor cafeteria and terrace. We enjoyed the view from the terrace (pictured). We also went to a 9th floor rooftop patio where someone had set up a beam bag toss game. That was unexpected.

I slept on the bus back to the hotel, then took a half hour nap before our group dinner. The dinner was catered on the first floor lawn on top of the banquet rooms. The weather was perfect and the setting was dramatic. The space was lined with palm(?) trees and decorative lights, while the glass-walled mall across the street formed an impressive backdrop. We heard from a couple of guest speakers at dinner, then I was happy to climb into bed for about 8 1/2 hours.

Quiet Day

I was sick this morning, although not in the way you might think. I stayed back at the hotel with a student who is also under the weather. I didn't sleep well, so it was nice to tale a short nap, and I took the opportunity to hit the spa. One hour full body massage for about $60? Yes please!

We may re-join the group this afternoon for the Target headquarters visit. (Yes, I said Target. They do all of their business analytics here, as well as all of the product placement and store layout work, along with a bunch of other stuff, I'm sure.)

Leaving Delhi for Bangalore

Checked out of hotel, visited factory which stamps parts for two wheelers, autos, commercial vehicles and tractors. Went to mall. Bought some gifts. Ate McDonald's at the airport. They no longer have the shake-shake peri-peri fries. Slept on the flight to Bangalore. Got into room late. Goodnight!

Busy Day of Educational Visits

I started my day with a visit to the steam room. It felt good, because my legs were a little are from all of the walking yesterday.

By 8:00 am we were headed out to our first visit. We met with the Commissioner of the Indian Census, the man ultimately responsible for counting 1/6 of the people on the entire planet. Again this year he gave a great presentation about how to manage such a large project, touching on planning, procurement, logistics, marketing, training, innovation, technology, etc. All they have to do is print forms in 16 languages and deliver them in time for 2.7 million temporary employees to take them to every household in India within a three week time frame. And then input, analyze, and report the data. As we joke around the Kelley School, the program practically runs itself.

Next we visited the new IU Gateway office and had lunch before concluding the day with a great and interactive presentation at Mercer.

After returning to the hotel, I went with 23 students to a posh Indian restaurant, Bakhara, where we sat on stools, drank from brass goblets, and ate with our fingers. Apparently Bill Clinton likes to eat here. We had to take 6 taxis to get there. The ride was interesting: a man who was about to cross the street without paying any attention stepped off the curb and ran right into our moving car. He was startled and apologetic, but the driver gave him the evil eye and then things got real tense as they stared each other down for about a minute. Finally we drove on, erratically, until we reached the restaurant. I was glad to get there. The ride home was uneventful, fortunately.

Day in Agra

This morning we got on the bus at 4:30 and headed to the train station for our 6:00 train to Agra. This photo is of Cannaught Place, the heart of New Delhi, at dawn taken from the walk to our platform.

The train ride was great. Newspapers and breakfast were provided (tea, water, bread, Frosted Flakes with warm milk, and a warm Indian pastry(?) made from lentils. The trip took two hours, which passed by quickly with all of the interesting sites to see. I saw sides of India I hadn't seen before.

In Agra, we headed to the Taj Mahal where I had a much better experience than last year. It was sunny and warm (99!) which made everything more beautiful. We also had more time, so I was able to explore the museum, gardens, and mosque. Like our students experienced, a lot of Indian people wanted their picture taken with me. One family with a small boy and girl stopped to introduce themselves and take pictures, but mostly I was approached by handsome young men. That suites me fine, but for the largest group of them I failed to get any photos on my camera. (I don't know what I was thinking.)

Most notably, I broke a promise I made to myself last year, and I actually went inside the Taj again. Swore I wouldn't do it, but as I was standing out in the sun next to the white marble it struck me: there was no long line of Indian tourists, and the guards inside the marble rotunda were not blowing their whistles to keep throngs of people moving through the space. So I took a chance and went in. This time, I was actually able to stop at the entrance and take in the replica tombs of Shah Jahan and his wife. I examined the intricate carving of the screen and watched a man cleaning it with a toothbrush. I studied the floral patterns inlayed into the screen and walls with precious stones. I pondered the views outward from the central chamber, and I stepped back to marvel at the room's height and domed ceiling. I saw almost none of this last year, so I left with a much greater appreciation this year. But it was still dark in there.

We next went to the Agra Fort which is massive and impressive. We didn't spend much time there, but we saw some sections we missed last year. After lunch at the posh Radisson Blu, we took the bus home on the new expressway, which cut about an hour off of the trip.

Tonight at the hotel I visited the steam room and had a soak in the hot tub while enjoying some ginger honey tea. Then we had a delicious Indian buffet dinner followed by some really great student reflection and presentations. I'm blogging from the outdoor lounge, a space which a number of students are also enjoying. It is almost Midnight and it doesn't feel like it's still 90 degrees. I skipped the mini golf tonight, although apparently I'm still the only person from Kelley to have gotten a hole in one on the course!

Day One: New Delhi

What a great day in New Delhi! It's 95 degrees and mostly sunny. We had a few sprinkles this afternoon, but nothing problematic.

Today was sight seeing. A new site for me this year was Hunmayan's tomb. It was built by the five of the deceased leader and is the precursor to the Taj Mahal, predating it by about 80 years. It is a beautiful red sandstone building, a bit worse for wear than the Taj, but much more interesting and peaceful on the inside. I really enjoyed it.

The next stop was the Ghandi Smriti (memorial). This is where the Mahatma lived the last 144 days of his life and was assassinated. It was as peaceful as I remembered, but this time I spent more time inside the house, which is now an extensive museum. Last year I missed most of it. This year I was surprised to discover that the entire second floor is a gallery and they had a lot of interesting multimedia installations. I didn't expect it, and it was a bit crowded, and we were too rushed to take it all in.

Our final stop was another one of my favorite sites from last year: Qtub Minar. Knowing the parts of the grounds I missed last year, this year I headed out in a different direction on my own and took some interesting photos. (Most of my pictures will be uploaded to Facebook after I get home.)

One thing about Indian culture is that platonic male friends often hold hands and put their arms over the shoulders of their buddies in public. I noticed a lot of that today, and I always find it so sweet. Today at Qtub Minar in the gate, two such friends noticed me taking pictures and stepped out of one of my shots. They gave me big smiles and held out their hands in greeting as they left the building. It was a nice connection with some locals, as brief as it was.

The photo here is the view from my hotel room, which is on the "wrong" side of the building. Last year I looked out over the pool and mini-golf course toward the forest. This year I'm only on the second flood and I overlook the driveway, street, and nearby buildings. Still, the trees are nice. Soon we're heading out to dinner at the home of one of our alumni. We're hoping he hasn't planned a wild party for us!

On the Move

My return to India is underway. Yesterday we had a 3 1/2 hour pre-departure meeting with the students, during which they gave presentations about some of the places we will visit on the trip. We also played a name game so I finally learned the names of most of the 30 students I'm traveling with. Just a little more practice and I will be fine.

I went home from the meeting and packed. I was back on campus to meet everyone at 7:15 this morning. The departure was smooth compared to last year when our flight was cancelled and we had to leave 7 hours early in a deluge. We're now in Northwest Indiana on our way to O'Hare. At this point, we're still excited about the 8-hour flight to Amsterdam. Not sure how long that will last.

I'm looking forward to being back in India, seeing some places again, seeing new sites, and doing it all with a new group of students and colleagues. But I know I'm going to miss Barry and our dogs!

Back to India

One week from tomorrow, May 10, I will be returning to India with Kelley's "Business in a Flat World" class. The trip will be much the same as last year's trip; I will be traveling with 30 freshman and 4 colleagues to Delhi and Bangalore with day trips to Agra and Mysore. I feel a little more prepared to go than I did last year - in addition to knowing what to expect, this year I've actually done some preparatory reading and created a packing list!