Since returning to Pune, I have immersed myself in not being on the road, which I assure you has been inestimably pleasurable. After months of paratha (a kind of flat bread that usually has some potato in iti) and chai for breakfast, I can now peacefully eat my peanut butter toast and drink my homemade milk coffee while pursuing that unrivaled window into (a small part of) Indian culture - the english language press. We now receive three papers at our doorstep, which is excessive, but the Asian Age, number three in all other respects, includes a Sat. NYTimes supplement. While I read the papers back to front (sports>business>international>Pune and Maharashtra>national), Andrea has an entirely different approach, which involves starting with the pop-culture and food insert known as the Pune times.
After the papers and the coffee and a bit of yoga done to the sounds of street hawkers who push carts full of vegetables, old newspapers, salvaged glass and other sundry items through the lanes of our quiet little residential neighborhood. . . well, there's not anything particualr that must happen after this; I was more just trying to capture the mood. Seriously, though, I have a Hindi class three days a week and so some mornings I am preparing my vakye (sentences) and reading over the material for the days classes. If not, its usually off to web world, the local broadband, ac, internet cafe which is sort of our office. In the morning its more relaxing there, as the gamers have not yet arrived. By afternoon you have to deal with the shouting young BITs (bhai sahabs in training) convulsing over success or failure in computer soccer, or cricket or some creepy doom style game. Besides assaulting my friends and families with emails, I've been spending a lot of time on the web (Pune's libraries leave something to be desired) researching various intersections between nationalism and sports in preparation for a talk I was cajoled into giving at a local NGO called open space, which hosts lectures and such. Some of you may have suffered through a rough draft of this talk sent via email. Not sure where its headed yet, but I can say with a certain degree of satisfaction that living in India has forced me to think much more broadly about just about everything, and this talk is no exception - Indian sports culture is pretty unique and fascinating, to say nothing of the history of Indian nationalism.
Other than that, its catch as catch can . We spend a lot of time at various tailors having handmade clothes stiched from the beautiful Indian fabric that is so readily available. We go to the movies for Hollywood blockbusters and Bollywood fare alike. We eat out at local thali restaurants (all you can eat Indian food - for only 80 rupees =$2). We hang out with the Sanskrit students who are here as part of the AIIS summer program, as well as our few friends in Pune (er, Andrea's friends, but mine now as well). I work on old and new writing projects and Andrea works on her research or prepares for her new job teaching American exchange students in Jaipur. The past week was spent packing the house in preparation for Andrea's departure, which occured on Wed. She is in the US for three weeks to get staff training. I will remain in Pune until the 8th, then head to Delhi to celebrate my birthday with our friend Shuddha, then probably to Rishikesh or Dharamshala to relax and hopefully balance my reading and writing with some serious yoga.
Its raining consistently in Pune, now, which is good news, as much of Maharashtra and indeed northen India is suffering from a drought. The monsoon is a make or break issue for the vast majority of Indians who still work in agriculture. Last year's monsoon was excellent, and the country prospered as a result. This year's is late and people are very worried. Of course, Im not a farmer and so interact with the monsoon more on an aesthetic level - the weather is cool, the flowers in bloom and the trees lush and blooming. Unlike Bombay, it is not overly humid, and the nights are refreshingly cool and breezy. The entire atmosphere is quite calming and even meditative, perfect for the activities with which I fill my days.
Other than that, its catch as catch can . We spend a lot of time at various tailors having handmade clothes stiched from the beautiful Indian fabric that is so readily available. We go to the movies for Hollywood blockbusters and Bollywood fare alike. We eat out at local thali restaurants (all you can eat Indian food - for only 80 rupees =$2). We hang out with the Sanskrit students who are here as part of the AIIS summer program, as well as our few friends in Pune (er, Andrea's friends, but mine now as well). I work on old and new writing projects and Andrea works on her research or prepares for her new job teaching American exchange students in Jaipur. The past week was spent packing the house in preparation for Andrea's departure, which occured on Wed. She is in the US for three weeks to get staff training. I will remain in Pune until the 8th, then head to Delhi to celebrate my birthday with our friend Shuddha, then probably to Rishikesh or Dharamshala to relax and hopefully balance my reading and writing with some serious yoga.
Its raining consistently in Pune, now, which is good news, as much of Maharashtra and indeed northen India is suffering from a drought. The monsoon is a make or break issue for the vast majority of Indians who still work in agriculture. Last year's monsoon was excellent, and the country prospered as a result. This year's is late and people are very worried. Of course, Im not a farmer and so interact with the monsoon more on an aesthetic level - the weather is cool, the flowers in bloom and the trees lush and blooming. Unlike Bombay, it is not overly humid, and the nights are refreshingly cool and breezy. The entire atmosphere is quite calming and even meditative, perfect for the activities with which I fill my days.
