Day 3 in India

Day 3-January 5, 2014

Our 3rd day in India is a Sunday, which means there aren't any businesses/Universities to visit.  The Indian work week is Monday thru Saturday and school weeks in India are the same Monday- Saturday, with Sunday off.








So today was light on course work, but heavy on exploring the Indian Culture.  First we did what many people in Bangalore do to relax on their day off, we visited Lal bagh or Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens.  Many say that Lal Bagh is like Central Park is to New York City.  At Lal bagh, we saw the Kempegowda Tower, the Glass House, Lal Bagh Lake, and many other attractions that make the park such a draw to tourists and citizens of Bangalore.



 
 
The tranquility of the park makes you forget that just outside the gates is a bustling inner city.  I was an attraction myself at Lal Bagh, when some Indian residents wanted to have their picture taken with the "white" visitor.  Even more surprising than asking to pose for pictures with strangers who put their arm around you and hold your hand, was seeing a monkey drinking from a juice box, just a few feet away.



 

 On the way to our next destination we got a chance to see Vidhana Soudha.  Bangalore is in the state of Karnataka and this building is the state house.  Much like Annapolis has the MD state house.  Our professor, Dr. Kanti, said the inside of the building is more beautiful than the Capitol Building in Washington, DC.





Our next stop was Cubbon Park.  But it was not to see the park itself.   Located in an old British Colonial Building is the State Central Public Library branch (you will need to have your browser translate this page to English).  We were fortunate enough to see the beautiful building and walk through the library.  

Much like public libraries in  the US, Bangalore Citizens can receive a "membership card" and check out materials.  There was also a very bustling periodicals/newspaper room, where many Bangalorians go to catch up on what is happening in their city and abroad.  

 


Sitting outside of the entrance to the library was a "book mobile."  Much like our own book mobiles, this vehicle takes books out to various stops through out the city so those who cannot get to the library will still have access to library materials and services.  



 



Unexpectedly, I learned that there was a children's library just around the corner and I practically got hit crossing the busy street so I could check it out and compare their library services to those we offer.  Then I just about fell over, when the librarian said we just missed a storytime & they conduct "storytelling workshops" very frequently.  I was surprised to see storytimes happen that often in Banglaore.

The library featured children's reading materials and also featured "toys" like our library does.  Many do not understand why a library has "toys" & I often have to explain that from the time a child is born up until the time they enter school, children learn through play. 

 By handling these non battery powered manipulative "toys," children begin to develop the skills that are necessary for success in school.

Like I said previously, India is full of contradictions.  Most people think of India as a poverty stricken nation.  But what I never realized is there is a very, extremely, insanely, unbelievably rich segment of the population in Bangalore too.  We got to experience this element by going to a place called UB City.

The only way to describe UB City, is to picture the scene in Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts goes shopping on Rodeo Drive, in Beverly Hills. This is what UB City felt like to me.  Stores at UB City included Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, Diesel, Versace and Emporio/Armani to name a few.  These are all stores I will never be able to step foot inside of (& didn't at UB either).  But the even more ridiculous fact of having all these UBer rich stores in a country know for its poverty, is the price of the items they sell.  These stores in the US are insanely expensive, but in Bangalore the same items will cost you 20-30% MORE!!!!  That is how wealthy the UBer rich in Bangalore are.  



In the stores, the prices may be outrageously expensive, but in the restaurants you can still eat like a king for about 8-9 US dollars.  On the suggestion of our classmate Parakh, we dined at an incredible Rhajithani restaurant called Rajdhani.  The food in India has been great, but the endless meal of wonderful dishes from the Rhajithani region created an incredible dining experience.  This Winter Food Festival does not stop until your belly is full, your head is spinning and the waiter comes by to wash your hands.  Look at all the mouthwatering food in my Bangalore, India-Day 3 Facebook Album.

 After leaving the luxury of UB City, we had the opportunity to shop like most of the citizens in Bangalore.  We went to an area called Commercial Street, where we went from store to store looking at what all was offered on this street.  The streets were packed with citizens shopping on their day off work.  Dr. Kanti was very gracious enough to step in and "haggle" with the vendors to get the class the best possible deals on some of the fine "handicrafts" we saw.  

Then he also managed to get the prices down from a belt vendor, so that most of the guys in the group, walked away with nice leather belts for about 4 US dollars. Before leaving  the Commercial Street district, we went to Mahatma Gandhi Road where visited one of the oldest bookstores in Bangalore, Higginbothams. There I was able to pick up some postcards (you wouldn't believe how hard it is to find postcards in India) and found a book with my daughter's & my name on it.  

We had one more stop before we left the area.  The group went to the Indian Coffee House, where we all had a wonderful cup of coffee for 16 Rupees each.  That is the equivalent of about 26 cents in US dollars.  This local tradition features waiters wearing colonial area outfits and good tasting coffee.  Since I am a huge coffee drinker, I quickly noticed that no one was walking around with to-go coffee cups.  In India, coffee is meant to be served sitting down, not on the run like Americans are used to doing.  Everyone is expected to sit and enjoy their coffee for a few minutes instead of grabbing a cup & rushing off to your next stop.  This means my coffee consumption has decreased since arriving in India, but it is much more enjoyable when you can relax and savor the drink.