I'm married!
Just kidding. The second most common question, after country of origin, I get from people in India is, "Are you married?" To keep things simple and avoid having to explain that Peter and I are just friends, we decided in Jaipur to just answer "yes." It satisfies everyone. Now we're getting a few common follow-ups: "Any children?" and the blessing, "May you have a big and happy family!" We smile and nod. It's a fun game.
Upon arrival in Amritsar, the holiest city for the Sikh religion, we caught a Jeep and headed straight to Attari. Attari is the only border crossing between India and Pakistan. Every evening at sundown there is an hour-long show-de-force between each country's military as they close the border for the night. People from around the country -and world- pour into permanent grandstands to watch the pomp and circumstance. This is the Indian side of the border, what one would see if entering the country. And yes, that is a large photograph of Gandhi ironically gracing the gate between the split countries.
On the other side of the gates are Pakistan's bleachers, gate, and photograph. Like with India, men and women are seated separately. I find great amusement in how similar the two countries are despite wanting to one-up each other.
Then the border closing ceremony started. Each side had a person who tried to out-yell each other in both length and volume of the bellow. Pakistan won hands-down - perhaps because of practice from its Muslim call to prayer? Then the military, in traditional garb, riled themselves up and high-stepped to the gate. One by one they had a face-off with a Pakistani military man (similarly dressed in green and black) and performed a series of high kicks so intense that I'm surprised nobody gave themselves a concussion.
This went on for an hour, with an MC telling the crowd when to shout and when to keep quiet. There was also a popular call-and-response of "Hindustan!" "Zindabad!" (India! Long live!) Since I don't have any Indian nationalistic sentiments, this was one of the most entertaining things I've seen. Ever.
The Golden Temple in Amritsar is the Sikh's holy place. It felt magical to sit by the Pool of Nectar and watch as pilgrims and locals alike came to pray. Both men and women have to cover their heads and wash their hands and feet to enter the temple grounds.
In true Sikh openness, we were allowed to stay in the temple's dormitories. There was a special wing for foreigners - a single room with twenty beds pushed together so that we were all sleeping together. There were bedbugs. Simple meals of roti and dal were free to all, too:
I loved the place but was glad to get out quickly - it was overrun with both foreign and domestic tourists. Husband and I went next to Chandigarh, now en route to Varanasi.
Just kidding. The second most common question, after country of origin, I get from people in India is, "Are you married?" To keep things simple and avoid having to explain that Peter and I are just friends, we decided in Jaipur to just answer "yes." It satisfies everyone. Now we're getting a few common follow-ups: "Any children?" and the blessing, "May you have a big and happy family!" We smile and nod. It's a fun game.
Upon arrival in Amritsar, the holiest city for the Sikh religion, we caught a Jeep and headed straight to Attari. Attari is the only border crossing between India and Pakistan. Every evening at sundown there is an hour-long show-de-force between each country's military as they close the border for the night. People from around the country -and world- pour into permanent grandstands to watch the pomp and circumstance. This is the Indian side of the border, what one would see if entering the country. And yes, that is a large photograph of Gandhi ironically gracing the gate between the split countries.
Before the ceremony started, women were invited to dance in the street. I'm in there busting my Bollywood moves. After the ceremony, an Indian woman approached me in the bathroom to compliment my dancing!
The Golden Temple in Amritsar is the Sikh's holy place. It felt magical to sit by the Pool of Nectar and watch as pilgrims and locals alike came to pray. Both men and women have to cover their heads and wash their hands and feet to enter the temple grounds.
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