Bangalore

I left Trivandrum yesterday. Sree, Anya, Domonique and Kari are off to Bombay. The visit with Sree's parents was fabulous! They were just the nicest hosts you can imagine. This whole trip would not have taken place had it not been for Sree, and I owe him a debt of gratitude!!!!!! By the way Kari knows how to juggle, and Domonique tells me that she is working on it too.

When were leaving we went to a Hindu temple. Sree, his dad, and I got two coconuts each and part of the ritual was to smash them against a stone wall then to go forward to an alter an pray. It was a ritual that Sree and his dad went through when we arrived, and this was our way of departure.

At one point I talked with the three girls, and we concluded that India had less diversity than the United States. For example, we have people from every continent while most people in India can trace their ancestry back to this country. However, I am beginning to think that this idea needs to be modified.

India has amazing diversity, but it is of a different sort than America. For example, I am now in Bangalore--the fourth city I have visited--and here the main language spoken in Kanada. All four cities have a different language!!!!!!

I am now visiting Reshma's sister-in-law Jayashrree and her husband Ashok and their two beautiful daughters. They are so much like Reshma -- smart, talented, and just so so interesting. Jayashree's one vice is that she buys books by the dozen, a vice I share, and talking with her and with Ashok is so stimulating. She is a wonderful cook and makes fabulous vegetarian dinners. She pointed out to me that India has more diversity in its cuisine than any other country, and I am really seeing this. Food differs greatly from region to region, and with different religious groups the food that is eaten greatly changes.

By the way, both in Trivantrum and in Bangalore we eat with our hands. In Trivandrum, Sree's parents welcomed us with a feast where all the food was served on banana leaves. I must say, I seem to be eating enormous amounts of food, and I am not gaining any weight. The school where I started teaching is absolutely beautiful. It is a Montessori School and all the students call me "Zeus Uncle." Interestingly, the students there seem to not have much interest in fast foods. They bring food that is cooked at home, and practically all of them say that they eat together with their family every evening and every morning. We start the day with yoga, and then they go to classrooms which are open and airy. I have started videotaping their observations, and today I had them say hi to individual members of my class at Ancona. Hopefully, we will be able to keep up these contacts. The students here like the students in the Cambridge School are really a nice group.

Have to go now.