Antigone In India: Day One

Last night, I landed in India at 9:20 pm. Along the way, twelve hours that were supposed to have taken place on January 5 disappeared into thin air, and I jumped ahead ten-and-a-half hours in time. It suffices to say that I am severely jet lagged.

When I woke up this morning, I was revving to get out the door and see India. My long journey and subsequent night of rest had left me with more than 24 hours to anticipate my adventure. The wait was worth it. India is completely different from any country that I have ever visited. The semi-trucks are covered in campy, brightly-colored paintings (even the gas tanks feature pictures), cattle and buffalo wander freely in the streets, and people travel on the highways with every mode of transportation imaginable, including, camels, donkeys, bicycles, and cabs that look like green and yellow golf carts.

This morning, my mother and I started our trip off with a four-hour car ride to Agra. Along the way, I managed to make a little boy’s day by taking his picture with my digital camera. When we arrived, we went to lunch at a restaurant recommended by our guide. The food was delicious, traditional Indian fare. Unfortunately, I have not been able to eat a bite of anything here without thinking of traveler’s diarrhea. After lunch, we went to the Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal was built by the fourth Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, in loving memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal. According to legend, Mumtaz Mahal grew sick after giving birth to the Emperor’s fourteenth and final child. Her husband visited her on her deathbed and asked her if she had any wishes. At first, Mumtaz only asked that her husband not marry again (this did not preclude him from having 1500 concubines) and that he treat their children with kindness. The Emperor then told her to wish for something else; he wanted to show the world his deep love and affection for his wife. Mumtaz requested that he build her a beautiful mausoleum. Shah Jahan began to build the Taj Mahal six months after his wife’s death. It was completed twenty-two years later, in 1653.

The Taj Mahal is lesson in symmetry. When Shah Jahan had to build a mosque on one side of the building, he elected to build an identical structure on the opposite side, even though he had no use for it. The back of the Taj Mahal faces the open banks of the Yamuna River. It was comforting to see that at least one culture does not try to fill all spaces surrounding famous tourist sites with gift shops and restaurants.

Agra Fort
Our second historical spot was the Agra Fort. The Fort has existed since at least 1080 AD. However, it was significantly renovated by the third Mughal Emperor, Akbar. In 1658, Shan Jahan (the Mughal Emperor who built to the Taj Mahal) was overthrown by his son and imprisoned in the Agra Fort. Unable to visit his wife’s mausoleum, he watched it from a tower atop the Agra Fort.

The Fort was absolutely beautiful. I liked it more than the Taj Mahal. My favorite room was a large receiving area that overlooked a courtyard. It was filled with magnificent pillars.

Orphanage
In between historical trips, my mother and I visited an orphanage run by the Sisters of Charity (the order of nuns to which Mother Theresa belonged). The children were incredibly sweet. Many of them came up to us in search of a hug.

The orphanage was just one of many reminders of India’s extensive poverty. Here, the average annual salary is 710 USD and thirty five to forty percent of the 1.027 billion-person population lives on less than one dollar a day.

On that sad note, I need to go to bed. It is 11:30 pm over here and jet lag made me wake up at five this morning.

Namaste!