July 10-12, 2010: On to Ahmedabad

Namascar,

Saturday the 10th was a travel day—a four hour car ride (4 cars for our group) down the mountain to Chandrigahr, and a 30 minute flight to our Delhi hotel for a quick one-night turnaround to our next destination, Ahmedabad. In 1818, the British East India Company took over the city from the Maratha generals, who had ended the Mughal period in this area.

In the state of Gujarat, Ahmedabad is known for its flourishing textile industry. Despite our scheduled “free time” on Sunday afternoon, immediately after our arrival at our hotel, we regrouped and set out for the Calico Museum’s afternoon tour of antique textiles. A variety of styles were displayed, each breathtaking—tie dyed pieces with patterns so minute it seems impossible to have been done by hand, embroidered pieces, and beautiful patterns made by block printing.

Dinner in the hotel on Sunday evening (the 11th) was fun. The décor was a soccer theme and the waiters all wore the jerseys of Spain. Of course—tonight was the World Cup Final match! It was Super Bowl Sunday in India! The game aired at midnight. One super sports fan stayed up to watch; the rest of us read about it in the morning paper!

Monday’s schedule was full of new experiences. We visited the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) workshop in the morning. Registered as a trade union in 1972, SEWA trains women in employable skills and provides basic health care, child care, and shelter until the women can become self-sufficient. We visited the sewing workshop where some of us were measured for a kurta, churidar, and dupatta—the traditional outfit of a working woman. We met a young woman whose home and all possessions had been burned in the riots of 2002. She is now the production manager and chief designer for all of the fashions produced in the sewing department. Her success is the goal of SEWA for all women working in the “unorganized sector” which comprises 94% of the labor force in India.

After an afternoon of informal discussion with teachers and administrators in the Gujarat educational system, we traveled to the Rajmadu restaurant that serves traditional Gujarati cuisine. We sampled a variety of primarily vegetarian dishes, served on a silver platter. We also enjoyed a traditional dance performance and puppet show. It was a relaxing end to an information-filled day!

Namascar until my next entry. I'm almost caught up!