Land reforms

Land reforms are one of the most important issues for poor people in many countries. At the moment, a peaceful march is moving slowly but steadily towards New Delhi to remind the government of its promises.

Here are some links about Janadesh that I find worthwhile:

pictures,

an audioreport (including an interview with one of the main organisers of the march) and

an article in the Guardian,

another one to a BBC article,

and here one to the homepage of Jahadesh

Great to see these people getting active in a peaceful way!

Eid ul Fitr in Pakistan's Northwest

During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Some people told me that the experience of neither eating nor drinking for such a long time is supposed to give everybody (especially the rich people) an idea of what it means to be poor. Various groups of people don't have to observe the fast, for example travellers, ill people, pregnant women and children. As a non-Muslim, I'm also not obliged to fast.

The holiday with which the month of Ramadan ends is called Eid (pronounced as 'eed') ul Fitr. Most people try to spend it with their families. I was invited to come with Waqas, my collegue and friend from the Faisalabad office, to his hometown Topi in the Northwest.

Most people living in this part of Pakistan are Pathans. One of the things Pathans are famous for is their legendary hospitality.


During the week there, I went from one invitation to the next and was served lots of (nice) food.











Together with my Pathan friends, I listened to good music,








roasted maize cobs
















and visited the town of Topi














and its surroundings.
















Something I enjoyed very much was the fact that people on the streets didn't recognise me as a foreigner. Even the children didn't pay much attention when I passed by. Apparently, I look like a person from the Northwest (especially when I wear my Pathan hat, called Pakol)...

Amritsar

The first Indian city I visited, Amritsar, is still my favorite one. Things I like include the great streetfood, the narrow roads of the old city and, of course, the Golden Temple.

This holy place of the Sikh religion is amazing! Surrounded by beautiful white buildings and situated in the holy lake, the Golden Temple is the place where Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs, is kept during daytime (for the night, it is brought to another site close by). It contains this religion’s holy songs which are played by musicians inside the Golden Temple. The music is transmitted through speakers to the outside and contributes to the very special and peaceful atmosphere of the place.

As Amritsar is very close to the Indian-Pakistani border, I come here often when travelling from one country to the other. I always reserve a few hours for sitting by the lake near the Golden Temple.

This time, I was there at the birthday of Guru Ram Das, the founder of the city of Amritsar. This is one of the biggest holidays there so the temple and it's surroundings were full of people.

Pakistan

This is also Pakistan.

Short round trip in the South

I'm just back from a few days travelling in the South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Still tired but it was great!







The first stop was Tirupathi, a lovely town in its own right but much more well known for being the base for trips to Tirumala.


















From Tirupathi, there's a great footpath with 4000 steps (some pilgrims put red and orange paint on each step on their way up) climbing up the hill.

After three hours on the footpath (during which I met some very friendly guys who had been to Tirumala before and could explain me many things), I reached Tirumala where the temple devoted to Lord Venkateshwara is located. The atmospere there is very intense with pilgrims chanting, buying coconuts, flowers and other puja (offering) items. Many have their heads shaved bald which symbolises the renouncement of their ego. Even by Indian standards, the area around the temple gets extremely crowded. However, as everything is very well organised, things go relatively smoothly. Inside the temple, though, the going gets rougher as one approaches the inner sanctuary with the statue. I was glad I'm taller than the average person in the crowd so I could at least breathe more or less freely while I waited in the queue inside the temple for about two or three hours. I had not realised it would take this long but once I was inside, the only way out was through the temple and forward. The atmosphere inside was incredible, people screaming "Govinda, Govinda" and pressing even harder as we moved towards the statue (actually, I only got a glimpse on the statue before I was pushed out again). After getting out safely, I was given two big holy Laddus (a very rich sweet with nuts, butter and lots of sugar) before returning, tired and happy, to Tirupathi.

The next destination on my trip was Mysore. I had heard a lot about the city, many people claim it's the most beautiful city of the whole country. And it is nice (even Amritsar remains my favorite city in India)! I wasn't really in the mood for sightseeing so I spent the first day strolling through the roads of the old city.

There's beautiful old houses...













... a great fruit market..

















... and nice cars.















And then, there's the famous Maharaja Palace. Built in the early 20th century after the old palace burnt down. A bit kitschy for my taste but still really nice, especially from the outside.