Welcome to the 2019 TS Blog!

Greetings from Dharamshala! My name is Truman McGee and I am the 2019 Tibetan Studies Program Assistant. I’ll be starting the 2019 Tibetan Studies blog with this post and our seven students will pick it up for the remainder of the semester. We are hoping that this blog serves as a casual and educational read for families, friends, and anyone else that wants to know what we are up to.

Two men prepare a pot of dal at a Sikh Temple in New Delhi.

In New Delhi, we saw the signs of a country, filled with rich history and culture, that is undergoing rapid economic development and cultural shifts. Destitute and crippled civilians line the street in neighborhoods throughout the city; piles of garbage crowded with cows and dogs are frequently seen; and child beggars tug on your hands and shirt frequently if they coin you as a foreigner. At the same time, we passed by air-conditioned shopping malls that brandished Western company logos such as Levi and Nike. We traveled through the various districts of New Delhi where the contrast between newly-built gated houses and dilapidated one-story shops and vendor stalls was stark. A taxi driver in Delhi talked to us about his opinions on the “good Delhi” and “bad Delhi”, with “bad Delhi” being the Old Delhi that has yet to see refinement or completion in modern infrastructure and architecture compared to other parts of the city.

The group watches the sunrise over the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Arriving in Delhi for the first time can be a sensory overload. The smells of rotting trash mingling with incense, the near-constant sharp sounds of traffic (Indian drivers honk their horns to communicate proximity to one another, not out of anger), the strong taste of authentic Indian curries, and the intense humidity are a few sensory observations that have stood out to us. New Delhi consists of over one hundred years of political strife, colonialism, religious turmoil and cultural shifts. It is a city filled with a rich history that is being preserved even as shopping malls, hotels and food courts pop up throughout the city. New Delhi is a fantastic example of a city retaining its roots while modernizing simultaneously.

An enthusiastic spectator cheers during the Wagah-Attari border ceremony.

The people of India have been some of the kindest and most genuine people I have ever met. We have been welcomed into this country with open arms. The caretakers of the various temples we visited were always interested in teaching us about their religion, history, temple and lifestyle. The volunteers at Sikh temples, where free meals are offered three times a day, were insistent on us trying some of their food. Sikh temples are mostly funded by donations and the cooking (often for thousands of people a day) is done by volunteers with enormous vats of lentil dal, rice, and elaborate systems to make thousands of pieces of chapati (flatbread). Finally, the staff and the students of Sarah College – our host university in Dharamshala- are fantastic scholars, hosts, and friends. The hospitality mindset here has continuously impressed us since Day One and it continues to be one of the more notable cultural aspects. We are all grateful and appreciative. We are appreciative of the opportunity that has been presented to us and we are looking forward to sharing it with you all. Thanks and make sure to tune in next week for our second post!   

Cheers,

Truman McGee