Tuesday, August 9, 2011

the ugly india(n)

"india has too much culture! you can't go around saving every monument and temple. the history is in our culture."

that was the answer to my question on whether or not india had laws protecting historical monuments. there's a thing here in blore called "road widening". it happens for a variety of reasons, to put in a metro, to make way for the bloating population and because the government can. because the city of blore never really had great urban planning-- store and house fronts just popped up in organic lines, making straight or orderly roads requires the demolishing of establishments. this... depressing reality is subtly distinguished by red marks you'll see on the posts of buildings with an arrow and a + some number of meters. that's how far in they're going to tear down whatever to make room for roads. the aforementioned question stemmed from me seeing a historical monument on a walking tour of MG Road with the marks ^+10m. how can you just rip a "historical" monument in two!?

"who are you to tell others what they should save? it's not your temple. they're the ones worshipping it!"

the man giving me the answers is part of a group called TUI (the ugly indian). A small group of mostly upper class individuals who believe in beautifying the streets of what most think is a highly polluted, urine filled area. they believe that by fixing up, planting plants, painting public areas of "abuse" locals will have a change of mentality and treat that place with respect. they choose their places wisely and work in anonymously. when people ask what they're doing their only responses are: just painting or would you like to join? i feel this action holds some heavy stuff and the fact that a group of 24 blatant foreigners helping them twisted the actions a bit.

anyway, because i have to go (Rs15/hour here!) i just want to sum it up by saying that india has definitely been changing my views. as upsetting as that sounds and sometimes feels, i say, hell, that's why i came here right? to confirm or turn my world upside down... or around.

"i didn't get turned on, i just got turned."
-- atmosphere, not the bald mustachioed man who gave the previous quotes.

miss yall so much!

3 comments:

  1. hehe so the group you're helping with is called the ugly indian? i actually see that same problem here too. to a lesser extent of course, but even here (in the wood hood!) the city is forced to buy off land from homes in order to further expand roads and make more lanes. more people need more lanes!

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  2. at least here we have *some* urban planning...that, and gov'ts that want to buy land for roads have to jump through hoops and pay lots of compensation to home owners to succeed. People who sit in traffic here would complain about construction taking too long, but in a way, it's a good thing! Imagine if our gov't didn't have to jump through hoops at all, and just came by your house and put a + on it? (kinda reminds me of passover, except that the red sign on your door doesn't save you, it condemns you.) Bangalore is the complete city opposite of Seattle, and still the people are the same. Boys follow you on the street, and the well-meaning upper-class is forcing itself upon lower citizens (nonprofit agencies.) I just wonder why they decided to call themselves the ugly indian?

    It's good to read you, dee. I miss you!

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  3. one member was told that india was ugly so he decided to embrace that. he was surprisingly our tour guide from the day before! he had said at the end of the tour, you might think i hate my city and what's becoming of it, but i really do love it and heck, all cities have problems. i thought it was really great of him to both give his all to this city both publicly and privately.

    and ash. you don't know how hard it is to do things the indian way. my mates and i literally walk around with trash because we don't want to/can't just throw it on the ground. ay!

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