Dengue & Lenin

Three days in Delhi, pretty much as boring as I had expected. With only one meeting per day I had a lot of time to read and think. Popped over to Khan Market a couple of times for coffee and food. The location of the the guest house in Golf Links is great. Calm but not more than a few minutes from everything. Unfortunately their internet connection broke down. Ordered in a pizza for dinner.

On the 24th I met Brij at India International Centre. He seemd to be doing OK but was a bit worried about his wife. Over the past few months there's been an outbreak of Dengue Fever in Delhi and she was coming up wih the symptoms (much like a cold). Dengue fever is spread by a kind of mosquito during day time. I got a few bites but it was during the night.

On the 25th I met with Partha Mukherjee at the Institute of Social Sciences. I'm thinking about becoming affiliated with them to be able to apply for a proper research visa. Had an odd discussion with him about historicity, neo-marxism and Lenin )))-:

The flight back home was alright, not much waiting time, not even at Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Now I have about two weeks to write a paper to present at a conference on Tibet and Islam at London College.

Clear Blue Sky

Last night was cold and grey. The weather forecast told of bad weather for the next two weeks. The prospects for an early morning flight departure did not look very bright. Nevertheless, when I woke up this morning it was still dark and no electricity. I could very well be stuck for weeks as the high passes would be blocked by snow. When I looked out I could see some stars in the sky, that's positive. When I came down with my bag there was no sign of life but after a few minutes Dawa stumbled out the front door. As the dawn rose I could see that the sky was clear and blue. Good, but from experience I also knew that everything could look different in a couple of hours. Dawa started the van and turned on the heat. Off we went. A good thing with Leh's airport is that it's very peaceful, no rush. This time of year there is only one flight in the morning and not very many passengers. When all the passengers were checked in and had passed through security everyone waited for the increasing sound of a jet engines coming in from the East. And suddenly there it was. Everybody sprung in motion. The flight was half an hour late but at least it had come. Twenty minutes later we were on our way. It was still a beautiful morning with fantastic views over the now snow capped Himalayas. Big glaciers curling down the valleys and Nanga Parbat's tower visible far away in the west. Gradually the white cover disappeared and we were soon over the brownish southern foothills. The temperature in Delhi was 19+ and the first thing I did was to strip off my layers of technical outerwear. Now, around 1 pm it's probably 27+ here. I'm not sure what I will do next. Call a few people, I think. Tomorrow I'll meet with Brij. So this is how things stand right now: warmer but boring. This is not my favorite city.

In the afternoon I went for a meeting at the Swedish Embassy. It was very laid back and productive and gave me a few ideas about SASNET's future strategy. It seemed that the embassy staff knows zip about SASNET. Gautam Bhattacharyya (a Swedish guy despite his name) was there. I haven't seen him for 4-5 years now although we've been in email contact. He has two small children now and the family lives in Vasant Vihar in south Delhi. Inside the embassy it looks pretty much like in a Swedish government office. Even the coffee was Swedish. It felt a bit weird to tell the truth.

I can't beleive how decent the weather is. Despite everything bad here in Delhi it's a great, warm evening. And only two days ago I was struggling knee deep in snow to give Stanzin's car a grip on the ice at Photu La. Can't beleive it...

Snowy Weather

The weather has quickly turned cold. This morning it was snowing here in Leh but I think the flights could depart. I really hope I will get away tomorrow. In Delhi it's +27 today. With this kind of weather people huddle up in Oriental's dining room where they have installed a gas heater. Then it's straight to the sleeping bag. The Ladakhis move into their so called winter kitchen where they sit all day drinking tea and watching TV. In the streets from Changspa to town the only creature you meet are stray cows and wild dogs looking for shelter. The scary Yaks seem to have moved to other pastures.

Tomorrow, I hope, my stay here is over. It hasn't exactly worked out according to plans. I wanted to spend most of my time in Kargil but ended up having only two and a half days there. They were fun, though: a poetry slam, a guitar jam and a Bush burning! Instead of examining KASCO I have mainly studied Skarchen, which is totally new to me. In three weeks I'm presenting this at a conference about Tibet and Islam. As things turned out the abstract I sent the organizers does not match what I have to work with. But that's just the way it is.

Kargil Jam & Grim Weather

Back from Kargil. They do have internet connection there but I was unable to find the time to sit down and blog. The ride from Leh was fine (7 hrs) although we had to sit and wait for a long time in the outskirts of Kargil, waiting for a bulldozer to shift a big pile of rocks across the road. Like last year Gulzar was an excellent host and had organized everything for me. On Wedensday I visited Kagril Social and Cultural Organization's (KASCO) new creche. The kids were lined up for me, applauding as I entered. It made me feel like a high ranking government official or something. Next I met with all the activists in KASCO's office, and they were tripping over each other replying to my questions. Kargil has a bad reputation but behind the drab streets there is a lot of activities going on, and it's a very hospitable community. In the afternoon we went to a poetry slam at the Cultural Academy. The most distingusihed poets in town delivered their latest lines. The Kargilis are really passionate about their poetry, and the audience participate loudly in the recital, exclaiming "Whoa!!!" (Perfect!) and calling the poet to repeat his lines. The greatest of them all is a charismatic Balti guy called Sadiq Ali. On the second day I had more fun. We started with a guitar jam at KASCO, and I got to exchange licks with Kargil's no 1 pop musician, Riyaz Munchi. Later in the day the people of Kargil staged a rowdy anti US and Israel demonstration, burning effigies of George Bush and Sharon. The bazaar was crammed full with demonstrators, jumping, shoving and screaming "Down with USA, down with Israel!". The most funadamentalist group of demonstrators carried a picture of an armed Mujahedin with a black bandana making him look like Rambo. In the evening I went for a formal dinner with Gulzar. It was the last Friday of Ramadan. I sat in a long line of men (the women were nowhere to be seen and got my own plate of food. It was meat, meat and more meat and I took my own time trying to eat all of it. Suddenly I realized that everyone else had finished their food and was looking at me. I quickly put my plate down so the Mullah could thank Allah for the food. The most of the guys got up and left. This morning we started driving back to Leh at six. As we approached Photu la there was quite a lot of snow. The traffic was backed up for three kilometres beneath the pass. It took us a couple of hours of ice hacking and pushing to get the car over the top. I was really happy that I had brought some good winter clothes (except for the shoes). The weather is pretty grim here in Leh too, and I hope my flight will not be cancelled. It remains to be seen. I have started to read Hanif Koureshi's (?) "The Black Album" but I'm not yet sure about what it's about.

Racoon Tan

What can I say? The weather is back to perfect again but I look like a fool (or perhaps a racoon) with a white strip across my face from wearing sunglasses. Blue skies in all directions. Flights leaving on time.

Haven't done much of use today except giving some advice about Chennai to a woman who's husband is going there for a hip operation (at Apollo). Apparantly it will save him USD 40 000 compared to having it done back home in the US. Just the other week I read a newspaper article about another American with the same problem who's union put up the money to save him from Indian surgeons (trained in the UK). They felt it was disgraceful for an Ameican worker to be operated in India. I told her to get out of town as soon as possible.

I called Gulzar again and he's back in Kargil. So tomorrow I'm driving over there. It should take around 7 hours. I'm not sure if I can keep up the blog there but I'll be back in Leh on the 21st. I really hope it's enough time to collect the data I need.

I was a little afraid that I would be bored having to stay in Delhi for three days before I go back to Sweden so I emailed some people to make the rounds. Just being social. Suddenly I'm invited to do a seminar at the Institute of Social Science which is a lot more than I asked for. Now I have to think of a way out of it.

Recently I have been taking the back road over Thukcha to town but today I took the dusty motorable road again. I discovered that a couple of sturdy Yaks have occupied a section by the bridge. They look mean with their long hair and long horns. Meaner than the Tata SUV's trying to force their way through.

I wish I had the energy to trek to town for dinner.

That's about it for today, I guess.

Just Add Some Drums

The weather is better today. Mostly cumulus clouds and just some small snow areas up around Stok Kangri. It's still cold, though, and I think everyone here appreciates the sunny mornings. I sit in the garden and warm up slowly with a coffee before breakfast.

Met with Ghulam Hussain at Skarchen again this morning to talk about Balti music. Together with the organization KASCO in Kargil they have produced 10 music cassettes with Balti ghazals (secular songs). Each cassette contains four old ghazals, for with lyrics by famous contemporary Balti poets, and four with lyrics written by aspiring poets. The idea is to create an awareness about the music among the Balti people and to give aspiring Balti poets a platform (and make some money too, I guess). Some songs have become local hits and these cassettes have sold around 5 000 copies. Now they are moving into music videos. The music sounds basically Balti but have been changed to fit a 4/4 drum beat and shortened to the length of pop songs. This is essential to reach young people, says Ghulam Hussain.

In a few minutes I will be meeting Sonam Joldan at the Unemployed Youth's Cafe. It is perhaps fitting since he has not yet found a job after getting his PhD. He wants to help out with my transport arrangements to Kargil but I think I have made a decent deal with my guest house. It's not exactly high season here. I want to keep the car with me in Kargil and they don't charge extra for that. It's a big, comfortable Toyota Qualis driven by Stanzin whom I know from last year's visit. I'll see what he says about it.

The cats peaked out again. The kittens are too small to play yet but they readily eat whatever the guests offer them if you leave them alone. I told the cat rescue squad that Alice thought it would be a better idea for the cats to live across the road. But they said it is dangerous since they would have to cross the road all the time when looking for food.

I finally finished the brick sized "short history of almost everything" (that I didn't really want to know). Now I'm reading Tom Wolfe's "The Bonfire of Vanities" (?), a novel about the social disintegration in New York in the 80's. I'm also trying to read an introduction to Islam.

Band of Dogs

It's only 11.30 but I think I will start today's blogg anyway. Perhaps I'll write some more in the afternoon. I feel a bit muffled myself today, and it took some time to get started this morning. I had breakfast with an Australian guy who's studying to become an MD, and the topics of conversation were mostly related to tropical diseases. He carried a book stating the various diseases and their symptoms so that might have affected me.

The weather is getting colder by the day now although some people are still leaving for treks. This morning a couple left for Markha valley. They will probably have to struggle through more snow than they care for. There is a shortcut from Changspa to Leh across the fields where you have good views of the mountain ranges on both sides of the valley. There are snow everywhere up there now, and the snow clouds hover around the peaks. Today is Sunday and families are helping out in the potato harvest, singing to keep the pace.

I saw the kittens and their mother this morning as they finally ventured out of the dark potato cellar. There was a little sunshine coming through and they seemed to be alright. Strangely enough there are no dogs around the house. But yesterday I came across a whole band of dogs sleeping on the curb outside the State Bank, blocking the way for pedestrians.

After I left the Internet place I set out for a long walk. First I went up the mountain past the palace and all the way up to the abandoned monastery and ruined fort on the top. From that spot one gets great views over Leh and the Indus valley. I was all alone up there apart from a couple of stray cows and donkeys. Thousands of prayer flags were flapping in the cold wind. I continued beyond the fort along the ridge and came down across the field of dilipidating stupas near the Lamgon school. From there I crossed the alluvial valley through Sankar village. The road bridge over the river was gone and there was only a narrow jetty to the other side. Then I followed the valley side down to the guest house which is situated right benetah the peace stupa. It was a long and dusty trek, and maybe I had done better reading in my bed. Anyway, now it's done. Got to close now as it is getting dark and I have to wind my way back to Changspa. Unfortunately I forgot to bring my torch.

Muffler on Culture

I feel the pressure to be more children friendly but nothing really interesting for children has happened today. The weather has been mixed, and it's snowing on the high mountains all around us now. It's colder too. I guess I can say a few words of the Moravian Mission School which is halfway between Changspa and Leh. Although it was probably less than 15 degrees the children sat and worked in long lines on the schoolyard. I wonder how Alice and her friends would like that? Judging from reports from back home the children are currently absorbed by the movie "Titanic", and it's hard to trump that from here (3 500 metres above sea level). We've got plenty of ice around us, though.

Today I had a good talk with some cultural activists from Skarchen. We spoke about Balti identity and culture and the peculiar separation of culture and religion the Baltis in Turtuk seem to have. In fact, they seem to have a pragmatic relationship to Islam and look at it has a kind of muffler on their culture. I'm meeting them again on Monday to talk about Balti music and the production of albumns with Balti songs.