Final Reflection: Melia Markham
I was told by many people before my trip to India that this country would be a shock to my senses. Everyone always talks about the sights, smells, tastes, and sounds of India. While I was impacted by each of these senses, it was the shock to my emotions that struck me the most throughout the entire Anubhav program. Although this trip was relatively short compared to previous travel I have done, my ten days in India included some of the most impactful experiences I have gathered so far.
As I discussed in my previous blog post, I was shocked by how welcoming Indian culture is. I had never encountered such gracious people before coming to India. The Indian students at Bennett University were eager to talk to us and help us with anything we needed, even if they were not in the select group of students chosen to help us with our activities. Even outside the university we were greeted with smiles and waves from many people in the cities and villages we passed through. Many of the smiles and waves we received were coming from the poorest of the poor in India, which was surprising to me. We were taught that in Indian culture, people try to be happy with what they have, even if they do not have much. Although the poverty was hard to handle at times, I could see that this notion of Indian culture rang true.
The poverty in India is one of the things that struck my emotions the most. Right next to the Mall of India, we saw a very large squatter village where the ground was completely covered in trash. There was a huge billboard for H&M facing the squatter village. I could not stop thinking about the irony of this sight. H&M employs and underpays workers from developing countries to make their clothes. While most of H&M’s clothing is made in Bangladesh, India’s neighbor, many Indian workers face the same issues working for other multinational corporations. The image of the squatter village next to the mall has not left my mind since I witnessed it. While I had some awareness of the poverty in India before I went on this trip, I never imagined it would be to the large scale that I saw.
Although we saw a lot of poverty while travelling through India, we were also able to see many of the beautiful museums, temples, forts, and landmarks that India has to offer. It was very interesting to me to see the different architectural styles in India. Many landmarks we visited (such as the Taj Mahal, Qutb Minar, and the Red Fort) had and Indo-Islamic style, a type of architecture I had never seen before. With the help of our tour guides, we were able to learn about the history of each place we visited. For example, we learned the Taj Mahal was commissioned by an Indian emperor to hold the tomb of his favorite wife. Once the Taj Mahal was built, it is said that the emperor had the architect’s and his workers’ hands cut off so they could not recreate the building elsewhere. I was glad to learn the history of the sites we visited because I now know more context behind India’s history. Even the security officer in the New Delhi airport asked me if I knew the history behind the Taj Mahal and, thankfully, I was able to tell him yes.
While I loved seeing each of the beautiful landmarks we visited, the most impactful site we went to turned out to be something that was totally unplanned. We were supposed to visit the Agra Fort after we finished at the Taj Mahal, but due to the intense heat, our faculty leaders and guides decided it would be safer to do something in the shade instead. We ended up visiting Wildlife SOS, a wildlife conservation center devoted to rescuing Sloth Bears and Elephants. We visited the Sloth Bear rehabilitation site and learned about the dancing bear industry in India. We were also shown what Wildlife SOS has done to eradicate the dancing bear industry altogether. It was touching to see all the work that has gone into saving the bears from the abuse they experienced on the streets. Additionally, we learned about the abuse that elephants face in India and around the world. Many elephants are taken when they are babies and raised to be exploited for money. Most of them are used for rides in tourist spots. The Indian government gives permits to elephant owners that allows this, making it a practice that is very difficult to stop. Visiting Wildlife SOS and learning about the issues of animal exploitation in India has inspired me to volunteer for them in the future, something I hope to do in the next few years.
My ten days in India were jam-packed with stunning landmarks and eye-opening experiences. I learned so much about Indian culture, business, technology, education, and daily life. Although we witnessed many apparent socio-economic issues the country faces, I was very pleased to see how hard people are working to improve their young democracy. On top of that, it was great to learn about the areas in which India is very advanced, such as in the business and technology sectors. India is unlike any place I have ever been, and I am extremely grateful that I was able to participate in the Anubhav program. I have brought home new perspectives and have enjoyed sharing the impact India has had on me with my friends and family. I feel that I now have a better understanding of a country that I had previously only heard stories about. I had a fantastic time while on this program, and I can’t wait to go back!
Melia Markham