INdore: Day of meeting the brides to be....2012-02-03

 Brides to be showing part of the elaborate outfits. ( the outfits are too heavy to hold in two hands)

 Third bride to be...

 Kids ( very happy to get the picture taken)

 Pani Puri at 56 shops ( a trendy hangout for young and not so old)

 Dancing water fountains at Piplia Pala

 Pipliya Pala at night ( by now you know that this is my favorite place in Indore at this time)

Travelling with a kid an




I got woken up by the Ajan ( Muslim call of Prayer) at 5 am. Interesting thing is that I never heard Ajan in Dubai , a muslim country and here in India, it is loud and clear. I liked being woken up by the soft soothing sound coming from somewhere far away but just loud enough. We did our standard Piplia Pala walk. We were sort of late and the entrance was closed for cleaning but by now we know the magic words....bhai sahab ( brother) please followed by I am a doctor followed by sister visiting from USA and ending with Bhai sahab again....it works almost everywhere :)


Sunrise was beautiful and the place has clean air and oxygen, todays sound theme seems to be Ajan, followed by Hindu Bhajans and now some Bollywood songs  mixed with all the others I described i nthe previous blog.

The day was the family visit day. First visited the bride to be number3 at her home, saw the beautiful outfit . She lived in the other part of the town. We drove through the vegetable market and the busy old town. Indore has become lot more crowded and by definition very polluted.  It took us 45 minutes to drive three or four miles. One interesting observation: 30 years ago we used  to ride our bikes all over the town and there were may be 100 times more bicycles than cars or motorcycles.  I have not seen any single bicycle in the town in last four days.  Most common vehicle of choice is motorcycle or a three wheeler.

My old high school friend came to visit, her husband had a massive heart attack a year ago while they were on vacation. He was 60 years old and fit. May be Indians have a defective gene…  now she lives with her sons and grandkids and seemed adjusted in life. 

In the evening we visited brides number 1 and 2 and saw more beautiful outfits and gold jewelry. I feel like I will be the “poor relative from America” in terms of what I will wear, oh well/ We stopped by at the popular eating hangout for the young and young at heart where people come after dinner for more junk food…Indore is known for the delicious street foods and people of Indore love to EAT. ( then one wonders about the defective gene and heart attacks)

Talking to my sister now. Today is my last day here, I am moving back to my brother’s house tomorrow. I am sure I will see her many more times before I go back to USA but staying alone with her and sharing the things sisters share is precious. I hope  she starts walking every morning now on and is happier and healthier  in life.  With gratitude ….saroj