Patience, Perseverance, and Perspectives of Privilege

What Does That Mean? In a very short time, it has become clear to me that I must perpetually be on my guard to recognize how both verbal and non-verbal language differs from that which I have grown accustomed in the USA. Hindi and words from other languages pepper the vernacular English commonly used here in Mumbai. I will have to wait until I have spent some time in Delhi before I can say which vernacular slang and usage I imagine to be specifically regional. But here I will address things I think are pretty universal around India. I have already written about words like Lakh and Crore which is indicative of Indian’s thinking literally in tens of thousands, and hundreds of millions.
Four quick examples: Theek hai. Kriti. Revise. Crossword.

One of the first “words” of Hindi, I was encouraged to use was “theek hai” (I had to look up how to spell this in a standard Roman Transliteration), and it corresponds with “okay” or “all is good” whether statement or question in English. If you listen carefully, it does pop up in almost every conversation and response to questions.

Kriti” was used repeatedly in a lecture I went to see at the National Center for Performing Arts (NCPA) here in Mumbai. An Indian scholar, Mr. Veejay Sai, was speaking about the renowned Bharatanatyam performer and teacher, Tanjore Balasaraswati. As best as I could make out, “kriti” seems to mean a song, or performance, or recitation. He would introduce each of his audio clips of someone singing as them performing a “kriti”. Often he would say from what the “kriti” had been excerpted, but I could not always make out if he was saying the name of a song or poem, or if it was the Hindi word for a particular type of song, poem or other type of verse form.

Over the decades, I had heard of (Tanjore) Balasaraswati being commemorated by the naming of teaching awards after her at the American Dance Festival, and I knew that a biography about her had been published through Wesleyan University Press. But beyond this recognition of her name, I knew nothing about her. So the lecture was fascinating and indicative of the strong ties that familial lineage plays in Indian forms of culture and art. Most revealing for me was learning that Balasaraswati’s grandmother was Vina Dhanammal, who was herself a revered musician on a traditional Indian instrument called a “veena”, and it was due to her famed accomplishments with this instrument that she was commonly known as “Vina” Dhanammal. In a number of photographs of both Dhanammal and Balasaraswati with other Indian gurus, they were the only women, and Mr. Sai made a comment in passing that Balasaraswati (Bala) changed the way that dancing was taught to students, but did not elaborate beyond that.

I took the liberty after the talk to thank him for his lecture and asked if he could possibly provide more insight as to what he meant by saying Bala changed the approach to teaching from previous guru masters. Mr. Sai’s response was that Bala believed that each individual dancer could bring a unique expression and interpretation of the songs and movements of Bharatanatyam if approached by their teachers, not as members of a class, but as individuals. I commented on how such a concept is still the mission of so many contemporary approaches to teaching of respecting long held traditions and techniques while hoping to support the development of unique voices in future artistes.

Revise” is the word that I grew up with in Jamaica to mean the repetition of exercises, and we referred to notebooks as revision books. Here in India, I was surprised when students were asking to “revise” a combination, until I realized that in the USA, I had grown used to being asked to “review”, and “revise” is more commonly used to mean “edit” or “change.” It is a simple adjustment of understanding to local vernacular, and I also started to think about how different my vernacular movement language in modern and ballet is to the dancers I am teaching here in India.

I have often revered my teachers and the dancers whose gifts have unlocked my own perceptions of what might be possible in dance. I have also come to realize that I must accept that my own unique approach to teaching and coaching has evolved out of my lifetime of experience. I will not be the perfect teacher for every dancer, however, I do my best to offer students options to unlock both their technique and artistic potential based on the knowledge that comes from my experience and my own desire to learn and reassess such knowledge.

Crossword” is the name of an Indian chain of bookstores here in India, and I was not quite sure that I was hearing correctly when the Hindi tutor I had found said I could find the text book she uses at a “crossword.” I initially took this to mean that wherever I might find crossword books (as are commonly found in magazine stands) that I would find the required book. After a little confusion in communicating with friends for help, I finally figured out the mix-up. Certainly my friends must have thought that my English had gone off the rails when started talking about wanting to buy the book “at the same place where I might find crossword books.”

Commonly used acronyms have also been stumbling blocks for me when first I was asked about completing a “KYC”, or renting a “1BHK”, or that the event is part of the business’s “CSR.”

I was supposed to receive a FedEx package from home, and I had the sender address it to me at the studios where spend most of my time. Then last Tuesday I found out that FedEx require a KYC (Know Your Customer) security check be completed through a third party business specializing in verifying recipients of international packages that have to clear customs. With layers of communication and paperwork protocols that I am beginning to associate with any business dealings here, it took me with extensive help from office staff, three days of back-and-forth and multiple submissions to get everything together in proper format and approved. And still the originals of all documents then had to be couriered to FedEx’s main customs office at the airport in Delhi. To date I am still waiting to receive my package. I have been assured it is in country and the delivery notice has been updated for delivery first on Friday, then Saturday, then Monday, Tuesday is a public holiday honoring Mahatma Ghandi, and now scheduled for delivery tomorrow, Wednesday. Hmm.

When I was originally asked about what kind of apartment I wanted to live in while in India, I specified a preference for 1-bedroom with a separate kitchen, and a preference for a washing machine. I quickly learned that appliances (refrigerator, stove top, washing machines, air conditioner) were typically additional expenses that might be rented if I was not intending to purchase. And it was not until we were discussing going to see apartments (also referred to as “flats” here, as in the UK) that I was asked if I definitely wanted to see a 1BHK (Bedroom, Hall, Kitchen) and not a studio. I am very happy that I did find a 1BHK that already had a propane tank stove, refrigerator, air conditioner and washing machine. Whew!
In my first week, I described attending a fundraising event for Children with Cancer that was co-sponsored by Sumeet Nagdev Dance Arts (SNDA). Later, when one of SNDA’s managers asked me to offer my feedback on various management issues, they described to me that the charity event was part of their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) as required by the Indian government of organizations over a certain income bracket. A little more research was enlightening to me that India, in 2013 was the first country to make such a mandate that a percentage of profits must be donated towards “socially responsible” programs that fall under various categories of education, skill development, social welfare, healthcare and environmental conservation.

Such social responsibility is a common topic of discussion at gatherings as locals decry the pollution caused by the various festivals that take place at this time of year. At the same time, it is gratifying to see cultural shifts like, in place of plastic shopping bags, most stores provide lightweight canvas bags at no charge, and these bags can be recycled back to the store or used for future purchases. However, most people, myself included, consistently bring their own bags. Even when buying trash bin liners, in the store I was shopping only sold liners made of 100% compostable material. Admittedly, since I did not know for what I was looking at the time, I had to ask where I could find trash can liner bags.

Bringing enough copies of EVERYTHING one will need to settle in India under the Fulbright grant, and having the financial resources available. Obviously, everyone’s experience will differ, depending on the area to which they are travelling, the local support available through USIEF and the host institutions, and the personal preferences of the individual.

When it comes to paperwork, there is a long list of copies and original documents that are outlined in the handbook provided by Fulbright-Nehru for grantees. But the reality is that digitally scanned copies of passport photos and documents becomes a necessity when dealing with online applications and correspondence. At the same time, original signed copies of most documents will be required for filing with various agencies. Along with these originals, passport sized photos must be less than three months old and usually accompany most paperwork. So I am glad that I brought an extra twenty or so. I suspect that as long as you use a different photo for various applications it would be hard to tell exactly how long ago a photo was taken. But when it comes to legality, I am not wont to test my luck.

Around the world, larger business transactions like rent and deposit payments are conducted in a cashless manner. However a credit/debit card is not always accepted or appropriate, so knowing the requirements and protocols of your personal banking institutions for international transactions is critical. Given that my lease was not for a complete year, I was required to provide a very sizeable, refundable security deposit that I really did not anticipate in my budgeting. Fortunately, at this point the SNAFUs of communicating internationally across a 9.5 hour time difference with my bank in the USA is in the past. But the stresses of getting international wire transfers completed before I found myself “homeless” in Mumbai, was not a fun few days as I settled in.

I am glad that I dared to bring double the recommended hard US currency amounts suggested by Fulbright-Nehru to bring for exchange to Indian Rupees and cover initial expenses in country. I am not used to travelling with large amounts of hard currency, but I do remember when this was common practice in touring days before international ATM (Automated Teller Machines) services were available. The irony was not lost on me when my personal banker in the USA, who appears to be of Indian origin, assured me that Mumbai would present little difficulty for me to access my accounts through ATMs. The reality is that the digital infrastructure in India is indeed good, but as with all gigantic infrastructures, consistency is not always reliable. I have gone days of attempting to draw money from as many as five different ATM’s and had no success, whether because of some glitch in the Indian digital banking system, or because my own bank randomly decided that after a month of transactions in India, that I was somehow fraudulently accessing my account from India. Sigh…

One more anecdote of challenges to my patience and need for perseverance was when I accidentally left my portable WiFi unit from Jio in the back of an Uber car I had taken. I realized my mistake not five minutes after the car had left, and I immediately called upon the help of a staff person, Karan, to help me communicate with the driver to try and retrieve this critical cog of my daily life. Everyone assured me that since I had left it in an Uber car that I would get the Jio back. There was not much else to do than to teach class and leave the fate of the next steps in lost goods retrieval to my friends. To my amazement, I did eventually get the Jio back, but not without further “adventure”.

In the ensuing days my Jio was a little like lost luggage that got transferred to an exotic excursion to where I don’t know, and I was left reliant on my local cell phone for all communication and connectivity. Most people here communicate on WhatsApp (mine is not to question why), and my ability to get around is reliant on GPS mapping and online booking for car services, thus cellular or WiFi connectivity is essential. Last Friday I was aware that my Indian SIM account was about to expire and I needed help to reload the account, as it had been purchased and activated with local resources. Unfortunately the account was not reloaded that day, and on Saturday morning when I was going to pick up my Jio, I lost all communication connectivity on my Indian cell account. Fortunately, my US cell service does work internationally at a premium cost when used, and it was my fall back to contact someone that could help me get my Indian service back up and running. I ended up missing my scheduled activities that morning as well as connecting with my Jio until later in the day. So five days later, I was back to my “status quo”, and appreciative of how reliant I am on my digital connectivity while here.

My birthday was this week, and I learned a little more about “social” traditions from around the world. On the whole, Indians seem to have a pretty big “sweet tooth” and they have great varieties of sweet treats of their own and from world cuisines. Birthdays are zealously celebrated with their love of cakes, and I did not entirely escape their tradition of everyone feeding the birthday honoree a piece of cake followed by a “cake & icing” facial. I will spare you the after pictures, but these are two separate cakes that were made for me. The first was from SNDA and the second was from Danceworx, where I shared my birthday with Sonakshi.

There is no doubt that I sit here in Mumbai with many kinds of advantages. I have the privilege of a very different life in the USA to which I will return. And the perspective of all that was both good fortune and serendipity, as well as the costs and hardships, leading to whom and where I am today. To bookend this experience, the world of my childhood in Jamaica was not far different from my environment and events in the last five weeks, while also vastly different based on the perspective that more than half a century of life has provided. I realize that I am not of a mind to “change the world”, but I have little doubt that my presence here is changing both my life and making a difference for the moment in the lives of people I would never have met without my privilege.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Writing Challenges Me...

Thanks to Paul Taylor and William J. Fulbright.

Looking Behind the Reflection.