India in Niagara Falls

The corner of Third and Main near the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. See the empty shops, with the Indian restaurant the only spark of economic life.

While Niagara Falls has long been an obligatory stop for Indian visitors to the US or Canada, I was struck by how much Indian influence, and how many Indians, I saw all around me during my visit. Many new Indian restaurants.
Indian women working at DiCamillo's Bakery, the men driving cabs.
With Indians, of course, come the temples. All of the Indians coming appear to be Sikhs. The house next door has been set up as a community center. On 19th Street, right off Pine Avenue.Indian products available at the drug store (ranging from US$5.99-9.99 per bag).
There is also an "Indian General Store" in the middle of the traditional "Little Italy" section of Pine Avenue.

Mixed feelings about development in India

This New York Times article captures the ambivalence about development and the rapid change occurring in India. Yes, progress is great, but the social costs are high, and the growing gaps in income are frightening and potential destabilizing. The big news to me in this article was the reference to violence along the beach -- NOT something I had heard.

the view from the hotel in Delft

How do they never fall into the canal? These are shots out the window of our hotel in Delft (continuing the trend from Brazil). A bit different, no?

Clean, green, and light until very late.
Now that I'm up in Niagara Falls again (pix from here will come in the next few days), I'm appreciating the cool nights as well as the light well past the 6:30 when it gets dark in Bangalore.

Delft

Too busy and traveling

Sorry for the silence. I helped run a workshop in India, then was in Delft for a week, and now am back in the US, where I'm rediscovering lost pleasures (some that aren't really pleasures, but just dependable and familiar smells, sounds and tastes. Today went shopping at Trader Joe's and bought some fruits and vegetables that I hadn't seen or tasted in months. Yesterday I drove -- yes, drove myself in my own car, at my pace -- to the post office and drug store. The smell of the drug store up the street was oddly comforting. The smell and feel of waking up in Niagara Falls in the morning brought me back to growing up as a little girl. But some things have changed. I went to get my hair cut (now very short), and listened to the discussion at the beauty parlor -- women talking about how exciting it was to have President Obama throw out the first ball (and how wonderful a speaker he is) at the MLB all star game the night before, how the weather seems so unpredictable these days and months, how good naan is (these were all older Italian-American women talking about different varieties of Indian breads!), and how depressing Slumdog Millionaire was.

Kirtan - Signing praises of Durga

A party next door, a north Indian Kirtan, with lively music (live, of course) and dancing. The woman in the brownish sari is the principal singer/storyteller, reading verses about Durga and explaining them.
Signs of a party:

A party next door, a north Indian Kirtan, with lively music (live, of course) and dancing. The woman in the brownish sari is the principal singer/storyteller, reading verses about Durga and explaining them.

Here is some of the singing.




The women get up to dance. The North Indians have much livelier rituals than the South Indians. Most of the the songs are in Hindi, with a big chunk of Punjabi thrown in.
Video of the dancing:

A new bike

Picking out a bike.
Waiting for the bike to get checked out.

Putting the bike in the car.
Some scenes of the road outside the bike shop:
All kinds of vehicles.
A happy sight: Little girls coming home from school.