Observations on the trip

I am going to try making a few observations about India, and Canada, keeping in mind that both are big countries, and that I spent only 5 weeks in one corner of India, and live in one small corner of Canada. These are in no particular order.

People in the areas of India we were in dress very colourfully. I loved this. Often I was the only one wearing any black. I found the colours a feast for the eyes. It was also interesting that even in the few cities we were in, the dress varied a great deal, and even the usual colours for the saris were not the same from city to city.

It appeared that women sometimes dressed in western style for casual and at home, but dressed in saris or salwars to go out. Men seemed to dress in western style to go out or to work, but in Indian wear at home for casual, or when doing hard physical labour.

The houses in India were built to keep the rain off, or maybe to protect from the sun, but not to keep anything else out. So the building styles and building materials are not what we use in Saskatchewan. The most common building materials we saw are bamboo, and bamboo slat board,and corregated metal roofing. Buildings not made of this combination are usually concrete, or concrete and brick. Or a combination of all of the above. But glass in windows isn't a necessity.

Mosquito nets for beds are great things, and the plug in mosquito killers in homes really seemed to work, and were pretty much odorless.

Cell phones have made a huge difference, especially in the small villages. People are able to communicate quickly and easily, and at small expense.

The whole land seems to be living in anticipation of rain. It was very dry while we were there, but there are deep ditches, and dugouts and ponds nearly empty of water, and rivers flowing in a very small part of the flood plain. Having said that, I wondered about some of the houses we saw built on the sides of the mountains and high hills. If the water came as they seem to be expecting, I would think they would have major erosion problems. Also, in the cities, there are deep ditches outside many of the stores. They are used for dumping garbage. I understand that the rational is that the monsoon comes and washes everything away to the sea.

Most problems in India are solved with manpower. The same problem in Canada would be solved with machinery or some kind of technology. For example, concrete. In Canada, if you want to pour a concrete floor, you call in a cement mixer and it dumps concrete across the space, and a couple of guys smooth it out. In India, a truck comes and dumps off the sand and gravel and other ingredients, and then it is mixed in a little cement mixer on site, and dumped on the ground, from which someone dumps a couple of shovels full at a time onto flat pans, which other people put on top of their heads and carry up to where the floor is being made, and dump it.
People carrying cement to make a new story on a building
A bamboo ladder for the cement workers to walk up. This is not so fun to walk in sandals, and I would think it would be very difficult balancing with something on your head, as well.


In Imphal, and Churchandpur and Shillong especially, almost all the schools had Christian names. Many of the businesses as well, and the vehicles, had Christian signs. Christianity has made a great deal of difference for these people. This was not nearly as noticeable in Guwahati, or Kolkata, or even in the small Assamese villages where we visited. In Assam, the churches where we visited were mostly house churches, with small groups of people attending.

Traffic control is mostly self control. The only traffic lights we saw were in Kolkata. Everywhere else, if there was need for more than self policing, there would be a traffic officer on duty directing traffic.


People from Saskatchewan would be astonished to find out that there is a use for the horn on a vehicle, and that it has specific rules. On the other side, people from India would likely be astonished about seat belt regulations, and helmet laws for motorbikes.
I think it would be difficult to ride sidesaddle on the back of a motorbike, while wearing long, draping scarves and driving through heavy and unpredictable traffic, but it was definitely the order of the day.

It was very interesting seeing the variety of vehicles and how they are used. Many of the vehicles have no counterpart in Canada, and the ones that do are not used in the same way. I am in awe of how people adapt to their environment and circumstances.
One of the large Public Carrier trucks which were everywhere, carrying everything. They were often overloaded, to the point where it was not unusual to see one with a broken axle, being repaired in the middle of the road.
A motorized rickshaw, parked in the motorbike parking. These are great little vehicles.


It was a great experience to be allowed to take this trip. I was pleased to have my horizons broadened, and my assumptions challenged. It is good to know that just because I have always done something one way, it doesn't have to be the only way.
Of course, the part I enjoyed the most was meeting new and friendly people. Friendship across the world is a wonderful thing, and makes the world a smaller place.