Seemandham: A Hindu Baby Shower

Gordon and I were invited to the Hindu equivalent of a baby shower. The celebration is called seemandham. It is given in the seventh month of the pregnancy, hosted by the mother-to-be's mother-in-law and is only practiced for the couple's first child. The mother-in-law is a Rising Star housemother, hence the invitation to visit her home in a nearby town.

href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cgg2%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml">Sitting on the floor is common, but apparently not acceptable for American guests. The family couldn’t stand not finding chairs for us to use, so we ended up moving to chairs.

This photo shows the interior of the house. It is probably typical of middle class families.

Here you see some of the offerings being made to the interested gods and goddesses. That was the first thing that happened.

Putting bangles (bracelets) on the arms of the mother-to-be is the main activity. The first one must be neem wood, representing security for the mother and baby; the second gold and the third silver. The substance of the remainder doesn’t matter. I have been told three reasons for the bangles. The one I like best is that the jingling sound they all make is pleasant for the unborn baby to hear. Another is that the noise they make helps make the mother more alert when she gets up in the night so that she won’t stumble or fall and thus risk hurting the baby. The last I like the least, which is that bangles cost next to nothing, and so it isn’t a costly celebration. At any rate, the mother removes all the bangles after delivery.

Here is Joyce Hanson, wife of the Rising Star Outreach general director. The women go up one at a time to put the bangles on the mother. Once all the bangles had been placed on the mother’s arms, the men were called up to put ash on the foreheads of both parents to bless them and the baby.

These are the proudly expecting parents. The flowers and jewelry are very much like that worn for weddings.

The mother-to-be. You can see her flowers and jewelry a little better.

No celebration would be complete without food. Here are most of us foreigners on the roof of the house, ready for lunch. Banana leaves are commonly used for plates. They are quite sanitary and can be thrown away after.

Vickie at Work and Play

Vickie has quite a variety of responsibilities at Rising Star. She is the hostel warden, which means she is in charge of the children's living quarters, the cleaning and cooking staff, and the house mothers. In addition, she oversees the stores of food, water, and other supplies; and she doles out clothing and minor medical care to the children as needed. She also serves with the mobile medical team as they visit the leprosy colonies. I thought you might enjoy a look at a few of her regular activities.

Getting ready for the water delivery man. We use anywhere from 75 to 100 20-liter bottles of purified water each week between the hostels and the school. Vickie makes sure the water gets ordered and has the empty bottles ready for pickup. We are working on a plan to install a reverse osmosis water purification plant on the property that will purify 1000 liters per day. We have plenty of well water, it just isn't safe for drinking or cooking.

In the storeroom with coconuts and bags of peanuts harvested from the Rising Star farm. Notice the bananas hanging on a line to keep them fresher. The storeroom also has shelves of other supplies and large bins for commonly used stock. The supplies give some idea of the cooking practices in Tamil Nadu. This is the only place where I've seen chili powder stored in a 15 gallon container. No wonder my mouth has been seared!

Signing for the fish delivery. Our children get fish twice per week and eggs three times per week to provide their protein intake. Most people here are vegetarians, but we need to provide the children more protein if they so choose. The fish man arrives on his motorbike with a burlap bag of freshly caught fish twice per week. Vickie's job is to weigh the delivery so we can pay him accurately. If she is busy and cannot see him right away, as was the case in this photo, then he cleans and cuts up the fish before she weighs it.

Visiting some cultural sights in the area. This is a large sculpture of a sacred bull at an enormous Hindu temple in Kancheepuram, one of India's seven sacred cities. The temple covers about 40 acres and was built during two different Tamil dynasties in the 11th and 14th centuries. We enjoyed a nice guided tour on this day, led by a local man who spoke very passable English. The very interesting tour cost us the equivalent of $2.50; affordable even for us.

Vickie has become very involved in medical care at the hostels and in the colonies. We have a basic supply of hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic ointment, gauze, and bandaids that take care of most injuries. Kids have had several accidents that required sutures and a couple of surgeries, but everyone heals well in the long run. Thank goodness we haven't had any snake bites. Here Vickie treats one of the coconut harvesters that clipped his ankle with a machete.

Working with the mobile medical team in the leprosy colonies. Vickie assists by cleaning active skin ulcers and rewrapping the bandages. Rising Star Medical serves several colonies in the area with a weekly schedule of visits. We have a medical van that carries supplies and the patients' medical records. The team includes one or both of our doctors, an RN, a nurse assistant, Vickie or another volunteer, and the driver.

Oh yes, she still cooks. The kitchens are basic but certainly serviceable. Vickie grew up cooking with gas so she feels right at home using our two-burner counter top stove. Our range of familiar recipes is quite limited due to the lack of an oven and scarcity of American ingredients, but there are plenty of vegetables to eat with rice or pasta. We have located several "American edibles" stores in Chennai and we are happy to have pancake mix and maple syrup, some pasta, Raisin Bran, and the occasional package of Oreos.

Thank goodness Vickie has time to do a little shopping and buying for herself once in a while. She purchased this beautiful silk saree in Kancheepuram, the capital of India's silk industry. She has also purchased a less expensive polyester one that looks great on her. I am encouraging her to get whatever she wants while she can. I don't know that we will ever travel in India again.

Vickie does many more things than depicted here, but I hope you enjoy this peek at her worthy service and opportunities at Rising Star Outreach.

Touring North India: Delhi

We spent our last day in north India touring old Delhi (neighboring New Delhi is the modern seat of India’s government). This ancient city is fascinating for the sense of time and history and the many peoples and events that shaped India through the centuries. We especially enjoyed the old markets as we toured them in pedal rickshaws. Cars cannot fit in the narrow streets and alleys so the little rickshaws are the only option to walking. Our driver (peddler?) had enough English to provide some basic insight into the history. Terrorists bombed five markets the week before our visit but we saw no evidence and we didn’t feel threatened in the hustle and bustle of the busy day. I guess we wouldn’t think about it unless something actually happened.

The rickshaws are not really made for tall people but we got by just fine. We chose one with a cover because it looked like it would rain. Our driver asked me, “You have marriage?” I said, “Yes.” He asked, “How many wives?” (Vickie interjected, “What?!”) I replied, “One.” Said he, “Only one?” “Yes, only one.” Interesting question.


Here we are with the Karl and Amy Kirby family on a rooftop above the markets that also looked down on the courtyard of a mosque. From the left are Emily Bush, Gabriel Bush, Amy Bush Kirby with Gideon, Zakia Kirby, Karl, part of Kaleolani, and two unidentified tourists. Karl is serving as Rising Star’s resident doctor and medical outreach director for the year and we really enjoy their young family. Emily left for America on September 25 after two months of excellent volunteer service, and Gabe will be with us for the next few months. Volunteers do everything from handling building projects in the colonies and assisting the mobile medical crew to teaching English and running after-school programs for the kiddles.


Our guide knew enough people to get us access to the rooftops in the market area. This photo shows worshippers completing their ritual washing at the mosque before praying. It was interesting to hear the call for Muslim prayer broadcast from the tall minarets during the day. India is about 81% Hindu, 13% Muslim, 2% Sikh, 2% Christian, and 2% other, including Jain and Parsi.


Another option for travel in north India. Most of the camels we saw were pulling heavy loads, but we did see a couple of places advertising rides. Funny looking critters, aren’t they? But they have certainly fulfilled important roles in desert lands and Asian cultures. The script on the sign is Hindi, India’s official language and the tongue of about 60% of the citizens. Very different from the Tamil cursive with its 247 letters (we have enough trouble with 26). English is considered the associate official language in this nation that speaks dozens.


Vickie looking down on the inner courts of the spice market. The shops and buildings look much as they did at the founding of the British East India Company in the 18^th century, and they don’t appear to have been cleaned since.


Here they are, folks; raw spices. Talk about launching a thousand ships—these little treasures were the whole reason behind the Age of Exploration and the battles for trade routes and rights through the centuries. The spice market was fascinating, but it nearly overwhelmed our tender olfactory senses.


And off we go through the narrow streets. The shops seem to specialize in one or two things. In the garment district we saw shelves stacked to the ceiling with bags of sequins or displaying one type of necklace. We really enjoyed our morning in a working market instead of visiting another bazaar meant mostly for tourists.

Touring North India: Jaipur

Jaipur was the capital of the ancient Mughal empire that introduced Islam to India. It is hilly country which makes a refreshing change from flat Tamil Nadu. Much of the architecture reminds one of Persia and Arabia.

About 350 years ago the king in Jaipur built an amazingly accurate observatory complex. It includes large outdoor star maps, moon dials, astrology globes, and this, the world’s largest sundial, accurate to within two seconds. They even knew how many minutes to add or subtract for the time in other parts of India at different times of the year.

The City palace was home to the kings and this part is still occupied by the descendents of the royal family. The tour included a textile exhibit displaying clothing and costumes, with paintings showing the royals who wore them. It also included an armory tour with every sort of weapon that could be imagined for inflicting the wounds of death insomuch that the enemy would become extinct.

Here you see the entrance to the inner courtyard flanked by stone elephants, guards in period costume, and two perky tourists. The floral designs are made with semiprecious stones set in marble, a la the Taj Mahal. Very beautiful craftsmanship. The state of Rajastan and its capital Jaipur are heavily influenced by Turkish and Persian architecture, the result of centuries of Aryan and Turkish invasion and rule. Did you know that “Iran” is a derivation of the word “Aryan?"

Does the man in the red turban have enough charm to pull this off? When I asked about the danger the man said, “No poison.” When I asked about getting bit he said, “Teeth broken out.” It is so difficult to find a manly cobra in its prime these days (except on Rising Star property). On the left is Gabriel Bush, Amy Kirby’s brother, who is volunteering at RSO for several months. A great kid, served his mission in Salvador, Brazil. Any matchmakers out there?

Our second day in Jaipur began with a lurching elephant ride up to the Amber Palace. The elephants make five trips up and back each morning and then they are done for the day. They can also be rented for weddings and festival processions and such. We were greeted by drums and herald trumpets upon entering the palace courtyard, as befits people of our stature. Notice the walls and guard towers on the surrounding hills.

The original old palace and fort can be seen on the hills behind us. The newer palace was built lower down to ease access and to be closer to water. The entire complex has a well-engineered series of cisterns under the courtyards for capturing and storing rain water. Unfortunately, there was never enough water, so the place was abandoned in 1727 and the capital moved a few kilometers to the City Palace in Jaipur.

This “Water Palace” is actually a mosque built to be surrounded by the lake. We visited near the end of the northern monsoon season and it looks like they had a little more rain than was originally planned. All of the stone for the forts, palaces, and mosques was quarried locally through the centuries, as are many of the semi-precious stones used for the art work. Jaipur’s local specialty is garnets.

Jaipur also boasts beautiful textiles. Vickie chose the silk for this new outfit, got measured by the tailor, and picked it up the next day. This north Indian version of traditional dress fits closely around the ankles, as opposed to the loosely fitting ones in the south. The tailor called it a “Punjabi” rather than chuttidhar, the term used in Tamil Nadu. I believe the Hindi term is salwaar kameez.