Get cultured
If you want to dig into the history of art or the Bloomington community, explore some of IU’s renowned collections.
112 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
If you want to dig into the history of art or the Bloomington community, explore some of IU’s renowned collections.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For some teenagers, reality TV may be more than mindless entertainment. A new IU research study revealed frequent viewers of MTV shows “Teen Mom 2” and “16 and Pregnant” were more likely to believe teen mothers have an “enviable quality of life.”Teens who perceived reality television as realistic were most likely to believe this, according to the press release.Authored by Nicole Martins, assistant professor of telecommunications at IU, and Robin Jensen, assistant professor of communications at the University of Utah, the paper will be published in the journal Mass Communication and Society.Stars of “Teen Mom” are estimated to receive more than $60,000 for the show, almost 10 times the average annual income of $6,500 for real-life teen mothers.The discrepancy affects the way frequent viewers imagine the life of a teen mom.“Heavy viewers of teen mom reality programs were more likely to think that teen moms have a lot of time to themselves, can easily find child care so that they can go to work or school and can complete high school than were lighter viewers of such shows,” Martins and Jensen wrote.Both shows have been criticized for portraying a glamorized view of teen pregnancy or advocating risky sexual behavior.A 2012 study of “Teen Mom” and “16 and Pregnant” by Paul Wright, an assistant professor of telecommunications at IU, researched how family background influences the way young women perceive these shows.Wright and his co-authors found frequent viewing of these shows, combined with fathers who did not talk to their daughters about sex, increased “pregnancy-risk behavior” in these women.Whereas Wright’s study focused on college-aged women, students in Martins and Jensen’s study were 185 high school-aged young men and women.Martins and Jensen selected participants for the study from schools whose demographics matched the national average — a $52,000 median annual household income and an 80 percent white population.More young women than men watched the show, but exposure to the shows affected them similarly, according to the press release.The fame and celebrity of some teen mothers may cause a longer-lasting impression in teens than any hardships depicted on-screen.“As you study reality television with younger populations, you’re going to find that younger children are going to have a harder time understanding that this is something that is scripted, edited and put together in a purposeful way to create a narrative and a drama,” Martins said in a press release.Follow reporter Katelyn Thacker on Twitter @katelynthacker
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s really cold in Chicago.This is news to no one, but my body has yet to adjust to that negative-three-degrees-Fahrenheit-with-the-wind-chill-and-still-snowing kind of cold.Knowing I was tanning in Kochi this time last week makes it worse.Terrible weather aside, it’s great to be home.My family put up our Christmas tree and decorations. I’ve been drinking as much tap water as possible, my mosquito bites are healing and the yellow curry stains are finally washed out of my fingernails.Friends and relatives have asked what my favorite and least favorite parts of studying abroad in India were or what I learned. I told them I enjoyed living in a country that’s completely different than where I grew up in. I learned that labeling things as good or bad would help me little in understanding the complexities of Indian life. Comparisons are only helpful to share my experiences with people back home.If nothing else, I definitely gained perspective.As I reflect on what I’ve learned, here are a few things I found surprising during my time in India.Bollywood runs the music industry. Rather, Bollywood is India’s music industry. With classical music as the only exception, film soundtracks encompass every musical genre. Contrary to what people with minimal exposure to Indian movies might think, most Bollywood actors don’t sing. Playback singers are well-known and successful in their own right. Age, gender and class don’t dictate musical preference like they do in the United States. Old Hindi film songs are especially popular.Also, obesity and diabetes are big problems.Before going to India, my family joked I would lose weight from eating so many fresh vegetables. In reality, the high salt and sugar diet many Indians eat combined with an increasingly sedentary lifestyle has lead to an obesity and diabetes epidemic. Roughly 67 million people in India have diabetes, according to the Times of India. In comparison, the American Diabetes Association reports 25.8 million Americans have the disease.Third, “servants” are common and referred to as such.Middle class and affluent families often keep one or more full-time servants to cook, clean and do the washing.While they are usually treated well, servants typically sleep on the floor and do not use the same bathrooms as the families they work for.People can tell if someone is a servant or a low-wage worker based on their appearance. During my first week in India, I ate lunch at a fairly nice restaurant where the busboys didn’t wear shoes. Lastly, poverty isn’t isolated.Families live underneath blue tarps alongside mansions worth several crore, or 10 million rupees. Manual laborers sleep on the grassy medians of busy streets in Hyderabad. Women, children and handicapped people begging for money are commonplace. Sure, homeless people are a fairly common sight on the streets of Bloomington and in cities across America. But the frequency and severity of poverty I saw in India felt very different.— kmthacke@indiana.eduFollow columnist Kate Thacker on Twitter @KatelynThacker.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Before the sun rises over India tomorrow, I’ll be on a flight home to the United States.I keep wondering if I would even recognize Hyderabad if I visit five or 10 years from now.Construction is constant here.Some friends and I traveled to Kerala last week. When I arrived back to my neighborhood, two buildings near my flat that have been under construction for months were almost complete.The terribly potholed road was partially repaired, too.It’s amazing how quickly things are built, considering how they’re constructed.Wooden poles rather than metal scaffolding bear a building’s weight from floor to floor. Layer upon layer of cement is added from the foundation up over the course of several weeks. I have yet to see a hard hat or safety goggles around any construction site.In Hyderabad, and presumably around the rest of the country, builders live hand to mouth. To put it another way, they eat, sleep and work in the buildings they’re constructing.Laundry hangs out to dry as workers mix cement or saw metal to support interior columns during the heat of the day.Given the circumstances, it’s not surprising building collapses are fairly common. In September, 61 people died when an apartment building collapsed in Mumbai.The Guardian reported more than 2,650 people died in building or bridge collapses in India last year. But lack of building regulation and oversight is a story for another day.Hyderabad isn’t just building up. It’s also building out. University of Hyderabad is located in Gachibowli. When it was founded in 1974, the spacious university campus was at the outskirts of the city.Now, it’s almost part of the hustle and bustle of Hyderabad. HITEC City, the information technology hub, is right next door.I’m excited to see what’s in store for the city I’ve grown to appreciate during the course of these five months.Looking back on my time in India, I hope to remember both the mundane and the exceptional. I want to remember the dusty walks along the side of the road to school when I couldn’t manage to catch an auto, as well as walking up to the Taj Mahal in Agra.The sound of the paperboy shouting up from below our balcony every morning is just as vivid in my mind as the sight of the tea plantations in Munnar from 2,200 kilometers above sea level.Life here can be a sensory overload. I expect living in the U.S. again will feel unusually calm.These columns have been a way to process, reflect on and remember my experiences in India. Thanks for sharing the journey with me.— kmthacke@indiana.eduFollow columnist Kate Thacker on Twitter @KatelynThacker.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Learning a new language is incredibly difficult.Growing up speaking and writing English is a privilege. I can’t imagine trying to learn its inconsistent conjugations, pronunciations and grammar rules as a second, third or even fourth language.But in India, it’s a given that any educated person will speak at least two or three languages, including English.Hindi and English are the two languages of the government of India. The constitution officially recognizes 22 languages, though it is estimated several hundred native languages are spoken throughout the country.After India became independent in 1947, it wasn’t a unified nation as much as a conglomeration of provinces and princely states.Each region had its particular language, religion and culture. States were created largely using the existing British administrative structure.Additional states were added in the 1960s based on linguistic differences.Tamil-speaking areas, originally grouped into the larger Madras State upon Indian independence, became Tamil Nadu. Bombay State split into Gujarat, populated by people who spoke Gujarati, and Maharashtra for Marathi speakers. Telegu speakers live in Andhra Pradesh, although many will live in Telangana when the state is bifurcated next year.English, Urdu and Telegu are the official languages of Andhra Pradesh.Signs in Hyderabad can be in English, Hindi, Telegu, Urdu or any combination of the four languages.It’s amusing to think Americans flip out when the ATM asks them to choose English or Spanish.Hindi is my third attempt to learn a foreign language. After four years of French in high school and two years of Spanish at IU, I’ve retained only a basic working knowledge of either language.Meanwhile, my 11-year-old host sister can proficiently speak, write and read Telegu, Hindi and English. She’s learning French at school, which I try to help with when possible.I’m sure her knowledge will surpass mine fairly soon. My host father is in town this weekend from Mumbai. His native language is Marathi. My host siblings understand and speak basic Marathi, but primarily speak Hindi around him for my host mom’s sake. Hindi is a phonetic language. The first obstacle is learning Devanagari script, which uses consonants as its alphabet with vowels added after. Once vowel signs and half letters are sorted, it’s just a matter of pronunciation and memorization.My program in Hyderabad didn’t have a language prerequisite but required us to study a language while here. Two people took Telegu. No one chose to learn Urdu. Nearly everyone chose to study Hindi.While my Hindi abilities are still dubious, attempting to learn Hindi has made me way more sympathetic to misspelled English signs found around the city.If English made any phonetic sense, quality would be spelled “kwality.” That’s how it’s spelled when directly written using Devanagari script.The frequent use of the letter z instead of s, however, has nothing to do with phonetics and is unforgivable.— kmthacke@indiana.eduFollow columnist Kate Thacker on Twitter @KatelynThacker.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I’ve had a very tumultuous relationship with white rice.Back in September, I hated the stuff.Consuming rice at least twice per day for two months made me loathe the thought of eating it for another day, let alone the rest of the semester.I started coming up with creative ways to avoid eating rice without my host mom noticing. Anything to minimize my rice intake.In India, rice isn’t a side dish. It’s the main component of the meal.The International Rice Research Institute — I swear this is a real nonprofit research group — reports India consumes more than 82.6 million metric tons of rice per year. Andhra Pradesh, the state where Hyderabad is located, is nicknamed the “rice bowl of India.” The IRRI estimates rice constitutes 77 percent of all crops grown in Andhra. During the past two months, I’ve rekindled my love of the staple crop.My favorite way to eat rice is covered in my host mom’s dal palak, which is split lentils with spinach, with a bit of ghee to top it off.White rice does have some nutritional value, contrary to what I once thought. It’s a complex carbohydrate and is easy for most people to digest.When fresh vegetables are cooked in a curry and added on top, it becomes even more nutritious.Twenty percent of the world’s calorie intake comes from rice. It’s easy to grow, cheap and versatile.Rice is also a student-on-a-budget’s dream. University of Hyderabad canteens sell meals, which include several cups of rice and nearly unlimited curry, for 30 rupees, or 50 U.S. cents. I’ll probably have consumed about 15 kilograms, or 33 pounds, of rice during my five months in India.This knowledge would have disgusted me a few months ago. Now, I accept it as an essential part of the cuisine I love so much.But in 20 years, rice consumption may decrease in India and across Asia.Household incomes are rising, and rising incomes allow for greater dietary diversity.Even so, it’s a bit hard to believe that higher incomes will substantially lower rice consumption.Indian food wouldn’t be the same without rice.— kmthacke@indiana.eduFollow columnist Kate Thacker on Twitter @KatelynThacker.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Imagine a celebration that combines the fireworks and nationwide observance of Independence Day, the excitement and sweets consumption of Halloween and the religious undertones of Christmas.Multiply the insanity by five, and that was my experience with Diwali.Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, celebrates the victory of good over evil.There are several narratives associated with Diwali in Hinduism. One significant chronicle celebrates Lord Rama’s return after 14 years of exile, or vanvas.According to the “Ramayana,” Rama leaves his kingdom in order to preserve his father’s honor. While Rama’s serving his exile in the forest, his wife Sita is captured by the demon Ravana.After a long and arduous journey, Rama fights and defeats Ravana. This battle is commemorated during Dussehra, another Hindu festival.Twenty days later, Hindus celebrate Diwali. The date fluctuates from year to year because Hindu festivals are based on the lunisolar calendar. This year, Diwali was Nov. 3.At my homestay, the celebrations began Nov. 2 with a full day of cleaning.People traditionally clean their homes to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity.On Diwali, I helped my host mom string marigold flowers together to make a festive garland.She decorated the entryway to our flat with a rangoli drawn with white chalk and filled in with petals from marigold flowers. Clay diyas, or small oil lamps, were placed around the rangoli.Once the sun set, the lamps were lit, and it was time for fireworks.It looked and sounded as if everyone in Hyderabad decided to set off fireworks at the same time.Our colony was filled with explosions of color. White lights burst out and showered down from “flower pots,” or small, cylindrical firecrackers.Children ran around outside our apartment complex with sparklers as their fathers managed the firecrackers.I would have been more nervous about safety if it hadn’t been so much fun. Rumor has it a building near my friend’s homestay caught fire during the celebrations. The blaze was quickly put out by firefighters, and no one was hurt.I’ve never seen or heard of firefighters in Hyderabad, so I suppose it was comforting to know they exist.Fire hazards aside, everyone I asked said Diwali was their favorite festival. It’s easy to see why.The energy surrounding Diwali celebrations is contagious. American holidays pale in comparison.People give sweets and small gifts to their friends and family, but the rampant commercialism of Western holidays like Christmas hasn’t seeped into Diwali in Hyderabad.Diwali is the height of festival season, and it lit up the city.Seeing as the United States Congress celebrated Diwali for the first time this year, maybe it will become a more popular holiday nationwide.I can only hope this happens, because Diwali is my new favorite holiday.— kmthacke@indiana.eduFollow columnist Kate Thacker on Twitter @KatelynThacker.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Many University of Hyderabad professors are canceling class today.This time, it’s not because of a festival or religious holiday. It’s for student union elections.From 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., students will vote for their next president, vice-president, general secretary, joint secretary, sports secretary and culture secretary.Unlike IU Student Association elections, where general student apathy can result in a single ticket running for office, students here take electing their representatives seriously.Huge banners and posters displaying the names of candidates are plastered around campus, urging students to vote for their party.Most of the parties are running social media campaigns for the first time this year, which includes an incessant amount of self-promotional postings to the university’s Facebook page.Even without campaigning, students would recognize the names of almost all the candidate’s parties.In India, student organizations are registered and regulated at a national level. Party platforms might vary slightly depending on the university, but values and ideology do not.Some of the biggest student organizations are affiliated with national political parties and associations as well.The National Students Union of India is the student branch of the Indian National Congress party, one of two major political parties in India.Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad is associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, an Indian right-wing nationalist organization.Previously allied with the Ambedkar Students’ Association, the Student Front of India will run on an independent ticket this year.In its place, multiple student groups joined together to form a singular ticket called the United Democratic Alliance. The alliance includes the ASA, Bahujan Students’ Front, Dalit Students’ Union, Tribal Students Front, Madiga Students Front and the Telangana Students Association, according to the Times of India. There are enough acronyms to make one’s head spin.Luckily, there are less student names to remember than organizations. In total, five students are running for president for the 2013-14 student union board.Three to four candidates are competing for each of the remaining positions.Polling stations are set up in most major academic buildings. Very specific instructions on how to fill out ballots are posted on the university website.A main campaign issue in this election — and nearly every election, according to my peer tutor — is the quality of dormitories and other amenities on campus. SFI promised to continue opposing the university administration’s decision to sell off campus land to private contractors.Of course, the issue of Telangana statehood plays out on a campus level, too.The Hindu reports students are most likely to vote based on social issues. If UDA wins, it might indicate students are more considered with statehood than rising tuition costs.Regardless of the results, it’s refreshing to see students participating in campus elections.— kmthacke@indiana.eduFollow columnist Kate Thacker on Twitter @katelynthacker.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I am endlessly fascinated by the diversity of religion in India.India and the United States are both secular, but attitudes about religion differ dramatically between the two nations. It’s hard to imagine getting off work or school in America for any religious holiday that doesn’t coincide with Christian tradition.About 80 percent of Indians identify as Hindu.But in Hyderabad, we’ve had days off for holidays ranging from Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim breaking of fast at the end of Ramadan, to Dussehra, the Hindu holiday celebrating Rama’s victory over Ravana.Like most things I’ve experienced in India, religious traditions are complex, nuanced and influenced by history.Traditionally, Hindu beliefs and practices vary by region. For years, Indian philosophical traditions grew and transformed out of religious texts like the Vedas.A more broad, singular interpretation of Hinduism became useful in creating a national identity during India’s quest for independence.Unlike other major world religions, there is not central text that all Hindus follow. There are many important texts, from the Bhagavad Gita to the Ramayana to the Yoga Sutra, but no singular text holds the same weight as the Bible or Koran does for their respective faiths.Perhaps it’s this inherent multiplicity that shapes the way people view religion in India.I’ve heard Hindus, Christians and Buddhists say all religions are simply different means to the same end.In some regions of India, Jesus and Mary are included as manifestations of gods traditionally associated with Hinduism.Hinduism has an impact on Christianity in India, too.I spent last weekend in Pondicherry, a former French port located in the state of Tamil Nadu.Brightly-colored churches with equally vibrant representations of Christian saints are found throughout the city.I suppose the cathedrals need to compete with the bold, Chola architecture of South Indian temples.People remove their shoes before entering churches, a practice I always associate with visiting Hindu temples.Inside Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Pondicherry, people can pray in pews or at separate alters featuring statues of important figures in Catholicism.Sri Aurobindo Ashram is an integral part of the city’s religious diversity.Founded by the Indian philosopher Aurobindo Ghosh and Mirra Alfassa, a French woman known simply as “The Mother,” the ashram attracts devotees and tourists alike.The ashram promotes integral yoga, a philosophy rooted in Hinduism that advocates a higher state of consciousness to liberate oneself from ignorance.In 1968, 18 years after Aurobindo’s death, The Mother decided to create a community where people could live without politics, religion or national boundaries.Auroville, described as a “project in human unity,” lies just 10 miles outside Pondicherry. Around 2,000 people live in Auroville, most of whom are not Indian.Before taking a trip out to visit and see the Mantrimandir, the central, spherical structure of Auroville where residents meditate, I thought it sounded like a cult.The community tries to dispel this preconception by promoting statements of support from the Indian government, UNESCO and the Dalai Lama.Ultimately, Auroville’s existence is another testament to the religious tolerance I’ve experienced while in India.Whether one chooses to worship a Shiva linga at a 500-year-old temple or meditate on the Divine Consciousness of the universe in a giant golden sphere is a matter of personal preference.— kmthacke@indiana.eduFollow travel columnist Kate Thacker on Twitter @katelynthacker.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>People are quick to cast aside fashion as frivolous or shallow.But in a new place, clothing choices are an interesting way to study culture.In a collectivist society like India, style is less about self-expression and more about status symbols.The more affluent a person is, the more likely he or she is to wear Western-style clothing. Some women choose to wear salwar kameez, or coordinating sets consisting of a long top, loose salwar pants and a dupatta, or scarf.Manual laborers and servant-class women wear ready-made cotton saris, usually brightly patterned but devoid of expensive embroidery.Men from lower classes also wear more traditional Indian clothing. Most don dhotis, an unstitched piece of cloth wrapped around the waist and knotted in place.I’ve noticed people treat me differently based on what I wear.Aunties are more likely to strike up a conversation when I’m wearing a kurta, a standard top for Indian women of all ages and classes. This is especially true if I’m wearing a matching dupatta, or took the time to accessorize correctly.As laundry day approaches and I’m forced to revert to my Western clothing, auto drivers are more likely to stop to see if I need a ride. And, of course, they try to charge me three times the normal rate.I’ve noticed there has been a shift in recent years in young people in the United States wanting to buy less name-brand clothes and more secondhand items.I don’t see that happening anytime soon in India.The information technology boom has created a burgeoning middle class in Hyderabad and other cities around the country.Huge stores selling Western brands including Puma and Adidas can be found in Hi-Tech City and Banjara Hills.Inorbit Mall, celebrating its fourth birthday this week, houses the biggest clothing brands from India, America and the United Kingdom. During the weekends, it is filled with giggling teenagers and families on shopping excursions.If it wasn’t for the metal detectors and security guards waiting to frisk mall patrons at the entrance, it would almost be easy to forget Inorbit is in the middle of India.Even shopping at a Western-style complex can be a cultural negotiation.My love of neutrals clashes with the explosion of color found on most kurtas. I think I’ve managed to create the least-colorful Indian wardrobe possible, although it wasn’t entirely intentional.Yesterday, I emerged from my bedroom for breakfast wearing a black top covered in a gold peacock-feathered print with purple trim, paired with black leggings.“So much black,” my host mom teased upon seeing me.I suppose some things never change.— kmthacke@indiana.eduFollow travel columnist Kate Thacker on Twitter @katelynthacker.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s incredible how close one can get to historically significant monuments and sites in India.Sure, the most popular sites like the Taj Mahal are well-protected and maintained. But there are exponentially more small places left behind to face the elements and human mischief on their own.As a tourist, it’s great to have the freedom to interact with different ruins for a minimum price and with minimum interference.Not all visitors are respectful of history, though. At the beginning of my time in Hyderabad, my program visited the Qutub Shahi Tombs. The tombs and nearby mosques were often covered with graffiti on the inside.During a trip to Varanasi this past weekend, there were many beautiful but crumbling structures to see during a guided walking tour.I assumed this was because it is both the oldest city in India and one of the oldest in the world.In reality, most buildings and temples in Varanasi are only a few hundred years old. Emperors ordered the destruction of Hindu temples and other important religious sites no less than three times.A walking tour of the city revealed the grave of a British officer nestled between urban buildings. The small, gated patch of grass was in good enough condition, but laundry from the surrounding residences hung on its fence to dry.Our tour guide said the problem is a lack of feeling of ownership for the monuments. I suppose it’s understandable. Why would an average citizen care about the final resting place of a foreign officer they never met who died 150 years earlier?Centuries before Portuguese and British colonization, Mughals, Muslims and Aryans, among others, invaded India.While they were sometimes a destructive force, as with Varanasi, many invaders left behind impressive architectural contributions.The forts and tombs in Delhi and Agra are a testament to beautiful Mughal architecture. One of the best-preserved sites we saw during the trip was Qutub Minar and its surrounding monuments in Delhi. Both the minar and mosques have been damaged and reconstructed several times. The entrance is gated, there is tight security and there is no graffiti to be found.It’s no coincidence that Qutub Minar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Yet another tour guide said UNESCO has jurisdiction over everything from ticket pricing to whether or not tourists can go inside the minar, or tower.Currently no one is allowed inside the minar, but he said it will be open next year — with a coinciding increase to the entry fee.The deteriorating state of many monuments is so different from what seems like a never-ending process that some European nations go through to restore cathedrals and castles.Nonetheless, it’s a beautiful but surreal feeling to explore historical relics without a guard yelling about keeping off the grass.— kmthacke@indiana.eduFollow columnist Kate Thacker on Twitter @katelynthacker.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I’ve never been excessively fond of being outdoors, especially in the heat.India is changing that. Hyderabad has challenged my former preference for city life. The most congested parts of the city are loud, dirty and headache-inducing. As much as I love fast-paced environments, spending time in nature is exponentially more enjoyable here.I sought out green spaces this past weekend to avoid the looming deadlines of upcoming exams, papers and presentations. Despite what my family and friends think, I am studying during my study abroad.Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park is situated in the middle of Jubilee Hills, an upscale area of Hyderabad.It is marketed as the green lungs of Hyderabad, and it’s easy to see why.Immediately after walking through the entrance gates, the noise and air pollution surrounding the park seem to disappear. The park isn’t very large — the main walking path is about three kilometers long — but it feels incredibly spacious.Young couples and old ladies alike use the pathways. Rumor has it famous politicians and Tollywood actors can be spotted jogging at KBR early in the morning.On Sunday, I woke up before sunrise to catch a bus to Nagarjuna Sagar with some friends. The three-hour ride through small towns costs the equivalent of a few U.S. dollars and was worth every penny.My host mom was adamant that we needed to see Nagarjuna Sagar Dam during our visit. I didn’t expect much from it, and was more interested in checking out the waterfalls and Buddhist relics.The view of the dam was, to my surprise, spectacular. Water poured from 24 of the 26 dam gates that were opened due to particularly heavy rainfall this monsoon season.The dam is one of the earliest hydroelectric projects in India, completed in 1967 after 12 years of construction.Situated near the border of the Telangana and Coastal Andhra regions, rights to the dam will need to be negotiated when Telangana splits into a separate state. Farmers may need to find new sources of surplus water for irrigation, and Telangana will have limited access to the power the dam generates.For now, it continues to serve as a tourist attraction in an otherwise quiet town.Badly-paved roads wind from the dam to Ethipothala Falls, situated about 11 kilometers away.A monkey attack almost deterred me from seeing the waterfall. My friend lost his biscuits during the scuffle. I may have lost a little bit of my dignity while screaming as a monkey latched on to my backpack, but I’ll recover.We weren’t able to buy boat tickets out to Nagarjunakonda, despite our best efforts.The crowd at the ticket counter was pushy and feisty, and it seemed unlikely we would fit on the ferry even if we bought tickets.The island is a famous Buddhist pilgrimage site. Archaeologists worked for six years to excavate the area before the dam was built and eventually flooded the area.Now, many of the monasteries and temples have been reassembled and a museum was built to display the relics.I’m sure we’ll get our fill of Buddhist history during a trip to Varanasi this weekend.— kmthacke@indiana.eduFollow travel columnist Kate Thacker on Twitter @katelynthacker.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Signs promoting sustainability fill the medians of major roads in Hyderabad.Translated into Telugu, Hindi and English, they include endearing messages like, “Love trees ... so beautiful ... so useful.”But sometimes, sustainability takes a backseat to religious tradition.Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the birth of the Hindu god Ganesha. After 10 days of prayer and celebration, idols of the god are immersed into bodies of water on the 11th day.Last week, an estimated 50,000 Ganesha idols were submerged into Hussain Sagar and other lakes in Hyderabad.Our program visited the largest idol in Khairtabad before it was immersed. Standing 59 feet tall, the Ganesha held a 4,200 kilogram laddu in his left hand.That’s more than 9,000 pounds of flour, sugar and clarified butter. No wonder Ganesha’s belly is so round.Luckily, the Indian sweet wasn’t immersed with the idol. My program director said the laddu will be auctioned off for charity.During the festival, daily pujas presented offerings to Ganeshas around the city. Every night, a friend of my host mom would bring up prasad, or blessed sweets, from the idol sponsored by people in our apartment complex.Drums and firecrackers filled our neighborhood with noise after sunset. Young men marched and played behind a truck carrying the Ganesha off to be immersed.Idols are historically made with clay and painted with vegetable dyes, allowing them to dissolve in the water within hours.Yet, like religious celebrations worldwide, Ganesh Chaturthi is becoming increasingly commercialized. Idols made from cheap plaster of Paris are becoming more common. Some paints used to decorate the idols may contain mercury and lead. Plaster can take months to years to fully disintegrate, and toxins from the paint endanger wildlife in the bodies of water.Some organizations encourage symbolic immersion of the idols, sprinkling water on Ganesha’s head and then saving it to use the next year. Others advocate a ban on non-biodegradable idols, as some local governments have already done.Tradition is tradition, and religious symbolism could be lost if the idol isn’t fully immersed.It’s too bad Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, can’t remove the environmental damage caused during his birthday celebration.— kmthacke@indiana.eduFollow travel columnist Kate Thacker on Twitter @katelynthacker.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I’m starting to worry the “empower women in India” social movement is the “feed the starving African children” trope of our generation.Both issues are important but oversimplified to the point of becoming a fashionable philanthropic endeavor for wealthy Westerners to support. At the risk of sounding tired, I’d like to have my say about violence against girls and women in the wake of the Delhi gang rape trial.The gang rape of a 23-year-old medical student in Delhi last December sparked a media frenzy in India and around the world.On Sept. 10, Judge Yogesh Khanna declared “death for all” four men convicted in the trial.Of the six men accused, one died in jail earlier this year, and another was tried as a juvenile. The remaining four — Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma, Mukesh Singh and Akshay Thakur — were given the death sentence by hanging.Charges included gang rape, murder, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy.The death sentence is rare in India but was considered appropriate by the court given the particularly heinous nature of the crime.Various news reports of the incident say the six men were searching for a victim when the woman and her male friend boarded their private bus Dec. 16. When the pair was found on the side of the road, the woman had been beaten and raped so brutally that her intestines were coming out of her body. She died two weeks later at a hospital in Singapore.In the time that followed, six fast-track courts were set up to deal specifically with cases related to violence against women. The Delhi verdict was reached in nine months, compared to the four or five years it may have taken in regular court.Punishment for rapists increased to a life sentence in prison or the death penalty if the victim dies. The minimum sentence for gang rape increased to 20 years in prison.The crime these men committed was horrific and the woman’s family deserves justice, but it’s hard to see how this trial will help other victims.In India, many victims are from low-income families or socially excluded groups.Most rape cases aren’t committed by strangers on a bus, but by acquaintances. Women who know their rapists are often forced to remain silent because of familial or societal pressure.Those willing to come forward may face police harassment, humiliation or refusal to help them file a First Information Report. An FIR is necessary before police can investigate a case and begin the criminal justice process.Even if the case does go to trial, the Business Standard reports a mere 25 to 35 percent conviction rate in rape cases, though this varies by state.The average person can’t combat police corruption or improve the Indian court system. However, he or she can improve the way women are viewed and treated in his or her community.Now that the publicity has died down, it’s time to address one of the root causes in most cases of rape and sexual assault — the low societal value placed on girls and women.This isn’t an issue specific to India, either. One in five women in the U.S. will be sexually assaulted during her life, according to a survey conducted by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Victim-blaming is as pervasive in America as it is in India.Stricter sentencing for rapists won’t stop violence against girls and women in India or anywhere else in the world. Teaching respect for women will.— kmthacke@indiana.edu. Follow columnist Kate Thacker on Twitter @katelynthacker.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I celebrated the two-month anniversary of my arrival in India by meditating in a pagoda and avoiding fireworks set off in celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi.For part of the weekend, at least.An extra day off school for the beginning of the festival allowed enough time for some friends and I to get to Mumbai.Though the city was officially renamed Mumbai after an election in 1995, locals still call it Bombay, the name the British East India Company gave it.India’s tourism department markets it as the “City of Dreams.”Whatever one chooses to call it, one of India’s most densely populated cities is one of my new favorite places. The colonial architecture and abundance of fashionable restaurants make it a fantastic blend of Indian flair and European sophistication. At the same time, it’s incredible how a city that oozes so much affluence can also have more than half of its population living in slums.During our first day exploring Mumbai, we watched workers launder shirts and sheets from around the city at Dhobi Ghat. The dhobis, or washermen, fill huge cement basins with water, soap and clothes in the massive open-air laundromat, We spent the early evening admiring the skyline from Chowpatty Beach, eating kulfi and breathing in the Arabian Sea air. The view was even better from the wall that stretches down Marine Drive. While gazing out at the shoreline, eunuchs wordlessly patted each of us on the head as they passed by. I’m hoping we weren’t cursed.We woke up bright and early the next morning to see the Gateway of India and take a ferry out to the Elephanta Caves. In true tourist attraction fashion, we had to walk past dozens of vendors selling small statues of Ganesh, Buddha and bedazzled Krishna on the mile-long trek uphill to the caves.By the time we reached the three-headed, 20-foot-tall Shiva in the first cave, my head was swimming with images of Hindu gods.The only disappointing part of the trip was not being able to visit the National Gallery of Modern Art, which was closed all weekend for a change of exhibits. Across the street, Jehangir Art Gallery housed an eclectic display of local artists.Possibly the most creative art we saw was between the Mahim and Dadar train stations. Called “The Great Wall of Mumbai,” The Wall Project invited anyone who was interested to paint a section of the wall back in 2009.It is still surprisingly well-kept, with more paintings and inspirational messages than mindless graffiti.Our last day included another boat trip offshore.Fifty rupees bought a round-trip ferry ticket to the aforementioned Global Vipassana Pagoda. Its golden domes tower over the kitschy amusement park located next door.The ornamental structure was a vast departure from the simplicity of the temples of Buddhist monks we saw earlier in the weekend at Ellora Caves in Aurangabad. As we boarded a cab headed to the airport, a longing to stay nagged at my mind. Three days was nowhere near enough time to experience Mumbai. Visions of the skyline from Elephanta Island will have to hold me over until I can visit again.— kmthacke@indiana.edu. Follow travel columnist Kate Thacker on Twitter @katelynthacker.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Getting around Hyderabad can be incredibly fun or incredibly frustrating, depending on the day. Some mornings a shared auto will serendipitously appear right as I reach the main road, waiting to whisk me off to campus. Other days an endless stream of vehicles will pass by, already packed with kids going to school and people commuting to work. When 14 passengers have already staked out spaces for themselves in the small white vans, not even my five-foot self can manage to fit in.Three people manage to pile on to one motorcycle or scooter. I’ve seen as many as 12 people squeeze into a direct auto, intended to seat three people plus the driver. At night, some autos turn on flashing interior lights and blast Bollywood music to entice suckers like me. One driver, who looked like he couldn’t be older than 18, played Justin Beiber remixes and other popular American songs from 2010 as he drove my friends and I home from dinner one evening.Unfortunately, he was so distracted by the music that we almost drove into oncoming traffic. Entertainment is a trade-off for safe driving, I suppose.The most economical way to get around Hyderabad, but arguably the most time-consuming and stressful, is by bus.The 216 bus takes me the 17 kilometers from my internship in Lakdikapul to Gachibowli for only 12 rupees. At the current exchange rate, that’s 18 US cents.It beats paying for an expensive auto, but it will likely be standing room only for part or the entire ride.I’m always thankful for the ladies section, found at the front of every bus and in specially-designated compartments on MMTS trains.Before coming to India, I would have scoffed at the idea of a section especially reserved for women. At the same time, former me couldn’t have imagined how packed a Hyderabad bus can be at 6 p.m. on a Friday. There’s something to be said about the feeling of security that comes from having a mother and her baby in your personal space instead of a male stranger.Long rides on public transportation create opportunities for talking to locals.Most recently, a girl around my age sat next to me and started a conversation with the usual question, “Where are you from?” My Hindi vocabulary was too small to carry on for more than a few sentences, but she smiled and told me she likes practicing her English. The exchange brightened an otherwise monotonous ride on a very hot, very crowded bus. I’ll choose a nice conversation over a breezy auto ride any day.Americans could learn a little something about ride sharing and using public transportation. Considering nearly 7 million people live in Hyderabad, the traffic isn’t so bad.— kmthacke@indiana.edu. Follow travel columnist Kate Thacker on Twitter @katelynthacker.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Living abroad has forced me to become more flexible.It’s a welcome change from my meticulously-scheduled days at IU.Time is a fluid concept. Classes and plans are often cancelled on short notice. Our program organized a weekend trip to Hampi set to depart Aug. 14, the night before India’s Independence Day. Located in Karnataka, India, Hampi is famous for its beautiful Virupaksha Temple and ruins from former empires.But ongoing political unrest in Andhra Pradesh posed a security threat to the train we would take to get there, and our trip was cancelled just a few days before we were supposed to leave.A briefing on local politics may be warranted here. The state of Andhra Pradesh is divided into three regions — Telangana, Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra. In June, the government approved the decision to make Telangana India’s 29th state. The Andhra Pradesh legislature still needs to draft a resolution to begin the lawmaking process, but an approved bill could establish the separate state by next year.Some students at University of Hyderabad celebrated the news by parading around campus, playing drums and interrupting classes with shouts of “Jai Telangana,” or “Victory to Telangana.” But most Hyderabadis I’ve discussed the issue with expressed sadness about the division of Andhra Pradesh. While the Telangana movement argues other regions are taking jobs and resources from Telugu people, the state’s capital is home to many businesses and real estate investments. People also have family members who live in other regions of Andhra Pradesh.The fact that Hyderabad will serve as a dual capital for Telangana and what remains of Andhra Pradesh only complicates the issue further.In order to avoid potential conflicts, a few friends and I decided to take the opportunity to leave South India entirely and go to Delhi.My newfound spontaneity lead to booking a flight up north less than 48 hours before the departure time.We arrived in Delhi Wednesday afternoon and spent the next four days exploring Old and New Delhi, and visiting big tourist attractions like the Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb as well as smaller neighborhoods.If you ever find yourself in Delhi, take a tour of Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti to learn about Sufism or grab lunch in Majnu ka Tilla, a Tibetan colony. We caught a train at 4:40 a.m. Thursday morning to take us to Agra. Travelling sleeper class where three cots are stacked on either side of a small carriage was an experience I was glad to have once.Seeing the Taj Mahal in person was worth the uncomfortable ride. The Mughals had great taste in architecture.But Chandni Chowk was the highlight of our time in Delhi. Not for the claustrophobic personality, the market was packed with vendors, shoppers and rickshaw wallahs. We spent hours exploring the jewelry stands, and I bought way too much tea and masala. A weekend in the nation’s capital made me appreciate the relative calmness of Hyderabad. It feels good to be back.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>My first month in India was a cultural learning curve.Since arriving in Hyderabad in early July, I have learned how to eat rice and daal with my right hand, haggle for prices with auto drivers and properly match a kurta to my outfit.More than anything, I learned this city is full of interesting juxtapositions.IT giants and internet companies, including Google, are located in an area known as HITEC City, or Cyberabad.Down the road, Shilparamam, an arts and crafts culture village, sells traditional South Indian handicrafts. Locals can enroll in classes to learn art forms, and visitors can explore the sculpture gardens.Old City, another section of Hyderabad, has a population that is nearly 60 percent Muslim — unusual in a predominately Hindu country. Glittering saris peek out from underneath burqas in the bustling markets.Before leaving, people usually responded to the news that I was studying at the University of Hyderabad with excitement or trepidation.Western media tends to portray India as an exotic land full of bright colors and spiritual people or a country struggling against poverty and violence.I was asked numerous times if I felt safe being a woman in India. A large portion of our orientation was devoted to safety, but the advice was similar to advice given to women anywhere — don’t walk around alone at night and be aware of your surroundings.Some stereotypes about India have turned out to be true. Water buffalo, initially mistaken as cows, tend to wander through streets and near shops in my neighborhood. They occasionally block traffic.I’ve accepted their presence because they provide the milk used to make delicious chai.With four months still to go, I know I have a lot left to learn in Hyderabad. It would be a shame if I left the city without being able to speak authoritatively about where to find the best vegetable biryani.—kmthacke@indiana.edu Follow columnist Kate Thacker on Twitter @katelynthacker
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>My first month in India was a cultural learning curve.Since I arrived in Hyderabad in early July, I have learned how to eat rice and daal with my right hand, haggle for prices with auto drivers and properly match a kurta to the rest of my outfit.More than anything, I learned this city is full of interesting juxtapositions.IT giants and internet companies, including Google, are located in an area known as HITEC City, or Cyberabad.Down the road, Shilparamam, an arts & crafts culture village, sells traditional South Indian handicrafts. Locals can enroll in classes to learn art forms including sari embroidery and sand painting, and visitors can explore the sculpture gardens.Old City, another section of Hyderabad, has a population that is nearly 60 percent Muslim — unusual in a predominately Hindu country. Glittering saris peek out from underneath burqas in the bustling markets.Before leaving, people usually responded to the news that I was studying for a semester at the University of Hyderabad with excitement or trepidation.Western media tends to portray India as an exotic land full of bright colors and spiritual people or a country struggling against poverty and violence.I was asked numerous times if I felt safe being a woman in India. A large portion of our program orientation was devoted to safety, but the advice was similar to advice given to women anywhere — don’t walk around alone at night and be aware of your surroundings.Some stereotypes about India have turned out to be true. Water buffalo, initially mistaken as cows, tend to wander through streets and near shops in my neighborhood. They occasionally block traffic.I’ve accepted their presence because they provide the milk used to make delicious chai.With four months still to go, I know I have a lot left to learn in Hyderabad. It would be a shame if I left the city without being able to speak authoritatively about where to find the best veg biryani.— kmthacke@indiana.edu
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Before instant streaming and digital downloads, Mark Hood and Jeff Morris had a plan to broadcast Bloomington’s music to a wider audience.Twenty-eight years after the initial idea for the local radio station, WFHB is celebrating 20 years on the air.The vision for the station began in 1974, and in 1975 a small group founded the Community Radio Project to help launch WFHB.WFHB Music Director Jim Manion said he met Morris — now the station’s engineer — and Hood as an undergraduate student during an engineering workshop at the music studio where Hood worked.“They were all involved with the local music scene, and so was I as a young IU student,” Manion said. “I grew up around broadcasting and was very attracted to the idea.”Manion recalled attending a benefit to help raise money for the radio station at The Bluebird Nightclub on July 10, 1975 — 10 days before his 21st birthday.After 18 years of planning and overcoming technical obstacles, WFHB began broadcasting on Jan. 4, 1993.“At that time, it was really hard for local bands to get any kind of airplay,” said Emily Jackson, a member of the WFHB board of directors and a volunteer disk jockey at the station. “The music industry was a big monolith that was hard to get involved with. It was a good way to highlight local music and local musicians.”Board members at the station planned monthly events this year to celebrate its 20th anniversary, including the “Women Rule: Finding a Voice at WFHB” concert in March and the sixth annual Acoustic Roots Festival in May.This month, WFHB collaborated with the City of Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District to create an atrium exhibit about the station’s history at City Hall.Featuring photographs, artifacts and documents, the exhibit is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.The display features items that chronicle the history of WFHB as well as Bloomington music.“The local music scene of the mid-’70s was a huge reason why the original group of people wanted to get the station on the air,” Manion said. “There was an amazing music scene back then as well.”In 2002, Chad Carrothers, then a WFHB volunteer, worked with former station manager Ryan Bruce to launch the station’s News and Public Affairs Initiative. They created the Daily Local News, Bloomington’s first and only daily 30-minute radio news broadcast.The Society of Professional Journalists has given the program numerous awards as part of its Best of Indiana contest.With the addition of the news department, Manion said WFHB “became a full-service radio station rather than just a place for cool music.”Now the general manager of WFHB, Carrothers attributes the station’s continued community involvement to partnerships with Bloomingfoods, Rhino’s Youth Center and Lotus World Music and Arts Festival.“WFHB has evolved from a radio station into an arts organization,” Carrothers said. “The key to that, really, has been the institutional partnerships we’ve been able to develop over time.”In addition to 91.3 FM — the original WFHB frequency broadcast to Bloomington, Bedford, Ind. and Martinsville, Ind., — the station now broadcasts at 106.3 FM in Ellettsville, Ind., and Spencer, Ind., as well as 100.7 FM in Nashville, Ind.“The death of radio has been predicted for 15 to 20 years now because of all these other things, and it hasn’t gone away,” Manion said. “It’s not going away. Terrestrial broadcasting from your antennae to your audience who’s listening in real time is a valuable service and a very healthy experience for the listener.”Manion estimated nearly 300 volunteers are involved with the station from board members to journalists to volunteer DJs.As programming has expanded and some broadcasting methods have changed, Manion said WFHB’s mission to celebrate local culture and create an open forum to discuss issues remains the same.“The vision for what we wanted to create has definitely been successful to the 10th power,” he said.