Two days ago I went to Bangalore to pick up the equipment. Then yesterday morning, my uncle came from Pavagada in a hired van, and after picking up Anand Uncle (not a biological uncle; we're in India so everyone is an uncle), we went to Powertronix. We met with Mr. Ramesh, who owns the company and has designed our system, and Mr. Dilip, his partner, and both know my uncle Subba and Anand Uncle very well. It was more like a reunion of friends than a business meeting, and they talked about old times and new; apparently, my uncle had given Powertronix their second ever order in 1995, and now was giving them their second ever solar order 14 years later. They discussed a lot of the things that I didn't follow, but eventually the conversation turned to the project, and getting the equipment to Pavagada. After everything was figured out, we had a long talk about the future of the project - expanding the system to power all 20 computers - and things sound super positive. I’ll be staying in touch with Mr. Ramesh throughout the next several months, and we’ll be trying to get government subsidies, which have recently increased dramatically for solar projects – up to 40%!

After tea and a few pictures, we went outside and Subba Uncle (that's my uncle) and Anand Uncle oversaw the people loading up the equipment into the van. The solar panel, which is two meters by three meters, was too large to go in the van, so it got strapped to the top while all the other stuff went inside. After meeting the engineer from Powertronix who was going to come to Pavagada to install the system the next day, we set off for home with a van jam packed full of electronic gizmos and gadgets. Bouncing down the pot-holed road to Pavagada with my feet up on the box of the charge controller, surrounded by all the equipment we had been talking about for months, I felt so excited and so happy. “Yes! It’s finally happening! And these are the parts that it’s going to happen with!” When we got back to Pavagada, we went straight to the school, where about 10 gentlemen were waiting to unload the equipment. Among them were the Headmaster and school Clerk, and seeing them in their pajamas at 10:00 pm was a reminder of how much sway Subba Uncle has; when he makes calls, people listen.

Then, this morning we went to the school at around 10:30 am. In order to fix the solar panel to the roof, a cement base support had to be made, so my uncle made a few calls to arrange it. The engineer was already on his way from Powertronix, so it had to get done quickly, and for about twenty minutes, things weren't looking good. During that time, I helped one of the computer teachers (Venkatesh) to unpack and setup the three computers that the system will power, and just having something to do felt good. In that time, Anand Uncle had shown up, and he and Subba Uncle figured out a temporary way around the cement base, and things were back on track. They also phoned a local electrician to come over and help finish up the school's internal wiring so we could actually use the system.

By noon, there was a small army of people buzzing around the school - me and Venkatesh in the new computer lab, my uncle and the electricians in the room where the equipment was going, a whole bunch of people up on the roof making cement fixtures and hooking up the solar panel, and various others who were just interested and wanted to see what all the hulabaloo was about. Soon after, I switched into my role as camera man and joined the Club-of-People-Standing-Around-Not-Really-Doing-Anything-Constructive-But-Getting-In-The-Way. I was able to take a lot of good pictures and recorded some good videos, which I’ll be piecing together into a short film about what we’ve done so far. Then, I’ll be sending the film around to let people know about our work and to try to fundraise. I’m hoping that because you’re reading this, you’ll be interested in it, so let me know in a couple months and I’ll send the film your way too.

It's only a ten minute walk from the school to my uncle’s house, so I went home for lunch, and when I returned, things were almost done. The crowd had thinned to around 6 or 7 by then, so I was able to talk with the engineer from Powertronix and get the details about how the system works. It turned out that this was his first installation job, and he looked as happy to see it up and working as we were. Just after the school was let out, we all gathered in the computer lab, and switched everything on. The first thing the monitors said was "Unrecognized Power Frequency: 86.5 kHz/ 50 Hz." The collective disappoint was pretty tangible, because it had already been a long day, and the engineer had double checked all the system parts. However, someone hit the “reset” button on the computers, and then the monitors started to work, and huzzah! Success beautiful success! We switched everything off, shook hands, and called it a day.

Since the next step in the project is to move the whole computer lab, the current set-up is a temporary one. There are still several changes that will be made, some in the next few days, some in the next few months, and probably more will happen as things develop. For example, the solar panels needs to move to a part of the building where it won’t interfere with future construction, and as mentioned above, the computer lab is going to be moving to a different room. However, these are things for the future; right now, we have can sit back and eat a few mirchi bondas. I think that after today we can officially stamp Phase One of the project a success.

I want to point out that while I have been saying "we" while talking about a lot of the work that's happened, the credit for the project really goes to my uncle. In the last two days, he has hired a van to transport the materials, finalized the business end of things, arranged for an engineer to come install the system, hired people to make a cement foundation for the panels, gotten electricians to come finish up the network within the school, oversaw the installation of the system, arranged for me to videotape students and teachers giving their opinions on various issues, and is now preparing a function to inaugurate the computers at the school. And yesterday, he also travelled 9 hours to and from Bangalore to pick up the materials. I am in awe at the amount of things he got to happen, and in debt for his generosity of time and patience.

I don't think the reality of the situation has really set in for me. It doesn't feel real that the solar panel is actually on the roof of the school right now, and that when the computer monitors lit up earlier today, it was the culminating event of about six months work. It's sort of like finishing a semester; you race and race towards the end you know is going to be a doozy, and then you get there and it feels...strange. I guess that's the only way to put it.

But typing up this entry, it's starting to feel more real. We did it! Hurray!

The film Raksha went to see is in Telagu, the language of the neighboring state. It was pretty hyped up, though not anything like the bigger Hindi films, which seem to blow the whole country up in excitement. The movie opened last Friday, and she went to go see the 10:30 am showing on a Monday. The movie is only playing in one theatre in the village, but since its opening on Friday it has played 15 times already. Since she was going to a semi-popular movie showing on a Monday morning that had already played more than ten times, I assumed she would try to get there about twenty minutes before to get a good seat. Makes sense, right? Well, apparently not...

When I asked her about it this morning, she explained how in order to get a seat, she and her friends had reserved a ticket last night. But a ticket isn't the same as a seat, since the theatre would be trying to cram as many people into the 500-seat theatre as possible. Therefore, in order to make sure they got to sit down, they were going to get to the theatre at an hour in advance to get a place in line. She said that ordinarly, they would go even earlier than that, but since they know the theater owner's son well, they would get "special treatment." Harsha, who lives down the street, went to the opening showing on Friday three hours early, and had his shirt ripped all the way in half fighting for his ticket.

Then in the movie theatre, things were equally out of control. The theatre was completely sold out, and she said there was literally no room at all; in addition to people filling up the aisles, they were also stuffed in front of the first row and against the back wall. During the movie, the crowd would be cheering for the hero or booing the villain so loudly that she couldn't even hear the dialogue. And even though the movie was released only three days ago, many people in the crowd had already seen it enough times to memorize the words and were yelling them as loudly as they could, just in case the characters on-screen forgot what they were suppoed to say next.

I could understand all of it - the multiple hour long wait, the battle with the blood-thirsty line, the cramped and sweaty theatre, the obnoxious crowd - if the movies were good. But to me, they're not. They're not even alright; they are just plain bad. I've sat through two and a half of them, and watched tons of scenes on TV, and I'm still trying to figure out why you put yourself through it. The acting is on par with the stuff you see on Jerry Springer, every movie is a rehasing of one of three plots, and the films often look like they were made in the early 60's. The only redeeming quailty is that the songs and dances are entertaining, and every movie will have at least a couple of them.

But the weird thing is, EVERY movie will have four or five songs. Regardless of plot, mood, or genre, every movie will have the songs. I understand that music doesn't mean a movie can't be serious - I've seen Fiddler on The Roof and Les Miserables, and appreciated how music enhanced the story there. However, in those musicals, the music seemed to work with the plot and fit into the context of what was going on - here, that's not the case. A character will be facing his enemy at somewhere near the climax of the movie, then launch into a happy bubblegum-pop song about the power of love. Dreams are also good ways to introduce songs, because then there doesn't have to be any type of connection at all. And all popular music in India comes out of the movies; the music videos are all scenes from the movies where you can tell the actors and actresses are lipsynching to someone else's work.

On TV, there are always at least three movies getting played at any time, and there's a channel sort of like MTV that only plays the song and dance scenes from movies. My aunt and cousins will sit and watch these for hours on end, and it just blows my mind. And on TV, they don't even show high quality versions of the movies - it's clear that you're watching something off some person's video camera that was stationed in the back of a theatre.

And yet, the movies grip the whole nation. There's Bollywood, which pumps out the world famous Hindi movies from Mumbai (formerly Bombay), and those are pretty high end. There's also Sandalwood from the state of Karnataka, Mollywood from the state of Kerala, Tollywood for the movies in Telagu, and the list goes on. Each region of the country seems to have their own xxxx-wood, and often kids learn new languages to watch the movies - Raksha said that movies are the reason she learned Hindi. What's more, it seems to be a global phenomenon; I remember when we went on a family trip to Egypt, the street vendors would call my dad Amitab Bachan, the most famous actor of his generation, and I've heard about similar things in some of the Pacific Island countries.

Bollywood puts out the most movies each year, and in Raksha's opinion, the best. She says that although the actors are hotter in Mollywood or Tollywood films, the songs aren't as good, and the acting is way worse. In my opinion, garbage is garbage, no matter how bad it smells.

It's also funny because in the papers, there are sections of the paper devoted to tracing the careers of the actors and actresses. There are always quotes like "Director Patel really pushed me to my best in our last film, and I hope to continue stretching myself" and "Shakur gives a refined and sophisticated performance in his best film to date" or my favorite: "I turned to Demi Moore for inspiration; no one is as sexy as her, though I think I gave her a run for her money."

I try not to get too cynical when I watch the movies, but it's really difficult. I wish I could just enjoy them, because they are everyone's favorite form of entertainment, and clearly a really "cultural" thing. I guess I'm just too American.

There is one addition to the system that we are thinking about making - right now, the batteries will be charged 50% by the solar panels, 50% by the grid. To charge the batteries entirely through solar power would require buying another solar panel, which costs Rs. 40,000 ($850.) Saturday (tomorrow) we will be discussing if this would be worth the extra cost and if we can raise the money before I leave. However, this is a small part of the system, and doesn't influence the overall design.

It's crazy that in just 19 days I'll be headed back to Michigan. I'm excited to be here, but looking forward to going home. I guess things are at a pretty good place.

Our family is in the Brahaman caste, meaning we should devote our lives to learning and not to material and worldly issues. We are also to preach and share the knowledge we gain, and to stay humble in the process. Our caste is the most revered, and is supposed to set the example for others to follow. Other castes, include traders, warrior/kings, and then the general/common caste, which is supposed to follow the example set by the other castes. Within each caste are further distinctions, and it seems that within those distinctions are even more, so the whole thing is pretty huge. Everyone is conscience of the caste system all the time – their role in it relative to others, and the lines seem to be drawn very clearly.

For the most part, I had decided about the caste system before I had experienced it – the caste system and the concept of equality are at opposite ends, and since I believe in equality, I must necessarily not believe in the values of the caste system. The first time my uncle mentioned it, a feeling of disgust welled up in me – it was the same way I feel about racism. In fact, I was pretty embarrassed to be talking about it at all, because I thought it was one of those things that anyone with any decency would realize was a mistake, and it was one of those unspoken flaws in Indian culture. Any institutionalized discrimination was inherently wrong, and must sow seeds of unrest and contempt into its society.

But the weird part is the sense of harmony that seems to run through the culture. Despite the divisions between the castes, there doesn’t seem to be resentment, and what’s more, there seems to be the opposite. It seems that with the caste system, which is dug deeply into Indian society, the attitude is more close to “you do your work and I’ll do mine” then “this is the hierarchy. Deal with it.” I don’t understand it, and I don’t like it, but that’s what I see when I look for it – a system that divides people and yet manages to create equilibrium.

“Well there may be a sense of harmony, but that’s because you’re in a rural area where the privileged ones on the top of the pile prevent the others from rising by making sure they don’t know any better. It’s an enforced ignorance.“ said the other half of my brain. But the more I look around, the more it seems that this isn’t the case – Indian culture places an incredibly high value on education. The person who ironed my shirt for 6 cents per has two sons in college, and my aunt whose life consists of cooking, cleaning, and trips to the market down the street has earned a Masters degree in Sanskrit. Most impressive to me are the kids, and their almost militant focus on studies – the conversation between two trilingual 10 year olds that were sitting on our couch a few days ago was about Ph. Ds. School runs almost ten and a half months of the year, 6 hours a day 6 days of the week. And in the important 10th grade, many students also attend tutoring that isn’t mandatory from 6 am to 8 am prior to school at 10. Voluntarily taking extra classes from 6 am to 8am. What?!

And this comprehensive education isn’t limited to any one caste – all caste types attend the same schools, with the same opportunities. In fact, there is a government enforced policy that ensures a percentage (somewhere around 10%) of all placement in colleges and universities – even the ridiculously competitive IIT schools - comes from the less fortunate castes. So it’s not as though the lower castes are forced to live in ignorance and excluded from any opportunities. Nor is it as though the higher castes are trying to hang onto their place in the sun – they have introduced ways to account for the disadvantages that lower castes face. And I haven’t seen any resentment in the upper castes towards these policies, so this further confuses the picture for me.

Another thing getting called into question for me is the message of the caste system. From what I understand, the caste system says we are born into a caste, and that caste defines us. My initial translation of this was “we are born to be certain people – our genetics demand that we be that type of person.” However after talking with several people, it seems like an alternative interpretation is “we are born into a way of life that places values on different things than other people, and growing up and operating in that environment, we will be better at operating with those values than other people, so it is our obligation to do so.” It’s sort of like saying we inherit certain values and skills from our upbringing, and it is our duty to uphold our inheritance and pass it on. Both interpretations point to being born into a societal position that we are confined to, but from different angles – nurture versus nature. And I don’t think this is so far from Western philosophy, except that in the west, these things aren’t explicitly stated. I think it’s very natural to take on the values of the environment you are brought up in, and to assume you will carry on the values. However, I do disagree with saying that it is one’s responsibility to carry on these values.

Also, people very openly discuss the caste system. It isn’t at all uncomfortable to bring it up at the dinner table or in the school, and no one seems to mind at all. What’s more, it doesn’t seems as though people in the higher castes think of themselves as being better than people in lower castes. I was walking back from a run with three guys slightly younger than me (all 18+), and I was asking them about the caste system in their group of friends. One of them said “No brother, it is nothing. We are friends with all castes. What does it matter what we are?” It’s as though the system is so deep and embedded, it simply is. It’s not right or wrong in the minds of the people I’ve talked to, it is just a thing that exists. It doesn’t make one person better than another, it just determines which types of work we will end up doing.

However, finally I have to question my own conclusions, and just as the GRE taught me, examine the premises that they are built on. I come from a privileged caste, and operate almost exclusively within it – do I really know how the less fortunate castes feel about the system? My main source of information is my uncle, a Brahmin with a very respected and successful career - are his views of society the same as his neighbor’s? I am in a rural southern Indian village- is that representative of the whole of the country? I am part of a healthy family structure free of the unexpected pregnancies and gambling problems that destroyed other lives in this neighborhood – would I discuss concepts like “harmony” and “equilibrium” the same way if things were different?

It’s so hard for me to remember that in many cases, culture isn’t right or wrong. It’s just different. Am I in a position to judge another people’s culture? And even if I am, do I want to? Last semester, I took a class about the Italian writer Primo Levi who writes about his experience as a prisoner in the Holocaust, and he said it is wrong to say such huge events are “right” or “wrong” because the events are too complex to be labeled. To do so robs of the event of it’s true nature and is a lazy way to get around really understanding the matter. If that’s a how a Jew felt about the Holocaust, can I be so quick to judge the caste system?

Man, it is a complex world.

In addition to meeting many people and discussing Anusha’s seemingly endless number of winning qualities, I’ve also spent a lot of time at “functions.” I’m still not quite sure what gets called a function, because I’ve been to three of them, and each one has been completely different. Whatever they are, they are steeped in formality and tradition and speeches that seem to be ignored by the audience, and all in all, good social experiences.

The first one I went to was to honor a man who had conducted 1,000 pujas (religious ceremonies). The function was held in a temple, and it was beautiful - there was a hall filled with women sitting in rows on the floor, eating all sorts of brightly colored food with huge banana leaves as plates. My cousin Rushmi said it would be too embarrassing if I went around taking pictures, so I didn’t, but I wish I had. After eating a huge amount of food that I can’t pronounce, we stumbled back home for a nap that turned into a 19 hour sleeping marathon for me – I don’t know why, but I was completely exhausted and just slept and slept and slept.

The next morning, I was sitting at the table figuring out things for the project when my uncle said “If a gentleman came by in 10 minutes to pick you up, would you make a speech at a function?” I wanted to say “Are you kidding? No way.” but instead said “yeah…sure…” and committed myself to Function 2: End of the Semester Celebration at the Government Institute. My uncle said “There are some students graduating, and they may be nervous about the future, so just reassure them they are smart and there will be job opportunities for them” then left to go make a business call. I sat at the table trying to think what I would say to a bunch of rural Indians my age about getting a job – something I haven’t even done – but didn’t have long to think about it, because a guy showed up on a motor bike and it was off to the Government Technical Institute. When we got there, I was ushered up onto a stage in front of about 120 uninterested 20 year olds and given what felt like was the seat of honor. After several speeches from people who actually seemed to deserve to be sitting on the stage, I helped to hand out sporting award trophies, then made a speech about the bright future of electricians and fitters in India. However, my “speech” was only about 45 seconds long, and I don’t think well-understood, because when I sat down, there was a second of a silence, then some scattered applause. If you don’t really understand what you just read, then I think I’ve done a good job describing the event, because I sure don’t know what happened.

After the ceremony, my uncle picked me up and took me straight to my third function, which was actually for me – it was my introduction to Jnana Bodhini, where I’ll be working to install the solar system. We sat in a class room in front of the 80 students that made up the 10th standard ( = senior class) and I was treated to 20 minutes of hearing how noble and generous I was and given a garland of flowers to wear. Then I was asked to make my second impromptu speech of the day, which came out only slightly better than the first, and which is captured on film. Following, the teachers left the room and I was asked to explain what I’ll be doing at the school to the class. The lesson on a solar-powered system actually went pretty well, and after it I went home with my uncle. So those are the functions – do you get the joke in the title to this entry? Funny, huh?
The day after my introductory function at the school, I went back to Jnana Bodhini School with my uncle to discuss the project with his childhood friend and one of the men who helped to create the school with him – Mr. Anand Rao, or Anand Uncle, as I now call him. When my uncle said we were going to talk about the project, I imagined myself presenting the design I had come up, and the two of them looking impressed and pleased. In reality, I sat on the other side of the desk of them and and watched them argue over things in Kannada (the local language), turning to me occasionally for input. However, they both have a lot of experience doing very similar work, so I disregarded the initial ripples of resentment I felt and took in the experience as best I could. Although the plan has changed pretty significantly since that meeting, it felt good to finally be in the school I had thought so much about, sitting near the computers that we’d be powering with the students that would be using them hard at work in the surrounding classrooms.

Pavagada is an interesting place. I don’t know how to try and capture it, because I’m still trying to understand it myself. My first impression is that it is a very family-centered farming community where kids wonder the streets in packs, invading unsuspecting homes to demand attention and food. There is a beautiful sense of family that seems to run through all the houses, and each evening a group of women congregate at the corner of the block to gossip about new developments in village politics while their kids rocket around them, playing hide and seek between their multi-colored saris. I don’t want to misrepresent things though – the sanitation level of the area disgusts me. Pigs, cows, and feral dogs wonder the streets and open-air sewers are everywhere. Also, the caste system is very much a presense here (my uncle’s house is on “Brahmin Street) and poverty seems to be everywhere you look. But the poverty doesn’t bring people down – it’s a part of life here, so it is accepted. All in all, it seems like an exciting place to be, and I look forward to getting to know it better.

To summarize the project briefly, after the initial meeting in the school, we changed the design to incorporate an inverter the school already has. With this design, I came back to Bangalore with Anand Uncle and his son Ajay to meet with a Mr. Srinivasan, who works for a company that sell solar parts in the area. At this meeting, he outlined a slightly different design for us that would cost about half the cost and supply more power, which blew our minds and got us very excite d. I’ll be headed back to Pavagada tomorrow or Monday, where I hope to spend time meeting more students while we wait to hear from Mr. Srinivasan– my aunt has already organized for me to go running with two other boys and to play chess with what sounds like half the neighborhood. It’s good to have a loving family.

Finally, I’ve started uploading videos onto YouTube, including the awkward speech I gave during my introduction to the school function. Right now, YouTube isn’t working so I can’t copy the links, but if you search some combination of “raj vable pavagada solar power bangalore india” the right clips should (hopefully) show up. If nothing published by ‘rajvable’ shows up, please let me know, and I’ll figure out what to do. For some reason, it isn’t easy to find them by searching, so if you find one then click on my name in the upper right corner (rajvable) you can see the four ones I’ve posted so far.

Man, writing this blog is way more difficult than I thought it would be. I can’t decide if it’s better to write about experiences or the thoughts these experiences lead to, or some mixture of both. I hope this is interesting for you to read, and if you have ideas on how to improve it, please let me know.

- Raj

But to paint the picture that the home here is just my ajji operating by herself is pretty inaccurate. There is a constant cycle of people coming and going - Lakshama who cleans and does laundry, the cook whose name I can't remember and her 10 year old daughter, Vanni Auntie who lives up-stairs with her family, plus all the family members who constantly are dropping by just to see how things are. The home seems to be more of an organization run by all these beautiful women with my grandmother at the center, coordinating everyone and making sure we are all well fed and rested. I've spent the last four days sitting in the house and observining everyone in action, and it's been a very enlightening experience.

I've been thinking a lot about how after spending five weeks here, my friend Amanda said "India is not for everyone" and why my mind wants to fight that idea so hard. I guess I want to believe that India is really not that difficult, it's just slightly different from the West, but nothing that we wouldn't expect. Maybe that's part of my Indian identity wanting to surface and be embraced, or maybe it's because I want things to just make sense in my head. But the more I really delve into my experience here, the more I begin to question how easy it is to adapt to this completely different way of life.

I feel like my experience is different because I've grown up visiting the country every few years, so the initial shock that most people would get the first time has been spread out over the last 18 years, starting when I was about four and EVERYTHING was big and unknown. Coming to India at a young age introduced some of the culture shock to me early enough that I don't think I realized what was really going on. But this time, I've been seeing things in a new light, because I don't have my parents' apron strings to hold onto, and my initiative is all I can rely on to get things to happen. And it's interesting, because I'm staying in the same house as always, so for this subtle but significant change - me showing initiative rather than letting things happen for me - to happen in this house is pretty difficult. The first day I was here, I was dangerously close to slipping back into the routine of letting other people decide my schedule for me, but luckily I caught myself early on and went exploring on my own. I feel like that is something Italy taught me - as long as you don't mind looking like a bit of a fool, you can really do whatever you want in a new place. I think that's largely because people are inherently similar and understand the desire to explore; I like to believe that at the root of everything, an Indian has the same curiosity as an American, and although it may manifest itself in different ways, the two concepts are parallel in both people's minds.

One thing I've noticed that seems very shere is a sense of entitlement. Entitlement in the good light. Indians seem to have a fierce expectation to get what they deserve, and have no problem speaking up to make sure they get it. And since this is an unspoken expectation for everyone, they aren't offended when people are abrasive with them; the other person isn't being rude or offensive, they are just looking to get what they feel they deserve. For example, I've noticed that when people ask directions, they don't go up to a person and beat around the bush. They say "where is Ghandi Bazaar" with direction and assertion and confidence. And the person being asked is not offended by what seems to me to be a demand for their knowledge; they understand that the person asking feels a right to the other's knowledge, and respond easily. The first time someone did this to me, I got all flustered and sputtered "I..don't know..I'm sorry..." but the person was already moving to the next person by the time I get react. My initial hesitation said it all, and the person didn't have to wait for me to say the words to know my answer.

So noticing this, I decided to test things out for myself. I went for a run yesterday and got lost, but I knew the general direction I was supposed to be headed. As I was wondering back, I saw a guy leaning against a garage looking bored out of his mind. I went up to him and pretty much stated "Jayanagar 7th Block?" and he looked up, tilted his head in a direction, then went back to being bored. I felt like I had won a small victory against my own apprehnsion, and although I think he pointed me in the wrong direction, I was alright with getting more lost.

This cultivated atmosphere of entitlement/independence/inner strength also seems to be a source for the chaos underlies the city. Everyone seems to be pushing in their own direction so hard that when they bump into people pushing in other directions, they bounce off pretty hard. This would be alright in a place with more room to breath, but in the city where everyone is packed so tightly, things tend to spiral out of control. For me, this dynamic of city life is played out in the streets - the roads are pure chaos here. The tiny auto rickshaws and scooters play chicken with the busses and cars, and people on foot feel they have as much right to the road as anyone else. Everyone has a place to go, and to hell with the person that tries to get in the way from that happening. Our family friend Arvind took me for a walk where he literally was holding my hand, and when we got to our first intersection he said "Have you learned how to cross the road yet? No? Well the first step is to pray." I was lucky to have him with me, because there's no way I would have made it across the road by myself. Crossing the street reminds me of being on the bridge between the CCRB and CC Little and having a herd of bikers bearing down on you. It seems like you have to boldly strike out in a direction, and if you falter for a second, you'll get smacked. To me as an outsider, this seems intimidating, but to the people who were brought up this way it's second nature, so as long as everyone does what they are supposed to and doesn't waver, we'll all get where we're supposed to...that or get in a really ugly accident.

Before our group went to Detroit on Spring Break, we were talking about what it means for something to really be cultural. Ericka came up with a beautiful description when she said something is really of a culture if "it couldn't survive outside of it's home environment." If something doesn't make sense out of the context that it is a part of, then it is really of that culture. Last night, my cousin Raksha took me out to eat dosas, which are like paper thin pancakes stuffed with a potato/onion/mustard seed filling, and noticing how many bare feet I saw, I asked "Is there a reason why none of the servers are wearing shoes?" to which she replied "Shoes? Why would they?" And it was great. It was one of those moments where the gap between our experiences seemed more than just differences in personality or age; it was really a culture difference. I just kind of shut up and sat down where I was supposed to, and let her guide me through the experience. I'm not sure why what Ericka said about culture and what Raksha said about shoes are linked together in my mind, but theres some sort of connection there...

Well, I'm going to turn off this hose of thoughts for now, because my ajji is waiting for me to drink coffee. Today I'll be heading to Pavagada, the village where I'll be staying, but only briefly. My uncle has already arranged for a meeting with another solar panel vendor here in Bangalore, so after going to the school in Pavagada and getting a good idea of the current state of things, we'll be jumping back to the city again. I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but yesterday we met with two gentlemen at a different solar panel company, and that experience was also pretty interesting. If you find yourself with any patience left, please check out the other blog where I have the opportunity to rant: www.mblog.lib.umich.edu\SSA09. This is the blog for all the people who have been sponsored by the Center for South Asian Studies, and it's great to read about everyone else's experiences. I haven't updated it in a while, but I will soon, I promise! I think from now on, I'll try to keep personal reflections on this blog and project related stuff on the other one.

I''ve been taking lots of pictures and making videos (much to the embarrassment of my cousin Raksha), and I'm hoping to figure out a good way to get everything online. I think I'll probably set up a YouTube account for the videos, and maybe a Flicker account for the pictures? If anyone has a suggestion that doesn't involve Facebook, please let me know!

I haven't been listening to much music, but here's one song that has hooked me hard:
"Mi Viejo" by Ratatat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK0DtOX59ks

Until next time!

Raj

Dave gave me a ride from Ann Arbor to the Detroit airport, and on the way we talked about his first day at work with the Clean Water Action party, and all the things I should have taken care of before leaving that I was dumping on him to get done. Then on the flight from Detroit to Charlotte, I sat next to an elderly lady from Pittsburg and we talked about her grandchildren who are looking for jobs and how enjoyable Pennsylvania is to live in. From Charlotte to Frankfurt, I sat next to a physicist who taught me about proton accelerators, how to make thin-film superconductors, and his religious views. In the Frankfurt airport, I was taking a shuttle between terminals and I was alone in the compartment with an American army officer who had spent four years in Germany, and he advised me on the best types of beer to drink while there. I followed his advice, and had a .5 liter of rocksabababsdf;lkjasdf-weizen and a turkey sandwich for breakfast.

Then on the stretch from Frankfurt to Bangalore, I sat a in a row with three young Indian professionals, who talked about differences between European and Indian lifestyles, and also how to best take advantage of one’s sick days. At one point on this trip, one of the three guys asked the attendant for jam to go on his bread, and the attendant said “We aren’t serving jam since it’s dinner time” to which the guy replied “Madam, we Indians eat jam whenever we want to.” Chuckles from all around. Finally, in the cab from the airport to my grandparent’s house, I spoke with the driver about the traffic jams in Banglore that are epically terrible, and how the city is addressing the issue by installing “magic boxes” which are the same as over passes, as far as I can tell. I got to my grandparents house, and after several hugs and a quick call home to confirm my safe arrival, I passed out for the night.

So in one 26 hour period (which is how long it took to get here), I spoke with a good friend, a grandmother, a physicist, an officer, three young professionals, and a cab driver. I wonder about all the other people I would have met if one of my flights had gotten delayed, or if I had a different seat on one of the planes. Travelling is such a strange and surreal experience – I feel that I completely lose touch with time and zone out for hours without noticing what’s going on. It’s a good way to transition between mindsets, because I think I need several hours of just sitting and doing nothing for my mind to really accept that I’m going to a new place. It’s almost as though the best way to approach a change is to think about nothing at all and let your mind get used to a new situation when you’re not paying attention. I wonder what it’ll be like in fifty years when travelling around the world will only take a few hours. I’m not sure if I think that will be a good thing. Sometimes I like to move slowly. Like Jack Johnson sang in that one song “slow down everyone, you’re moving too fast. Frames can’t catch you when you’re moving like that.”

I’ll be in Bangalore for a few days, and I’m looking forward to spending time with my grandmother and eating all the wonderful creations that come out of her kitchen. My plans for my time here have already changed, just as all my family warned me they would; I was hoping to go to Pavagada, the village where I’ll be staying, in two days but right now there is a case of “Chicken Gunaya” in the area. Both my uncle and aunt and have it, but it’s nothing too serious, and after they are healthy I will make my way over.
I already have many thoughts about my first ten hours here that I’d like to share, but I think it’s probably better to split things up so that this isn’t too long.

And here’s the soundtrack for my last-minute scramble around Ann Arbor in preparation for this trip. It came from Dave’s “Best of Motown” tape that was in his beautiful minivan. I owe both Dave and Nate big for all their help in the last week – “a friend in need is a friend indeed.”

“Please Mr. Postman” by The Marvelletes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nuEY6fQgzk

-Raj

And in putting together this packet, I realized that I have been planning too much. There’s only so much I can do before I go to India, and I think I’m at just about the right place for now– I’ve spent time learning about how to design a solar powered system, found potential places to buy the parts from and how much it will cost, talked a good deal with my uncle in the village about the current situation, and that’s about all I’d like to do before I go. I think if I try to plan much more, I’ll start building up unrealistic expectations (which to some degree I think I already have), which just isn’t worth it. I want to experience the village I’ll be in fully, and if I think too much about everything before hand, I’ll be trying to process events rather than experience them. No thanks.

So in my next two weeks in Ann Arbor, I’m going to try to relax and enjoy the summer. My good friend Dave just got back from a trip to New Zealand, and I want to hear all about his crazy adventures abroad. Another close friend Jeff is going to be moving to Richmond next week to start working in the real world, and I’d like to be able to hang out with him while we’re still in the same income tax bracket. A friend from back home is visiting this week, and my parents and sister will be in town this weekend, and this week is “Restaurant Week” in Ann Arbor, and basically summer is in full bloom, so I want to smell the flowers. Cheesy? Yeah, probably, but I’m alright with that.

I hope all is well for you, and again, if you’d like to learn more about where the project is at, please send me an email and I’ll send you a packet.

Here’s my song of the week:
"All I Have to Do Is Dream" by the Everly Brothers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fW7MoINvQc

Sincerely,
Raj

PS – have you seen the movie “Up?” It’s great, especially in 3D.

Last semester while reading a book for a class, I stumbled across a concept that I like: as the order in a system increases, the time between significant events decreases. The faster that significant events happen, the faster time is perceived to pass. Well, since time seems to be zipping by, the only logical conclusion is that the order in my life is increasing, right? Or something like that anyway…

So anyhow, a whole lot has happened in the three weeks since I last blogged, but I’ll stick to the (somewhat) relevant bits:
First of all, I wrapped up the research I had been working on for my mentor Dr. Adelman. I was putting together educational material on nine operas, and doing the research on each one was great; besides discovering a whole new world of music (check out the Three Tenors version of Nessun Dorma: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNQeKvVPPlc ), it gave me a chance to build up my endurance for working on the computer and get better at organizing my time.
Also, I signed up to take the GRE on June 25th, so I’ve been toiling through two books in preparation, which I feel could be aptly titled “Want To See How Much You’ve Forgotten Since Second Grade?” and “Here’s A Bunch of Words You’ll Never Use Again.” However, the process is coming along well enough, and I’m hoping that my time in preparation will pay off in spades. 1600! 1600!

I’ve also made huge steps in planning for India, and it feels good to see the project taking shape so well. Briefly, here’s how the system will work: the solar panels will utilize the energy of the sun to create electrical power. Since the sun isn’t always around (nights = dark, clouds = shade), the computers can’t rely on the solar panels directly. Instead, the power generated by the panels will be stored in batteries, which can be trusted to supply power continuously as long as they are charged. However, to make sure the batteries aren’t damaged from overcharging or discharging too deeply, a charge controller will sit between the panels and the batteries. To actually use the power stored in the batteries, the electricity has to be converted from DC to AC, which is accomplished by an inverter that will be connected to the batteries. After passing through the inverter, the power will be available in a form that the computers use, as a 220 V pure sinusoid signal. In summary, here’s the signal flow: sun -> solar panels -> charge controller -> batteries -> inverter -> computer.

It will cost roughly $2000 to power each computer this way, and the goal for this summer will be to get two computers up and running. I’m looking into one possible source for getting the equipment, and you may have heard of it too – the Barefoot College in Tilonia is an organization that trains illiterate women from rural villages to build and design solar powered systems, empowering women to empower themselves. My mom visited the college in a recent trip to India, and picked up a sheet detailing the necessary equipment to power a system using solar photovoltaics and the associated costs, so I’m in the process of contacting the head of their solar department. My uncle who I’ll be staying and working with also has a possible source, so we will either go with one or the other, or possibly both in order to compare quality and cost effectiveness.

During my visit this summer, in addition to getting the two computers up and running, I’ll also be doing a good amount of picture taking and video recording. When I come back to Ann Arbor in the fall, I plan to make a short video that depicts the current situation, the progress we made in the summer, and what work still needs to be done. I’ll be distributing the video to organizations in the hopes of raising the money to power the rest of the computer lab, or even get the equipment donated…we’ll see we’ll see! Then following my graduation in December, I’ll be headed back to India to scale the system up to its full size and hopefully set up a way for similar projects to develop.

Last weekend I had the chance to visit home, and while there I caught up with family and friends, ate two ice cream cones at the Pit Stop (peanut butter mackinaw island fudge and moosetracks) and spoke with our good family friend Mr. Benda about the project. He designed a similar system that uses a wind turbine to power his house, and speaking with him really helped to solidify concepts that I was unsure of, as well as raise questions that I hadn’t previously considered. My parents also stocked me up with good Indian home cooking and advice on how to move around in India (tip #1: don’t eat the meat), so now I feel like I’m pretty ready to get going.
Finally, last week orientation began for the incoming freshmen, and in tragic news, my favorite computer in the Fishbowl is no longer available. I feel like a grumpy old man having a bunch of hooligans let loose in my private workshop. And yet, seeing them struggling bravely through the process of backpacking classes, I am reminded of myself from a few years back, when places like “North Campus” and “the Dennison Building” were exotic and far off lands waiting to be explored. Sharing the Fishbowl with them, l like to think about how we are both sitting on the verge of the next stage of our lives – for them, college and leaving home for the first time. For me, India and a trip into the real world for the first time.

Bloggingly Yours,
Raj

New Song of the Week:
“Yesterday” by Marvin Gaye ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li9an3BC_QU )

Also, I recently got in email contact with a cousin who has a start-up business in Bangalore, the closest city to the Pavagada (where I'll be working), and he has offered his support and guidance with the project. It's been pretty amazing how generous people have been with their time and support, and I feel blessed to be in the position I am in.

Now it seems like I have all the pieces to make the project a success, and it will be a matter of putting in the time to make sure everything comes together. Right now, I am doing research for a professor while in Ann Arbor, and after that wraps up in two weeks, I'll be able to devote much more time to getting in contact with solar panel vendors, electricians, and people who have more experience dealing with designing power systems for rural Indian communities.

Finally, here is a link to the song I have been listening to a lot lately. It really conjures up just the right images for the beautiful weather we've been having, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zol2MJf6XNE

Raj Vable

Right now, I'm still in the planning stage of the project. Through a network of loving family and friends, I've been put in contact with several people who have experience doing similar projects. One person is a U of M alum (or is it alumnus? Latin confuses me something terrible) who started a company that does work very similar to my project - http://www.dwpower.com. Another gentleman heads the agri division at ITC, and has experience with solar power in rural India. Other people include family who know the area well, as well as my Uncle Subba, who will be hugely important to enablign the project to happen. Slowly, I am contacting the people and getting feedback and guidance. Although I have a lot to learn, I feel confident that these people and others will provide the support and knowledge to see this project come to fruition. I'll be in India from early July to the end of August, and the next step is to buy my ticket, which I'll be doing in the next couple days.

There are other CSAS fellows doing other amazing projects, and we will all be posting to a group blog. Check out all the cool things other people will be doing at http://mblog.lib.umich.edu/SSA09/ I'll be posting to this blog weekly (or more often if I can) with updates on progress and thoughts about how things are going. If you have any comments, concerns, quandaries, questions, or thoughts in general, please share them and I will do my best to get back. I hope you will continue to check back, and join me for the biggest adventure I've ever been on!