Chhatarpur - Day1
A little over two hours of train ride through the Indian country side and we arrive at Jhinsau, capital of Madya Predesh’s neighboring state. It is a bustling train station. There are hundreds, if not thousands of people jostling for positions so they can comfortably wait for the next train or catch a view of their arriving loved one. Right before we arrived, I finished reading the novel about Marie Antoinette Holly let me borrow. I was sad to finish. It was a fascinating story that has finally brought me to confess I am in love with all things royalty. Because of her Austrian origins, this often misunderstood Queen of France, refers to Schonbrunn in Vienna with frequency. And every time she mentions it, I love her! It takes me back to the beginning of the summer. I was in Austria at the beginning of June and it already feels lifetimes away. Remembering through her descriptions makes it all real again. From Linz, to Budapest, to Prague, to Salzburg, to Venice, to Vienna, and back to Linz again, this summer began like a dream, and now in the innermost folds of India, I feel it will end like one.
Off the train and through the commotion we find our gracious hosts holding that now familiar piece of paper. “Ms. Ana and Ms. Holly Harrington.” For some reason, no one seems to get my last name here. I smile. Maybe I need no other name! Haha…From now on, I’ll just be Ana – just Ana – like Cher or Prince. Haha…maybe not.
They are both NLIU professors currently conducting research in conjunction with the Indian government. It is an important and vast project they, along with several other organizations and NGOs, have undertaken. In essence, they are mapping the workings of the formal and informal judicial systems in rural India. Because of geography and history, rural villages have developed their own ways of dealing justice. The task now is to determine if it is working and if there is a way to merge it with the formal system and thus create one unified judicial body for the whole of India. I know it is much more complex than this, but to explain it further, I would need to call in the experts. Both professors are young and charming. They speak fluent English and are very proud of what they do. One teaches Criminology and just recently joined NLIU. The other is a Sociology professor and the warden for the boys’ hostel back in Bhopal. I shudder to think of those boys, as we speak, undeterred and unsupervised. Good luck, world! At least their midterms are around the corner. That will keep them busy till the warden’s return. It is my hope, and silently I think his as well.
From the train station to Chettapur is another 3 hours drive. They weren’t kidding when they sent us to see the real India. On the way, we stop at an old fort and temple- imposing structures that frame the country side and get me excited and shutter happy. I have promised myself when I have lots of money, I will hire a photographer wherever I go to follow me around and take pictures. It is so hard sometimes to get exactly what you want. I know I’m very picky…just ask Marian…and it makes it hard to hand the camera to someone to take a picture of me. I can’t help myself. The perfect photograph forms in my mind. I see its lighting, its framing, its angle…and these things I can’t convey in the 10 seconds it takes to hand the camera away. Nevertheless, I walk away satisfied with my first real temple pictures. The fort is old and majestic. Apparently it was built by the local king in the early 1800s to defend from the British. Absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, we have 2.5 hours to our destination and the sun is setting. I take pictures even as I drive away. I can’t help myself!