.
This kid was riding alongside Pam on his bike, making conversation. Apropos of nothing, he turns to her and says, in perfect English:
“Auntie, what is the use of educating people if they cannot properly throw their garbage?”
He’s a fun kid, very bright, and he shows up a lot in our neighborhood, or at the cricket park; he likes to play with Kali and talk with us.
We’re gonna miss all the kids in our neighborhood when we go.
.
This is an iconic statue, outside a home in our neighborhood, of Shirdi Sai Baba. He is a beloved swami/guru/holy figure who died in 1918 but who is well remembered and revered to this day by people all over India. He is not to be confused with the Sathya Sai Baba, who is still among the living, and who has been discussed in these pages before.
For the benefit of our Western readers, it is worth noting that as we move through India, we see Shirdi Sai Baba’s images everywhere: bumper stickers, car windows, commercial enterprises, houses, ashrams, anywhere. He is woven through the fabric of this society, even through the various religions (he was famous for working to bring the Muslims and the Hindus closer together), and is a far more tangible presence than is, say, Jesus Christ.
.
I know this is supposed to be an India travel blog, and it’s turning into a shrine to the Royal Enfield, but look at this stuff!! What am I supposed to do? Ignore it?
.
Nearly a hundred bikes and more riders were lined up at the meeting point along the side of a very long onramp to what is called the “NICE” road here. It is in fact a very nice road, but in this case NICE is just an acronym for “Nandi Infranstructure Corridor Enterprises.” India loves a good acronym :)
Gautam’s ride (but his brother Gaurav’s bike) was stationed at the front of the queue, ready to lead us out. What this photo does not show is that the local police showed up, quite angry at the sight of so many bikes lined up on the ramp, with no license to do so. He was animated as can be, very grumpy indeed, and Gautam was busy doing his best to calm the man down…
.
A jewelled bull sits on the front fender of Meghna’s gorgeous chrome’n’cream colored classic Enfield Bullet.
