October 2011
1 post
Earning $1.50 a day not poor enough in India →
The World Bank estimates 455 million Indian citizens, or 40 per cent of its 1.2 billion population, live on less than $1.25 a day, the World Bank’s poverty line.
But in a filing in the Supreme Court in New Delhi, India’s Planning Commission says those citizens who earn more than 32 rupees (68 cents) a day in urban areas (53 cents in rural India) are no longer eligible to receive so-called Below...
September 2011
5 posts
Video account of Delhi bomb blast →
This video is by Poh Si Teng, a journalist who took some video of our group while we were in Delhi. It’s so disheartening to see this happening….and so surreal to think we were there and that this could have happened while we were in Delhi. I thank God for keeping us safe and pray that He will bring healing to those affected by this tragic event.
Looking forward to the day when there...
Another Deadly Bomb Blast in New Delhi →
Ten people were killed and 61 injured by a bomb blast inside the Delhi High Court Complex, Sept. 7, 2011
The New Delhi Bombing: Is There a Pakistani Link? →
NYT article about the recent bombing in New Delhi
Terrorist Attack in New Delhi →
I had no idea that India was the most terror-stricken country in the world last year, and I spent two weeks there this summer. I was a little anxious about going because of the Mumbai blasts not too long before our departure, but while I was there I felt OK. I am very sad about this, though, and pray for my friends in India. I hope someday you won’t have to worry about things like bombs and...
India Photos →
I just went through these photos a classmate took in India, and I thought he captured what we saw pretty well. Take a gander!
August 2011
2 posts
Arranged marriage: Choosing a different path →
This is the story I spent my last full day in India working on. The woman I wrote about is quite interesting, and her story is part of an arranged marriage package I worked on with a couple other students. I call her the “outlier” to our package because she never married; in fact, she ran away from her home at 15 and hasn’t been back since. Today she works as a journalist,...
Back Home
I arrived back in Omaha yesterday morning around 9. The 20ish hours it took to get home went by more quickly than I thought they would. I couldn’t sleep much on the plane, but my excitement to be home helped me overcome the drowsiness.
I feel a little guilty for being happy to be home, where I can enjoy all my favorite pleasures such as good food (and plenty of it), a closet full of...
July 2011
38 posts
14 hours on a bus
Today has felt like the longest day now. Got up at 5:30 after about four hours of sleep and got on a bus to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. The ride, as we understood, was only supposed to take 4 hours but it took us 7. Some of us joked about taking a rickshaw back to Delhi because it would be faster…
It was a long ride without any food, so as soon as we got to Agra we stopped at a restaurant...
Rural Indians show grand hospitality →
A story one of my classmates wrote about the hospitality practice of the Indians we visited a few days ago. They gave us a very grand banquet and treated us like gods. A photo slideshow with the story displays some photos I took.
Mamta Foundation serves 196 underprivileged... →
My first story on the Digital India Media trip that I wrote about a woman whose father started a school for underprivileged children.
WatchYesterday I visited a NGO that helps children catch up in school. I asked the girls what they like to do for fun and they started dancing - their teacher said they learned the moves from TV.
In the shoes of a minority
Every time our group goes somewhere, it is obvious we are different. People stare at us, craning their necks to keep their gaze on us after we have passed. It feels really weird. It makes me wonder what is so special or strange about me that people should stare.
Today I really felt like I stood out like a sore thumb. For one thing, I wore a bright pink shirt, but I was walking through the...
Train ride across India
Yesterday felt like the longest day of the trip, but it was definitely a good day.
I was going on about 3 hours of sleep when we left for the train station around 5 a.m. The start of the trip was interesting as we got on the wrong car first; many of us ran to the last car (we had 10 min to get there).
The ride was 6 hours and we saw a lot of pretty countryside and a variety of cities. I spent...
Sights and smells you never forget
Yesterday we took a break from being journalists and spent some time being tourists.
We took the Metro to Qutub Minar first where we took some jumping photos in front of the tall tower. I also took part in a three-level human pyramid. While at Qutub Minar we drew some attention from Indian men who wanted their photos taken with us; it kind of made me feel like a celebrity. It also felt odd to be...
Watchcarlyabroad:
The Indian National Army Market (INA) was exactly how I pictured an Indian market to be. Clothing and fabric vendors were mixed among produce, spices, live chickens and dead, stinky fish. We had time to shop and explore it and a bazaar, Dilli Haat, on Monday.
My favorite part was watching a vendor make naan in a tandoor oven. Watch the mad skills in this video!
First Indian Slum Experience
Today turned out to be the most amazing day so far!
Yesterday we met our “global partners” - Indian students from IMII. We paired up according to our interests and tried to come up with story ideas….this overwhelmed me because there is so much I am interested in but I have to just pick one thing to focus on at a time!
My Indian partner’s name is Ujwala - we call her...
Elias in Other Places: No problem →
This is a fellow student’s quite descriptive and accurate recollection of some of the things that have happened so far:
eliasabroad:
What a rush. Over the past two days (at least I hope it’s been two days) we’ve been buzzing around at the speed of Delhi. Organizing my thoughts about the trip is proving to be as difficult as organizing the chaotic streets of Delhi, but I’ll try my best.
On...
4 tags
We have arrived!
We finally made it to Delhi after a 14-hour non-stop flight from Newark. I couldn’t sleep much…. I dozed a bit near the end of the flight. Time seemed suspended while we were in the air, and it still feels a little strange to think about how long I have been awake and now it is past 12:30 a.m. here. I mostly passed the time watching movies and TV shows on the personal screen on the...
Taking Off
(I typed this in the Newark Airport but didn’t have internet access to post it, so sorry it’s not the most timely post):
We’ve made it to Newark where we have a five-hour wait. Some of us thought it would be fun to go to New York for a little bit, but it would take forever to get back in due to the long line going through security. So instead we’re exploring the airport, or waiting for...
T-minus two days
frankiegoestobollywood:
In two days I will be leaving for Delhi, India. I fly out from Omaha, have a short layover in Newark, and then the sixteen hour flight to Delhi. I want to let anyone who may be concerned following yesterday’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai know that Delhi has been taking the situation very seriously and stepped up security measures all over the city.
Indian Fortnight: Delhi on high alert after Mumbai... →
This makes me a little nervous - definitely praying for safety, not only for our group, but also for those living in India:
carlyabroad:
The news of three bombs exploding in Mumbai earlier today, in what Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram called a “coordinated attack by terrorists,” left me praying for those killed and injured. It also, naturally, left me concerned about my own safety in...
Dai Sugano: Left Behind →
About the photojournalist who created “Left Behind,” a powerful multimedia essay on the poverty-stricken of India, left behind in the wake of the country’s economic growth.
Shining India...and Suffering India →
Here is a brief heart-wrenching look at what makes India a shining country, but also a suffering one.
Truthseekers International →
This is an organization I hope to work with and learn more about while in Delhi.
Where am I headed?
carlyabroad:
A. New Delhi is the capital of India. This is where our group will spend the majority of time exploring and reporting.
B. Agra is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The Taj Mahal is located here and we plan to visit it on a weekend excursion.
C. Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh and is where we will practice mobile storytelling.
Terrorism to figure in talks with Hillary Clinton:... →
Apparently, Hillary Clinton will be visiting Delhi the same time our group is there.
One week until I'm India-bound!
I can’t believe it’s almost here. I’m feeling nervous, excited, anxious….but everyone I talk to about it is very excited for me and is sure that I will have amazing experiences, so I will take their word. No one yet has told me that going to India is a bad idea and I hope it isn’t!
I haven’t had a lot of time to think about what it is that I hope to take away...
Journalism school prepares students in India for... →
This is a story about IMII, the institute UNL CoJMC will work with when we are in India.
My Summer at an Indian Call Center →
This is a very enlightening read about an American in a Delhi call center. I’m looking forward more and more to experiencing India for myself.
10 Indian Customs To Know Before Visiting India →
Some insightful tips for knowing and respecting Indian customs.
In preparation for my trip, our professor asked us to start following Indian news sites. One of the most convenient ways for me to do this was to sign up for Google Alerts for New Delhi - I get top news stories from different sites sent straight to my inbox. Most of the links to stories I’ve posted I have found through Google Alerts. Here are some of the sites:
Times of India: This site...
Top 10 Basic India Travel Tips →
Things to consider when traveling in India
The Indian Toilet →
Guess I better prep myself to use on of these
Commando training for women cops →
NEW DELHI: The next time you spot a young woman officer armed with an AK-47 near India Gate, don’t be taken aback. In a mini-revolution of sorts, Delhi police commissioner B K Gupta said women constables and sub-inspectors will now be imparted commando training and assigned duties at police stations and PCR vans — considered a male domain. While women constables were mostly seen at women and...
“India is a pluralist society that creates magic with democracy, rule of law and...”
– Robert Blackwill,
departing U.S. ambassador, in 2003
(via eliasabroad)
BJP stages protests in Delhi, Mumbai →
NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party workers on Saturday held a demonstration at Jantar Mantar here and later courted arrest, protesting against the increase in the prices of cooking gas, diesel and kerosene.
This article is even more interesting to me because I’m currently finishing up a macroeconomics class. We’ve talked about inflation and rising price levels, but all it seems like is...
Delhicapital.com →
History, weather, travel tips etc.
Heavy Monsoon Rains Approach North India →
NEW DELHI –India’s monsoon rains have progressed well and advanced to almost the entire country after a brief delay late last month, but sowing of key summer crops such as rice, pulses and cotton is trailing last year’s acreage.
Thoughts from "India After Ghandi"
“India After Ghandi: The History of the World’s Largest Democracy,” by Ramachandra Guha, goes into great detail about the history of India within the past 60 years. It’s a little complicated and complex – as it should be, because India is a rather complex country.
Guha quotes Don Taylor, a British Journalist, who questioned whether India could remain in one piece or if it...
June 2011
16 posts
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Indian women most optimistic in world: Survey →
NEW DELHI: Indian women are more optimistic in the world compared to their counterparts in the developed nations. Despite facing a lot of stress, women in India splash money on health, vacations, beauty products and electrical appliances and are gaining greater control over their lives, according to a survey.
Strong arm offers new life to young Indians →
(Reuters) - Young men all over India are flexing their muscles in the hope that a strong arm will carry them into a money-spinning career in professional baseball in the United States.
