Unbelievable Professional Success at Nagpur Conference! Some Sightseeing Too!

Thursday, February 21, 2019
Bombay-Nagpur

Unbelievable Professional Success at Nagpur Conference! Some Sightseeing Too!

     Namaste from Nagpur!

Journey to Nagpur:
     I woke up in my Bandra studio in Bombay at 5.00 am (with my alarm) and actually found the time to draft a blog post before I rose, got dressed for my flight to Nagpur, prepared a sandwich for myself (cheese and tomato-basil chutney with Gaylord bread--a seeded loaf has been in my fridge forever), hauled my tiny TUMI backpack on my back and was out the door at exactly 6.00 am. Bandra was still dark and deserted as I walked to the corner of my lane on Perry Cross Road and looked for a rickshaw. I wasn't in the slightest bit scared--this is now my neighborhood and I know it well.  There were a few vehicles combing the streets and there was actually a 'shared auto rickshaw' waiting for passengers--its driver actually asked me if I wanted to go to the (Bandra) station.   Before long, a rickshaw detached itself from the side of a road and its driver took me on to Santa Cruz airport. We flew down the streets at that hour of the morning and within half an hour, I was at the airport and checking in for my Indigo flight. I had no baggage to check in as all I had was my little backpack (I swear...it is the best buy I made in China, thanks to Llew who suggested I get it. It has been my friend through all the library research trips I have taken in which I have used it to transport my iPad with its keyboard which I employ for note-taking).
     My flight was actually delayed by 10 minutes, but the Bombay domestic airport is a very pleasant place to be with a lot of lovely enticing shops and satisfying restaurants. I picked up the Times of India and sat reading the headlines while waiting for my flight to be announced. When I began to feel hungry, I made my way up to the Food Court and bought a mocha latte (sadly, no decaff available) to eat with my sandwich.
     The flight itself took no more than an hour. My sponsors had pre-paid for a meal on my behalf and I was given a pouch of pomegranate juice and a sandwich (I chose the Chicken Chutney one). But since I had carried my own breakfast sandwich which I ate on the flight with the mocha latte I bought from Cappuccino, the coffee bar at the airport, I saved my sandwich to eat at lunchtime.
      We landed at Nagpur airport and as soon as I got out of it, I was supposed to find someone called Vinita waiting for me.  But she ought to have stood there with a sign in her hand. She had none. Instead there was someone else (a man) with a sign from the Radisson Blu Hotel where I had a reservation. My name was clearly on a placard he was carrying with the names of two other passengers.  So, of course, I thought there was a change in my pick-up plan and I went off with him.  His shuttle van was waiting in the pick up area. In about five minutes, the other passengers came along (they were on my flight too) and off we went.  The ride was less than 20 minutes.

Checking Into a Lovely Hotel:
     The Radisson Blu is the only five-star hotel in Nagpur and it is gorgeous.  My check-in took only a few minutes as the United States-India Education Foundation who governs the Fulbright Program in India had requested an early check-in for me. They asked me to wait for just a few minutes while my room got ready.  As I waited there, Vinita arrived, all breathless and panic-stricken and relieved--all at the same time.  She was glad I had reached the hotel safely as she had been waiting for me at the airport--but without a sign in her hand, how was I to identify her? Anyway, we got introduced and she handed me an packet with the conference program and told me that she would be back in the hotel lobby to pick me up at 3.00 pm. This left me the entire afternoon to relax and I was quite happy to do so--because once I saw my room, I was just delighted.
     For the rest of the afternoon, I reviewed the conference package handed over to me and found out, to my delight, that I was the Chief Guest and was introduced as such, with my picture, in the conference brochure. That would be fun! It made me feel very special indeed! My first time ever being a Chief Guest anywhere!    
    I also had a TV set with cable! So I spent a good part of my free time fiddling around with the channels. I found the BBC World and CNN International ones and caught up with news of the terrible fire in Bangladesh and the Child Abuse Summit that Pope Francis is currently heading in Rome--not to mention the fallout of the terrible Pulwama tragedy in Kashmir, masterminded by a Pakistani terrorist outfit. Thankfully, India is exercising restraint and mulling over the best form of retaliation--it is my sincere hope that they will not go for military strikes. Meanwhile, of course, in some more ignorant parts of India (thankfully, not in Bombay), Kashmiri students are being attacked. It is all quite tragic.
     Soon, it was time for me to take a nap and I curled up under a thick duvet (because the air-conditioning was  a bit too low and made me feel a tad too cold) and tried to sleep. I guess I did get my Power nap because when I awoke, it was time for a lovely hot and very voluminous shower in a very luxurious bathroom with wonderful toiletries with which to pamper myself!
     Just before three, dressed formally in my J.Crew blazer, I made my way down to the lobby to meet Vinita who was running about 10 minutes late. She apologized and then led me to her car in which she led a lovely conversation. It turns out that she is well-versed on what to do and see in Nagpur--not that I had much time for sightseeing. But she did point out, as we passed it, a vast walled area in whose center I could see a Buddhist stupa. She told me that it was the exact spot at which the famous Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, one of the most prominent drafters of the Indian Constitution, had carried out his mass conversion to Buddhism with 6,000 other followers. He had spent months drafting it in the Law Library of Columbia University in New York where there is a sculpted bust marking his seat.
     A word about Ambedkar: Born a member of the Untouchable (Dalit) caste, Ambedkar had clashed violently with Gandhi in their ideology on the eradication of the Caste System. He advocated its complete eradication while Gandhi advocated its continuation but with education of the population that would ultimately see Dalits treated on par with caste Hindus.  When Ambedkar found that he was unable to shake Gandhi's resolve, what I term 'the Clash of Titans' resulted. (I had presented a paper on this 'clash' at a conference in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, a few years ago). Ambedkar rejected Hinduism altogether and converted to Buddhism in a very public ceremony in Nagpur at the spot where the stupa was subsequently built to mark his move. He still remains the most forceful propagator of Buddhism in India and it was thanks to his acceptance of the religion that millions of untouchable Hindus followed suit and gave Buddhism a much-needed shot in the arm. I was very excited to set eyes on this spot and while I would have wanted to take pictures, there was simply no time.  
     Vinita told me that on the way back, when dropping me back to my hotel, she would also stop off at Zero Mile to show me the spot which sits right in the center of India! This was not something I wanted to miss--I wanted to get my picture taken there as I have recently had my picture taken at the Equator (outside of Quito, Ecuador); astride the Prime Meridian at Greenwich, England, with Llew and Chriselle; at the Rose Line that runs through Sainte Suplice Church in Paris (mentioned in Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code); and at the point where the four American states meet (Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexcio--a place called Four Corners). So, it would be fun to get this picture too.
     Also, my only association with Nagpur, over the years, had been through my maternal cousins, Brian and Bruno, who had been boarders at Saint Francis de Sales High School in Nagpur--about forty years ago! My Aunt Anne used to make the journey from Bombay back and forth to see them off and pick up them up as they grew up, during their teenage years. I thought it would be fun to go and see their school.
     Vinita promised me that she would take me to these two places after the conference proceedings ended. I was very excited as that was all the sightseeing I would possibly manage before taking my flight back to Bombay tomorrow morning--I would literally be in the city for less than 24 hours.
     She also told me that on her way to work (she is an assistant professor of English at a college about 35 miles away), she has to drive through the borders of a wild life sanctuary and often sees animals pass in front of her vehicle. I asked what kind of animals and she said, "Deer, wild buffalo and big cats too!" What sort of big cats?" I asked and she replied, "Leopards and tigers.  Quite often!" I was stunned! Just imagine! I would be simply in heaven if tigers passed in front of my vehicle while I was on my way to work!! At the University of California at Santa Cruz, I have seen signs all over the thickly wooded campus saying, "Beware Mountain Lion"; but I have never seen one (although another person I know says that she ran into one on her morning trek).
         
A Conference on Race, Caste and Gender: The Politics of Hegemony
     Soon we arrived at the University of Nagpur and were dropped off at the English Department where I met Prof. Shende, who had invited me. I also met Prof. Nicole Thiara from the University of Nottingham-Trent who had arrived directly from the UK earlier that morning with her Ph.D. student Daniel Bilton. She would be speaking on Dalit Literature (right after my talk). Daniel would be presenting later during the conference as they would be staying for all three days of it.

A Plaque With My Name On It!
    We met most of the official organizers of the conference as well as the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Kane. Before we made our way to the auditorium in which the opening ceremony of the conference would be held, we were invited to assemble outside the building where something was shrouded under what looked like a giant gift-wrapping. It turned out to be a plaque that was unveiled by the VC. To my utter amazement and delight, I discovered that the plaque had my name on it--as Chief Guest!!! I have never in my life had a plaque engraved with my name! And this one will be perpetually in place on a wall of a building that houses the Department of English on the campus of the University of Nagpur! Who could have thunk it???!!!
     We were then ushered into vehicles that took us to the auditorium where we were seated on the stage as the formal part of the conference began. It was just boiling in the auditorium as there was no air-conditioning and I was melting in discomfit. I had to peel off my blazer and seriously wondered if I would faint from the heat. Nicole lent me a tissue as I desperately needed to wipe my face of perspiration. There were fans in the auditorium but none were directed towards the dais and I was seriously uncomfortable.
     Nicole and I were presented with a lovely flower arrangement each (which I had to leave behind in my hotel room as I couldn't cart it back to Bombay) and a lovely illustrated diary and were asked to participate in the launch of two scholarly books edited by Profs. Shende and Parulekar. Needless to say, we were then presented with copies of the book beautifully wrapped and tied in red ribbons--at the end, they actually had gift bags ready for us to put away all the gifts that had changed hands during the ceremonies.

Giving My Presentation:
      Eventually it was my turn to make my presentation. I used the Powerpoint presentation I had prepared and got started. I have to say that it seemed to make a very good impression, but questions were not encouraged as Nicole had to make her presentation. I do believe that we were running late because right after she spoke, there was a vote of thanks proposed and we were invited to join in for dinner.
     That's when I was began to feel as if I were a celebrity! I got such a good idea of what it must feel like to be a Bollywood star because I was simply overwhelmed by people who came up to the stage to tell me how much they loved my lecture, how much they learned from it, how many Anglo-Indians they used to know in Nagpur before they emigrated to the UK, how well I presented my research and how engaging it was! The complimentary comments did not end! I basked in my moments of glory and know that it is something I will remember and cherish for a very long time as one of the high points of my academic career. How special they all made me feel! And that was not all! Then the requests to pose with them for photographs began. Again dozens of folks came forward and requested me to stand with them for pictures. I tried to oblige them all, of course, but it was simply never-ending.
     Eventually, I managed to extricate myself from the adulation (hahaha) and returned to the office of one of the Directors where I had left my bag and all my gifts--I would be leaving Nagpur with much more than I had brought with me!
     Dinner followed on the lawns of the campus--it was a purely vegetarian buffet with a salad station and then the main dishes: pullao, rotis, puris, potatoes with spinach, paneer masala, dahi wadas (which I really love) and for dessert (to which I returned later) mounds of the crispiest and sweetest jalebis! Simply scrumptious! Having not eaten very much since my sandwich lunch in my hotel room with pomegranate juice, I was ready to tuck in and tuck in, I did!

A Sightseeing Tour of Nagpur:
     Alas, I had probably stayed on too long and Vinita might have wanted to leave. She was nowhere to be seen at the end of the evening and my hopes of seeing the sights disappeared with her. However, I was very lucky as a few young organizers came and asked me if I had a ride back to my hotel. I told them that Vinita had left.  They had no trouble finding me another ride--he turned out to be a young lecturer too called Prashant and he was as enthusiastic as Vinita to show me his city.
     Hence, when I requested him to take me to the two spots, he was more than happy to oblige.  It was only 8.00 pm anyway and the evening was still young.

Visiting St. Francis de Sales High School and Cathedral:      
     Our first stop was the School of Saint France de Sales which also now includes a Junior College (Grades X to XII). It turned out to be in a far more crowed area than I had envisioned; but a quick word with the gate keeper allowed us to drive into the campus which was vast.  It turns out that the school was founded in the 1870s--so it is almost 150 years old. It is one of those grand arcaded Victorian school buildings that the British built in India at the height of their educational zeal and determination to enlighten us natives as they assumed the White Man's Burden. It is run by the Catholic clergy and a priest, fully cassocked, had just entered and was alighting from a van to disappear into the vast and endless corridors of the space that reached far into the depths of the property. Sadly, it was much too dark for me to get really good pictures, but I did try. Right next door to the school is the grand Gothic facade of the church , also very poorly lit (which made the taking of pictures really tough). However, Prashant did drive me to the front and I did manage to get one. I was really happy that I finally got an idea of the kind of place in which my male cousins--to whom I was once very close--would have spent their teen years.

Visiting Zero Mile:
     It was also made clear to me as we drove along, that Nagpur's location, being at the far eastern side of the state of Maharashtra, is actually very close to the state of Madhya Pradesh (MP). Madhya means Middle and it is so-called because it is right in the middle of India.  This explains why, although the regional language of Maharashtra, Marathi, can be heard everywhere, most of the people also speak perfect Hindi (the regional language of MP and the national language).
     Well, it turns out that in their surveying zeal, the British also discovered that the city of Nagpur was exactly in the center of their colony, India (which, in 1907, would have included modern-day Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma). To mark this spot (which they called Zero Mile), they constructed a pointed stone whose four sides record the distance in miles to other well-known places such as Jubbulpore. Not only that, but there is an obelisk built close by that is exactly as high as the number of feet above mean sea level on which the city of Nagpur sits. An elaborate sculpture of four horses makes this spot very notable indeed and it was with delight that I sat on the stone and had Prashant take my picture.  For a few minutes, I was right in the dead center of the Indian sub-continent! It was a very exciting few moments for me! My love of geography and history coalesce so stunningly at times like this and make my travels around the world so significant.
     Those items done, Prashant then dropped me off to my hotel. Back at the Radisson, I heightened the air-conditioning as I was very cold indeed and settled myself comfortably in bed to continue watching the news and keeping myself abreast of what was happening in the world.
     It was not much longer before I caught up with my messages on Twitter and Whatsapp and called it a night after what had been one of the most successful days in my memory on the Fulbright Program.
     Until tomorrow...