India 2006
The Gokulam Flat II

Here are some more pictures of the flat and its colorful occupants.

Tommy is Mr. Ralph Furley-Bhat's dog. He lives downstairs. Just below my window.  He has the charming eyes of any 65 pound, 9 month-old, hyperactive, untrained, and tied to a fence or locked in a cage all day, dog. I tried to work with him a couple of times but, oh my, Tommy's learning curve is pretty flat. I find him comical because he is silent when no one is home and people come to the gate, and he barks when I am talking to Mr. Ralph Furley-Bhat right in front of him.  I figured out that his barks crave attention more than they try to instill fear into strangers.  He's tied to the inside fence most of the day, so even if he did bark, a burglar would know that the dog couldn't get him because the chain that he's tied to doesn't allow him to travel to the front door. I have lots to say about charming Tommy...but let's leave that for later (maybe he'll get his own page!).

This is a picture of Billie taken in 2005.  Since Tommy now lives at the Spaceship Marble House, Billie has decided to live elsewhere. Things were much quieter when Billie was around.

Here are a few more shots of the flat -- the kitchen pantry. You might not be able to see it but on the bottom shelf is a pouch of oil.  Yeah a plastic, bladder pouch. For oil. In the refrigerator, there are bladders of milk, curd (yogurt), and other items that are, in my humble opinion, better stored in an upright position.

Here is the marble counter top in the kitchen and some kitchen appliances.  I plan to take some cooking classes and learn some of the basic recipes.  If you have any requests or favorite recipes, please send them my way and I'll try to learn them.  The hardest part about cooking is the shopping. I need to learn how to shop again. Most of the boxes and bags are written in Kannada (the regional language) or they have English script but are just transliterations of the Kannada word, so it's still awfully confusing.  It reminds me of a woman I know who works with weight and body conscious teenagers.  She teaches them practical things like how to shop in a grocery store, how to plan a menu, how to read ingredients and identify cooking essentials.  That's how I feel. I need that program.

 
Here is the puja room with the door open.  A puja is a form of worship or prayer.  A puja room therefore is the room in the house in which worship or prayer takes place.  Although there is a specific room in the house dedicated to prayer, you'll also find forms of worship in almost every aspect of life in India.  Depending of the sect, region of the country, and other religious influences, Hinduism combines specialized and general forms of rituals, voiced and unvoiced mantras, joyful chants, modest offerings, and many receivings. Just as there are thousands of gods in the Hindu cosmology, Hindu's also believe there are thousands of manifestations of god and worship in daily existence.  India boasts of its cultural diversity. There are Muslims, Christians, Zoroastrians, Sufis, Buddhists, Sikhs, and many other smaller religions.  The picture on the floor of the puja room is a common cartoon style portrait of Ganesha (the elephant headed god, remover of obstacles and all around good guy), Lakshmi (fortune and prosperity) and Saraswati (knowledge and learning). 

Here's the puja room with the door closed. The carving is fairly elaborate and notice that the locking handle is on the outside. I am surprised more people aren't locked in these rooms by practical jokesters.