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ARTS: India By Jonathan BlackHaving gone to study water practices and diarrhea in a few small villages in Tamil Nadu, a state in southeast India, I followed my heart into this experience and discovered more than I could have imagined. During my ten weeks in India, my experiences were broad and varied. I saw sunrises from my friend’s fishing boat, climbed the steps of the Taj Mahal, and spent the night in a kettuvellam (houseboat) on the backwaters of Kerala. I learned how to carve stone, how to drive a rickshaw, and how to speak Tamil. I rode a motorcycle for 8 hours straight, walked barefoot for 13 miles under a full moon with 300,000 other people, and learned to cook South Indian cuisine. I got head massages, went to a rock concert, picked up hitchhikers on my bike, and ate a lot of food! From vadai to samosa, fried rice to rice wine, pappadum to chapatti, and mango juice to Kingfisher beer, my palate was content. Mango pickle became a staple of my diet, as did chai, masala potato chips, and Indian sweets. Carrying out research on my own turned out to be a great learning experience. From finding a translator to implementing a survey in a small rural village, I learned the process of carrying out an international research project from start to finish. Most importantly, though, I learned to expect the unexpected and discovered how to deal with these situations accordingly.
The colors, people, smells, sights, and sounds of India are indescribable and I don’t know if my photographs or words do them justice. Still, I hope you enjoy the India that I saw and fell in love with, through my lens. Enjoy. Namaste. Jonathan Black is a second year medical student at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, New York. He can be contacted at jonathan_black@urmc.rochester.edu. |
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