Taj Mahal 

The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage. It’s regarded as the finest representation of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indian architectural stylees. 

                                                                                         

Seeing the Taj for the first time was amazing. There is a long walkway from the entrance to the actual structure. Halfway between the walkway and the actual Taj is a step/stage type structure with benches on it. It's the perfect picture setting, because when you sit on the bench, the Taj is behind you as the background. When you approach the Taj (at the end of the walkway), you have to take off your shoes and turn them in for safekeeping. Shoes are not allowed on the marble. 
The Taj itself was magnificent. The outside of the building has beautiful marble carvings all along the walls. There are steps and walkways made of marble all around the building, and you can walk all the way around it. The building and towers are perfectly symmetrical. 
Inside, you can view the marble tombs of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan. These are fake tombs, and the real ones are underneath. There are stairs leading down to the actual tombs, but those have been cordoned off. Natural lighting lights the inside of the Taj, so it is a bit dark. The walls inside are also beautifully carved, with wonderful inlay work and intricate detail. 


Habitat for Humanity

On Tuesday, January 7, 2014 we visited a not-for-profit organization, Habitat for Humanity. Habitat is known all over the world for its use of volunteers in building low cost houses. Its powerful vision is of a world where everyone has a decent and safe place to live! We got on the bus around 8:30am and arrived at the Habitat facilities at 9am. The morning was cold and foggy. The Hindustani Times said that it hadn’t been this foggy in quite some time. As a result 137 flights were canceled affecting many businessmen and citizens who were traveling. Coming from a very cold state during January like New York, I found the fact that 45F- 50F is considered cold enough to close schools for some time in New Delhi interesting.

Housing is an arduous problem across the world, especially in developing countries like India. Apart from being one of the three basic necessities of life, adequate housing helps to prevent diseases, injury and death, provides security, and increases household and national income. At the meeting with Habitat of Humanity officers, we learned that there is a huge housing need in India and it is a massive challenge to meet it. The country faced a housing shortage of over 18 million housing units by the end of 2011. Building a habitat house is a real life event with genuine meaning and significance. Teams and beneficiaries recognize this and are bonded by a common sense of purpose and the achievement of producing something positive and concrete.

                                                  

HFH has a history of loyal volunteers that helps manage the risk that core volunteers will go volunteering with a different organization. One of its main strengths is its highly recognizable and respectable brand image, as well as high employee retention.  On the other hand there’s the risk on tenants who may default on their Habitat payments. I was particularly happy to hear mentioned during the presentation that individuals who cannot pay back a loan are not completely disqualified but end up getting a free house in exchange for work on other Habitat projects. The organization doesn’t always get back 100% of the money it invests. It’s usually just 70% and they make up for the difference by getting additional donations. Families that have to pay back loans work with self help groups that educate them on home economics, budgeting, cost efficiency and saving money in order to pay back their loans. After the presentation about Habitat’s work in India we had the chance to buy paintings drawn by children whose life changed thanks to the organization. I chose to purchase one named “Right to Shelter” by a 14 year old girl, Vanshika Babbar.

The ride to the Habitat for Humanity worksite was about an hour and a half. The commute consisted of dust roads, fog, humidity and plenty of traffic.Upon arrival we were greeted with a welcoming ceremony where about 20 women were seated in front of us to talk about their role in the Habitat community. They decide which family needs money to built a house the most, select families for Habitat houses and get groups of women together to introduce to them loans. The Habitat model is based on the philosophy that it is not a charity organization. It provides interest free loans to the poor, who cannot get financing from banks.  Funds come from individuals or corporate donors and are then channeled to the deserving recipients through local NGOs. At this location we witnessed the conditions the lowest class of the Indian society lives in. At one point during our tour of the site we all helped put down the foundations of building a new house for a Habitat beneficiary. I couldn’t help but notice that even though those children were living in the slums they seemed to be very happy. 

In order to improve operations Dr. Predmore and I suggested accessing new donor segments to find new allies who are capable and ready to contribute their ideas and resources habitat. 80% of the funds are raised within India from companies, individuals, and well wishers. There is some effort made in reaching out to Indian born people who have relocated around the world and expatriates in the diaspora but not enough. A list of people who have renounced their Indian citizenship can be obtained from embassies around the world. Habitat personnel should reach out and make them aware of the mission, efforts and needs of Habitat in building a slum free India. Fundraising efforts should target wealthy Indian expatriates, as their donations are able to reach more people in need. Getting a low dollar donation takes as much time and effort as getting a high dollar donation, thus higher dollar donations provide a greater return for the time and hard work you invest in getting them.

In the evening we went to a government owned shopping center. On our way there our tour guide, Gotham couldn’t help but express resentment towards the neighboring country Pakistan after we told him about our day at Habitat. He claimed that out of mere jealousy Pakistan brings economical burden to Indians and that they are to blame for the lack of growth in the country. There are more mouths to feed than resources. There are about 1.3 million army members and about 40% of the country’s GDP goes to maintain one of the largest militaries in the world. Gurcharan Das, the author of "India Unbound" feels differently. He argues in an interview that pervasive corruption and threats to its secular traditions, not external forces, are the biggest challenges India faces at present. The threat to India is not from outside, is not Pakistan, is not China. The threat to India is within.  

When we got to the shopping center, the first thing I browsed for were the beautiful silky carpets from Kashmir. They were all handmade by craftsmen and artisans with silk and very fine fabrics. Next I went looking at the Ganesh, which bring good fortune and other hand carved decorative ornaments. The pashmina shawls, unique to India, were very soft, light and rich in color. Nita, the sales associate, a very charming and persistent lady helped me choose a pretty minty, silk scarf with elegant brown embroidery.  Shopping experience in India is quite different from that in the U.S.  We all had some fun bargaining prices down! J