The Wonders of India

Hey guys! It’s been a while since I wrote to you, and I’ve done A LOT! I just got back from India, and tomorrow I will be in Penang, Malaysia. I’ll write to you about Malaysia a little later; for right now, let’s talk about what I saw in India!

India has more people than anywhere in the world, except for China. I could really tell while I was there, because it is crowded all the time! People are always walking around or driving their cars and riding their motorcycles or bicycles, no matter what time of day.

One of the coolest things I got to see in India was the Taj Mahal. I don’t know if you’ve heard of the Taj Mahal, but it is a very famous building made completely of white marble. “Taj Mahal” means “White Palace,” and a king built it for his wife a very long time ago. The queen had 14 kids, and the king built her a palace as a present because he loved her so much (and she asked for one). The building is all bright white stone, with different colored stones in flower and swirly patterns all over it. It is one of the most famous buildings in the world, and I’m very happy I got to see it.

I also got to go to Varanasi, which is the most holy city in India. Most people in India are a religion called Hindu, and Varanasi is a very special place for them. Varanasi is home to the Ganges River, which is the reason the city is so holy. Hindu people pray at different temples all along the side of the river. These places to pray are called “ghats,” and each ghat lets people pray a different way. I got to go on a man’s boat and learn all about the different ghats, and some people threw strings of flowers into the river. The Hindu people say that if you do this and make a wish, your wish will come true!

The big city of Delhi was another place I went. That night I explored a market, where I got to watch Indian people going about their normal day. Indians dress very differently than we do in the United States. The men almost always wear tan pants and button-down shirts, which is kind of fancy dress in the US. The women wear beautiful dresses called sarees. These sarees are always very colorful, and decorated with lots of beads and ribbons and pretty designs.

Sometimes they wear something called a “salwar kameez,” which is just like a matching pair of pants and a long shirt with a pretty pattern like on sarees. Most of the time they will wear scarves with their salwar kameez. I bought two salwar kameez, and I will make sure I wear one when I come visit so you can see what it looks like!

A really cool art that comes from India is mendhi. Mendhi is a design that goes on your skin using an ink called “henna”. It is a little like a tattoo because henna can dye your skin, but it only lasts for a couple weeks. Indian women put mendhi on their hands and feet for special celebrations, and especially weddings. The bride’s hands and feet are always covered in mendhi as a wedding tradition. A lot of my friends got it done in the market, and it looks great!

The last thing I’ll talk about is something that you’re going to make yourselves! It is another art that Indians are famous for, and that is called embroidery. Embroidery is when you sew things together in a creative way, and Indian embroidery is full of beads, jewels, and bright colors. The embroidery can be used to make things to hang on the wall, pillows, or even blankets. It is really beautiful to see so many different pieces of fabric and beading put together so artistically. I bet you guys will do a great job of that, too!

Those are the coolest things I saw in India. I hope you have fun making your own wall hangings, and I hope I get to see them when I get home! I will talk to you soon, after I come back from Malaysia!