印度小見（1）

By+Aaron+A.Vessup

It might seem easy traveling to a warm country like India when winters cold fangs are nipping at ones heels.1 Mumbai， the capital and “Gateway” to this part of the orient was my city of choice.2 Before this trip I had become familiar with India food. Enjoying Tempura dishes and spicy curry laden menus， was posing no problem.3 Like many people， I had also seen Bollywood musical flicks， Hollywood movies like A Passages to India， and Slumdog Millionaire.4 I assumed my preparations were adequate and believed there would be no surprises.

At the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport， hungrystaring eyes bore through me， as a human throng buzzed with excitement.5 Many hands held signs of personalized welcomes.6 Mysterious “hijabs7” cover heads of most females. These are the many Muslims among the religious Hindus.8 Many men wear thick beards. Skin colors range from lightly tanned yellow， to virtually black.9 So many people！ But no one is waiting there for me. Straining my tired eyes for the promised hotel shuttle pickup proves fruitless.10 Thus， came my first shock of reality. Guards at the gate are firmly against the idea of my turning back. I will have to find my own way to the hotel. Eventually， a tie-wearing gentleman flashes an official looking badge saying that he will help me get to the hotel.11 He then pairs me with another guy， and gives him the hotel address. This new fellow takes me on a long foot journey underneath the airport waiting area.

“Which one do you like？”

He asks as his arm waves in a short sweeping motion at the row of parked vehicles. But his words come out so fast they sound like a foreign language. I ask him to repeat himself.

“What did you say？”

Now he rephrases12 his question.

“Do you want the small size or bigger car？”

In front of me are large sedans， jeeps， and tiny bug-like BYDs.13

“Small is fine.”

In India passengers pay in advance based on destination. Understanding English spoken by most India people I meet will present a new challenge. English is my native tongue， but most of the time in this country I will find stylistic rhythms or word stresses throw me off.14 Punjab and Hindi are at least two of the languages spoken here.15

As we drive toward the city， a quiet deadness of the early morning forces me to hit the window button letting in fresh air. The clean， cool smell off the sea nearby is invigorating16. It is nice feeling the mild breeze wraps around my head like a welcome warm caress.17 I inhale18 the fresh air deeply. I can hardly wait to get to the hotel and sleep.

But the suspense19 is killing me. What does India look like at night？ I have not really seen anything beyond the airport. For a long time we whiz20 along a dark highway. After several minutes we slow down， making several turns going through roadway construction projects， passing darkened buildings and shadowy commercial signs. Everything looks dim， blurry and mysterious.21 At one point the car slows to a crawl22 as we enter a commercial area. All shops are closed， but this appears to be a mix of shopping and residential dwellings. As we pass one dimly lit dwelling， a naked bulb swings outside a large gate，23 I see a sign announcing the Executive Enclave Hotel. This is my hotel. But the driver keeps on motoring further up the street. I am too tired for a merry-go-round egg-hunt.24

“Stop！ Go back！ There it is！”

“Ohhh... You see it？ Thanks.”

The car gears grind and shift in reverse and we went back up to the gate.25 The guard swings open a wide gate and we coast down a sharp steep incline and quickly are at a brightly lit entrance，26 a small hotel lobby. During the hotel registration my problems with understanding spoken English are reintroduced. The front desk informs me that my arrival is eight hours earlier than booking. I now will need to pay for another room if I want to shower and sleep now. Consolation is a sumptuous breakfast automatically included.27 Everything is sleepy quiet， warm but dead. I am sweating beneath three layers of clothes badly in need of a shower.

ATM crisis. Later in the day I investigate28 four suggested places where ATM machines are located. None of these banking machines prove functional.

After try a few winks of sleep29 I make a call to my friend， Arunji Gandhi. He is the grandson of the late leader of nonviolence， Mahatma Gandhi30. He has a shock of white hair on his crown and neatly trimmed mustache.31 His regal bearing exudes confidence behind thick， black rimmed eyeglasses and a noticeable twinkle in his eyes.32 Its hard to believe that he is 83 years of age. A dedicated Yoga practitioner， Arunji moves with deliberation， and gravity.33 I am honored that he can fit me into his busy schedule. We set up a meeting time for the following morning. When we meet we ride a three-wheeled， “Auto Rickshaw”34， taxi and search for a Starbucks. It has been 10 years since our meeting in Memphis at the Non-Violent workshop.35 We will meet another day to tour the city of Mumbai.

Upon returning to the hotel， the desk person excitedly informs me of a new location near the hotel that now has a working automatic banking machine.

“You must go there quickly. Hurry， because there will probably a long line there soon. These machines usually run out of money before the day is out.”

I am happy to have not needed to ask him to repeat himself. India is experiencing a monetary crisis， as the government is slowly introducing new currency bills for public commercial transactions.36 True， in the daylight hours there are people everywhere. It seems that men are loitering37 in groups， standing or sitting around doing nothing. Unemployment must also be a big problem here. Very few women are walking about. The air seems clean but the surroundings are not. I feel lucky when my bank card works and I come away with a crisp， new， single 2，000 Rupee bill.38 Seeking reward myself for this success， I enter a nearby coffee shop that looks comfortable. The wonderful smells from the oven tell me that baked goods are on hand. Its a place for me to sit and read a local newspaper. Soon more stores are open and I attempt to pay my bill using the new India currency.

“Were sorry. We dont have any change， 2，000 is such a large amount. Do you have anything smaller？”

“No I dont. But is a Visa credit card okay？”

“Sure， no problem. Do you need a receipt？”

I am increasingly feeling frustrated. Still stuck with a large currency note from India， but I have to find a way to break it down.39

Photos sites. Luckily， there are many unique things to be seen that do not cost money. A man is wearing a white turban40 on his head. His dark brown face is deeply lined， profiled sharply by a long white， hairy beard and handle-bar mustache.41 His stiff body is draped in a white sheet， with holes exposing his brown knees and scabby legs.42 He sits low on a concrete block near a vegetable vendors two-wheeled cart.43 He provides a stark contrast to the grungy background.44

One thin， bony， middle-aged women， with a dark purple“Sharong” wrapped around her body， marches up the steep street， balancing a large straw basket nonchalantly on her head.45 The sun is already high， her face glistens with perspiration as her quick bare feet patter away.46 Beggars crawl around on the ground， dark and dirty. Some lean against crumbling47 walls or half collapsed wooden fences. Sometimes these ghostly human forms clutch frail limbs of children to keep them near，48 or hug babies beneath layers of dirty cloth. When in cars waiting at busy intersections， beggars weave in and out of traffic with metal tin cups outstretched，49 tapping on closed air conditioned car windows. Along one highway there is a rusty wall-like structure of slum dwellings looking like a spooky mountain carved in a garbage dump.50 These are pitiful sites. I have read about poverty and corruption in India， and now the meanings of these concepts are beginning to have an impact.

Touring the city highlights and museum is still on the agenda. While this place seems mysterious and secretive51， I want desperately to see something pleasant and eat something delicious. On another day， our car driver will take Arunji and I to an area called “Island City”. This is a highly affluent part of the city where movie stars and rich business moguls are said to reside.52 Shopping centers here house only international branded goods. This area has no open-air bazaars， or street vendors， with souvenir trinkets spread on blankets along concrete curbs.53 Arunji still forewarns54， “Be careful where you step. Dog poop55 is not the only problem here！” But， there are no signs of human poverty there. Back in the hotel I take longer showers， but these jarring56 impressions do not wash away.

1. fang： 尖牙，這里比喻刺骨的寒冷；nip： 咬住，輕咬。

2. 孟買，馬哈拉施特拉邦首府以及通向這片東方之地的門戶，是我這次旅行的選擇。Mumbai： 孟買，印度最大的海港和重要交通樞紐，素有印度“西部門戶”之稱；gateway： 通道，入口；orient： 東方世界，指與西方世界相對的國家以及地區(qū)，這里指代的是印度。

3. Tempura： 天婦羅，面拖油炸蔬菜或海鮮（一種日本菜肴）；curry： 咖喱；laden： 充滿的，裝滿的；pose： 引起，造成。

4. Bollywood： 寶萊塢，位于孟買的電影制作中心；flick： 電影，影片；Hollywood： 好萊塢，位于美國西海岸加利福尼亞州洛杉磯的電影制作中心；A Passage to India：《印度之行》，于1984年在北美上映，改編自英國著名作家福斯特的同名小說，影片探討了英國與其殖民地印度之間的文化沖突；Slumdog Millionaire： 《貧民窟的百萬富翁》，于2008年上映，改編自印度作家維卡斯·史瓦盧普的作品《Q&A》，展現(xiàn)了印度的文化和思想。

5. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport： 孟買國際機場，Chhatrapati Shivaji是印度17世紀(jì)馬拉塔帝國皇帝的名字；bore： （令人緊張地）盯住看；throng： 一大群人，人群；buzz with：（地方或一群人）充滿嘈雜聲，熱鬧喧嘩。

6.無數(shù)只手舉著寫有人名的接站牌。personalize： 在……上標(biāo)出姓名。

7. hijab： 穆斯林女性戴的面紗或頭巾。

8. Muslim： 穆斯林，伊斯蘭教教徒；Hindu： 印度人。

9. tanned： 被曬成棕褐色的；virtually： 幾乎，差不多。

10. 我撐著疲憊的雙眼仔細(xì)搜尋，也沒有找到預(yù)先訂好的酒店來接站的班車。strain： 竭力，用盡全力；shuttle： （兩地間短程穿梭運行的）交通工具。

11. flash： 迅速亮出某物（隨即收起）；badge： 徽章。

12. rephrase： 重新措辭，換個說法。

13. sedan： 轎車；BYDs： 比亞迪汽車公司生產(chǎn)的汽車。

14. stylistic： 語體上的，語言風(fēng)格上的；throw sb. off： 使迷惑，使困窘。

15. Punjab： 旁遮普語，是印度憲法承認(rèn)的語言之一，使用旁遮普語的人口主要分布于印度西北部的旁遮普邦和巴基斯坦東北部的旁遮普??；Hindi： 印地語，是印度的兩種官方語言之一，是印度國內(nèi)最為通行的一種語言。

16. invigorating： 使人精力充沛的，使人精神煥發(fā)的。

17. wrap： 包，裹；caress： 愛撫，撫摸。

18. inhale： 吸入。

19. suspense： 懸念，未知。

20. whiz： 颼颼地飛馳。

21. dim： 昏暗的；blurry： 看不清的，模糊的。

22. crawl：（車輛）緩慢行進(jìn)。

23. 我們經(jīng)過一個昏暗的建筑，一只裸露的燈泡在大門外晃動。

24. 我太疲憊了，實在沒有心情再等司機一圈圈繞著找酒店了。merry-goaround： 旋轉(zhuǎn)木馬，一連串高度繁忙且重復(fù)的活動；egg-hunt：（復(fù)活節(jié)）尋找彩蛋，這里指找酒店。

25. gear： （汽車）檔位，排擋；grind： 嘎嘎地磨擦，因錯誤操作而使排擋咣當(dāng)作響；in reverse： 倒退。

26. swing： 從一邊向另一邊移動；coast：（汽車或自行車）靠慣性滑行；incline： 斜坡。

27. consolation： 安慰；sumptuous： 豪華的，豐盛的。

28. investigate： 探索，查看。

29. a wink of sleep： 小睡片刻。

30. Mahatma Gandhi： 圣雄甘地（1869—1948），是印度民族解放運動的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人和印度國家大會黨領(lǐng)袖，他帶領(lǐng)印度邁向獨立，脫離英國殖民地統(tǒng)治，也是提倡非暴力抵抗的現(xiàn)代政治學(xué)說——甘地主義的創(chuàng)始人。

31. shock： 蓬亂的一堆；crown： 頭頂；trimmed： 修剪過的。

32.從他厚厚的黑邊眼鏡后面流露出的自信以及雙眼閃耀的不容忽視的光芒，都充分體現(xiàn)著其皇家風(fēng)范。regal： 帝王的，皇室的；bearing： 舉止；exude： 充分顯露（某一品質(zhì)）。

33. Yoga： 瑜伽（源自古印度）；deliberation： 從容，謹(jǐn)慎；gravity：（舉止或言談的態(tài)度）嚴(yán)肅，莊嚴(yán)。

34. Auto Rickshaw： 自動人力車，一種輕型的三輪機動車。

35. Memphis： 孟菲斯市，位于美國田納西州；workshop： 研討會。

36. monetary： 財政的，貨幣的；currency： 貨幣；bill： 議案，法案；transaction： 買賣，交易。

37. loiter： 閑逛，游蕩。

38. crisp： 新的，平整的；Rupee： 盧比，印度日、巴基斯坦等國的貨幣單位。

39. 我手里存了一張印度的大鈔，必須想辦法把它破開。stuck with：被迫擁有（自己不喜歡的東西）；note： 鈔票；break down：這里指把整錢破成零錢。

40. turban： （男士的）頭巾。

41. 他深棕色的面容布滿深深的皺紋，白色長胡子和嘴唇上八字胡清晰地勾勒出他的面部輪廓。line： 使生皺紋；profile：描繪……的輪廓；handle-bar mustache： 八字胡。

42. stiff： 僵硬的；drape：（用布）披，蓋；scabby： 結(jié)痂的。

43. concrete block： 混凝土磚；vendor：小販。

44. stark： 明顯的，突出的；grungy： 臟亂的，破舊的。

45. Sharong： 即Sari，沙麗，印度婦女的傳統(tǒng)服飾，是指一塊約5.5米的布料，穿著時以披裹的方式纏繞在身上；nonchalantly： 若無其事地，平靜地。

46. glisten： 發(fā)光，閃光；perspiration： 汗水；patter： 輕快地走（或跑）。

47. crumbling：（墻皮、屋頂?shù)龋┟撀涞?，碎裂的?/p>

48. clutch： 緊握，抓緊；frail： 瘦弱的，纖弱的；limb： 肢，腿。

49. intersection： 道路交叉口，十字路口；weave： 穿行；tin： 錫制的；outstretched： 伸出的，展開的。

50. 公路一旁，貧民窟那些墻似的赭色建筑物看起來像是陰森恐怖的垃圾山。rusty： 鐵銹色的，赭色的；slum： 貧民窟；spooky： 嚇人的，陰森森的。

51. secretive： 神秘的，遮遮掩掩的。

52. affluent： 富裕的，富足的；mogul： 大亨，巨頭。

53. bazaar： 市場，集市；trinket： 廉價首飾，小飾品；curb： 路緣，俗稱路牙子。

54. forewarn： 預(yù)先警告。

55. poop： 糞便。

56. jarring： 令人吃驚的，令人感到不快的。