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Vijayawada: We become Part of the Family

It had been planned for some time and finally happened in February: We are visiting Lokesh, one of Stephanie's colleagues, in his home village near the town of Vijayawada.

 

What followed were three eventful days that we will remember for a long time to come. But let's start from the beginning...

Meeting the parents

It all starts with a very early flight to Vijayawada. The city is located about 630 km north of Bangalore in the state of Andhra Pradesh. After landing, Lokesh is already waiting for us. He had arrived a day earlier to complete the final preparations. 

We don't know what exactly is planned. We are going to meet his family and he wants to show us a different India, away from the metropolis of Bangalore and tourist attractions, that much we understand. To be honest, however, even the most detailed agenda could not have prepared us for the following days.


After just under an hour by car, we leave the highway into the village. There is a church, a school and a police station, otherwise many smaller houses. It is definitely a lot quieter and more relaxed than Bangalore.  

Finally, we stop in front of the house of Lokesh's parents. Here we go. A short honk of the horn as a signal, and father, mother, sister and sister-in-law gather at the front door to welcome us. Quickly they invite us out of the midday heat and into the cool of the house.

A warm welcome follows and the initial mixture of excitement and polite reserve that both sides carry with them at such moments is quickly broken.  

We must not forget that different countries, generations, cultures and languages meet here. But the universality of a warm smile unites us. That, and the joy of eating :-). And so we quickly sit down at the breakfast table and enjoy our meal.

Out and about as guests of honor

Next, we head to the neighboring town Vijayawada to visit two particularly important temples.  

As we get into the car, the first necks of the neighbors twist towards us and the first of many high-fives are exchanged with the local youth. Yes, the general interest in us is quite high, but presumably not too many white people have visited the village yet ;-). We enjoy the resulting spectacle, as we are just as curious about local life as the locals are about us.


The temples and everything else we will visit over the next few days are very beautiful. But it's not just the what, but even more the how that remains in our memories.

Because no matter where we go, we are guests of honor instead of tourists. We are always accompanied by a small entourage, led by an uncle or family friend in a spotless white shirt, who - as a local politician or man with good connections - conveys his importance to us.

Hierarchies are much more present in Indian society than in Germany, and expressions of respect are more important and more visible. We also clearly feel that. Queuing up to receive a blessing from the priest? Not this time. Doors open for us in the truest sense of the word that remain closed to the general population. And so we always get our turn straight away.

Gifts, lots of handshakes, photos - and at the end three newspaper articles about our visit: that must be how the German ambassador feels.

It's definitely fun, but it can also go to your head to be the center of attention. And we suspect that the local dignitaries also raise their profile when they are seen and photographed with us. Fair enough, it's a give and take :-D.


So many things to see

After visiting the temples, we return to Lokesh's parents for lunch, where we are served delicious local dishes - spiced with just one chilli each out of consideration for us. We are also looked after in many other ways. Stephanie likes to drink Coke Zero, for example? So Lokesh's family bought it for us.

It is therefore fitting that we next visit a Coca-Cola factory in the surrounding area. The drinking water in the region is particularly good, and the global corporation from Atlanta knows how to take advantage of this. 

Once again we are expected. Lokesh's brother-in-law always rides ahead on his motorcycle to announce our arrival, so we never have to wait long on site. This level of organization impresses us, as we know India as a country where many things happen - but nothing as planned.

In the late afternoon, we head to the hotel, where we have a short rest and freshen up.

It is now around 5 pm. We've driven from the airport to the home village, to two temples, back to the village, to the Coke factory and now to the hotel. Phew, not bad for the first day - which is far from over.


The dancing horse

It is already dark when we drive back into the village. Stephanie and I are looking out of the car, lost in thought, when we hear music from a distance. We don't think much of it until we arrive at the parents' house:

 

Artists and musicians are already eager showing off their skills, surrounded by a crowd of people cheering and clapping. We get out of the car - 100 pairs of eyes turn to us, children tug at us, the drums roar... It's the perfect storm and we're right in the middle of it!

A bench is quickly brought in and Stephanie and I are placed on it as guests of honor. Wild performances follow, we also dance, sweat and laugh.

The highlight is a colorfully decorated horse that dances on the spot to the rhythm of the drums and on which we are placed one after the other. An evening like an absolute fever dream, unique and difficult to put into words.


After this spectacle, we go out for dinner with Lokesh and then fall tired into bed. What a day!

Many more unique experiences followed over the next two days, be it an insight into simple life in the countryside, a visit to a social housing estate, a conversation with the owner of an organic farm and so much more. We will certainly describe one or two of these highlights in more detail in future articles.

Finally, we would like to thank Lokesh and his family and friends once again for their hospitality and warmth. It was a wonderful three days.


Once again, it has proven true that the most beautiful memories are not created by the loneliest beaches or the largest monuments, but through personal interaction with local people.

This was also the case at the Indian wedding in Indore, where the bride's family gave us another wonderful glimpse into the Indian soul.


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