Happy 62nd Birthday, India!

Days later, Hyderabad is still dressed in saffron and green.  Small Indian flags adorn just about everything you can think of, celebrating the anniversary of India's independence from British rule on August 15th.  While you may be tempted to associate this holiday with fireworks, BBQs, and beer, things are done a bit differently here...

Sure there are fireworks, but any random Tuesday night is likely to have fireworks as well.  BBQs...well, haven't had one of those since July 4th at the American Embassy in Delhi (which amazingly felt like we had been parachuted into Suburbia, Anytown; USA)... And beer, ahem.  Independence Day is a dry day in Hyderabad! (after all, too much fun can lead to trouble...)

So instead, Tyler and I make our way to Jagadgirigutta, about 45 minutes away from Banjara Hills.  There, the non-profit BHUMI is conducting its annual "Freedom Under Construction" mass initiative.  Each year beginning at the stroke of midnight on August 15th, hundreds of people come together for a 24 hour marathon of construction...building schools, classrooms, toilets in urban slums or other economically distressed communities in Hyderabad.

This year, the goal is to construct two classrooms at Qutbullapur Zillaparishad High School.  We arrive around noon, speak to the soft-spoken but clearly passionate head of BHUMI, and proceed to work.  No set roles, just everyone lending a hand.  We join the human chain of brick transporters, moving bricks from a giant pile in the middle of the lot towards the soon-to-be classrooms.

Mixing mortar is the next task, and again, is a giant group activity.  A large circle is semi-spontaneously formed to transport sand in buckets from the side of the lot (where it was dumped), to the middle of the lot, where it gets mixed with water and magic gray "stuff" that turns sand and water into mortar (you can tell what an experienced construction worker I am!) 

Midway through, upbeat Bollywood music starts blasting from nearby huge speakers.  Everyone's singing, dancing, hollering, laughing, smiling... I catch Tyler's eye and it's clear we're both thinking the same thing -- what an incredible I-love-India moment!

The actual building goes slower than expected, between all the breaks for eating, dancing, and eating some more.  This is India, after all...

But the little brick-laying we do get to do is incredibly fun... there's something so viscerally rewarding in patting the mortar down between the bricks, making sure everything's aligned just-so, and seeing your work grow literally brick-by-brick.

And just like that, I'm reminded of how lucky I am to be in India right now... which I suppose is what starting this blog is about.  I've now been here a year and nine months (but who's counting?)  The family of five on a motorcycle and goats/cows/camels/chickens on the street no longer faze me.  

In a way, I'm grateful for this -- it means I've somehow managed to acclimate to this wonderfully crazy place, where every moment is sensory overload in both the best and worst ways.  But at the same time, I don't want India to lose its magic and its "newness."  I'm excited to share these "you'll-never-believe-it" moments with friends and family back home, who have been extremely patient with my lack of correspondence.  And you know what they say -- better late than never!  So stay tuned...