Taj, Learning, Cow Dung Fuel and More

Spent an awesome 24 hours at the Taj Mahal. The views, the history and the sense of beauty was beyond expectation. And, a perfect place to celebrate a birthday and anniversary. Here are a few random experiences, thoughts and learnings:

• Learning Deep in People's Psyche: Once more, we were bombarded with a sense of how important education and training (and certification) were in people's view of their future and their family's options. In the poorest towns, there were billboards and advertisements for IT Training, Hospitality Training and More. Almost every service person we met talked proudly of the training they had received and the role that education was playing for their siblings. The first words from our drivers were about the programs that their children were in, due to the generous tips of tourists such as us :)
• Weddings and Family Traditions: As we are about to take a flight in a few minutes to a 4 day wedding, we explored Indian marriage traditions in several of our conversations. Clearly, "arranged" marriages are still the norm for a good part of the country. One of the elements driving this is the deep obligation that exists for a son (and his new bride) to take lifelong responsibility for his parents as they age. Our last driver, was from a low income village and as he said "not-rich" caste. He had 5,000 people at his wedding and was now in the midst of finding a husband for his 22 year old daughter, before he turned his attention to this two sons.
• Cow Dung Fuel: As we made our way from Agra to Delhi, we passed carts piled high with organic fuel. Actually, cow dung patties -- that are dried and then used for cooking fuel. A highly "Green" approach to recycling. There is apparently no bad odor and it is seen as a healthy addition to the air as burned.