This posting is a pun on a term used in the United States which refers to the advantages white people have in comparison to minorities. Glen Singleton, the Pacific Education Group, and others concerned with closing the achievement gap in the US use this term to create awareness of the different experiences and advantages that whites have in the United States. India, this term has a different meaning.According to my experiences for my first five weeks in Delhi, India.
White privilege means:
being stared at, not glanced at, but having eyes glued on me, on city buses, the metro, and in areas that are not visited by tourists, such as where I am living ( If it is a female, I smile at her. Smiles are universal!);
having a very attentive waiter at Pizza Hut;
getting laughed at by some children on the street;
being greeted enthusiastically by students in Bal Bharati Public School ("Good morning, Mam");
being charged more than Indians by drivers, rickshaws, markets without prices marked (I am helping the Indian economy!);
having security put my groceries in my bag and open the door when I leave (their job is only to verify that my receipt shows payment for every item in cart);
being ignored at the counter of Easy day, a grocery store. When I put my basket in the checkout location, the clerk ignored me. At first I patiently waited thinking the clerk had to finish something before checking out a customer. An Indian man approached the clerk from the incorrect side and was immediately rung up. I was flabbergasted. I stared at the two of them, my mouth open with shock in my eyes. Still invisible to them, I left, groceries in the basket for them to put away. I will never go in the store again!
receiving immediate service about a land line complaint. The service man was sent to come to my apartment in ten minutes. As I would not be home then, I was given his cell phone number to call when I would be home so he could come right away to fix my phone.
being harassed by men in some areas of Delhi ( How can they be interested in an old lady like me? I could be their grandmother! They must think this teacher is loaded with money!);
receiving stories about visits to the United States or about family members who live in the US;
having colleagues and friends making sure I get home okay and holding my hand when crossing the street;
receiving TONS of invitations and warm greetings.
This website is not an official U.S. Department of State website. The views and information presented are the grantee's own and do not represent the Fulbright State Program or the U.S. Department of State.
Watch out India. . . Here comes Mary!
My arrival in New Delhi was full of warmth --both the weather and the people. Dhirendra Sharma, a physics teacher at Bal Baharti Public Schools (BBPS) who has designated himself as my Unofficial Mentor (He was accepted into the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program for the fall of 2010, but very unfortunately a match in the US was not found. The same place I was in last year. I know how profoundly disappointing that is!)
A driver took both Dhirendra and I to 14 Anandvan, Paschim Vihar, my home for the next five and a half months. Barely had the door been opened and I was greeted with a "proper Indian" welcome: red powder on my forehead and a very sweet, round ball that was scrumptious. I met Madhu, Neena, and Menaka who all live in the same society (the appartment complex of Marathi Indians). I was shown how to use the airconditioner, the television, and the stove.
The next morning Madhu stopped by on her way to work to see how I was doing, my neighbor Shweeta came over to meet me and invite me to go out on Sunday to buy Indian clothes, and then I had lunch at Neena's. Kunda, Rashmi's sister had a mobile phone and international calling card delivered to me, and that night Madhu walked to the market, Reliance, with me so I knew how to get there. At the door security takes bags and checks receipts before leaving.
Sunday the 15th of August was Independence Day. The society had a celebration in the morning with the National Anthem, dances, and snacks. I met more people in the society, all very welcoming.
Shweta and I took a pedal rickshaw to the TDI shopping complex: air conditioned and security checks before entering. She picked out three outfits for me steering me away from my usual choice of blue and blue and blue. I bought kurdas and churidars (leggings) and one salwar kameez with a scarf. We browsed a book store and another shop before lunching at Pizza Hut which had extremely attentive service and a different menu than the US ones. I had a salad and Shweta had garlic bread for appetizers before sharing a pizza. Sunday afternoon I took a taxi to the Park Hotel for my USIEF (United States India Educational Foundation, the Indian counterpart of Fulbright) two-day training. The driver took me to the wrong hotel! Thankfully, the City Hotel, which is where I was delivered, called the Park to confirm my reservation as well as arranging a taxi to take me to the correct hotel!
A driver took both Dhirendra and I to 14 Anandvan, Paschim Vihar, my home for the next five and a half months. Barely had the door been opened and I was greeted with a "proper Indian" welcome: red powder on my forehead and a very sweet, round ball that was scrumptious. I met Madhu, Neena, and Menaka who all live in the same society (the appartment complex of Marathi Indians). I was shown how to use the airconditioner, the television, and the stove.
The next morning Madhu stopped by on her way to work to see how I was doing, my neighbor Shweeta came over to meet me and invite me to go out on Sunday to buy Indian clothes, and then I had lunch at Neena's. Kunda, Rashmi's sister had a mobile phone and international calling card delivered to me, and that night Madhu walked to the market, Reliance, with me so I knew how to get there. At the door security takes bags and checks receipts before leaving.
Sunday the 15th of August was Independence Day. The society had a celebration in the morning with the National Anthem, dances, and snacks. I met more people in the society, all very welcoming.
Shweta and I took a pedal rickshaw to the TDI shopping complex: air conditioned and security checks before entering. She picked out three outfits for me steering me away from my usual choice of blue and blue and blue. I bought kurdas and churidars (leggings) and one salwar kameez with a scarf. We browsed a book store and another shop before lunching at Pizza Hut which had extremely attentive service and a different menu than the US ones. I had a salad and Shweta had garlic bread for appetizers before sharing a pizza. Sunday afternoon I took a taxi to the Park Hotel for my USIEF (United States India Educational Foundation, the Indian counterpart of Fulbright) two-day training. The driver took me to the wrong hotel! Thankfully, the City Hotel, which is where I was delivered, called the Park to confirm my reservation as well as arranging a taxi to take me to the correct hotel!
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