There are a LOT of people in India, more than 1 billion. The cities are huge, and jammed, but there are vast rural areas. Even here, though, hundreds of people will appear in a very small village; or one evening, in an extension of Diwali, dozens of candles flickered as a large group of people walked down a rural lane, seemingly miles from anywhere. When we drive through the smallest rural town, there may be a hundred people sitting in close proximity in small groups in or around tiny vendor stalls.
There are kids everywhere. School kids wear uniforms, and we've seen kids no older than 4 on their way to or from school. They generally walk in groups near the roads, probably for safety. Even the littlest boys wear white shirts and ties. They all smile and seem happy, and carry lots of books. No hesitationabout education here – we've seen very few kids anywhere who weren't in school. And everywhere we look, even in small towns, there are signs for university education classes. India's population grows by about 20 million people a year, and the kids are surely the future. It looks to be in good hands.
We're still learning about India's caste system. Your station in life is determined significantly at the moment of birth. The earliest expressions of caste can be found in one of India’s vast bodies of religious scripture known as the Vedas.
The highest caste (Brahmans) consists of priests and the learned class. The wonderful Raman family with whom we celebrated Diwali in Varanasi (pictured here) are Brahmans.
The son, Navneet Raman, the community-oriented family scion, is not only a patron of Indian arts, but he is also working hard to establish the city of Varanasi as a World Heritage site. In America, he'd be the president of a family foundation promoting the arts, such as the Heinz Endowments or the J. Paul Getty Trust. Visit his website (www.kritigallery.com)
We were told that one of the ways to identify men who are descended from this caste is by their thick and upturned mustaches
The merchant class (Vaishyas) is the third caste. These have traditionally been the people associated with commercial livelihoods. Here I am pictured with the gentleman in Cochin who has a thriving business selling Indian artifacts that come on the market when old mansions are renovated or torn down. He wants the world to know more about Indian culture so he has spent his own money to establish a local museum.
Finally, we were told that the day-to-day workers in Indian society make up the caste called Shudras.
The "Untouchables" occupy a place that is not clearly defined by boundaries. Their jobs (such as toilet cleaning and garbage removal) cause them to be considered impure and thus “untouchable.” An important thing to note is that the Vedas do NOT mention a concept such as Untouchability. It is a part of the system that has been created by society itself. **
Here's a very interesting twist: Varanasi is a holy city, where Hindus come to pray and (if they are lucky) to die. Die and get cremated there, and one goes straight to Nirvana without having to undergo additional reincarnations. Untouchables are in charge of cremations in Varanasi and are the only ones allowed to perform that function. The cost of a Varanasi cremation (one is pictured here, at a respectful distance), while "auspicious" for the deceased, is very, very costly for the family. Because of this, the chief cremator in Varanasi is the richest man and most influential person in that city despite being an "Untouchable."While we were told many times that the caste system is no longer followed, we were also told that one's caste is always identified on his birth certificate. We were told that people used to be able to improve themselves by education and move among classes, but apparently not any more. This is especially significant regarding marriage, where the bride and groom's families must approve the arrangement, and each side is reluctant to approve someone from a lower class. Social customs seem to make life even more complicated here!
The Indian people are remarkably knowledgeable about the rest of the world. I was asked detailed and thorough questions about the U.S. economy, about politics and conflicts throughout the world, and especially about Barack Obama. In another stroke of spectacular genius, Fran went to an inauguration web site back in January, and ordered Obama pins and buttons. Our only mistake was bringing a couple of dozen to give away as mementos and small gifts. We could have given away 1,000. Peoples' faces literally lit up like kids at Christmas when we gave them one. Several people immediately put them on uniforms or shirts and strutted around proudly for all to see. I thought they were actually valued more than money.
The majority of the population is Hindu, with a significant percentage of Muslims. In the South, more than 20% of the population is Christian.
Women are not remotely equal in Hindu society, even though they may be smarter and work much harder than the men. In the Muslim community, of course, they have even less stature. In general, they seem to do virtually any work men do, including the most physical manual labor. They also, of course, manage the house and food and family. We were singularly impressed by how hard they work, how much responsibility they assume, and how important they are to the entire society. Women laborers are paid 100 rupees a day (~$2); men doing the same work right alongside them are paid 150 rupees per day. (Pay rates in the North seemed lower than in the rest of the country.) 
On one recent day we saw women chopping wood and carrying it on their heads, tending goats near the road, building roads on their hands and knees (literally), carrying concrete on their heads, and plowing fields behind a water buffalo. And every single one was already dressed for dinner at most fine western restaurants. We have previously been awed by the beauty of Japanese Kimonos and the simple and elegant Vietnamese Ao Dài, but we think Indian sarees surpass them all. Many younger women prefer the more casual salwar kameez on a daily basis, but hundreds of millions of Indian women still wear sarees every day. We saw remarkably few Indian women, of any age, wearing western clothing.
The cleanliness is also astounding. Everybody's hair is always clean and styled, and sarees and school clothes (and mens' more western wear) are always clean. When do they find the time (and the water, in rural areas) to do so much cleaning and laundry?!Pregnant women often go home to live with their mothers before and after the birth of their baby. The population of India increases by about 2% (20 million more births than deaths!) each year, yet we saw fewer than 5 pregnant women in our entire time in India.
Poverty is everywhere, and it's gut-wrenching. We knew, and we expected it, but nothing really prepares you. Mothers on the street use their kids as pawns, kids as young as 4 or 5 are on their own begging. Disappointingly, many are surprisingly aggressive. I suppose hunger and living on the street will do that. The most unfortunate, often grossly disfigured, frequent the most heavily trafficked tourist areas. You can't look – but you can't not look. We can't possibly help everybody; and once you give something to one, you're swarmed by dozens of others, which also doesn't work.
But in the meantime, even many working people still live on a dollar a day. Drivers, in uniforms with good (company) cars, make little more than $2 per day. So a nominal tip for a few days work can be a month's pay. This driver, Surjeet, took us to four cities, and is one of the finest drivers we've met, anywhere in the world. The guides and drivers also really appreciate the commissions they share when we buy things from local merchants. (And they know precisely how much you spent.)
Beyond anything else, however, the people are open and friendly and service-oriented to a degree we've never encountered, anywhere else in the world. 
As I review my notes, we rated some hotels highly, others less so. But in 100% of the places we stayed – literally every one – we noted that service was enthusiastic and absolutely exceptional. Even where staff was not well trained – not their fault – they tried so hard to anticipate and to serve. We have felt appreciated as customers, and treated more like royalty, than we've ever encountered, and it has been an exquisite pleasure.** Quoted from History of the Caste System in India (http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~epandit/page2.html).
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