Ah the Clinton years… Seinfeld, budget surpluses, Wu-Tang…

I think my favorite video here was on a personal level - the Taj Mahal. I am so excited to see this because ever since I was a child who watched Disney’s Aladdin, I was intrigued by the story of how the great palace was built - third wife dies so you build a massive structure in her honor, at least this was the lacking romanticism a ten year-old was interpreting. This story of the Taj Mahal reminded me of the concept behind the Egyptian pyramids, a way to preserve the memory of your dead. But let’s be honest, how much more beautiful is the Taj Mahal to view than a pyramid, which is (without any disrespect implied) a cookie cutter endeavor in comparison.

Also, I found the The Simpsons Episode, named Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore. The Taj Mahal is involved with this video, too, hence my interest.

I also found some cultural references to India through some blogs and forums regarding Matt Groening’s genius psyche:
-Homer flies into the international airport that looks like Hyperabad, Andhra Pradesh
-Homer refers to Brahma, a Hindu god as “Papa Smurf”, Ganesh as “The Elephant Man” and Shiva as “Johnny Sixarms”
-The song that plays at the end of the episode is Pal Bhar Ke Liye by Kishore Kumar, a famous Bollywood playback singer from the 1970s. The song is from the Bollywood movie Johnny Mera Naam starring Dev Anand and Hema Malini.

Some mistakes:
-The Taj Mahal is not in Bangalore.
-The river that runs behind the Taj Mahal is the Yamuna, not the Ganges.
*These I did not catch, but I’m glad that I know now.

Ultimately, I feel like my lack of background in India causes me to have no business comments, but I do want to express my sincere interest in learning about the country. I wasn’t excited for India to be integrated into the international trip initially, but I have since gained an appreciation for the opportunity to experience two countries.

Metroblogging Chennai: http://chennai.metblogs.com/
2point6billion: http://www.2point6billion.com/
India cut: http://indiauncut.com/

You can find the other ones I like on the India Business blog roll of my website: http://chinaandi.typepad.com

Enjoy!