Strittmatters share highlights from India

Visitors at the Monticello Public Library were transported to India on May 16 for the final Arm Chair Traveler series. 

Earlier this year, Nick and Anne Strittmatter of Monticello spent some time in India with all four of their children and spouses. Their daughter-in-law was born and raised in India, and the Strittmatters wanted to see first-hand where she was from. 

“It was equally important for our kids to experience the same thing,” Nick said. 

The first thing, coming off the plane, that struck the Strittmatter family were the amount of people everywhere in India. 

“They have a population of 1.5 billion people,” shared Nick. “A sixth of the people on earth live in India. It’s an enormous amount of people.” 

They toured many cities in India: New Delhi, which they flew into; Amritsar, near the Pakistan border; Agra, home of the famous Taj Mahal; and Chennai, on the shore of the Bay of Bengal. 

They toured several places of worship for different religions represented in India, including mosques, where Muslims worship. 

“You have to take your shoes off, and you hope they’re there when you come back,” joked Nick. 

Anne said when entering the mosques, the women had to put on headscarves as a sign of respect. 

“The Muslims are actually a minority in India,” said Nick. 

Traveling throughout the cities, Nick said they also saw the poor side of India in the slums. 

“People there make their homes out of eclectic materials,” he said. 

He said despite the men working for a living, they simply cannot make enough money to bring them out of poverty in India. 

The myths about how people in India treat cattle, Nick said, are absolutely true. 

“They are a revered animal,” he said. 

In one incident, a man was trying to park in a public parking lot, and was blocked from a spot due to a cow standing in the way. So, Nick helped to herd the cow out of the way. 

“Cows are just part of the landscape in India,” he said. 

Amritsar is home to “Golden Temple,” or “Harmandar Sahib.” This is a temple of the Sikhs that was built in the 1500s. Inside this temple, people must not only remove their shoes but also their socks. 

Nick said views of the Golden Temple at night on the water with lights shining is “absolutely stunning. 

“You knew it was some place really special,” he said. 

Inside, free food was served to pilgrims from all over the world. 

“They serve 40,000 people a day for free,” shared Nick. 

Anne added, “They get 100,000 visitors a day to the site.” 

People of all different religions in India celebrate one another’s holy days/ holidays. Nick described India as having a different concept of what it means to be “secular.” 

“They observe all of the holidays of all of the religions,” he said. “Festivals coincide with everyone’s religion, and they all celebrate Christmas.” 

The Strittmatters’ daughter-in-law is of the Hindu religion. 

Also near the Pakistan border, the Strittmatters entered an arena that had seating for 15,000 people. The Strittmatters described the event taking place in the arena as a nationalistic pep rally event between the Indian and Pakistan border patrol. 

“Historically, they have not gotten along,” said Nick of the two nations. “They’ve been to war three times.” 

Seeing the Taj Mahal was no doubt a major highlight of the trip for the Strittmatters. 

“It’s one of the greatest structures on earth,” said Nick. 

It was built by a Muslim leader in the mid-1600s. 

“It’s a show-stopper,” added Nick. 

Anne said that in WWII, tarps were tied over the Taj Mahal to protect it from destruction. 

“They have very strict zoning around the Taj Mahal,” Nick said, “so that nothing bothers the views.” 

Ranthambore National Park was also a highlight where the family saw wild tigers roaming the grounds, hunting deer. 

When visiting their daughter-in-law’s home, they all went out to eat and mimicked a traditional Indian wedding for the couple, who were married in St. Louis. 

“There was a lot of symbolism,” shared Anne. “We had a 32-course meal. It was a lot of food!” 

Overall, the Strittmatters said India was a fascinating trip to take. 

“It’s a truly amazing country,” marveled Nick.