Answers to some of the comments

I just thought I'd respond to some of the comments of the last post i wrote. There were a lot of them so I thought I should address them.

First, I love that things are different here, and just because they are different does not make it wrong. I totally know that. But i also know that many people , unless they travel to India, will never know these customs (bizarre, or interesting) and so I thought I'd shed some light on the subject. I was in no way being disrespectful of their customs.

Saying that, here is some answers to your questions:

• The family of four on the scooter (yes I knew my picture was a scooter). I've seen families of 4 on both motorcycles and scooters. I own a scooter but I've only ever had one person at the back. Balancing is not easy!! Yes, it is because people can't afford cars. There are laws in India which say you can't have more than 2 people on a bike, but a 50 rupee note will get you out of that jam.
• The black eyeliner on babies seems to be only a Hindu custom. My boyfriend is Muslim and he tells me they don't do that, and i have many christian friends and they tell me they don't put eyeliner on babies either. So it would seem to be a Hindu custom. Yes, the kohl, or kajal is made with different stuff than in the west. But I did find out that kohl is applied to Hindu newborn baby's eyes as a way to prevent being "cursed by an evil eye", and some believe it strengthens the baby's eyes.
  
• The head shaving thing seems to be more of an aesthetic thing with Indians than a custom or prevention of lice. Although lice prevention would make sense too. People here believe that it will result in thick lustrous hair.
• The arranged marriages here are a lot like match.com, but i have also met many women who did not have a choice and met their husband on the day they got married. My friend Labels is in the process of choosing her spouse, and she has all the power in her hands to say yes or no. So women/men have more choices than others. It will all depend on the family.
  
• It very well might be Hyderabad, but it is extremely hard to find a place here if you are single. I lived in a guesthouse and then with a friend before finally moving. My company had a rough time finding me housing. It took almost 2 months!!

I'll have a part 2 of the strange, and interesting facts about India coming up later this week!!