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Published: July 15th 2009
July 12th
The Taj is supposedly a symbol of eternal love but is rather a reflection of “the emperor’s meglomania, and unrivalled vanity than his legendary romantic disposition” - India Rough Guide. The Mughla emperor Shah Jahan had it built as a tomb for his wife after the birth of their fourteenth child. It cost 41 million rupees, 20 thousand men, and 20 years to build. It has 500 kilos of gold. The Shah was disposed by his son and in turn at the fort (our next stop) where he died gazing wistfully at the Taj Majal (Majal means “chosen one” and was the name of his wife). It is known for its symmetry and elegance and even on Mom’s third visit she wasn’t impressed. We were aroused from our slumbers - which happened every time we sat down - to visit the Unity Temple. It was built in 2001 to celebrate all religions. The long day ended around 9:30pm, our driver’s dedication and constant smile was amazing.
July 13th
Spiritual India! We are a small group of 8. Kimberly is a special ed teacher from Chicago, Anika is from Sweden, Andy is from NYC (both
are IT people), Tom is from Belfast and there is a couple from Canada. Our guide is Dinesh. We’re not a particularly spiritual group but we are all pretty much well travelled.
We started the day exploring Delhi. We took the new and shiny metro to a Sikh temple. Sikh means disciple and is a religion based on tolerance and service. There is no original sin, no retirement from the world, no dowry, no divorce. There are five things that religious Sikhs values: They can’t cut their hair, ever, anywhere 😉... They must wear a comb, a spear, and a bangle (to symbolize the unity of all things) and special boxer shorts (?). They have communal kitchens and one of their mandates is to provide food. We helped them make chapati, stir vats of dahl, ate sweet ghee (butter). We ate sitting in back to back rows, facing each other, staring and being stared at. (Photographs and videos to come!)
Then we took the public bus to Jami Masjid (the largest mosque in India -?Asia?). We had to don pink polka dotted gowns even with the sweltering heat but that didn’t stop us from climbing to the very top of
the minarets. After seeing the posters of naked men plastered along the city’s walls we were informed that they are Jain gurus. Hence our next stop to a Jain temple (where we saw no naked people). There were colourful murals painted on the wall depicting the Jain values and history.
Atchoo!!! We sneezed and squeezed our way through the spice market and ended up in the modern part of the city, Connought place where we hailed a rickshaw to visit Gouri Choundhry, a founder of Action India. Nervous and excited and drenched in sweat because of the heat (again and still) we found our way to her office. There we were able to talk with her and a few of the leaders who work for Action India. All of the leaders had grown up in the urban slums and participated in Action India’s programs which focus on forming a support group for children where they can talk about issues such as gender and sexuality and self empowerment. Gouri felt that violence against women has increased in the last 40 years (or is at least more well known), selected genetics is growing and as a result there is a one to
Monkey in the middle
making dinner at the Sikh temple! six ratio of women to men and the problems connected with dowries continue. I was able to share with them the work that I do with Girls Learn International and they gave me a copy of the dvd that they put together about their GLI programs.
Pooped and exhausted I fell into (leapt onto) the top bunk of the overnight train to Amristar. Although immediately creeped out by the public nature of the sleeper, (there was no privacy what-so-ever and the idea of someone coming along and grabbing our bags with all of our stuff in them while we were asleep or not looking was constantly in the back - and front - of our minds) it turned out that we had nothing to worry about. Or were at least spared, this time. We fell asleep listening to the open and closing of the car door all night long and the cries of men walking through selling tomato soup and chi tea.
July 14th Amristar
Our backpackers hotel was a compound complete with tents, a swimming pool and a play ground. The main event in Amristar was the Golden Temple. It was built in 1577 by Ram
Das (the original). There was a bathing pool famous for its healing powers that mom second guessed all night long whether she should have gone in or not. In 1919 there was an unarmed demonstration that ended in a massacre by the Brittish. In 1984 it was revisited by Indira Ghandi during operation blue star which led to her assignation by her Sikh body guards (the Sikh are known for their skills as warriors). There was live music and chanting being played over a loud speaker overtaking the sounds of the entire temple. It is the supreme place of pilgrimage for Sikhs. People walked in lines with puja offerings that weren’t offerings but an act of sharing instead.
Before dinner we went to the flag ceremony at the border between India and Pakistan. It commenced with a relay race of flag waving and running and continued with a girls rave in the middle, including both the young and the old. Then came the high kicking guards, encouraged by the rabble rouser who incited the crowd to scream with patriotic fervor.
Mom: This trip seems less of a spiritual journey. I’m still focusing on coping, surviving and keeping it all together,
not messing up, absorbing being pleasant and maintaining a public persona. There is a heaviness of organized religion and it takes a leap of faith. I am still unwinding from school, home...and transitioning from one life into another. I am struggling with all the uncertainty and the meaninglessness of doing, and not doing and the absurdity of believing in anything. It is a precarious balance of believing and going with the flow, and accepting what is, and the old question of passivity and self determination.
Sasha: I am still trying to get my head around the fact that I am in fact in India, the place that seemed so far away for so long and is now all around me, in sight as well as smell and sound. I am still searching for the theme of this year’s trip. Perhaps it is spiritual enlightenment, perhaps it is finding my own independence as I am about to enter my last year of high school, perhaps it is learning about new cultures and religions and rethinking my personal philosophy, and most likely it is a combo-platter.
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Sarah
non-member comment
"combo-platter" - you were in Mr. Duffy's class, eh? i love reading about your trip - hope you are having a great time and learning a lot!