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Chennai. pretty much where I left off the last time in india with andy & joel. Haha. Still abrasive, still grating, still in-your-face. You can nvr be fully blooded when preparing for india can you. This time we got more than we bargained for- by way of Cyclone Laila. Haha its weird how you nvr think such epic stuff don’t ever happen to you; or aren’t suppose to. Like how in china 2 yrs ago we landed in Guangzhou and there was the Sichuan earthquake. The whole world knows, sans you. Haha. This time we were only privy to Laila on the plane (Air India, no less!) made several figure 8s to circumnavigate the brutal winds, finally reached over an hr later. Plans were pretty much blighted owing to the torrential downpour la.
More on continuities. oh When we reached the wagah border last time the first thing that greeted me was ‘Welcome to the largest democracy in the world’. It still is. On the news its pretty kickass. This is robust democracy par excellence, you can see journos grilling the home minister for eg putting him thru’ a baptism of fire. Not w/out defects of cos’; India’s huge, its
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onion dosa! breakfast stapleproblems endemic; and systemic. Im not abt to embark on an exegesis. oh and colors too. still very much enamored by the kaleidoscopic colours of india. when you turn the pages of lonely planer or have eyes peeled to Discovery travel & living. the visuals are still prismatic when you see them unfold before your very eyes. the slums, the multiplicity of chutneys that accompany your food, the devi snack hole-in-the-whole shops, etc.
Anws our couple of days in Chennai have pretty wicked. Am stoked to be here. Because this is the very crucible of Dravidian culture, one of the oldest forms of civilization, with its own eminent speak, culture and past. Tamil language, so fiercely safeguarded from incursions (from the Aryans, from the Hindi language that is very much de rigueur in India). Very proud to be here. Also Kollywood Kauldron here. Need I say more? Ystd we sauntered around town, even had hookahs! Yes shisha in india who’d have thought right. Today was soaking in and lapping up culture. Went to the celebrated Kapaleashwarar Temple. Replete with rich history and legacy. Ptolemy wrote abt it in his travels. First dude to have devised a world map; and
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chai! sine qua non Kapaleashwarar features in his travel writings. That’s saying a lot haha. but more than that I think being on the road, taking it all in, and having your learning reified and corporeal, goes a long way. Im especially psyched cos all those sexuality and religion modules we read in sociology, is now finally given a face/flesh. Take the temple. Its got the right matrix i reckon leong wai teng and mike hill'd fully endorse this trip haha. Avatars, Polytheism and the pantheon of deities? Check. Sexuality and deities consorting with each other? Check (Shiva and Parvati). Toponyms? The list goes on I shan’t bore you with history.
we also checked out St Thome’s Basilica as well. Yup St Thomas, of Doubting Thomas fame. The dud who asked to the nail imprints on Jesus’ palm after resurrection. Yup him. He’s buried in Chennai man hows that for stellar! Somewhere in the first century he did the missionary thing here, got martyred, got buried. I know I sound very irreverent but I was truly staggered. Very profound moment.
Leaving for Pondicherry soon. Still suffused and replete with its French heritage vestiges. Shld be good. Oh you guys can check out b’s
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working it! blog. Its keepsteadypace.blogspot.com
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Heather
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I loved your photos and post from India! That dosa and chai look so yummy! My blog is looking for travel photos, reviews, etc, to share (even of interesting foods and things). If you have the time, check it out dirty-hippies.blogspot.com, or email me at dirtyhippiesblog@gmail.com. Continued fun on your travels! Heather :)