The Road to Truth

“There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth...not going all the way, and not starting.”- Buddha

This quote was shared to me by my wonderful colleague and friend Alica. As much as I'm tired after this 6 1/2 weeks away, I am so glad that I decided to extend my trip and visit Rishikesh. I would have regretted traveling so far and not going all the way. This is an amazing town in India, and many flock here because they are searching for something...

I'm ready to leave tomorrow because I don't need to search any longer. Everything I need is back where I started... looking forward to seeing my husband and family in the United States.

At the Ashram

Rishikesh is known as the Yoga Capital of the World. It made it's mark in the 1960s when the Beatles settled at the Maharishi Mahesh Yoga Ashram. Yoga facilities are dotted along the main streets, along with the many cows and motorbikes that fly by. The town is filled with hippies and backpackers. I'm not sure where I fit in the mix, since I'm by far not a hippy, although I haven't yet showered in 2 days... so maybe I blend in a bit :)

This is my first true travel experience by myself, and in a way, it is nice to have the time to decompress and reflect upon my experiences from the past 6 weeks. I've taken a couple of yoga classes so far, then spent the morning / afternoon just wandering the town. Dinner was spent with four Brits traveling India. It was really nice chatting by the water with them, although they are all on the beginning part of their journey. We're meeting up tomorrow for yoga, then swimming in the Ganges before my train ride to Delhi. I'm sure I'll have to be fully disinfected once I return home :)

Rishikesh

At 5:50am I said goodbye to the Taj Mahal Hotel in Delhi, grabbed a cab and headed to the New Delhi train station. Luckily, being a New Yorker prepared me for the journey. The station is laid out pretty well, and I was able to locate the correct platform and find my coach and seat. After 4 1/2 hours, I arrived in Haridwar, only to have an hour taxi ride to Rishikesh.

Next, I walked across the narrow Lakshman Jhula pedestrian bridge packed with people, motorbikes (which shouldn't be there), and of course a resting cow. The bridge spans the Ganges River, and you definitely can feel and see the bridge move, swaying precariously above the river. My destination was the Sant Seva Ashram... I paid extra for the deluxe air-conditioned room, but when I entered I realized I would be in the exact opposite of the 5-star accommodations that I've been accustomed to these past 6 weeks. The one bright note is that I have a balcony that overlooks the roaring Ganges River, filled to the brim with monsoon water. The view is spectacular and worth the trip. And at least I packed toilet paper (there's none in the room) and extra hand sanitizer.

Last Day of the Fulbright Program

August 5th we had a debriefing about the Fulbright-Hays program at the USIEF office. Afterwards, the group was interviewed about our experience from a reporter at the Hindustan Times.

Then Debbie and I were off to visit Vidya, the non-profit organization I had the privilege of volunteering with 2 years ago. We headed to the metro, and were pleasantly transported ew York style to Dwarka, Sector 13. The next part of the adventure was the Cycle Rickshawalla ride to Pappankalan. At last it was wonderful to see Indu again after two long years. The best surpise was to find the beautiful space Vidya is now renting. Growing out of the 3 rooms scattered in the town, a beautiful white building, 3 stories tall stands in the town. I was amazed to see familiar faces of the wonderful teachers in the rooms. There are great rooms set up for the women's sewing group, which produces pieces of work for sale in the market, along with fantastic rooms for students to learn. Art is adorned on the walls, and it was nice to see a photo of myself on the wall, along with the Flat Stanleys (known as Flat Bharats / India) on the wall. We chatted over a cup of chai (the most delicious cup of tea ever), but had to leave rather quickly to attend to our other tasks.

In the evening, I headed to a former colleague's apartment near Humayan's Tomb. Michael's new place is as beautiful as ever. It was fantastic to see him after 2 years, and was great to catch up over a delicious vegetarian meal. Michael is a wonderful soul, and a model educator who cherishes culture and travel.

After a great night, it was back for a final night at the Taj Mahal Hotel. Tomorrow, I'm traveling solo and have an early morning train to Haridwar, then taxi up to Rishikesh, the yoga capital of the world. I'm staying at the Sant Seva Ashram, which overlooks the Ganges. Should be an adventure.

The Taj Mahal - Round 2

Bill Clinton said something similar to 'There are 2 kinds of people in the world. Those that have seen the Taj Mahal, and those that haven't.' On August 4th I was one of the fortunate in the world to see the Taj Mahal in Agra for a second time. It is still as magnificent as ever.

P.S. Flat Stanley finally made it to see the Taj for his first time. He was quite excited :)

Saturated

The first of August was spent visiting Ashadeep Vidyashram (Lamp of Hope), a non-profit school designed for impoverished kids in the area. The major difference between this school and other schools we’ve visited was that this school had small class sizes, and was only comprised of poor children. The hope is to obtain a larger building for school use, hire excellent teachers, and have a mix of students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

Later we saw the Birla Temple, which is a large temple complex that houses seven temples – one for Shiva, Narayan, Durga, etc. After lunch we saw Sarnath, which is renowned for ancient remains of Buddhist stupas, monasteries and temples. I had to jump on one of the ruins to do a yoga pose :)

In the evening we were treated to a Sitar concert and dinner with the USIEF staff and friends. It was a lovely night, but I'm getting tired... not sure if it's the heat or the pace of the past 5+ weeks. Looking forward to getting back to Delhi tomorrow evening.

Shopping in the City

For our free Sunday, Debbie, Katie, and I headed to town to shop. Again, it has been extremely hot in the city, so we stopped along the way to hydrate with sugary lime-sodas and cookies enjoying the store’s simple fan cooling system. We snaked through the side streets, avoiding the group of orange people chanting, who were set to carry water to the Shiva temple. We stopped by the ghat to view the Ganges and take in the sights.

In the evening, after cleaning up, we enjoyed a nice meal at the hotel restaurant. I do love the hakka noodles, and the wine wasn’t too bad as well. It’s all about having good company.

Varanasi - Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

The evening of July 30th, the group walked the busy town of Varanasi, which is one of the oldest living cities of the world. It is situated on the north bank of the Ganges River, and is an important religious city in India since Hindu pilgrims come to wash away a lifetime of sins in the river, or to cremate their loved ones.

We were walking along a street, listening to Dr. Arvind Singh discuss the spiritual aspects of Varanasi, when I thought it was raining. I covered my camera, then looked down at my arm and noticed it wasn’t a raindrop that touched my skin, but rather ashes falling from the sky. We walked up stairs to view a cremation ceremony at a burning ghat (bathing steps leading down to the water). It was intense to see this ceremony, but we moved on to the cow covered backstreets only to have a funeral procession pass by.

Afterwards, we experience aarti, a sunset ceremony at the Ganges, where people send lighted candles down the river, and saw priest carry out a ceremony with music from conch shells, fire, and song.

Overnight Train Ride

After a great tour of Kolkata, we headed to the train station to board the 7:40pm train to Varanasi. The 16 of us arrived at the station and then embarked on 2 separate cars, finding our sleeper seat/bed number. It was a challenge in the

beginning since I was juggling my luggage, backpack, pocketbook, and people love to just walk right through you. A group of 6 older men stationed themselves across from me, and proceeded to set up a loud game of cards and have visitors stop right in front of my bed/seat.


At this point, India can be in your face too much, so I had to decide if I'd let the 10 hours be miserable, or have fun in the moment.

I chose to have fun in the moment, and started a conversation with the group of cardplayers (figuring it's better to make friends with my neighbors). They were playing a rummy type game with multiple decks and at least 30 cards per person. I settled in to my top bunk, tied my giant pocketbook to my leg to prevent theft (although I was hoping my new friends would prevent that), put on my ipod headphones and tried to rest.

Notice the spacious cabin room :)

All in all, it was an adventure. Special thanks to the porters.. the skinniest men ever who balance tons of weight on their head, not including arms. My suitcase is the gray one.. and it's quite heavy.

Boat Ride on the Ganges

July 29th was spent on a little boating trip on the Ganges river. It is getting a bit toasty in India, at times I wonder if I'll burst into flames. The people of this area cool down in the river, which looks inviting.

We visited Belur Math (which has nothing to do with mathematics), is a place that people from all religions of the world come to pray. I'm a bit saturated with information at this point in the journey, so I will have to look up the facts and significance of this location later.


Next we went to Kumartuli, a center for giant clay idol makers. They were working on making clay idols for the Durga Puja festival, which is coming up in September.

Bengali Culture

July 28th was spent at the Loreto Day School, headed by Sister Cyril, an amazing Irish no-nonsense nun. The school is a mix of students from various socio-economic backgrounds. The school teaches a group called the Rainbow kids, who may be orphans, children of prostitutes, or homeless. Sister Cyril encourages all her students to give back to the community. Older students work one-on-one with the Rainbow kids during the week. It was a privilege to meet with Sister Cyril and have to discuss the education system in India frankly with us.

Later that afternoon, we went back to the American Center in Kolkata for an exhibition of traditional scroll paintings. Rabindranath Tagore, the great Bengali poet, writer, artist, etc. was revealed in poetry readings and a dance performance set to his music.

City of Joy

Kolkata has a different vibe than the rest of the places we visited in India. Its pulse is similar to New York’s, with the tons of yellowy-orange taxicabs filling the streets, the sounds of honking (which seem louder in this town), and the general hustle and bustle on the streets. It’s definitely city life in this town, and I forgot how much I miss New York.

On the 27th, a small group of us went to the Victoria Memorial, created to honor Queen Victoria. We had a brief visit of St. Paul’s Church. I enjoyed some time on my own in the streets of this city, walking the sidewalks, avoiding the pushy sales-people that line the streets. I had a great time at the Oxford Bookstore, browsing through Bengali writers like Tagore and Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay. I was on the hunt for Bengali-English titles for my school, but unfortunately only found a few Bengali comics.

The afternoon was a City Tour, beginning with St. John’s Cathedral, then Rabinadrath Tagore’s house. It was wonderful seeing Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, seeing the sisters continue her work.

The night was complete when Debbie and I went to the Inox Forum mall to watch Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, a Hindi movie about a bachelor party in Spain. This was my third, and only successful attempt at purchasing movie tickets (they sell out and you get assigned seats). We had a great time eating popcorn, watching the Hindi commercials, and deciphering the movie. I’d say we understood about 70% of the film, but missed out on the jokes as the entire theater (except us) laughed. A few things about Indian cinema: 1. The movies are long…. It started at 7:50 and didn’t finish till almost 11pm. 2. The volume of the sound is extremely loud. 3. You can freely talk on your cell phone during the movie (which may account for #2). 4. You are free to bring babies and kids who may scream, cry, or talk during the film (again see #2). 5. There is intermission (another chance to get more popcorn). Overall, I loved the cinema experience and hope to see one more film, time permitting, before I leave.

Kolkata

It's amazing that 4 weeks in India have already passed, and we are in Kolkata for the last leg of our tour. On July 26th, we visited the American Center for a wonderful overview on Kolkata, "A Journey into the City of Joy," by Dr. Niladri Chatterjee. Later we visited a family home and were treated to a delicous dinner and conversation with the many family members. I was intrigued that a 10th year student desires to go to the University of Kansas for her studies.

Odissi Dance

On July 25th, we toured the Sixty Four Yogini Temple in Hirapur.

In the evening, we had a lecture with wonderful demonstration of Odissi Dance. Odissi is a classical dance form that originated in the temples. Boys also perform this dance, as they bend their bodies into backbends and flexible postures. The highlight of the performance was choreography made about cyclones and tsunami's in the region. The dancers brought to life a scene of girls playing, then wind (represented by male dancers) and water (represented by women in blue) arrived. It was truly moving.

Flat Stanley

FYI, the little paper guy in the photos is Flat Stanley. He's from a children's book about a boy who was flattened by a bulletin board, then has adventures around town and the world. Kids usually have to mail their Stanley to a different location. Folks take pictures of Stanley in different places, and mail back the pictures with a letter about Stanley's adventures. My Stanley is laminated and already has been to India, although he was denied entrance to the Taj Mahal 2 years ago. He's hoping to return and finally see the Taj.

Crashing a Yoga Class

Sunday was a beautiful free day, which we all desperately needed from traveling/ touring/ learning about the 4 cities in a week. It began when I crashed a yoga session on the lawn of the Mayfair Lagoon hotel at an early 6am. I tiptoed out to the class, which was already in session meditating. A sari-ed yoga participant motioned for me to take a spot, and I unraveled my orange mat and joined in, loving that the class was not in English. After 15 minutes, the instructor acknowledged my presence. I was the only non-Indian, and only participant wearing Lululemon and Be Present gear, so I guess I didn’t blend in too well with the class. He said something in Hindi or Oriya (the local language), then spoke in English to me since he saw I didn’t understand his question. He noticed that I am familiar with yoga and was free to join the class. I thanked him and continued practicing.

The class was over 90 minutes and it was amazing to be instructed in a foreign language. I followed the movements (not the traditional vinyasa flow I practice), and loved the breathing techniques. We practiced each of the following techniques for about 10-15 minutes: kapalabhati (forceful exhales and an energizing breath), bhastrika (also more forceful exhales), nadi shodana (alternate nostril breathing). Afterwards we did a few more movements, and even had a bout of laughing yoga… yes, there really is such a thing, and even more funny when people were pointing at a monkey swinging from a tree during the session.

I thanked the instructor and then had a lovely chat with the women. A few of them had children in the U.S., and they said they would see me tomorrow for yoga at 5:45 am. I spent the rest of the day keeping healthy with a run, delicious breakfast, then massage and manicure at the spa. Just gearing up for another long week.

Monday morning I was the first one to join the 5:45am yoga class, and loved every minute of the 90 minute class. I took a photo with the women of the class and yes, they performed the yoga in their saris. I also exchanged information with a husband and wife whose son is living in NY and will be visiting the city for 6 months. It is always fun to find new yogis to hang out with :)

Bhubeneswar

July 22nd we had a morning flight to Bhubaneswar, the capital of the state of Orissa also known as the “Temple City of India.” There was a panel discussion on Orissa and then a visit to the Bakul Foundation, a great non-profit that encourages volunteerism in India. Their library, decorated in a jungle motif, is one of the best children’s library in the country.

On July 23rd we saw the temples of Puri from a distance, then went up to Konark, famous for the Sun Temple. This temple is carved in the shape of a chariot carrying Surya, the sun god.

The people dressed in orange were carrying water 60 kilometers barefoot to a Shiva temple. We saw them along the entire way, along the bus route, at the sea, and at the Sun Temple. They have to perform this act 3 times in their life.