What Do I Take Away From India?

One of my favourite times on the trip was our trip to Dharamsala, sitting in the back of the van jostling our way up the narrow roads on the mountain, having great conversation, and listening to the Evelyn's amazing music with such meaningful lyrics. I loved watching the approaching mountains and looking over the edges of the cliffs. I was forced to let go of all my worries and have complete faith in the driver and I experienced the most amazing feeling of love, happiness, and peace in my soul.

I can't stay here waiting for the punch line

Someone to tell me it's great to be alive

I could spend my whole life just reading labels

But I'm not that easily satisfied.

Norm Strauss

What do I take away from India?

1. The incredible warmth and hospitality of the Indian people
2. The friendships of those people I shared the journey with
3. The bright colours and bright smiles of the Indian people
4. The wise teachings of Swamiji, Gandhi, and the Dalai Lama
5. The desire to do more in my life: be kinder, show more compassion, and act with deliberation

"My religion is very simple: kindness is my religion, others before self."

 Dalai Lama

Dharamsala

Our last major stop in India was Dharamsala, best known as the home of the Dalai Lama. I was very excited that Doris included Dharamsala on our agenda as I had read "The Open Road - The Fourteen Dalai Lama" and really admire this wise man. Unfortunately he was in Delhai celebrating his 80th birthday, but his picture was everywhere!

We stayed in McLeod Ganj which is the headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile and a centre for the study of Buddhism and Tibetan culture. The view was spectacular - magnificent pine forests set against a backdrop of the Himalayan peaks rising to over 15 600 feet on three sides.

We visited a Tibetan Children's Village. Thousands of children flee Tibet each year and arrive often without their parents. Their parents see no hope for them in Chinese-occupied Tibet and smuggle them with guides over the Himilayan Mountains to arrive in Dharamsala so their Tibetan culture will not be lost and they will receive an education. Over 3000 children are housed in this village. The day we arrived, they were having a fair and it was fun to see all their different activities. I gave the rest of the Keatsway Student letters to the students.

I like their slogan: My Religion is Simple. Kindness is My Religion

Playing Pin the Tail on the Yak!

Beds for the Toddlers

Hiking in the Himalayas was fun but a little challenging in my Birkenstocks. Our guide was quite chatty and entertained the whole way up the mountain with his political views on India's Prime Minister, Modi. He feels that Mr. Modi is helping India by supporting a "Made in India" policy, keeping out big business like Walmart, helping to clean and green India, and getting rid of corruption in the government. 

We had a peaceful walk through the traditional tribal village of Naddi and then we walked through a forest of cedar, oak, and rhododenron to the retreat huts of Tibetan monks. It was magical walking in silence, watching the Tibetan prayer flags blowing in the breeze, and hearing the soft chanting of the monks.

We took the overnight sleeper train back to Delhai.

To The Golden Temple and Pakistan

Today we boarded the train for Amritsar, the holiest city of the Sikhs, which was founded in 1577. Our first event was to witness the colourful spectacle of the changing of the guard at the Indian Pakistan border. Each day this ritual is played out between the Indian and Pakistani border guards when the flags are lowered at sunset. Before we even got close to the border, there was a SWAT team checking our vehicles. The security was extremely tight because last month there was a bomb that went off killing over 100 people.  I was nervous as we passed by signs that read BEWARE OF ANTI-NATIONAL ELEMENTS, WARRIORS OF ATTARI, BSF SECOND TO NONE, DO NOT USE ANY FILTHY BODY LANGUAGE. The soldiers were well-armed and some were standing behind sandbag huts. You could feel the tension in the air and at one point, our guide got out and walked in front of our vehicles to get them in. Once out of the cars, we had to pass through three different personal body checks where the women had to enter an enclosed area and be searched...the men had a different line and were searched on the spot.

Once inside Doris' friend and several of her group met us and showed us the memorial that they had built in honour of the people who had been killed during the partition of Pakistan and India. In the riots which preceded the partition in the Punjab region, between 200,000 to 500,000 people were killed in the retributive genocide. 14 million Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims were displaced during the partition; it was the largest mass migration in human history.This group is making earnest efforts to foster a sustainable peace between India, Pakistan and Afganistan. The media was there to take our pictures as citizens from Canada here in India to learn about Pakistan Indian relations.

We were ushered into the open-air stadium where we were packed into the Western section. The ceremony was filled with pomp and arrogance as the Indian Army ceremony tried to outdo the Pakistani Army ceremony. Who could kick their feet higher, who could play their music the loudest, whose crowd could yell the loudest, whose soldiers could make the most agressive body language, who could wave the most flags? I personally found this drumming up of national sentiment and the aggressive behaviour towards a neighbouring country unsettling.

From here we went to the Golden Temple, the magnificent and serene centrepiece of the the Sikh religion. Before entering you need to remove your shoes, cover your head, and wash your feet in the river of water running across the entrance. It was beautiful to watch the lights reflecting off the golden structure and the tranquil waters that surround it. Pilgrims bathe in these holy waters. We participated in Langar, food that is served to all visitors for free regardless of race, cast, or religion. We ate sitting on the floor and were served food on stainless steel dishes. They serve food 24 hours a day. It cost 1 1/2 million dollars per month to run the Golden Temple and these funds are raised from Sikhs all over the world.

Old Dehli

Those warm smiles of the Indian People

Designer Sari Shops in Old Delhi

Because we had such an amazing time in the bicycle rickshaw yesterday, we decided that we would like to visit Old Delhi again. Today we walked the streets of old Dehli and it was amazing to be part of the flow on the streets. We took the bicycle rickshaw on the way back and it did not disappoint!!!!!

In the spice alley

Making our Jalebi Dessert which was very tasty. We will see if eating street food was a good idea!!

Interesting Electrical Wiring

Paan Vendor

Taj Mahal

Of all the structures I have seen, without doubt, the Taj Mahal is the MOST spectacular. Walking through the gate and catching that first glimpse of the white marble Taj Mahal standing serene and awesome against the clear blue sky was breathtaking!

The construction was started in 1631 and took 22 years to complete. There were 20 000 workers continuously working for the 22 years and they used 1 000 elephants. The marble is the best in the world and has a life span of 10 000 years! The Taj Mahal was built by Emporer Shah Jehan as a mausoleum for his beloved wife, MumtazMahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. On her death bed she asked him for four wishes: do not marry again, look after my children well, build something to remember me by, and visit me often. After she died, the Emporer went into seclusion for 60 days and when he came out, his hair had turned white. He kept his promises and he wanted the memorial structure to represent her paradise after death. After the structure was completed, Shah Jehan was deposed and imprisoned in the Agra Fort by his son. He spent the rest of his life looking wistfully across the Jamuna River at his wife's final resting place... now that is a love story! 

Agra Fort where Shah Jehan was imprisoned

Delhi in a Day

Snake Charmer

We began our day with a visit to Jama Masjit, India's largest mosque. It was constructed in the in the middle of the 17th century and is built of red sandstone and white marble. Jama Masjit is the only mosque that women are allowed to enter. They are allowed sit around the outside during prayers. I found it interesting that this mosque belongs to the Sunni group which is the more conservative Muslim group, and yet they have opened parts of the mosque to women.

Caren and I jumped into a bicycle rickshaw and experienced a once-in-a-lifetime ride. The traffic was absolute mayhem as a Jain was in his final stage of giving up his wordly possessions and he was having a large procession where his family and he were seated on a throne, pulled by two white horse. He was busy throwing candy to the crowd. This man will later pluck out his hair one by one and give away all his possessions even his clothes and walk around in the buff.

I tried to live in the moment as we wove down little alleys where the locals run their small shops. Each alley had a different theme - bicycle and auto, paper, produce, and meat...I am truly a vegetarian after that! However the most spectacular sight was not the colourful daily activities of the mixed Muslim and Hindu people, or the ability of our driver to Uturn on a dime and navigate potholes, cows, other ricksaws, as well as an onlslaught of pedestrians, but rather the web of electrical wires overhead shooting out in all directions and terminating in a huge circular mass which continues to grow like a malignate tumour.

Cutting meat by using his feet.

Next was the Gandhi Memorial with the beauty of lush green open spaces, beds of bright flowers, and cool stone walkways culminating in an eternal flame surrounded by artistic floral displays. My intellect was stimulated by the memories of an amazing man who dedicated his life to improving the lives of the Indian people through non-violent means. "My life is my message" GANDHI This sensory experience led me to a peaceful, meditative state where I felt awed by greatness, inspired to do more with my life, and yet grounded by the coolness of the stone against my barefeet...a reminder of the need to help improve the human condition in the here and now.

Next was the striking 70 meter high monument, QubMinar, which looms majesticlaly across the wide plains of Delhi. It is a spectacular space with ancient rock structures, intricately carved columns that had been stolen from many Hindu temples, before these temples were destroyed by the Mughals, all set against a backdrop of a pristene blue sky - a living work of art, a portal into another time and place with a stillness that stood in dark contrast to the honking bustle of Delhi.

Our last stop was Humayan's tomb, the first Mughal garden tomb. Again a relaxing, awe-inspiring space.

Our India experience would not be complete without an authentic Kashmir carpet buying experience. We were all herded into the back room and served Kashmir tea (a blend of saffron, cinnamon, and cardamom). The patriarche of the family gave us a very professional education on kashmir, pashmina, and silk rugs. It was a very entertaining performance with his helpers slapping out one rug after another on command. The rugs were of the highest quality with 600 to 2 000 hand knots per square inch. Jennifer, Stephanie, and Evelyn are now the proud owners of a handknotted Kashmir rug.

We then picked up a beautician and brought her back to the hotel where we enjoyed pedicures, face massages, and facials.

What a delightful Delhi day!

Flying to Delhi

Two uneventful flights brought us to North India and the capital of India - Delhi. Delhi has a population of 18 million, half the population of Canada. I was most surprised at the greening initiative that has taken place over the last 15 years. There are so many trees that have been planted and the young ones are encased in Eco Messages about keeping Delhi clean and green. The air quality is much improved as the auto-rickshaws and the buses now run on natural gas. There are also a lot of bicycle rickshaws, unlike Bangalore. Delhi is putting in a real effort to manage its garbage and they are doing a reasonable job. The city is filled with beautiful gardens and parks. The landscaping is very creative and they include lots of interesting trees and bushes of different heights to add interest. Finally you have beautiful mosques and temples glittering with gold. It would appear that the greening initiative has relaxed the atmosphere and congestion, helping the health of the city. Tarun, our guide, remembers being a child in Delhi and never being able to see blue sky!

Without doubt though, there is still lots of poverty here. You can see tarped shelters on sidewalks and small communities of people living in tarped shelters in the middle of large roundabouts. We passed one shanty town located by the Yamung River and most of the shanties had a satellite dish. Hawkers are illegal, but our guide explained in a very matter-of-fact way that they are everywhere because they pay bribes to the police and that policing is a very good job because of all the 'extra' income. This is just the Indian way. It is interesting how the city does not try to hide poverty and they just seem to accept and tolerate each other. Perhaps this is due in part to the cast system where you are not to try to break out of your cast, but you are to accept your position and hopefully get a better position through reincarnation.

At one point on the freeway, I saw a young man driving a motorcycle with his girlfriend dressed in a sari sidesaddle on the bike. They had a parcel in between them and he was driving with one hand while shaking Skittles into his mouth with the other! Safety isn't a top priority, but when some teachers have to take ladder safety training it makes you wonder which society is crazier!