New beginning?

AMRITSAR, PUNJAB - I woke up at 4:15 am... we had a train to Delhi at 6:10 am. During meditation, I thought to myself.... this is it, the end to the first portion of our trip, and the beginning of the second portion. The first phase.. we explored a lot, we observed, we learned about a few NGO's (what they do, how they operate, and their philosophy), and we talked to people and learned about their lives. But, at that moment in mediation, I felt ready for a new beginning, for phase 2. It's time to take more initiative, and actually DO more, versus just learning and exploring. The act of actually doing work... is also a way of exploring and learning... but it's the more active way. So, this was it... I'm convincing myself that I will take more initiative, I will be more enthusiastic, and I will be more ACTIVE... I'm ready for a new beginning!

So, we reach the train station on a rickshaw. We get off, go to our platform.... BAM.. it hits me... I forgot my "thaili" (bag) on the rickshaw... not my big backpack with all my stuff... but my small bag with my journal in it! I've written in this almost everyday since I've been here... and even the week before I left. It was an awesome looking journal as well... with Mahatma Gandhi on the cover, and a different Gandhi quote on each page. Reshma and Beans got it for me when they went to India a couple of years back. I had already filled over 100 pages in it! I went back, looking for the rickshaw, etc.... nothing. It was gone. I had asked for a new beginning... and here it was, I got it.

Overall, I consoled myself with the fact that at least I've been keeping up a pretty-detailed blog, and I've taken many pictures... and I've been through this experience before.

Most of you know the story of the time when I was in India with my family 3 years ago... we had travelled extensively that summer.... mumbai, surat, ahemdabad, bangalore, ooty, mysore, kerala, kanyakumari, madurai, pune, etc... and I had taken 11 rolls of film worth of pictures (before the time of digital cameras)... Of course, on the second last day of my stay, I was with PAras, and left my backpack with all 11 rolls of film on a rickshaw. I was pretty devestated then... but, my consolation, then, was that at least I had kept a solid journal.

This time... I may have lost my journal... but at least I have my pictures! (cross my fingers.. knock on wood.. I hope I don't lost my camera!!! =P)

(I also had 3 Bhangra mp3 CD's in that small bag that we had gotten from amritsar... =(.. gone, as well... but that's it.. nothing "monetarily" valuable)

Golden Temple

The place was unbelievably beautiful. You step into the complex and you feel the peace of the place, and the peace and devotion of all those that are in the complex. We went straight from the train station to the Golden Temple at 4 am, and we were expecting not that many people there, but there were so many! Just as many as there were in 4 in the afternoon! It is THE place of pilgrimmage for Sikhs, and one of THE places to visit in India for tourists and spiritual seekers.

We ended up spending our whole day at the Golden Temple, trying to learn a little bit about Sikhism through the museum, reading in the library, and talking to people (although it was quite difficult to understand the Punjabi-Hindi mix of most folks). Guru Nanak, one of the Great Indian Saints, was the founder of the guiding principles of this "religion". To me and to many "Hindus" (I don't like using this term, which I'll explain why at some point... but for now, I'll use it), Sikhism is within the same philosophical family as "Hinduism". However, if they want a separate identity, then who are we to say that they aren't different? Where did this desire for a new identity come from? According to Guru Nanak, there were many aspects of the "Hindu" way of life that didn't see right, especially the way it was being practised.... the caste system was rigid and oppressive, people were reciting verses without any thought, rituals were being done without understanding, sadhus would leave all their worldy responsibilities and go off into the mountains, idols were being worshipped not as a path to God but as God themselves -- all of these things, he disagreed with. He believed that people should do their worldy responsibilities and commit to God that way. He desired to rid barriers of the caste system.

The Guru Granth Sahib was compiled by the 5th Guru, Guru Arjan Dev - and includes many verses from the first 5 Sikh Gurus, and other Indian saints and poets that coincide with their beliefs. From what I read, the attempt was to rid the glorious Indian culture of the aspects that were making it degenerate, and attempt to "perfect" Indian culture paying respects to great Indian saints and rishis of the past.

As I looked back at the Golden Temple one last time, before we left that night... I prostrated myself and put my forehead to the ground... and bowed down to all the Indian saints, avators, and mahatmas that have enriched our culture, and, personally, my life -- from Ram and Krishna, to Buddha and Mahavir, to Guru Nanak and Kabir, to Gandhiji and Tagore, to Dadaji (Pandurang Shastri Athawale).

some questions:
1) To me, Sikhism seems to negate a lot of things that were being practice by Indians in their religious life... but are there any NEW beliefs that weren't already included within the Indian spiritual philosophy?

2) As much as Guru Nanak didn't want ritualistic reciting of scriptures, and didn't want worship of any person or inanimate object... doesn't it seem that the "Guru Granth Sahib" is now being worshipped? (instead od only being a guide to living)

3) The Sikhs have always fought very valiantly for their faith and religion, and the Mughals and the British realized that the Sikhs were forces to reckon with. This seemed to continue after independence... at least for a minority of Sikhs, who attempted (and, some continue to attempt) to from a separate nation-state of Khalistan. However, is this the common desire of Sikhs? And anywhere in the teachings of the Gurus or the Guru Granth Sahib does it indicate that Sikhs should be separate from mainstream Indian spirituality?

Peaceful Dal Lake in Srinagar

SRINAGAR, KASHMIR - My mom heard Srinagar and was definily afraid... on the news, you hear about the tensions between India and Pakistan, and terrorism is now a word we all hear about 100 times a week. But, we heard that things between India and Pakistan were calm.. so we took the bus from Leh to Srinagar. The bus stopped in Kargil for 10 minutes... and then, we spent the night in Drass (50 km away from Kargil). The next day, we completed the trip to Srinagar.

Srinagar... the city is mainly a tourist-based city.. tourism being their main industry. The population is 95% Muslim, and they speak Kashmiri and Urdu... so, when we try our broken Hindi, they definitely know that we're not from around there. We were there for two nights, doing mainly toursity type tings, staying on a houseboat, taking "shikara" rides (their boats) on Dal Lake visitng the Mughal Gardens, etc. We hiked up Shankaracharya Hill, where they have a Shiva Mandhir on top...

So... as were doing all these things, we wanted to find some people to talk to, and maybe get a little insight into Islam, and the Kashmir situation, etc. But, who can we talk to in these "touristy" places? Well, we didn't have to look any further than those "scary" looking army guys, with the big old rifles... which can be found EVERYWHERE in Kashmir (on the roads, on top of rooftops, hiding in trees, everywhere...). They would ask us, "What are you doing here? Where are you from?" and as soon as we told them that we're from the U.S., a friendly smile would come across their face, and before we know it, we'd be chatting with them... they'd be asking questions about life in the U.S., we'd be asking questions about Kashmir, etc. It seems like most of them are pretty bored and don't have much to do, now that tensions have died down. It's really sad to see that two monetarily poor countries like Pakistan and India would spend so much of their budget (20-25% for India, probably more for Pakistan) on their military!!! Imagine if this situation was solved 50 years ago... how much moeny could have been saved, and could have been used on infrastructure and other, better uses.

On one of our tourist stops, we stopped at the Hazratbal Masjid, a beautiful masjid right on the banks of Dal Lake. It took us about 40 minutes to get there from the gardens, on the shikara (I took a little nap on the boat). When we got there, they were in the middle of their Namaaz, which was pretty cool to see. At this point.. I thought it was time for me to sit, and meditate, and just think a little bit. I needed an outlook change... I think all this travelling has started to make me a little mentally tired, and I kinda lost the aspect of takin initiative. So, I was just hoping for something that would lift my enthusiasm.

As we were exiting the masjid, we started chattig with this police officer - Zahoor Ahemd - the highlight of our day. We ended up talking to him for over an hour - about Islam, 'Hinduism' (which I don't really believe exists...), jihad, Kashmir, etc. At times, it was difficult to understand his Urdu/Hindi... but, overall, we got the gist.

The conversation was with Zahoor was a real quality conversation, and I really felt close to him, and he had a very warm, welcoming attitude. He wanted us to ask more and more questions about Islam... and reall believed that is was the duty of Muslims to educate people about their religion, and not just stay isolated in the areas that they live in.

He explained his interpretation of the concept of "jihad" to us, which has been this controversial issue all around the world, recently. First, there's internal "jihad". Our efforts to conquer the bad habits that we have... and to purify all our intentions. We shouldn't be doing things for selfish reasons, for fame, for greed, etc... we should be doing all things for Allah, for God. And also, our path toward "self-realization" Both of these are included in "internal jihad". The second portion is the "external jihad". They believe that no one should be able to watch evil take place, and just stand on the side and do nothing about it. First, we must use our voice and speech to try to stop the evil from occurrinh through reasoning. Then, if that doesn't work, we must use our hand, body, force. He stressed that this is any evil that we see... even if the recepient of the evil is a Hindu, or a Christian... if it is an evil, than it is the Muslim's duty to do somethin about it.

Now, my question is... who can really judge what is evil and what is not? Where does the Muslim's definition of evil come from? It comes from the Koran... they believe that he Prophet Mohammed is the last Prophet, and that the Prophet's life is thought of by Allah, by God, as the ideal life. Then, do Muslims use Mohammed's life as their judge for good and evil? We got into this a little bit with Zahoor, but not much.. so, if anyone can shed any light on this subject...

Hindu-Muslim problems, especially in India, he says, and we probably agree mostly, are largely brought about by the politicians... and exagerrated by the media. However, they are still there... and the underlying feeling is still there, as well... how is one to get rid of this feeling? In most cities in India, Hindus and Muslims live separately... and they both like it this way. But, how will they ever REALLY learn about each other's lifestyles, and learn the accept these lifestyles, and respect these lifestyles, unless they start to intermingle more and live closer together? Even Zahoor said that he thought it was good that they lived separated, because then they can hold on to their religion with a stronger grip, and people would be more devoted. But, he also said that it mandatory for Muslims to go out and educate people about their religion.

Finally, on the topic of Kashmir... him, like almost everyone else we talked to in Kashmir, hopes for a free Kashmir. Their feeling is that Pakistan and India both don't care about the people.. all they care about is the land.

All-in-all, I took a real liking to this guy... who didn't hesitate to laugh and flash a smile. He wanted us to ask more and more questions... and listened to our explanations on murti pooja, etc. His devotion to Allah, his sincerity, and conviction were displayed clearly through his mannerisms and speech. If we were to have stayed in Srinagar longer.. it would have been cool to spend more time with him, learn a little more about Islam, etc.....

Question: those that know a little about Islam or that are Muslim... what is your take on the religion on the topics of... jihad, idol worship, tolerance, God, etc.?

Leh - Drass - Srinagar

Today morning (Sept. 23rd), we off on bus from Leh to Srinagar. The bus leaves at 6 am, goes through Kargil, and reaches Drass at around 5 pm. We stay the night in Drass, and then leave at about 4 am to go to Srinagar, where we reach around 11 am. The plan is only to stay a couple of nights in Srinagar... we're already feeling that our North India travels are winding down! But the excitement, and exploration definitely does not end... hopefully, we'll get a glimpse of what life is like in Kashmir and what life has been like in Kashmir over the last 60 years. A really cool thing that a couple of Americans are doing is Friends Without Borders... check out the website - www.friendswithoutborders.org.

Signing off from Ladakh... after Srinagar, we're headed to Amritsar, that'll probably the next time we'll have internet.

The Ghams of Ladakh...

On the 18th afternoon (we wanted to leave in the morning, but missed the early bus... therefore, I spent most of the day putting up pictures for you to enjoy), we left for our "Homestays" in Ladakhi villages. They basically tell you where these villages are, and they inform the residents that we're coming.

I could write in detail... because there is so much to write about.. but I'll try to keep it short... for now, I'll write about what we did... and I'll write about my thoughts and observations later...

Outline: We stayed for two nights in the village of Tarutse (near Likir), and then trekked (supposed to be a 6 hour treak) to the village of Ulley, where we stayed two nights. We then trekked (1.5 hours) to Yang-thang, where we took the bus back to Leh.

Village life: Working on the farm, chatting in the kitchen, drinking a lot of tea (especially "butter tea" - water, tea, butter, and salt which they drink like water...), and just pinching myself so I'd realize that it all wasn't a dream.... that's what life was like.

Tarutse: As soon as we got to the house, we were introduced to everyone, Dolma (wife), Dorje (husband), Aanchook (brother of husband), and little Lak-pa (adopted Nepali kid that goes to school and helps with work). Soon after, we joined them in there work on the farm - we collected wheat/barley that was already harvested and put them into bags. Ladakhis have a different "chant/song/whistle" for each type of work... as we worked.. "yaa-li la-mo-le", we chanted. =) As we were coming back into the house, I was told to grab the leash of the bull to "bring him in". I was following Dorje-le (they use "-le" as we use "-ji" for respect), and didn't know where to take the bull. BLUNDER #1 - I brought the bull all the way through the last gate before the house - where Dolma-le was milking the cow... she suddenly saw the bull and let out a loud "yelp!"... for a second, I thought I did something TERRIBLY wrong... it wasn't as a big as I first though... I realized this wasn't where the bull was supposed to go... and retraced my tracks and they showed me where the bull was supposed to be. The kitchen is the center of the household... after all the work is done, everyone sits in the kitchen to chat before dinner, then they eat dinner, and then continue chatting after dinner. This is when BLUNDER #2 occurred for me. As were chatting... I was whistling the "yali lamole" tune, but Dorje-le told me to stop, suddenly. He told me that they believe that if you whistle after dark, then you are calling ghosts! He joked semi-seriously, "I'm only trying to help you - they'll come after you when they come, not us..." Fortunately for me... no ghosts that night.
The next entire day we spent with Dorje-le, as Dolma-le went to a relative's place because there was a death in the family. We woke up at around 5:45 AM, and went through our morning routine. After some tea, we were back to work outside. After chasing away the sheep and cows that were feasting on the harvest... we gathered more wheat/barley in bags, then emptied the bags on top of a storage room, and then pushed the barley through a whole in the roof into the storage room. BLUNDER #3 - As I was helping push the barley through the whole, I was walking to the other side, on top of the pile of barley... when suddenly my foot fell in! I just discovered the second hole into the storage room. I wasn't hurt.. and we went about our business.... =P We washed our clothes in the stream.. took a bath in the stream.. did "pooja" in their mandhir (every Ladakhi has a very large mandhir in their home)...Sampat churned butter...
Overall, a very solid village experience.

The trek to Ulley: This description will probably find its own blog entry... basically, a "supposedly" 6 hour journey... was actually an 11 hour journey for us... from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm, from starting point to final destination.

Ulley: Ulley is a 7 household gham perched high in the dry Himalayan region. I'm not going to go into too much detail... but basically, we did some more farm work... and some more learning about Ladakhi culture, and village life. We helped separate the barley from the dry grass - after the yak were done trampling on them to get the barley out. We walked around a little... Sampat climbed a mountain... I churned butter this time... we did a little Ladakhi dancing with 15-year-old Stunzen... we kicked it with Dadi... overall... just another day on the farm. =)

Observations:
-Nonstop tea.
-Women seem to have a pretty equal status to men - Dorje-le cooked and cleaned and everything when Dolma-le was gone.
-Each family (our survey of 4 houses that we visited) had children that were in Leh or Himis (another city) that were going to school, but they still had one male family member to pass the farm on to. The kids that go to school are probably going to get "jobs".
-Farm work.. physical labor.. is TOUGH.. especially for us.. who aren't used to it. But, the Ladakhis work hard... but the work is still done at their own pace... and doesn't seem "forced".
-The houses in the villages are really spread out... and it seems that one can easily get lonely as they are only surrounded by their own family.
-The standard family has a fairly large house (2 to 3 stories), a large amount of land where they grow barley and possibly some other fruits and vegetables, a large number of various animals - sheep, yak, cows, bulls, goat, etc.
-Pooja in the mandhir is a daily part of life.
-Everyone that is living in the household helps out with work - it's pretty well-divided (even Dadi was hard at work!)
-The "warm" welcoming feeling is slightly clouded by the fact that we were paying guests. In Tarutse, we got a pretty homely feeling, while in Ulley, they treated us a little more like "customers"... meaning they treated us extremely well... giving us food, boiled water, chai, etc. etc... but not that "homely" feeling. It may have also been because we had a hard time communicating with them, as they spoke little Hindi.
-The Ladakhis, in general, are very warm, welcoming people... all you have to do is smile and say "jhule!!!"
-A lot of foreigners go trekking in Ladakh... but very few people of Indian descent can be seen on thr routes.

the Tibetan way...

Sampat and I came to Ladakh, hoping to learn a little about Tibet, its culture, its history, and its current situation. As I've said before, the Ladakhi and Tibetans are distinct (their languages are different... they can't understand one another), yet have a very similar way of life.

** A little history... Tibet was invaded by China in the 1950's, and in 1959, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet, into India (since the Indian gov't, Nehru, allowed him to enter). Soon after, many Tibetans also fled into India with him. The Indian gov't allowed them to enter, set-up refugee settlements, and provided them with some funds. The Tibetan "way-of-life", which was about a thousand years old was pretty much destroyed by the Chinese. Since then, the Chinese have committed many atrocities against the Tibetans... over 1 million have been killed, and 90% of their Gompas and buildings in Tibet have been destroyed. Yet, the world turns its head, as the Chinese are a growing economy and possible future "world power". The Dalai Lama runs his "gov't in exile" from Dharamsala in Himanchal Pradesh. The Tibetans, Ladakhis, and Buddhist Nepalis look to him as a God-king, even today. Both of the previous mentioned books are good reads. **

So, they have a Tibetan refugee settlement in Ladakh in Choglamsar… we bused there from Leh (about 40 minutes), and we talked to the secretary of the Chief Representative there. They run a huge school there for the Tibetans (about 2000 students!). When they first started these settlements, they opened the schools in English medium... because English is the "language of prosperity". However, now... they have it as Tibetan medium until the 6th class, as they realize how important language is in preserving culture... and in the ability of the children to learn. All the youth that are my age and younger are now "first generation" refugees… their parents came over from Tibet a little after the Dalai Lama came to India. It’s interesting that they still have these settlements… where the culture, to some degree, is maintained. The main hurdle is livelihood… they no longer have the farmland and animals they did in Tibet… so, now, a lot of the younger generation is going to the cities to find jobs. But, these people still have faith that they could get autonomous rule in Tibet, and then if the Dalai Lama goes to Tibet, it seems like most of the Tibetans will follow. Even today, there are Tibetan refugees going into Nepal and Sikkim, as they attempt to escape the Chinese.

The secretary told us that about 1 km away, there is a Gompa and the palace of the Dalai Lama… where he stays when he comes to Ladakh. So, we got some lunch at a random dhaba on the street (solid baath and shaak!), and then headed on over to the palace. The place is basically deserted… it’s only used when the Dalai Lama and all the other “high” Lamas come from Dharamsala (which they did just a couple weeks back!). We met the one monk that acts as a “pujari” for the mandhir. And, we also met a guy (who does the gardening), and his name was “Tsring” – or at least it sounded like that. He was 15 when he fled Tibet with his parents and came into Ladakh, India in 1961. In our broken Hindi, and his broken Hindi (which really works out well, because no one uses any “high” Hindi words), we talked about all sorts of things… it took them 7 days on foot to come over. That’s nothing.. as many people walked MONTHS. He remembers the Chinese invasion of 1962, and he had to flee from where he was living and come farther inland. He talked about the Chinese atrocities in Tibet… they destroyed buildings, they forced Tibetan youth into the “Red” Army, and they kept pouring people into Tibet, so that the Tibetans were outnumbered by the Chinese. I don’t remember the details of the conversation because I didn’t record them… but it was just amazing to actually talk to someone who remembers coming over, and see his feelings and expressions. He would go back, as soon as the Dalai Lama went back.

Buddhism orignated in India... but has prospered in other places such as Tibet. But, now.. it's interesting to see, that the face of Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, is back in India. India's role as a home and refugee to all religions, and to all seekers of Truth and spirituality continues.

Ladakh

LEH, LADAKH - So, I talked about how we got to Ladakh.. now, a little about Ladakh. First, I didn't really know much about this place... other than it's mostly Buddhist. Through the experiences we've had, the people we've met, and through our readings (I read 7 Years in Tibet, while Sampat read Dalai Lama's Autobiography... Ladakhi culture is similar to Tibetan), we've learned a little bit about this place.

Ladakh is a region within the state of Jammu & Kashmir in India. However, it's culture is much more similar to Tibetan culture (as it borders Tibetan China), and is often known as "Little Tibet". They also follow the Dalai Lama and "Tibetan" Buddhism. This "way of life" can also be found in Nepal and parts of Eastern India that border Tibetan China, like Sikkin. The people of Ladakh speak Ladakhi... and sometimes a little Hindi and/or English. For years, they were an isolated region surrounded by the Himalayas. The region is very dry, but they get the water for their farmlands from the streams that come down the Himalayas. They have a good system of channelling their water.

Here's a brief summary of the things we did in Leh (the largest city in Ladakh):

Leh is about 10000 feet above sea level (around there), so it takes awhile to get accustomed to the elevation. I woke up with a slight headache, so we kept it pretty light on the first day we got here. They suggest that for the first 24 hours that you get plenty of rest. I'm now pretty much completely adjusted.

We got here on the night of Sept 15th. Unfortunately, the huge Ladakh Festival, which is held from Sept 1 to Sept 15 just ended!!! Also, the Dalai Lama had visited the region, and had just left on Sept. 7th. Our timing wasn't the best, but there is still plenty to do around here!

We visited the Women's Alliance Center, which gave us a good overview of this region, and its lifestyle, and the effects of "modernity" and "tourism" on this region. I wrote more about this in the previous blog.

We visited the Leh palace which was used way back when Ladakh was its own kingdom (not sure when). Pretty phenomenal place with a nice view perched atop a hill that overlooks the city.
We visited a couple of "Gompas". Gompas are monasteries.. where Buddhist monks live. It's interesting, because being a "monk" isn't something extremely rare. Before, about one boy in each family would become a monk.. it doesn't seem as prevalent anymore... but it still seems a part of the "lifestyle". We kept trying to go to the Gompa when something was happenning (a pooja, a lecture, a meal.. anything!)... but everytime we want, it ended up being a couple of monks wandering around... and us just going into the mandhir and doing "darshan".

The city of Leh is mostly Buddhist, but also has a Muslim population. From what I've seen and heard, I don't think there has ever been any kind of conflict. There are a couple of masjids in the city as well. The Hindu population is minimal.

There also is a huge army presence in Leh, and Ladakh in general. The army here isn't here for the India-Pakistan dispute... but is here for the disputed border region with the Chinese. The Chinese invaded in 1962, and ever since then, India has made sure that it wouldn't be caught off-guard again.

It's interesting to see their culture... because you see things that we normally consider "Chinese", and there are other things that we consider "Indian". For example, their food.. which we've had a great time enjoying. Their basic diet includes noodles, soups, etc... very Chinese like. But, it also includes roti, chaaval (rice), and subji (vegetables)... very Indian like. Most Tibetans and Ladakhis eat meat... due to the weather conditions they live in (cold, and dry) and that they don't really have alternate sources of protein that grow here. Here in Leh, they also have "Tibetan" food... which includes the famous "momo"... haha, Sampat and I tried some Veggie Momo.. and it was too bad. We tried it "steamed" once, and didn't really enjoy it, but when we had it "fried"... it was like "eggrolls".

"Developed" Path

LEH, LADAKH, JAMMU KASHMIR - Our first day in Ladakh, we went to the “Women’s Alliance Center” in Leh (the main city in Ladakh). We found out that they’re tied to ISEC (an England-based NGO -- www.isec.org.uk), and after hearing about their organization a little bit, we found out that they came to many of the same conclusions that SIDH came across. These two orgs have studied modern life and have really studied these rural areas, and Neil is right (see Sampat’s blogs), a lot of these rural areas are stuggling right now. But, why? It seems like every major problem that they have is a direct result of the steady infiltration of "development". The region in Uttaranchal that we visited has somehow been able to withstand "development" from creeping in... and one can see how life may have been in villages all over India at one point.

One of the basic beliefs of SIDH and ISEC is that the direction the world is going, and the “West” is pretty much there already... is a direction that is UNNATURAL. With the "global marketplace" and “free trade”, the West is now dragging regions like India in with them. However, this life-style is NOT sustainable... it uses up natural resources that are LIMITED. It creates garbage, when space for landfills is LIMITED (see blog entry about garbage). It uses more than it "needs" - i.e. eat until you can eat no more instead of eat as much as you need, water usage, etc. It is a very "artificial" lifestyle. What is the purpose of our (I'm talking about the general population) day-to-day lives in the U.S.? What are we working towards the MAJORITY of our time?

The place where we are now.. Ladakh (http://www.isec.org.uk/ladakh.html)... is an isolated region because it lies in a valley amongst the Himlayas in Jammu Kashmir. Their lives were in balance with nature and with the community around them, until the road from mainland India to LAdakh was built. Slowly, huge corporations were able to come in and push their "fertilizers, pesticides, and 'miracle seeds'". Many of these chemicals are outlawed in the U.S. because they are so poisonous, but these huge corporations don't mind selling them here. The farmers and villagers are never shown the true reality of the product. These corporations, and even the gov't, push farmers to grow one product well, so they can export them, instead of being a self-sustaining community (growing various products for a well-balanced diet as they’ve been doing for centuries).. Their lives are then controlled by the market forces... if the price of barley is 6 rupees per kg one year, versus 3 rupees per kg the next year... they may go hungry. They also, then, depend on others for various products, etc...

The ideal community seems to be the villages that still remain interdependent on each other in the community, but not dependent on external market forces. Wouldn't one say that these communities are the most "devleoped"? Their work and leisure is one. Their focus isn't on making more money, but it's on making enough to sustain themselves, and then being able to focus on family relationships, community relationships, spiritualness, etc. These are the other needs of human beings that are often ignored by the "West".

We watched this impressive video called "Ancient Futures - Learning from Ladakh" (you can order it from the website I wrote previously.. it's also a book… I really think that you should think about purchasing this video, and having a group showing or sumthing of that sort… it offers a different perspective of the world… and it also gives you a good idea of where we are right now!), that talks about the different problems Ladakh now faces, and how one can attribute each of these problems to the rapid arrival of "development". In the U.S. and the Western world, a lot of these problems are masked either purposely, or because "development" occurred over a 200 year time period and not all-of-a-sudden like it's happenning in many of these areas in India . Gradually, in the West, these problems arose in society, so it is difficult for people to realize the exact cause of the problems... but in Ladakh, "modernity" is coming fast, and one can easily see the problems that arise because of it.

When I talk about the problems "in the West" that can be attributed to unabated "development".. I'm talking about all sorts of problems. 1) Phyiscal problems - crime, pollution, deterioration of our environment in SOO many forms, lack of natural resources for the sustainability of the "modern" life, global warming, health issues because of the lack of physical work, fighting nature instead of living with nature, etc. 2) Emotional problems - the feeling of 'isolation' (i.e. old people not cared for, children at day care centers with strangers, human beings many times don't have any meaningful interactions with other human beings that aren't 'profit' related, etc.), lack of quality human relationships, the rise of 'depression', (lack of natural resources for the), 3) Mental problems - a one-dimensional view of the world that is a result of propaganda in education and media. 4) Spiritual problems – the goal of the West is “profit”, the goal of the ghams of India is something greater than “themselves” – some call it “spiritual development”, some call it “living for their families”, some call it “attaining God”, some call it “Nirvana”, etc.. but it’s something greater than themselves… they realize that the World does not revolve around them.

There are benefits of the West as well, a couple... 1) we have "security", financially, stability-wise, etc. (although, I'm beginning to realize that this comes at the expense of those around the world) and 2) we grow up with a global view (although sometimes biased).. There are those that don't realize that we have this "security" and will use their whole lives to "get more" and become "more secure". But, if we can realize this security that we have, we can really open our minds up and explore the world and try to find out the true reality of the world. We have the opportunity to truly follow "alternate" paths into spirituality, etc., and have the ability to make an impact on the world.

I understand Neil’s view of the "villager" that has never seen modern life (see the comment in Sampat’s blog)... never seen "city" life... and what's wrong in that desire to "explore" and do something new? That's fine... however, where is that desire coming from? Is it coming with a balanced and unbiased view of the world? Does he know about global warming, landfills, exploitation, crime rates, etc.? Or is it coming from a very biased view of the world? It seems to be coming from mass media that "glorifies" the "modern" lifestyle. It's coming from an education system that values people who sit behind a computer more than it values the person tending the fields. Even in the U.S., physical labor is looked down upon, while being "white collar" is "better". Why is it so? And then… brings me to another question… what is knowledge? We tend to believe that knowledge is what we learn in schools. Is knowledge how to operate a computer system, how to program, etc.... or is knowledge knowing how to farm your land, realizing when the ideal time is to plant seeds or harvest, knowing how to spin your own cloth, knowing how to milk a cow, etc.? They both are knowledge, but since you can get a B.S, in one, while the other you learn through real experience… the modern world places a greater value on the one you can get a degree in. If 4 of us were dropped in the middle of no where and there was fertile land around us..... versus 4 farmers from an Indian village were dropped in the middle of no where... who would have the better chance to survive? Probably the villagers... then... what's true knowledge? What good is our knowledge there... in the most natural of environments. (I'm just thinking of this example now... and I'm sure there are holes in my logic.. but you get what I'm saying...).

The education system deems the "modern" world as "developed" and the "traditional" world as “backwards”. How does it do so? Especially in India, the purpose of education, especially once you get past the 7 and 8th classes, is to get to college, and get a job in a city. Why? In their textbooks, it never talks about the positives of physical labor, farming, etc.. but it talks about the positives of "industrialization". They don't learn to value their local customs, beliefs, traditions… but they learn trigonometry (what use is that to them in the village?) The curriculum used is usually a national one… but India is not a MONOLITHIC culture… it’s a culture that is so DIVERSE and this DIVERSITY still remains… but the education system and mass media and even the gov’t. seem to be trying to create a MONOLITHIC Indian culture, although over thousands and thousands of years this has never been the case and India has floursished. The U.S.A. is pretty much a monolithic culture… one may say that it is dilithic (I think I made that word up) as there is “rural” American versus “urban” America. Therefore, a universal education system, a universal system of economy, etc. can work. However, what works in one part of the world is not the answer in all parts of the world. The culture of South Asia is tied together by spirituality, but still retains its diversity in way of life. Does it make any sense that this region of Ladakh where Ladakhi is their primary language… they got taught in Urdu and English at school? Urdu is the state language of Jammu Kashmir, and English is the “language of the future”. Political lines and boundaries are also part of this “unnatural” way of life… and result in the slow decline of cultural diversity.

I agree that India is definitely NOT shining…. I would assume, as well, that many villages aren’t at operational levels… especially in UP, Bihar, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, etc. But why? What’s the cause of the poverty and famine in villages? There have been soooo many dams built in India, so this water can be sent to the cities…. In the process, this has flooded out many villages. It has also cut off the water supply (the lifeline) to many other villages. These villagers had been living naturally balanced lives for GENERATIONS, but now, are told to pack up and relocate. The gov’t covers this up by giving them large sums of money and sometimes land…. but what does this really do? They can’t really resettle there. Different crops grow well, they have to relearn everything, find a new supply of water, rebuild homes, etc. etc. That village is devastated and many migrate to the slums of cities. In other places, the gov’t has deemed it important to “educate” them… so, they’ve opened schools, etc. However, when the young men of these communities migrate to the cities… it leaves families behind in disarray. There are no longer enough people to tend the farms, and when people start earning money, the joint families tend to break up and nuclear families are formed. In the study done by SIDH, it shows that a nuclear family will have more problems surviving in an agrarian economy. Nuclear families also have to have more children to tend the farm, while in joint families, they generally have less children . Not having electricity… is that necessary a bad thing? If one is used to it, then one sees it as a necessity.. but, if one is not used to it… then it is only a luxury (such as driving around in a Beamer instead of a ’90 Geo Prizm).

But you do bring up a very good question… India is on the path towards modernity… the cities are well down that road… some villages have already been affected…. And some other villages have still been able to sustain its natural way of life. So, what now?

The easy answer… is to continue this path of “development”. However… as I’ve talked about earlier, this “path” isn’t sustainable, and is devastating in so many ways. Especially for India, with a population of 1 billion, there is no way, the population can live like America lives… the world’s resources would be used up in the matter of years. Most likely, the result will just be a growth of the slums surrounding the already overcrowded cities of India.

The difficult answer… is to reverse the trend. To educate those that still live the traditional life about the positives and NEGATIVES of “modernity”, and to educate them about their own local customs, traditions, way-of-life, etc. How about those (like us) that are already living the “aritificial” life? This question seems to be much more difficult, because it requires a huge amount of sacrifice on a massive scale.

“Jivan Vidhya” is the philosophical base behind “SIDH”… and they now hold 7-day shibhirs all around India in Hindi and English. The shibhirs are full of lectures, discussions, interactions, etc. The participants range from villages, to IIT professors, to spiritual leaders, to students (and soon to a couple of Americans called Raj and Sameer). They have a very basic website at

We’re still out here learning, and would love to hear about people’s views about this… and various experiences, etc… Hopefully, as we learn more and experience more, we’ll also come across some plausible solutions….

How did we get to Ladakh?

LEH, LADAKH, JAMMU KASHMIR - So, we arrived in Ladakh at 11 pm last. Many of you are problably wondering, what is Ladakh, where is Ladakh, and how the heck did you get there?

First, from Haridwar, to Rishikesh, to the mountains of the Uttaranchal, to Shimla, and Manali, and now through the Himalayas... we have went through some of the most beautiful natural scenery I've ever seen. It's like God had an empty canvas and all the colors at his dispousal and just went wild spalshing colors here-and-there... rivers... mountains... sunrises... sunsets... farms... animals... birds... snow... rain... desert... it's just been unbelievable.

So, again... how did we get to Ladakh? By land, the only places one can get to Ladakh is either from Srinagar or from Manali. We were in Manali... the road goes through the Himalayas and took us a total of 19 hours. And this isn't just any road... it's dangerous to a degree... it's not well-built... you go through the most beautiful scenery in the world, from green mountains, to snow-capped mountains, to barren desert land. From rain to snow to bright sunshine. From glaciers to beautiful glacier water streams. The scenery was unlike anything I've ever seen in my life! We took a Jeep from Manali... it was me, Sameer, 3 German guys, and the driver, Thumbe (who was Nepali). Together, we urinated at 15000 feet in the FREEZING cold (this is nothing, because Sampat later went number 2 at 18000 feet!). We had a flat-tire. We saw a truck skid in front of us and almost hit us. We saw moutain peaks that seemed higher than the sky! We saw people living in the valleys using the streams that come from these peaks to irrigate their farms. We had breakfast, lunch, and dinner and random dhabas. We got headaches from altitude sickness. We tried to read. We made friends with two of the Germans, Marco and Daniel, and are currently staying in the same hotel as them. It was quite the incredible journey, and I know that words do not do it justice... and I feel like even when I get my pictures up, that won't do it justice!

In Transit - Ponderings

MANALI, HIMANCHAL PRADESH - So, we finally reached Manali yesterday at 5 am. It was quite the journey. The main reason we want to be in Manali... is that it is the only place you can find jeeps and buses that go to Ladakh. And, why do we want to go to LAdakh? Because, it seems like it will be pretty incredible to experience and learn about the Tibetan culture and the plight of the Tibetan refugees. (Tibet was taken over by the Chinese in the '50's... and basically bullied out... the Dalai Lama and many Tibetan refugees were allowed to take refuge in India by the Indian government. The Dalai Lama now runs his government-in-exile from McLeod Gunj, Himanchal PRadesh. Tibetan refugees have continued to cross into India over the years.)

We left SIDH on the 11th Sept. in the afternoon (I'll write about the SIDH experience and the amazing people we met there later... for now, I believe Sampat is doing a good job covering it in his blog). To get to Mussorrie from SIDH (about 15 km), we jumped in the car with someone who was visiting SIDH. He happenned to be a government employee, just one level under the Mayor of Dehradun.. and after talking to him for a bit, he seemed a bit of a "popat".

After getting to Mussorie... we weren't able to get a bus to Dehradun... we tried getting on the bus, but on THIS bus, you had to have a prepaid ticket. It's a strange system... most buses, you just get on, and then buy your ticket on the bus.... even for the long journey buses... but then, a few buses, you have to buy a ticket from the ticketstand beforehand... and there's no real way of finding out which method you use for which bus. Regardless... we ended up taking a taxi to Dehradun. We paid more than we had to, because we didn't understand the "agent" who said that he'll give us the entire backseat... so, we have to pay for 3 seats, instead of 2. When we got to the destination, we tried explaining to the driver that we're two passengers so we should pay for 2 passengers, not 3. He said, "Didn't the agent tell you that you have to pay for 3 seats?" We told him that we didn't hear that, and why would we agree to that, etc... the argument went back-n-forth a little bit... before we finally paid for the extra seat. Instead of getting upset (which was natural), we probably should have just been honest... and told him that we were confused and didn't understand the agent, and see if we could have compromised somewhere in the middle. It's not a matter of money all the time... but it's the matter of principle.

We couldn't get a bus to Manali until the next day at 3 pm.... and it's a 12 hour bus ride. We thought we'd be smart and take the 6 am bus to Shimla, and then take a bus from Shimla to Manali. We didn't realize that each of these bus rides was about 10 hours. So, instead of being in transit for only 12 hours, we were in transit for 20 hours.... but, hey.. at least we gotta see Shimla for a couple of hours!

The bus from Manali to Shimla was scenicly spectacular. I was awake for most of it... while Sampat was nodding off here and there. At first, I was thinking about how uncomfortable is was... how crowded (people standing), no room for out legs, no room for our bags (on our laps), etc. But then... as we started getting up into the mountains... I was reading Autobiography of a Yogia, just thinking about stuff, looking out the window, etc... and just started getting positive vibes. I was thinking about, "what do I want to do ot here? Where do I fit in? What am I passionate about? What have my experiences in India, so far.. taught me, showed me?

Here are some of the thoughts that were going through my head: Being in the mts of Uttaranchal with SIDH, just experiencing and observing and learning about the villagers lifestyle -- it was pretty incredible... and I felt a connection. I need to experience a few more villages in different parts, but I've always had that soft-spot for the "Indian gham". But, is that really where I fit in? I'm an Indian-American... and, probably should find my niche and attempt to work in the comfort zone that I know best and would be most effective. So.. I was thinking.... how about realllly learning about the lives of the masses in India, how globalization has affected them, the various ways that they've been exploited (corporations, gov't, move to "modernity", etc --- some things, I know a little bout, but definitely need to look more into -- Green Revolution, Water dam projects, bad education system, glorification of 'modernity'), etc. I need to start really reading into it, learning from experiences, and also learning from various thinkers, economists, and politicians on their vision... Possibly.. I should look into programs in universities here and/or the U.S.? To be able to honestly and effectively make a difference, I reallly would need to become an expert. The SIDH and "Jivan Vidhya" philosophy also was an eye-opener in all this (see Sameer's blog). The movement has to come from two directions... the "bottom" up, and from the "top" down. Education is the SIDH's emphasis. The villagers and the masses have to learn to be proud of their culture, traditions, and lifestyle. The current education tries to make htem feel that they are backwards and should move to the city... where they'll find that they'll end up living in slums. The villagers have to be shown how they're being exploited, and how to avoid it. While those doing the exploitiong, the West and the city folk... have to know exactly how they're supporting exploitation. I mean... I know that 10% of the world uses 90% of the world's resources... that villagers are relocated so the city folk can get water (dams)... that buying from certain companies is supporting sweatshops, etc.... But, what are the details??? And what are the true effects??? What can be done?? It must be a mass movement. The easy way out is for the "priveledged" to not even try to learn about the exploitation.. to avoid the feeling of guilt. And.. at this moment on the bus... I just had this incredible confidence in myself... in my ability.. or in the ability of something within me... to really go out and accomplish whatever I set out to do.... I just felt that if I can stick to a path, I can accomplish anything. I felt a reverence for everyone around me.. and all living things. It was one of those brief "spiritual reawakening" moments.

Anyways... this superb positiveness that I had didn't last..... we got off at Shimla for a couple hours. And then back onto the bus at 7 pm, for another 10 hour ride to Manali.... I was highly irritable on this bus... no where for the luggage.. the entire bus ride consisted of feeble attempts to find a comfortable sleeping position. We had seats.. but their was luggage and people all around us. And for a short period of time.. there was this drunk guy that was causing a ruckus.

We finally got to Manali at round 5 am, got a hotel, and slept. Manali has been pretty relaxing. It's been raining most of the time... sooo, we've spent a lot of time reading and on the internet.. instead of being "adventurous".

We did visit our first Buddhist "gompa".. or monastery... and breifly talked to a couple of monks. The Tibetan struggle is an extremely interesting one, and sad one to study... yet, they persevere... and India, as has been its nature throughout the history of its civilization, has provided safe refugee for these Truth-seekers.

Tonight at 2 am, we're taking a "shared Jeep" to Ladakh. We leave at 2 am, and reach Ladakh at 7 pm... over the course of this route, we will pass over the second highest motorable road in the world... we'll be going through snow, and will be witness to the absolute magnificence of the majestic Himalayas.

Pictures...

All of these stories will reallly come to life when we're able to add pictures! But for now.. use your imagination.

The tale of two days...

Rishikesh - From chatting with a Sadhu about the meaning of life on the banks of the Ganga and foothill of the Himlayas (I felt like I never wanted to leave Rishikesh!)... to getting slapped and sitting at a police station for two hours (I felt like I wanted to leave Rishikesh and never come back!) (disclaimer : mom, i didn't tell you over the phone, because you would panic and get all worried, so it's better that you read about it on the blog)

Day One... We leave Haridwar on a bus, and decide that from the bus station in Rishikesh, we'll walk to the area that we want to stay in (Swarg Aashram area of Rishikesh by Parimath Niketan). So, we got off the bus around 8:45 am, and started walking. It was our first attempt at a pretty long walk (maybe, about 3 miles or so) with our backpacks. We reached the western bank of the Ganga, and got our first spectacular view of what Rishikesh is all about... the serene yet powerful Ganga and being surrounded on 3 sides by the Himalayas. The ghats here aren't as crowded as Haridwar, and more beautiful. Haridwar seems like the place where the masses of India come for a spiritual experience... while Rishikesh is more where the more "yuppy" seekers come for mediation and yoga from India and around the world. We continued to walk (not always in the right direction), and after about an hour and half hit a very nice-looking temple. It was an ISKON temple (Hare Krishna), and just really struck me as being very simple, yet beautiful and serene. We sat in there for a while... the mandhir had the scent of fresh flowers... quite pleasing.

Then, after making sure we were going the right way, we continued walking. Stopping here-and-there -- at book stalls, figuring out where the heck we were and where we're supposed to go, we get to our hotel around 12ish.... washed some clothes, then at some pizza next door for lunch. =)

With the Lonely Planet as our guide... we then walked over to the Laxman Julla area.. approximately 1.5 miles away. The walk is a really spectacular walk along the easter banks of the Ganga... and for Rishikesh being a tourist attraction and all, there weren't that many people on the path. We would see these little huts along the side of the river... sadhus who have "renunciated" life and came to the Himlayas live in them. Again, we talk about how we have to talk to one at some point!

We get to Laxman Julla, which is this really long pedestrian suspension bridge, that leads to a 13-story temple (with every possible Hindu murti). The most entertaining part.. we walk across the bridge, and take a seat on a bench to rest for a bit... we didn't know that we were in for an episode of "India's Funniest Home Videos". There are a bunch of monkeys that hover around the end of the bridge... and if they think that you have foood.. they attack! These monkeys are ruthless. A lady had a bag of nuts... saw the monkeys coming.. she threw some nuts on the ground... the monkeys just avoided the nuts on the ground, and went straight for the bag in her hand! Time after time, Sampat and I sat there and were rolling on the floor with laughter as innocent people continued to be vicitimized by the monkeys. Haha.. ask Prachi.. I think she might know how it feels... =P

On our way back from Laxman Jhula.. along the gorgeous walk... we go to the Ganga.. along this beach area. There, I spend another few moments in meditation, connecting the dots of India. We sat there, observing various sadhus go about their routine, washing clothes, taking baths, walking back-n-forth, etc. I'm thinking... here's our chance... but, now, comes the question - "How to Approach a Sadhu". Sampat thought that at dinnertime, we should ask a sadhu to have dinner with us and we could talk over dinner... I wasn't so sure.. who knows if sadhus eat at restaurants.. and a sadhu that does eat ar a restaurant.. might be a little shady.

Guidelines on how to approach a sadhu (our sadhu is below):
1. Make sure the sadhu is legit... i.e. he doesn't smoke biddi, doesn't have a designer watch, etc.
2. Make sure that the sadhu isn't in deep meditation or going through some kind of supernatural experience. Otherwise, he may place a curse on you... and you probably don't want that.
3. Try to get the sadhu to aknowledge you.
4. If the sadhu does aknowledge you, make sure he isn't giving you a glance that says "Stay Away from me you mere mortal!"
5. Talk to him and make sure he's sane.
6. Don't be afraid to ask tough questions, and be ready for answers in riddles!

Sameer does a good job in his blog describing our conversation with him. We basically asked him questions about how he lives, what made him come out here, etc. I didn't really expect much out of him... I thought, he may be a little insane. But, I was thoroughly surprised that the answers he gave were straight out of a book, or sumthing! We asked him how he decided to leave everything and come out here... he answered, "The same way that you two decided to come up and talk to me... it's just something from the inside." One of the lessons his guru taught him, that he told us is, "you should deserve, then desire." Sampat asked him - "how does the Guru teach?" He answered, "The same way that you learn engineering in college..." We said, "Through lectures, homework, and tests?" He replied, "Yes... there are many tests..." Sampat asked if he could give us one... he said "no"... but he left us with words of advice - "whatever your desire is, or whatever you feel like you should do from the inside.... then just do it... 100%" And, then, he was off... continuing his walk.....

Sampat was telling me that he read somewhere that these sadhus ans swamis, they don't tell you what you want to know... but they tell you what you need to know. I really feel like that line "You should deserve first, then desire" really hit me hard. Not along the exact same lines as it was said... but it really reminded me, that we get what we deserve. It reminded me of the true theory of karma.. which isn't just action and reaction... but the reaction, the consequence... is what you REALLY deserve. Whatever I deserve, that is what I will get.

That evening, we visited Paramath Niketan, and learned a little about their organization, the India Heritage Foundation (I believe that's what it's called). We got a couple of brochures and a book on their philosophy and their work, etc. Here in Rishikesh, they have an ashram of mainly orphaned kids that grow up in a spiritual atmosphere... straight back from the Vedic days. =P

We stayed for their Aarti on the Ganga at around 7 pm. It was absolutely phenomenal. There were a lot of people there... all the students from the ashram, robed in orange, come out for the Aarti. There a lot of foreigners and tourists there as well... a lot of real seekers. The vibrations felt during the Aarti... I got my first sense of that spiritual spark inside of me during my trip. I felt happiness that Sampat was sitting there besides me. I really felt that spiritual being within me trying to reawake.


Day Two...
We eat breakfast, come back to the hotel to a furious hotel manager! Sampat does a pretty good job explaining the whole situation in his blog.... here's my summary:

me and Sampat have a crazy story... we got taken to the police station in Rishikesh! (Mom, dad.. sorry I didn't tell you over the phone!) But, basically... we were at this hotel (there were a lot of foreigners there).... and I saw a towel laying on the ground in front of someone's door.... so, I knocked on the door (it was about 9:30 pm... and the light was on), and it was some girl from Columbia.... i asked if the towel was hers, it wasn't... and then we talked a little bit, "where you from? how do you like india? where have you gone so far? etc.".... Then, the next morning, the hotel manager pulls us outside and is like, "did you knock on someone's door last night?" and he was alll pissed off... I said, "yeah.. i saw a towel on the ground, so, i thought it belonged to someone in the room". (we've already lost many things -- boxers, address books, pajamas, etc.. so, i feel for these travellers losing stuff!) However, the girl says that someone knocked on her door 2 more times after that and asked "to check the hot water"... and she got really scared, so she told the hotel manager. She says that she's she didn't open the door, but is "sure" it was me. It definitely was not me... The hotel manager didn't believe that I only knocked on her door once... and then went to read and sleep... For some reason, he felt certain that I was trying to break into her room and do some "shady" business and so he called the police... At this point, I'm kinda freaked out... cause I have no clue what's going to happen. This girl just seemd to be hyper-paranoid.. and she was travelling alone, too, and that probably added to it. So, first, the hotel manager's "thug" comes.. and tries to intimidate us and actually slaps me. Then, he called the polcie, and two policemen came and they took us away.... we walked with them for a while... we had no clue where they were taking us.... but, they didn't seem as "nuts" as the hotel manager and his "thug". They then took us in some jeep... and to the police station. We sat around for bout 2 hours... finally, a policeman that spoke pretty good English (because they didn't really want to deal with us in our broken Hindi) talked to us for a while.... took down all of our information (passport, address, etc.).... he believed us... warned us that in India you should not try to help anybody and that the "women's" word is strong.... and they let us go. But, man... it was nuts!! All those Hindi movies where the police start beating their prisoners came to mind...

Viewing it in light with the events of the day before as well.... I think that the whole situation was a result of "getting what I deserve". Over the last couple of years... I really have lived a pretty "sensually" pleasing life... basically, I've lacked any kind of spiritual direction and spiritual motivation. I've just been having fun, and working.. going here and there. The events from the previous night... I know that I didn't do anything wrong, and if I take that view... then it angers and upsets me that I was slapped, taken to the police station, etc... it was unfair and unwarranted. However.. remember, the sadhu tells you what you "need" to hear.. and it allowed me to have a different outlook of the situation. In the bigger picture of life, this is what I deserved and needed... to remind me that any type of spiritual progress will only come when I "deserve" it.

Bathing in the Ganga

Haridwar - Choks made a pretty good suggestion... at the beginning of each blog, I will put the city's name of where we are. Today, we did some "toursity" stuff in Haridwar. First, we went up to the Mansa Devi Mandhir. It's up on a mountain.. you have to take one of those "ski-lifts" up there.. you know... the ones that they have at amusement parks? We made it up there... and were herded through the mandhir. Nothing too spectacular... except the views from the mandhir were pretty phenomenal. You could see the Ganga weaving its way through the land...

The highlight of the day was around 3:30 pm... it was hot, and we were tired. I definitely wanted to bathe in the Ganga at some point... and I convinced Sampat to bring along a towel as well. So, we went to Har Ki Pairi (the main ghat area in Haridwar.. probably one of the MOST visited Hindu spiritual sites in all of India), and... next thing you know... we both jumped into the water. =) The Ganga in Haridwar is still pretty clean... it's where the "Ganga emerges from the Himalayas", so the water is still really cold and fresh. I heard that by the time the Ganga reaches Calcutta, it's pretty hard to distinguish from the sewer. But not here... after we get over the "freezingness" of the water.. 1.. 2... 3.. we both ducked our heads under the water. Haha.. we weren't really ready for the freezing water rushing up our nose! The flow is pretty fast here, and they have chains that you hold on to... I struggled a little to make my way back.

After drying off, we stayed in the the Har Ki Pairi area, as we also wanted to experience the famous "Ganga Aarti" that everyone kept talking about. At this point, I had a pretty think goatee as well, and I remember Sagar telling us that getting a shave was such a wonderful experience.... so we decided to find someone to give us a shave along the banks of the Ganga. We made sure they used a new blade... and they were off shaving away. I can't remember the last time I had a shave this close... but I also don't remember the last time it burned that much!

Around 7 pm, the Aarti occurred... pretty cool sight... sooo many tourists, sadhus, and devotees from all over India. It's really powerful to think that at one point in their lives, my parents also bathed here in the Ganga and saw the Aarti, and all that... and now, I'm here. They probably never imagined that.

Sri Ram Ashram - Summary

Imagine the homeless children on the streets of India. No clothes... flies on them... begging for food... the 6 year-old daughter taking care of her 1-year-old sister... no time for fun, no time for a childhood... begging for money and food... and passing the day. If they're lucky (or unlucky?)... they survive till adulthood.

Being at the Sri Ram Ashram for 4-5 days... we were realy able to see the true potential of these homeless orphaned children. It's incredible.

We stayed at the Sri Ram Ashram (about 10 km outside of Haridwar) for 4-5 days. I initially heard about the Sri Ram Ashram (www.sriramfoundation.org) from a newspaper article back in California. A few high school kids were gathering school supplies to take to the ashram, which houses about 50-60 orphans. The Ashram was founded about 15 years ago upon the vision of Baba Hari Dass (google him for more info), a silent monk (he been silent for the last 55 years). Babaji now lives in Santa Cruz, California, at the Mount Madonna Center for 10 months of the year. There, is his main ashram. A few of his American devotees from there moved to India many years ago, and now run the Sri Ram Ashram. Rashmi-didi is the main person there. The ashram serves as an orphanage, they also run a school next to the ashram for about 500-600 students (75% rural), and are in the works of starting a medical center.

We didn't know too much about the place when we contacted them... I had read the newpaper article, and checked out the website. I knew that there was a Western influence on the place, but I didn't know that it was actually run by an American. Initially, I wasn't so sure about what things would be like there... having very little information... but it was time to jump in head-first.

They have a staff that is there full-time, and they have reallly created a family atmosphere. All the children there treat each other like brother and sister... this includes protecting each other... and includes the petty fights that siblings have. =) They call their care-takers "mummy". The presence at the Ashram is female-dominated. About 2/3 of the children are female, and the staff of care-takers are mostly female as well. There's one "Sir" that lives at the Ashram who acts as a "father-figure", and also teaches math at the high school. They also have two "dada's" at the ashram, who are retired and followers of Babaji. They spend their retired days at the ashram. It still seems like they have some male role-models lacking there. The Sir-ji is strict and doesn't outwardly show his affection for the kids, nor does he seem to playfully interact with the kids very much. But, he is also their teacher and father figure, and has to maintain these various roles. Overall, the loving family feeling can really be felt.

The children there are spoiled to a certain degree, as there are many foreign visitors and a good amount of foreign money that comes into the place. Every year, for two months, Babaji comes with a lot of followers from the U.S. and stays at the ashram... this is the favorite time for the kids, as they get all sorts of goodies, and are shown a lot of love!

The kids are a lot of fun, and love interacting with the visitors. =) It was great practicing our Hindi with them... kids are very forgiving of our many Hindi gaffes. =P Sampat played cricket with them a few times... I actually got in a game of basketball!!! They have a hoop up, but don't really know how to play... other than "put the ball in the hoop"... and the hoop is in the grass, so you can't really dribble. Regardless, I organized a little game of 4-on-4... haha, it was good times. Other playful interactions we had with the kids was a lot of running around and chasing after them... a little singing and dancing... and a lot of time spent on learning their names.

Everyday, after school, from 4:30 to 6 PM, they have "tution"... so we would help them with their homework and stuff... we mostly could only help in math... but that's also what they needed the most help in, so it worked out. =)

And of course... there was the teaching experience which I wrote extensively about in a previous blog. The school that they run... seems to be run in the same fashion as most of the gov't. and private schools in India. Which means... basically, it needs a little help so that the kids learn to critically think more, and learn to think "outside the box". They're having a cross-cultural teaching workshop... where some people are coming from the U.S., so it looks like they're making steps in that direction.

It was difficult for us to gauge the spirituality level of the ashram. It was obviously founded on a spiritual basis, and the daily schedule (see sameersampat.blogspot.com for description of schdule, and you can check out pictures on ofoto) includes prayers and yoga, but other than that, there doesn't seem to be any deeper spiritual learning or discussion. This can be seen as a positive, as it lets the children grow-up a little more naturally... if one takes an interest in things spiritual, then fine... and if one doesn't, then that's fine as well. But, it also could be a negative, as it seems like nothing is really done to even probe that part of the child. Sameer and I really couldn't gauge the "spiritualness" of Rashmi-didi and the staff as well. However, they have completely dedicated their life to this, so it must be there... but it isn't something they show outwardly.

We made a little adventure out of going to the surrounding villages of the area. A couple of the older kids at the ashram, Bhachendra and Arvind, took us on bikes to visit the villages of Shyaampur (Hindu residents) and Sholanpur (mostly Muslim residents). Kids from these areas go to the Sri Ram school. The bike-riding was quite an adventure... The last time I rode a bike was the last time I was in India... basically, I'm not too skilled. My heart was beating a little fast as I TRIED avoiding people, cows, babies, bushes, trees, rocks, potholes, etc. At times, we were going through grass and shrubs as tall as me... with the pathway being about 4 inches wide! I took a couple of falls... and the feet were all scracthed up, etc... but it was good times! =) The gham is close to the Eastern bank of the Ganga, so we headed to the Ganga, as well. Almost all the people of these villages are farmers (we didn't really directly talk to the villages, we just asked Bhachendra questions and he answered them). It seems like most of these people own their own small piece of farmland, and are not "workers" from some rich land-owner. Some of the familes have side-businesses... "dukaans", tailoring, haircut, etc. This area doesn't really have any history of Hindu-Muslim tension... yet there are still two separate villages. The kids of these, villages, though, go to the same school (the Ashram) school, so that's good to hear. I wonder what the future holds.

The most memborable aspect of the Ashram for me... is all the kids. They have that spark and enthusiasm for life. Rashsmi-didi told us some of their stories... one girl was found around the age of 1.5 with cigarette burns and bruises all over her body... the doctors and everyone thought she wouldn't survive. But, she survived and now has many opportunities in front of her. Many of the kids came from Uttarkashi.. as back in 1991 there was an earthquake. These kids lost their parents, and ended up at the ashram.

One of the kids, Narayan saw Sameer and I doing Surya Namaskar each morning. The night before we left, he asked to learn. So, the next morning, he woke up extra early (they already wake up around 5:30 am!), to learn Surya Namaskar from us.. it was pretty sweet... the kid is probably about 9 years old.

One of the main projects that they're starting up now is this "medical center'. They have already built the building and bought the equipment... and now are just waiting for volunteers. I believe there are a group of retired doctors from the US who are going to be coming out here, soon. There may be volunteer opportunities for medical students, medical graduates, current doctors, and retired doctors. The only contact information that I have for anyone interested is Rashmi-didi's email address --> rashmisra@yahoo.com.

They don't plan on expanding and opening a new "orhpanage", and the current orphanage, they believe... is near capactiy. So, the expansion in more about more services for the oprhans and surrounding villages. However, they may have other plans that we don't know about.

If there's pertinent information that I've left out, that probably should be included in here... let me know.

Powerful Story

This story is actually from a comment on Nipun's blog (nipun.charityfocus.org), but I thought I would share it here, as well:

One day I decided to quit... I quit my work, my relationship, my spirituality... I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God. "God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?" His answer surprised me...
"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?" "Yes", I replied.
"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo."
He said, "In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit."
"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant... But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.
I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle," he said to me.
"Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots?" I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you."
"Don't compare yourself to others," he said. "The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful."
"Your time will come", God said to me. "You will rise high." "How high should I rise?" I asked.
"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return. "As high as it can?" I questioned.
"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."
I left the forest and bring back this story. I realized that God will never give up on you. He will never give up on you!

Posted by Purvi Shah on Aug 29, 2005

My first teaching experience

Who knew that my first teaching experience would be in a 9th standard Hindi-medium Math class… at a school in a gham 10 km outside of Haridwar?!? No preparation whatsoever… I found out only minutes before the class began. Yesterday, we went and observed the school… today, they have 5 teachers that went to Delhi for some huge Book Fair… soo, they needed to “make arrangements”.. soo, bam, Sampat and I were put into action.

My first class -- 9th Standard Math. I was definitely in WAY over my head. First, I barely understood the math that they were doing in that class (some Yoganandrapal’s Theorem.. or sumthing like that…). Second, my Hindi is still pretty poor.. improving incremently but not enuf to teach a math class well. Third, I don’t have any teaching experience. The odds were definitely against me. My goal was to just make it through the period. I started off by giving them an introduction about me… then, asked them what their hwk was… we went over some problems – different students would do them on the board… and then went over some basics… and that was about it. Woo— I was one of those terribly boring math teachers, but at least I made it through the period. I had an 8th Standard Math class, as well… and made it through that class in a similar way. I wasn’t going to try anything fancy or get creative or anything… although I probably should have.. what did I have to lose? But, I didn’t really even have any time to think about what creative thing I could do…. I know that “making it through” is definitely NOT the goal of teaching, but for today, it’ll suffice.

The next (and last) class I had for the day was 4th Standard math… or so I thought. “I can definitely teach math to 4th graders” – I thought to myself. I walk into the class.. and, man, these kids are nuts!! I ask them to take out their math books, and they all start yelling. They just had math class… and now they’re supposed to have art.. and there was no way they were going to let their “art period” be replaced by Math. So, now… what am I supposed to do w/ a bunch of 4th graders for ART? I have no clue what art supplies they have, if any… all I know is the chalkboard and chalk. I’m thinking to myself – “Maybe, we can just do a huge mural drawing on the chalkboard w/ each child drawing something different contributing to the entire “scene”. So, I ask them, “What do you like to draw?” and they say “nature”.. and in particular, a “village scene”. Sweet.. this will be fun. So, 3 students at a time (since I have 3 chalk) draw a different part of the “scene” on the chalkboard… that idea works out.. the picture is coming along beautifully and the kids are enjoying it. Major problem though… is that I have only 3 of the kids engaged at a time… definite learning experience.. must think of activities that have ALL the kids engaged… at ALL times. I got eaten alive! The kids that weren’t drawing… were asking to go drink water, were hitting each other (kids hit each other a lot in India), running around... pretty chaotic.

Overall… the day was a solid learning experience for me. I got a little teaching experience… I was able to practice my Hindi… It kinda took me by "shock" because I'm still in a "traveller's mentality"... not a "doer's mentality"... although, I should be able to be ready "to do" at any moment. It shouldn't be something that has an "on" and "off" switch.

Sampat… said he kinda froze up during his first class… but, then… he just had a blast. It reminded him of how much he enjoyed teaching, and the excitement of it. I sat in on a couple of his classes… he was tearing it up… pretty phenomenal.

P.S. So, this experience also ties in to my "fearlessness" quest. I was "fearful" standing in front of those classes. Why? Because of ignorance. I didn't know the math, I don't speak Hindi well, and I don't have teaching experience. I remember back to GMU camp... the "Devang" discussions... we had a little series of "cause and effects".. I don't remember all of them... but I do remember that we had ignorance causes fear (or the positive side of it... "knowledge leads to fearlessness".)