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Nearly three months have flown past since I arrived in this mystical wonderland that is India.
"enchanting, inspiring, frustrating, thrilling, confusing, captivating, challenging, confronting and beautifully kaleidoscopic"
All these words I've used before, but what is it that sparks and intensifies these emotions??
My first weeks in this wildly diverse multidimensional country was a journey throughout the South, travelled at speed, 2 or 3 gears above my preferred pace. I arrived with my Dutch friend, Monique, who had a 7 week break from her job as a tour leader in SE Asia. I've known her for approx 2 years now since we met and traveled together in Laos. So happy to have a good friend to share the initial confusions and excitements with.
I could explain in great detail every bus / train journey, the route we took through Tamil Nadu, Kerela, Karnataka and Goa and everything we saw and did but instead of this lengthy narrative here instead are some "impressions of India" that I have accumulated along the way.
First and without a doubt foremost are the cows...... an essential element of my India experience, always invoking a sense of calm and an air of regality. In the towns and cities they stroll the streets apparently unperturbed by the traffic that swerves and dodges around them. They munch amongst the garbage and feast outside the flower stalls, on the beach they lounge with the sun worshippers enjoying food scraps from the beach restaurants and the occasional unattended novel or sarong. Considered reverently holy, they are adored by all.
One of the most distressing cow related sights I have seen here so far, was the obvious carcass of a decomposed cow. A mass of tangled plastic and cud where it's intestines should have been. Over how many months or years this indigestible, non biodegradable 'meal' had accumulated, who can say but it surely contributed if not caused he death of this holy beast, yet still remains intact long after the skin and flesh had returned to the earth.
I struggle with the obvious detrimental affects of tourism that are destroying, changing, and all at once steering the development of the country. It's not just the foreign tourists, I have witnessed that Indian tourists contribute more to the litter crisis than the more eco-aware travellers for sure, but what we bring including our ideals and demands has already destroyed most of why we come here. Is this progess? Development? It's a heavy burden that I carry strapped to my backpack. Where is the balance? Who is holding the scales? It is for this very reason that I try to give back as much as possible by volunteering or working with local communities and being a responsible traveller.
With more than 1 billion people spread throughout her diverse states, India hosts a multitude of ethnic assemblages, social standings, castes and out-castes. The people combined with their deep rooted culture are the spirit and flavour of this intoxicating cocktail. On the surface I notice the proudly groomed moustaches adorned by any man old enough to grow one, many also sporting a dhoti (sarong skirt folded at the knee), women in their amazingly vibrant colours, complimenting their skin tone and far out styling the rainbow. The meters and meters of bright, patterned material, wound and tucked to form the elegant saree is usually worn after marriage. Some ladies I have met claim to own over 100 different styles - presents from their husbands and friends mostly. Almost all of the unmarried females wear the kalwar shameez, a flattering long tunic with matching or complimenting trousers and scarf in equally vibrant and co-ordinating colours. The higher caste ladies usually adorn plenty pf gold bling and arms of glittering bangles.
The holy dot or bindi is considered a blessed Hindu symbol of Uma or Parvati, the bindi signifies female energy (shakti) and is believed to protect women and their husbands. Traditionally a symbol of marriage, to show that the husband is on their mind, (a dot is also placed on the heart and a toe ring worn as a sign to other men to look no further). Now adays the bindi has become more of a decorative item and is worn today by unmarried girls and women of other religions as well. No longer restricted in color or shape, bindis today are seen in many colors and designs.
Away from the cities the only sign of Western fashion is proudly strutted only by the men, usually the younger generations. Tight jeans with big pockets or high waisted pants straight out of the 70's, worn with open necked shirts or bright coloured t-shirts. Young boys and men appear openly affectionate towards each other, often holding hands or draping their arms around each other, although you will never see men and women, even married couples sharing their affection in public.
The concepts of love, arranged marriages and cultural traditions of relationships between men and women are difficult for my free Western mind to comprehend. I struggle to understand the miniscule amount of freedom the women are afforded, the lack of available education, the levels of physical and mental abuse they endure and their overwhelming strength. I've heard it said that "in the West you marry the person you love, in India you love the person you marry, you fall out of love after marriage, we fall in love after marriage."
The country is developing at such a pace and times are changing fast, especially in the cities and amongst the higher castes, where young girls are rebelling against their families' restrictive, deep-set traditions by wearing Western clothes, speaking only in English and fraternising with men. There is also the enormous problem of aids, which is spreading like ghee on a hot day and news of contamination will ostracise carriers from the community. Sex education is taboo in many states although many NGO's are pushing for it to be included in school syllabus' in an attempt to curb the problem, however they are facing a lot of opposition. I could rant on for ages but essentially I know very little about this subject so will leave it at that.
I will share with you the beautiful fact that the Indian people that I am priveliged to call my friends are the salts of the earth, highly spiritual, warm hearted and with a great sense of humour. They live happy simple lives and although most appear content with their lot some strive constantly to better it, just as in Western society but with many more barriers.
A wise person once said, "nothing splendid has ever been achieved, except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance."
Aside from circumstance and the extremity of it's three seasons, two main factors seem to govern the lives of India's eclectic inhabitants, Caste and Religion.
The caste system is the hereditarily imposed social status on an individual, family, group or community and has been sanctified by Hindu scriptures. It is said to be somewhat weakened by today's society, however it still appears to wield considerable power in rural India. The caste you are born into determines social standing, marriage prospects, rights to employment and as a knock on affect, the level of poverty or wealth in your community. There are 4 main castes that are further divided into 1,000's of social communities. Brahmin (priests and teachers) are the highest, followed by Kshatriya (rulers and warriors), Vaishya (merchants and cultivators) and Shudra (menials and labourers), below these are the lowest and more out-caste than caste, the Dalits, these make up the largest percent of the population and are known as 'the sweepers'. Sweepers include any occupation dealing with dirt or death, below these and seemingly without even a label for their caste are the street beggars and homeless.
Poverty remains a harsh fact of life for over 40% of the population, malnourished children, uneducated women and homes without access to clean water or waste disposal are too common a sight, one of the most confronting aspects of this country. Fending off beggars is an integral part of daily life for the Western traveller, coping with the pleading eyes can be heartbreaking, but all advise offered on this subject suggests not to give to those who ask. Personally, I am happy to share food or small monies with small children that I encounter or women scratching around in the rubbish bins, but if they ask or tug at my skirts they are lucky if the get a smile, usually it's a look of deep regret and sorrow that meets with their hopeful, desperate pleas.
Religion. Not something I usually discuss, but since it suffuses every aspect of life for almost everyone in India, I'll just inform of the statistics to give a vaigue impression of this enormous subject. 82% of the population are Hindu, 12% Muslim and the other 6% either Christians, Sikhs, Jains or one of many other offshoots.
I have noticed Hindu 'puja' (acts of worship) integrated into daily life everywhere, whether it be the smell of burning insense wafting from shrines, uttering of prayers or mantras after showering or eating, decorating the front door way after cleaning the house each morning or the hanging freshly strung marigolds in sacred spaces. In the temples more elaborate puja can be seen with offerings of money, coconuts, flowers, candles and insense together with seemingly complicated ceremonies and prostration.
So as you may have gathered, India has made quite an impression on me already, many an hour I have spent gazing out of a rickety bus window or between the bars from a train. Plenty of time to process the previous encounters on my journey and build excitement for the next, soothed by the spectacular scenery and obvious simplicity of life.
Paddy fields sprouting young green rice into emerald blankets, neatly manicured haystacks, gently swaying beetle nut palms, golden fields of glittering sunflowers, wheat and corn dancing in the breeze, an occasional scarecrow guarding the crops. Bullock carts piled high with harvest, coal, goods or people - majestic white beasts jingling along with bells on their painted horns labouring under the yoke of the cart, buffaloes grazing methodically on the roadside or wallowing peacefully in the sticky black mud pools, mother pigs with an army of squealing youngsters battling for a feast, monkeys scampering playfully. Sunsets with a miriad of colours blistering the horizon. Homes made from every available resource - cow dung, straw, palm fronds, tin sheets, plastic awnings, concrete, stone or brick. Conical fishing boats bobbing on the rivers. Colourful women carrying water, carrying food, carrying their lives on their heads....
I love to travel on the trains, the clatter of the rails rhythmically singing a tune, the calls of the chai wallahs "coffee coffee, chai chai" as they move up and down the aisles selling their over sweet nectar. A variety of tasty morsels served in newspaper squares - samosas, pakoras, dosai pass by periodically, a book seller, water boy, a constant carnival of people moving around. Using a squat toilet on a moving train is definitely an experience that should be attempted by all just one in a lifetime, boarding a long distance train without a seat number is NOT!
In the towns and cities it's not so peaceful, beep beep, sound horn beep beep..... "Coming from? Which country? Your good name? Photo? " However, beneath the din is a world of wonder, every place so different from the last - enchanting palaces, holy temples, churches, mosques, vibrant markets and bazarres. I am never far from the delicious aroma of coffee & chai stalls, the sound of the clickity clang of peanuts being roasted in the pan is music to my ears. Smells of spice blends fill the air as they waft from street stalls and restaurants. I am struggling with the spicyness of the food and sometimes especially off the beaten track in the less touristy areas end up eating sweets and cakes from the bakery or living on plain rice and chapatti for a day or two, the concept of no chilli is hard to grasp they even put it in fried rice, noodles and omelettes. - Alas, I am not starving to death and most of the time I am enjoying lovely food, served by characterful people.
So with all this beauty, why the negative emotions?? The answer is a few small annoyances that can usually be laughed at or shrugged off, but after a long tiring journey, constant hassle or just a bad mood sometimes patience is tested. They include; excess noise pollution (beeping horns etc), the seemingly constant heckling and questioning, traffic pollution, piles of litter and general grime, spitting in the streets, the dawn chorus of phlegm hackers, men pissing everywhere, overcharging for foreigners (sometimes 50 times more than Indians) bus conductors conveniently forgetting to give change or charging more for tourists, overcrowding on public transport, pushing shoving and queue jumping, improper suggestions or wandering hands from leering men, aggressive sales tactics, scams and being treated like a dollar bill rather than a human being.
Still this is all part and parcel of India and generally it's pretty damn fantastic. I'm afraid that the words I have used to try to give an impression have far fallen short. It really is an indescribable place. In India there are no full stops only commas, anything is possible and everything is plausible.
I suggest to those of you who haven't yet explored it's wonders, pack up all your troubles in your old kit bag and get on the next flight over here
Until next time.. Namaste
p.s please check out some of my photos which may give a better impression that my words and post me a message on my message board. love & chapattis Lorna
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