India

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins

**This post was started right after India, but it took me until now to finish it, so the dates may seem a little bit weird

Today we had the day off from classes to reflect on India. One day is not nearly enough, in fact I don’t think even a lifetime is enough to process what I saw. My eyes have been opening wider and wider this whole trip, but I feel as though India has removed my eyelids so that I can never close them to the world again. It is going to be very hard for me to describe my feelings and the things I saw, but I’ll try my best.

I have had mountains of anticipation building up in me for India since I first signed up for this trip. You can imagine my excitement stepping off the gangway and into this mysterious country, one which I knew was going to change me forever. We jumped into a rickshaw right off the bat. Rickshaws are three-wheeled, open air, go-cart-like taxis. We quickly learned that wherever you want to go will come after the driver takes you where he wants you to go. For example, we stopped at his brother’s clothing store, and his mother-in-law’s sari shop before we got to the restaurant we wanted to go to. Turns out it worked out even better for us, because we were able to get some Indian clothes for the rest of our trip. Not to mention, the ride was extremely fun and we got to see a lot of Chennai on the way. Sitting in the rickshaw, wind in our faces, new images everywhere, my friends and I were smiling from ear to ear. The smells and the colors and the sights and the sounds were intoxicating. In India cars use horns…a lot. There was constant honking and swerving and chaos all over the streets. I was definitely a little nervous, but I knew it was part of the experience. That afternoon I went on a trip with one of the professors to visit some of the slums. The one we went to was a government housing complex, set up for tsunami victims and families from other slums in southern India. In a way I see that experience as preparing me for the rest of the week. At the time I thought walking around this particular village was tough. But looking back, the people there were lucky to be in that situation. The local government had provided them with not only homes, but also jobs and specialty training in the medical and textile fields. Kids were playing cricket at recess, and there were goats and cows, and what seemed to me to be very close families everywhere.  We visited one of the boys’ schools for a while. At first, they were all sitting very still and very quiet like robots. But when we started handing out stickers they turned into little boys again. We started playing word games, clapping games, and had some major thumb wars (I usually lost, they were good!). It was an incredible experience hearing them laugh and seeing those huge smiles on their faces every time they won, especially when we were sitting in a very hot, very small school house, with one chalkboard, a few books, and no desks or chairs. It’s hard to imagine going to school every day and sitting on the floor for hours, not to mention the heat! After being torn away from the kids (we all wanted to stay and play more, they were going to teach me cricket!), we went to see the compost area. The village has a program where they turn the trash into compost, and either use the very fertile soil to grow their own vegetables, or just sell the soil. It is a great way for the families to bring in their own income, from their own work instead of relying on the government. The goal, we were told, is to get these families on their feet again, and empower them to rise out of their situation. We also saw a woman, who was given a loan to start her own hair salon. She went to school, started a salon in the village, and is now the resident hair dresser. She is also taking in younger women and teaching them how to style hair. Our guide told us something that seems to be a common theme in every country we have visited so far: When you educate a woman, you educate a country. We saw all sorts of success stories like that, where people were given the tools to make their own livings based on what they want to do. It is a great program, and I was happy to hear that they were in the process of building more homes to add 28,000 more people to the already 25,000 strong village. It was very inspirational, despite the poor conditions they were living in. We all had an experience that was new to most of us; those who had cameras were pulling them out and taking pictures of us as we walked past. No one minded though, we just saw it as getting a taste of our own medicine. It doesn't seem like it would be a bog deal, but it was a very strange sensation being photographed by strangers.

            At 4:00 the next morning I was heading to the airport on a bus. We jumped on a plane to begin our trip around Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. Once again, the plane was very nice and the food, movies, and drinks were free. We arrived in Delhi to nice cool, crisp weather, and the second we walked out of the airport, the crowds hit us like a brick in the face. It was Chennai on steroids! Cars and horns and people and cows EVERYWHERE! We were immediately greeted by our tour guide, Rameesh Anand, who, I would like to mention turned out to be the best tour guide ever. Right off the bat we started sightseeing. Delhi is beautiful and busy, with nice parks everywhere. We started at Qutab Minar, which is the tallest tower in India. It was originally a Hindu Temple, but was destroyed when Muslim rule was established in India. You can still see remnants of the Hindu statues that had been knocked down and replaced by carvings of the Quran. We drove around Delhi some more and saw the Embassies and the India Gate, which is a memorial commemorating soldiers who died in World War I (it looks a lot like the Arc de Triomph).  We had a delicious lunch of curry, naan, and everything else Indian you could imagine. There were these delicious little fried doughnut balls with honey sauce and ice cream, I want more! After lunch we drove to Rajghat, Gandhi’s memorial. It was very peaceful and beautiful. Out of respect you are required to take your shoes off, and the incense that were constantly burning were intoxicating. It was quite a relaxing experience.

            Next we went to Humayun’s Tomb. Humayun was a ruler of India, and was Shah Jahan’s great grandfather. His tomb is beautiful and massive, and it even includes small tombs around it for people like his favorite hairdresser! We made our way over to the hotel, where we were greeted with bindis for luck and flower leis. The hotel was beautiful, and after a huge and delicious dinner we were ready to catch up on some sleep. The next morning was an early one…partially because I couldn’t sleep, knowing we were going to see the Taj Mahal that day. At 5:30 we were on our way to the train station, weaving our way through crowds of beggars and cars, trying to keep our bags close to us. It was very intimidating and chaotic, but we made it. The train ride was beautiful, and we passed through beautiful countryside and the sun was bright, bright red as it was rising. Using the toilet was another story. In India, most of the toilets are just holes in the ground…trains are no exception. You can use you imagination about how dirty they were.  I can’t explain to you the excitement I felt when we finally arrived in Agra. I was practically sprinting off the train, I was so anxious to get to the Taj. However, that excitement was diminished pretty quickly. I thought I had seen the poverty already in India, but I had just barely scraped the surface. Immediately leaving the train station we were surrounded by children, probably between the ages of 3 to 12. No matter how fast you try to walk and how much you try desperately to “be deaf and dumb”, as our tour guide suggested, you can’t ignore the shockingly thin children begging at your feet. I had to force myself to get on the bus without a word, and try not to look out the window at the kids still standing outside begging for money. I had always heard about the street kids and the poverty here, but I never imagined that they would be so young. It was a hard realization to cope with, but I tried to process what I saw and keep moving.

And then we were there. There was a long walkway to get to the entrance of the Taj Mahal. It was swarming with monkeys, camels, and people trying to sell you “unique” keychains “for a very good price”. They were definitely a constant presence, and we realized quickly that the second you say one word to them, even if its NO GO AWAY, your doomed. You really have to be deaf and dumb and completely ignore them. The monkeys were playing in the trees, it was a beautiful sunny day, and I was about to see the one thing I had been dreaming of ever since I did that 5^th grade project on the wonders of the world. We walked and walked, went through security, walked, and finally stepped through the entrance. I felt like a hurricane was blowing in my face with the blinding white and shocking grandeur of the Taj Mahal. Yes, I cried. I cried hard. I couldn't believe I was actually, finally there, at the real thing, the one and only. I think in twenty years I will remember that exact feeling. “The first time I saw the Taj Mahal I was a 20 year old college student, holding my best friends hand on the steps and crying my eyes out, trying hard to convince myself that I wasn’t dreaming. That this was real, that the sky was a perfect bright blue, and the sun was in the just the right position in the sky.” It really could not have been any more perfect. We spent a lot of time walking around, taking pictures, and just simply marveling. I really wish that I could do the feelings I had justice just by writing, but I think its impossible. After tearing ourselves away and surviving the hawkers again, we went to a little shop where they practiced a unique art form that can only be passed down from father to son. In fact, it is the same way the Taj Mahal was built. They carve marble and inlay it with precious stones, which they flake and shape themselves. We had a chance to watch them work and then tour the gallery.

            After another delicious lunch, we traveled to the Agra Fort. It is a beautiful sandstone fortress, with a hall of public audience that had walls lined with fragments of mirrors so that when the lamps hit them they look like stars. This is where Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son for 8 years. There is a spectacular view of the Taj Mahal, the very monument he built for his lost love, from the room he stayed in. He died gazing at it, and was later buried next to Mumtaz Mahal’s tomb under the spectacular onion dome he built for her. The fort was spectacular and had peacocks (The Mughal symbol for wealth) and precious stones everywhere! We got back on the bus and had a long drive through the countryside before we finally reached Jaipur.

We first stopped in Sikri, which is an abandoned city that was once the capital of India. It is built entirely out of red sandstone, and even has a tomb for Emperor Akbar’s favorite elephant. The next morning we got up early so that we could get elephant rides to the Amber Fort. We drove through the Pink City, which was extremely busy. Its very strange seeing cows walking around everywhere, including into stores (seriously, I saw a cow walk into a store as though it was going to buy a sari). The elephant ride was so much fun! We made Drew buy a turbin (hilarious) and got some great pictures. Upon arrival at the fort some people played traditional music that was used to announce when dignitaries were arriving. We toured the fort and I was absolutely shocked by the spectacular views. We got to see a rug factory. They showed us how they weave the rugs and do block-printing. Let me tell you, this guy was a very good salesman, he had me considering buying a $500 rug for a second…then I realized I didn't have $500, so that's a good thing. We drove back through the Pink City and visited the Royal Observatory and the City Palace (Chandra Mahal). Both had ancient relics of early astronomy, textiles, weapons, and art. We spent the evening getting henna and shopping around our hotel in Jaipur. The next morning we were supposed to drive back to Delhi…instead we spent about 3 hours just trying to get out of Jaipur. The traffic was unbelievable, our tour guide even got out to direct cars (along with about 5 other people, so you could imagine it didn't work very well). When we finally made it to Delhi we had to cut out a lot of our original plans. We were still able to visit a Sikh temple though. It was beautiful, and an entirely new experience. The singing rang throughout the area on loud speakers, heads were covered, and shoes were off. We even ate some of the ceremonial offerings...which was a big, mushy clump of flower, sugar, and butter, served to us in our bare hands. Those with weak stomachs skipped that part. We also toured the kitchen, which is run completely by volunteers and donations, and provides meals to anyone who wants to eat with them. It is a lot like soup kitchens in the US.  We finished off our trip with Hi Tea, and got back onto the plane for a late flight.

We were all sad that it was our last day in India, but we jumped into some rickshaws and rode around Chennai. We did a lot of shopping, a lot of eating, and a lot of observing. We were eating lunch when some other SASers ran up to us with news about the Tsunami. We found a TV and watched as much as we could. We were all very shaken to say the least, but we just tried to enjoy our last few hours so we could get back to the ship and hopefully find out more about what was happening in Japan.

I know that this was a very brief and choppy synopsis of my time in India, but honestly I have been struggling with how I was going to write this. There is no way to do justice to the thoughts that ran through my head and the feelings I felt while there. I loved every second, good and bad, but a lot of it was very hard for me to process. It was chaotic, beautiful, terrifying, depressing, enlightening, friendly, puzzling, horrifying, and a million other things that I can’t find words for. Every stop so far has been amazing, but I think India takes the cake. My emotions were ripped back and forth, from trying not to break down in front of the street kids, to marveling at the Taj Mahal. Everything from shopping to using the bathroom was worlds away from anything I’ve ever known. I was so stimulated that I could barely sleep for more than an hour at a time for days after we left. It was truly an amazing experience, one that will never be forgotten, and I am eager to return. I hope the pictures help to support my stories! Love you all!

Slide show is below! The pictures are a little bit out of order, so bear with me!

India Slideshow!
Some more pictures from Ashton!