Crossing the Indian Subcontinent – East to West Feb 12-28, 2009
3/5/2009 6:57:55 AM
Crossing the Indian Subcontinent – East to West
February 12 – 28, 2009
Slumdog Millionaire
What a great movie! And how appropriate i saw it in Kolkata, right in the midst of New Market, perched on the edge of the slums. India is reeling right now, such national pride that their country was recognized with the Best Picture Oscar (but at the same time, newspaper editorials point out they need to make a concerted effort to free its citizens from slum conditions). Many people were put off at first, that Indian slums were the main focus of a movie, but i think now they see this as a possible tool to awareness and action.
Since i was advised not to go to a movie theater alone, i rounded up a few girls from my volunteer group. The movie had just come out in India, so everyone was anxious to see it. First we had to find a theater showing the film in English. Going to the theater was an experience in itself…a huge room with our assigned special box seats, we settled in with our cokes and bagged popcorn – the entire event costing less than three bucks, which of course is like a million dollars to the characters played in the film and outside the theater doors. Lots of applause at the end, especially for the Bollywood dance scene while the credits rolled. As soon as i walked out of the theater it felt as though i was walking right back into the film….children running around evidently orphans, begging for spare change, the older ones hustling the hard sell. Walking down the sidewalk i stepped around bodies sleeping on street corners, families huddled together for warmth in the cool evening air. Arriving at my hotel, i saw the usual scene of the elevator man’s family sleeping under blankets on the ground floor….then on my fifth floor, the doorman and his buddy sleeping on the hard hallway floor, always jumping up to make sure i have everything i need for a blissful nights rest inside the comfort of my 850 rupee/night room – a fortune for them. But as i remember over and over, i feel they are mostly at peace with their status, their lot in life. I don’t know if that is due to the Hindu caste system, or, that they are not wanting for more. Either way, spending an extended time in a city like Kolkata will allow you a front row seat to their reality – the only ‘slumdog millionaires’ here are those rich with pride and family, not that of money. Read the ‘City of Joy’ by Dominique Laperrier or see the 90’s movie of the same title starring Patrick Swayze – that will give a better representation of the life and passion of slum dwellers.
Varanasi
While i was in Kolkata, i had met a girl who had lived at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram in Trivandrum. She had completed her yoga teachers training course the year prior, and had since returned. Respecting her opinion, i decided to sign up for what they call ‘yoga vacation’ course (which is a misnomer, as i will soon find out). Needing to arrive the day before the course started, i made plans to arrive February 15th, but this is easier said than done. I still wish to visit some famous sites in the north, and only have a few days to travel the similar distance of Florida to New York to California!
With a plan in hand i began my marathon journey by train, plane, auto-rickshaw, even a row boat! From my Buddhist retreat in Bodhgaya, i caught the afternoon train headed for Varanasi, a thousand year old city resting on the banks of the Holy Ganges river. Being a pro at train travel, i settled into my 3ac bunk for the relatively short 5 hour ride (which of course took 7 hours). Arriving at the crazy Varanasi train station, i was cheerfully greeted by Leslie, an employee of the hotel i had pre-booked. The one thing i have learned the past three years, is to book hotel rooms ahead of time when you arrive at night in an unfamiliar city. You save yourself lots of grief and frustration haggling over rickshaw fares and unscrupulous drivers taking you to “their” hotel instead of the one you’ve asked for (they get a commission, and usually the hotels are less than desirable).
Leslie whisked myself and two other ladies from the platform directly outside to our waiting 3 wheeled chariots. What a madhouse! And so late in the evening….his concern for our safety made me realize what a prudent decision i had made to book this pickup, and all for 100 rupees or $2. On top of that, just finding our hotel through the maze of the old city streets would have been a miracle on my own. Bobbing and twisting between rows of street stalls, we squeezed down tiny alleyways, all with my heavy backpack and almost taking a dive on a huge piece of cow dung! Arriving at the hotel i was told my reservation was changed to their new hotel, fine with me, but again, back into the streets a few blocks away. This time i am accompanied by Jamie, a Canadian backpacker. We help each other navigate now that the power has gone out in the old city and it is pitch black! We finally arrive and i settle into my very clean, newly constructed room. Perfect. Jamie and i decide to share a sunrise boat ride the following day, agreeing to meet at 5.45am!
My friends Tony and Barbara from Belgium had sent me an email recommending places to visit in Varanasi, so i already have the insight on where to go. After a quick shower, i head down the alley to their suggested “Fuji Restaurant” for a quick dinner. There i am happy to share a table with a nice couple from Switzerland, where we talk about the ins and outs of this wonderful town…all while enjoying a delicious spaghetti dinner (no Indian food for a change) and listening to live classical band composed of a sitar (think monster guitar played while sitting) accompanied by the tabla – twin drums. Needless to say, a pleasant evening after a hectic day of travel!
Morning came quickly and Jamie and I headed down to the ghats for our morning boat ride, a ‘must do’ for all travelers to this holy city. Spiritual life revolves around the ghats – a long string of bathing steps leading down to the water on the western bank of the Ganges, about 80 ghats in all.
Surprised to see our captain is a mere teenager, we set off in our row boat for a tour of the ghats. Instantly we are accompanied by 2 small children hawking floating flowers with candles, for ten rupees…we negotiate two for the price of one, make our wishes and set them afloat (and scoot the kids out of the boat!). Of course we are not the only people in a row boat drifting down the river. We are in the presence of at least 30 other boats, but somehow it doesn’t seem crowded. For an hour and a half we get to see the early morning bathing rituals of the devout, pilgrims touching the water as if it were delicate gold. We float past an interesting scene of practicing yogis, as well, a man who appears to be in a good mood by laughing constantly and loudly a top a platform facing the sunrise. Our young boat captain tells us he is performing ‘laughing yoga’ … i never heard of such a thing….but not a bad idea! The sunrise, by the way, is fantastic. The usual brilliant orange sun that i have seen exclusively in India…different than other sunrises and sunsets i have seen elsewhere in the world….not sure why it is so brilliant here…maybe a combination of pollution and extreme heat!
Eventually we coast into the area of the ‘burning’ ghats known for it’s 24 hour cremations….here we would see many cremations in the short hour we observed – learning all about the custom of how the body is prepared, the important role of the Brahman priest, the specifics relating to caste of the deceased, the grieving family (men only) surrounding the eldest son whose duties include setting the body afire. In one case we witnessed a teenager performing last rites around his very young deceased father (i might add the body was unwrapped and seemed to be staring right at me). The boy obviously overwhelmed with grief ( a no no) is escorted away and another male family member completes the ritual. Watching the flames of these funeral pyres was macabre to say the least, but at the same time, gave me a better understanding as to how important these rituals and beliefs play such a huge role in the collective consciousness of this nation.
Later in the morning, Jamie and I took multiple rickshaws, human powered and motor powered, to visit the Ramnagar Fort. This was an interesting look at a 17th century fort where the elaborate kings of the Mughal empire held court. Seeing the museum of Arabian style swords with dramatic and deadly swooshing curves, reminded me of storybooks i read as a child. Too bad i won’t have enough time to see more of this fantastic Indian heritage -apparently lots of Mughal history in the northwestern part of the country.
My entire 24 hour experience was well worth the effort, and although i would have preferred a longer visit to this holy city, at least i was able to have a taste of the scenery that so much of the Hindu faith is based upon. Awesome!
Taj Mahal
Now, onto the city of Agra where the famous white marble Taj Mahal rests…of course no Indian journey could be complete without a visit to the Taj. ….quoting the guidebook:
“Described as the most extravagant monument ever built for love, this sublime Mughal mausoleum is India’s most ogled icon. Many have tried to sum up its beauty – ‘a teardrop on the face of eternity’ according to the Indian Poet Tagore, ‘the embodiment of all things pure’ according to Kipling. The Taj was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial for his second wife, Mumtaz, who died giving birth to her 14th child in 1631, leaving the emperor heartbroken. Some 20,000 people from all over Asia worked until its completion in 1653.”
I was skeptical at first, but fell in love with what countless others have seen before me. It is truly a sight to see, indescribable……. Maybe my photos lend an idea of what i saw. Of course the context of the mausoleum’s massive size, an endless sea of white marble poised against green fields, a winding river backdrop and the empty blue horizon above and beyond….
My afternoon at the Taj complete, i jumped the next train to New Delhi. A short 2 hour journey took almost 4 and a half hours, but that was ok, as i enjoyed my adventurous ‘sleeper’ car where there is no ac and no special sheets for long travelers. This is where the true locals ride for extended distances. Making my way to my assigned bunk, i found 4 adults and 3 children in a space designed to hold 3 people. No worries, i was welcomed and made room for (not that anyone moved to their assigned seat, they just slid over 2 inches). I squeezed in, recalled my recent Buddhist teachings and smiled. Planning ahead in Varanasi, i had bought some crayons and coloring books in the event i encountered any children on my train rides….here i had my chance. Reaching into my backpack, i handed a little girl a strip of stickers…she immediately began to wail. I mean scream. She was so scared of this funny looking white lady handing her something! The parents and spectators all began to laugh, which released my tension….i was thinking what had i done? But then i realized i had approached her too quickly. She calmed down and eventually warmed to me. With that over, i had new friends the remainder of the ride, everyone attentive to my departure station in Delhi (there are many)….good thing as the stations are never announced and i have no clue where and when to get off!
Arriving late into New Delhi, i catch a auto rickshaw and head straight to my hotel to collapse. This is merely a stopover for my early morning flight, so i have no concern as to where i stay. Hotel Vivek on the Main Bazzar for a few hundred rupees was a dingy place…but i didn’t care, in fact actually ordering room service for the first time ever as a traveler! I fell asleep to news of Australia in flames, wondering if all my new ozzie friends were ok. Wow you miss a lot when you don’t have TV or newspapers for weeks on end.
Ashrams, Ayurvedic and Asanas
Crossing the Indian Subcontinent: North to South
Sivananda Yoga Ashram
Neyyar Dam, Trivandrum
Kerala, India
Feb 15 – Feb 28
Sunday i took an easy flight from New Delhi to Trivandum, arriving at the Sivanada yoga ashram along with 100 other yoga vacationers early the same afternoon. I was happy to see my friend Toriann, an American girl i had briefly met while in Kolkata. I had told her about the ashram i was heading to, and since she was interested in learning more about yoga, we agreed to meet in the south. Like me and millions of others, she had read Elizabeth Gilbert’s best selling novel, “Eat Pray Love”. By the sight of things many women have ventured to ashrams like this one, possibly to experience a little of what Ms. Gilbert described as disciplined spirituality. There are hundreds of people here, mostly Westerners, and mostly women. Getting settled into our dorm room, we begin to see what life will be like for the next 2 weeks (eventually observing to Gilbert’s book). An Ashram is like a close knit community – where people live, eat pray, practice yoga class, all together as one big happy family). This is a new concept to me and evidently is for many others as we struggle with rules and restrictions, apparently devised to keep order in the ‘big’ family!
The ashram is one of many centers comprised within the international Sivananda organization, a method of yoga as a way of life, taught by thousands of teachers worldwide. This particular ashram was started by a Sivananda devotee, Swami Vishnu Devananda some forty years ago
Our schedule is as follows:
05.20am wake up
06.00am satsang (meditation, chanting, and teachings)
07.30am chai tea
08.00am Yoga asanas
10.00am breakfast
11.00am Karma yoga
12.30pm Yoga coaching class
01.30pm tea
02.00pm teaching
03.30pm yoga asana class
06.00pm dinner
08.00pm satsang
10.30pm lights out.
We are told the schedule is so packed to keep our minds occupied. A free mind causes all sorts of disturbances….. and clearly, we have little time for day dreaming! The first day was probably the most challenging…getting my body used to a 5.20am wake up call was not too bad. I had only recently left my Buddhist retreat where we woke up at 6am there. Heading into the meditation hall was also familiar, however here there were no ‘cushy’ cushions to comfort my backside and knees on the hard floor. Fourteen days later i was still experimenting with different leg positions to survive comfortably through the 90 minute satsang! Moving onto chanting after our twenty minute silent meditation brought life to my body and to the ashram itself. Almost 300 people chanting alongside musical instruments such as the harmonium – a hand pumped keyboard, accompanied by tabla drums, bells, and tambourines. By the end of the course i had almost all the chants memorized! It also infects my mind, where i hum the tune all day, even at night, singing the chant in my dreams!
Our resident guru, Swami Mahadevananda is a man larger than life (physically and spiritually) and his full bellied voice made everyone sit up straight and listen. I enjoyed his daily teachings chosen at random from Swami Sivananda’s book of memoirs “The Yogi”.
Chai tea followed our morning satsang, something we were thirsty for at 7.30am. From here we went straight into our 2 hour asana class. The Sivananda method is taught specific and almost the same way each time, for this i had to stop my mind from complaining of boredom (something i never experience with Juliana’s classes back home!) I manage with the daily routine, starting with Pranayama breathing, then alternate nostril breathing, lots of relaxation in the corpse pose in between most asanas. A good warm up of 8-10 rounds of sun salutations, then into leg raises, headstand, shoulder stand, bridge, fish, lotus, crow, and more. The best comes at the end, when we have a auto suggestion/guided relaxation to round out the class. By 10 am we are all starving, and head to the Canteen, where more floor sitting awaits. The meals are bland indian vegetarian (which probably goes against every bone in the Indian chef’s body!) where they use no onion or garlic (or other spices for that fact) – part of the Sivananda lifestyle that i will never adopt! I love garlic too much, but they say these 2 spices make the mind too active, anti productive for ashram life. For me, however, the biggest meal challenge was not the diet (i loved the vegetarian) but how we ate….the Indian custom of using your right hand (left one reserved for bathroom duties) instead of utensils. I could not seem to cleanly scoop up the runny curd, or the messy veg curry with the rice or chapati served on the plate. I tried this a few meals and then broke down and bought a spoon at the boutique…hard to teach an old dog new tricks! My roommate Toriann loved eating this way, where she would challenge herself each day with how clean she could get her plate! I gave up and bought a spoon in the boutique.
After brunch we began our Karma yoga duties…and almost assuredly i was assigned toilet duty! Well, that is ok, i have no problem with this, and enjoy the time chatting with my fellow laborers scrubbing and mopping one of the dorms. By noon everyone was either relaxing on the lawn by our dorm, or, down by the lakeside…taking a cautious dip in the cool water, being wary of wandering crocodiles (we were assured they are only seen at sunrise and sunset). I wasn’t so convinced and kept my seat firmly planted under the shade of a palm tree! Often we would walk 20 mins into town to line up at the local internet cafe….some 300 people trying to get time on one of the 8 machines involved patience!
Our afternoon was filled with an hour lecture on classes ranging from Sivananda’s theory on the 5 bodies of yoga, to ayurvedic medicine, to proper relaxation ( i fell asleep) to vegetarianism (i took leave of that class, having already achieved this lesson in real life!). Following this would be our 2nd yoga asana class of the day, similar to the first, just more difficult after an already long day. From here we would run to dinner and then an after dinner treat at the ‘health hut’ where more bland food would be found, the most decadent item being a chocolate banana milkshake, but those would run out in five minutes!
Our final day’s activity would be evening satsang at 8pm. Since i enjoy meditating, this is not a problem for me, but sometimes your body is so tired, all you wish is to sleep. Many people try to skip this part of the schedule, but are usually swept up in rounds… making sure all attend…..as we are reminded we signed a ‘contract’ to attend all activities. For this, some people are put off, and thus don’t adjust well to ashram life. I think if i were a young backpacker, i might have had a problem with this….but for me, it is just fine. I am here to learn, and learn i did!
I begin to soak up the yoga classes and, with each passing day, i become more flexible. It is amazing how quickly i lost all of my abilities soon after leaving home, some elven months ago. Now, my body soaks up the exercise…and with all my prior experience, i quickly move into the intermediate level class on the second day. Not that i am all that great, certainly not, i just know how to do most of the poses, its just a matter of execution! Many of the ‘yoga vacationers’ as we are called, have never been to a yoga class. They are full of excitement like my friend Toriann, who quickly excelled into the intermediate class….ahoy youth!
The people attending the teachers training course were an interesting bunch from all over the globe. The sivananda method is apparently very popular in europe, so many come here to earn their certificate. And just like us yoga vacationers, many in the TTC class are relative beginners. Their schedule is rough, leaving almost no time to sleep…they are constantly studying for what will be a big test at the end of the month long course. I do not envy them one bit! Instead, i expand my experience to include a detox program prescribed by the local ayurvedic doctor.
Panchakarma Ayurvedic Treatment:
days 1 -4 = 2 hour treatment: heated oil massage + hot bundles of herbs patted all over+ dhara (for 20 mins heated oil streams over your forehead) + nasal drops.
days 5 – 7 = same above, PLUS delicious (not) cup of warm ghee (butter extract) to gulp down with a straight face 🙂
day 8 = nothing but rest – because at 7.30am you drink some mixture, followed by two huge teapots of hot water every 15 mins. You ‘rest’ only because you can’t stray farther than 15 feet from the toilet….the toughest day.
days 9 and 10 = hot oil massage and herbal hot bundles again
the last 3 days involve enemas, but i will miss this treatment as my time ends at the ashram (i am not sad about this)
result = i actually feel cleansed. I have never gone through a detox before, and this was a lovely setting to experience one. I am glad i took the time and made the effort to get my relaxing massages everyday! And Sindu, my therapist, was wonderful. I will miss her caring for me as a daughter (although she is 15 yrs my junior!)
Some other activities i participated in while staying at the ashram:
The grand opening of the Sivananda Vedanta Yoga center in downtown Trivandrum. This was a center envisioned by the late Swami Vishnu Devananda himself (he passed away in 1993). Everyone was invited to see all the pomp and circumstance staged for the Maharaja (King) of Kerala. With hundreds of curious spectators and local dignitaries looking on, a red carpet was rolled out for the Maharaja and his handlers, hailed by a band of horn blowers and beautiful saried women throwing flower petals – everyone jockeying for position to get the best photos! The presentation was followed by a delicious (and spicy!) meal, and then an evening satsang of chants.
Sivarathri
Another special event i witnessed was the festival of Sivarathri, or the night of Shiva. This is a special event held all over the country, this year falling on February 24th. Apparently the ashram had commissioned a gargantuan sized bronze sculpture of the dancing Shiva, and i was lucky to see the unveiling in Shiva Hall, the main meditation and meeting area. Watching the week before, dozens of crafty Indian workers hauled this massive statue onto the stage (alter) with very limited equipment – this was an event in and of itself! The statue remained covered until the big day arrived, where upon volunteers took turns chanting, “Om namah sivaya, om namah sivaya” over and over for 24 hours straight at the Shiva temple. In the evening, hundreds gathered in the hall for the special unveiling of the statue, as well, the local Brahman priests held court with all sorts of rituals. One by one we took turns offering herbs and melted ghee (butter) to a flaming pit, then received a dedication of basmam pottu ( mark of ash on my forehead) where the devoted continued to chant and dance early into the next day (i was asleep by midnight!) Before leaving the big party, the priest announced that an auspicious event had occurred….all the Ghee that we had pured, seeped through the cement fire ring….apparently this has never happened before and it was predicted all our wishes that evening would be granted! How lucky for my friends and family!
Kanyakaumari
Our day off being Fridays, a group of us made a journey south – to the southernmost tip of the Indian Subcontinent….the very tip of India, called Kanyakaumari. Here at this exact spot, three large bodies of water meet – the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal. Of course this is a holy place, as evidenced by the thousands of indians who make pilgrimage here each year, today being no exception. There is a famous statue, larger than the Statue of Liberty, that rests alongside Vivekananda rock, another holy place where Guru Vivekananda held vigil by meditating for 3 days on a rock perched among the trashing waves. There are overstuffed ferry boats that take us to visit the temples that have since been erected. We also visit a shiva temple and vishnu temple during our 18 hour-long bus journey. Another great day in India!
Saturday, my final day at the ashram comes quickly. My friend Toriann has already left, a few days earlier…by now she is in Egypt playing among the pyramids. My new friends Estelle from South Africa and Eamir from Ireland/Canada are also heading out. So, for me, it is a bittersweet farewell to my first ashram experience. I am sure, if and when i return to India, there will be another ashram experience lined up in my itinerary….it is quite a privilege to attend and be welcomed into a family such as this!
Kelly's Travel Blog 