Saturday 22nd August - Delhi to Hardwar

I am on a train now to Haridwar. I will post pics later. I left the Sri Aurobindo Ashram on friday the 22nd at about 2:00pm. I will tell you more about the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in a proceeding post and more about my time there. For now lets just say that it was ethereal and very humbling.

I decided to spend a night in paharganj. How different Paharganj was from the Ashram. Paharganj is a neighbourhood in Delhi alive with noise, colour, traffic, animals, locals, tourists and indian goods from all over the sub-continent. I booked a room for the evening at the Anand hotel for Rs250. I have slept in better rooms before and my first response was "I want to go back to the Ashram. I should have listened to Dr Bijlani." My next thought was that to many in India it would be considered a great comfort to sleep in a bed with running water and a toilet. So i decided to stick it out. :(

There was a wedding ceremony last night. The drummers came out into the street, follwed by the bride and her parade. People joined in dancing and singing. It was so beautiful to see in the middle of Paharganj. Last night i went to purchase a t-shirt to wear in the heat. The shopkeeper, a seemingly religious man (he had a prayer shrine in his shop like most Indians) went out of his way to assist me. He was kind and did not charge more than expected. (i payed 35 rupees for the T-Shirt) I kept thanking him profusely and he kept shaking his head, unaffected by my gratitude, saying: "I am only doing my duty sahib."

I am only doing my duty. I am only doing my duty: these words i have been reflecting on since yesterday. Another mystery. Another secret to mystical India slowly being unfolded. Indians are dutiful people. They give full attention to the task with no care for the reward. "politeness" and "niceness" does not work here if there is no depth or substance behind it. These are cheap and fickle expressions with no weight on the soul. In the western world we thrill ourselves with being 'nice' to people. A friendly smile, inspite, a kind gesture and immediately we feel like we deserve a medal or at least a pat on the back. Superficial, shallow attempts at real connection.

The average indian is deeply devoted and committed and pays no attention to lip service or superficial offerings. If you had to ask one of these he would say: "It does not matter to me that you are comfortable or whether you are smiling or not. It does not matter to me how many "good" deeds you have done for the day. If you are in a position to do something then it is your duty to act. Justice demands this!!! We are all an integral part of the whole. What is good for the hive is always good for the bee and NOT the other way around. Dont sit there and expect an applause everytime you get up and do something. This is your duty."

I keep asking myself: what does it mean to be human? Am i so immersed in my self preservation that i forget i am a part of the bigger picture? The irony is that in these efforts to make it on our own and gather for ourselves we die sooner. In India, I am learning that the longer one holds on to the vain illusion of 'I', 'Me', 'Mine', 'Vishalins', the greater the difficulty one faces. The more the struggle intensifies. It is best, here, to leave behind these notions. These expressions of selfishness and lower ego and to quickly submit to the land, to the culture, to the dirty streets, to the crowded busses and trains, to the sweat in the summer heat, to the burst of rain in the streets, to the dancing, to the singing, to the noise and the chaos.

This is part of the beauty i am experiencing here. India's ability to unmask you, allow you to see divinity in all, even in the dirt and also in you. If one misses this. One misses a lot.

Plane Trip and Delhi

Dubai International - 17th August 9:00am Dubai International is an amazing airport. A salad of so many cultures, nationalities and traditions all in one place. Kit Kat at a grocery store. Starbucks, Old Irish Pub. Oh hello........two pretty ladies at the information counter: I smile. They smile. I asked for my boarding gate details. (Perhaps I knew that already....but you cant be too sure ;) They confirm with me. They ask where i'm from. Then some light hearted conversation. They were very pleasant. I reach the boarding gates to Delhi at about 9:15 am, 15 mins before boarding time. Lots of passengers with surgical masks on. Doesn't make one feel too safe. Good thing i had my nasal antibiotic with. Thanks to my pharmacist. So apparently the new strain of flu loves air conditioned places like planes and circulates very well there. Took an A330 Emirates to Delhi. Fell asleep in the plane. Felt all sorts. Kept thinking about my Kombucha culture that i left with Michelle and my mum. If you're reading this, keep it healthy ladies. :) Mmmhhhh....whats this?? Interesting. An entire family with surgical masks on. Ah they are now all cleansing their hands with alcoholic hand cleanser. Tempted to pull out my nasal defense once more..............nah. Flight attendant Emma. Cutie. :) She happens to be from Glascow Scotland. I visited there in 2007 so we had quite a few things to talk about. Real sweet. Landed at Delhi 13:30. 30 degrees celcius and humid. If you are stopping at Delhi and no one is picking you up then please go to the prepaid taxi rank and purchase a ticket there first before leaving the airport. The taxi drivers rates vary and you are more than likely to pay more than you should. Purchased my prepaid and took a taxi to Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Delhi. (will tell you more about this in next post) Taxi ride was HECTIC CRAZY!!!!!! Lets just say i got well aquainted with the taxi, its side doors, its roof, floor and all parts of the passenger section VERY quickly. I never saw that one coming: There is no such belief as side mirrors, review mirrors and stop signs in Delhi. It would just be inneficient. :) People use their hooters alot to assist and alert other drivers of their presence. I counted at least two times when i thought i was going to die in that taxi. My driver was unphased throughout. Trust me if you are complaining about taxi's in Johannesburg. Come to Delhi. I truly admire the driving skills of all those in Delhi. It takes tact, wit and a lot of skill and experience. If you can drive in India then you can drive anywhere else in the world with ease. Driving through Mayapal road to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, oh my word what a trip for the senses. I was not prepared for that. A combination of cars, busses, bicycles, donkeys, carts, motorcycles and pedestrians all sharing the same road. Amazing. Shacks and people dwellings on the curb where the traffic lights are; little shops plastered all over the sidewalk with tobacco spitting shopkeepers and pedestrians, selling all sorts of amenables from cell phones and cigarettes to fruits and vegetables. The colours, the sounds, the touch of the frail street childs hands as it finds its way through my window asking for money. I was not prepared for this. Overwhelming is the word i would use to describe this feeling. If this is India then i am in love.

Packed n ready to Go

"Yet I cannot tarry longer. The sea that calls all things unto her calls me, and I must embark. For to stay, though the hours burn in the night, is to freeze and crystallize and be bound in a mould. Fain would I take with me all that is here. But how shall I? A voice cannot carry the tongue and the lips that give it wings. Alone must it seek the ether. And alone and without his nest shall the eagle fly across the sun."

12 more hours. :) Let see......

Goodbyes

"It is not a garment I cast off this day, but a skin that I tear with my own hands. Nor is it a thought I leave behind me, but a heart made sweet with hunger and with thirst." Humans are usually happy with moving from one vocation to the next. The decision is made for better prospects. For a better chance at survival, (depending on your definition of survival) for better comfort. I have these reasons to be happy. Although, today i was very sad. The sadness still lingers. Some have the gift of detachment. I struggle in this area. I leave behind people and this is my one binding point. There was a brokeness felt today that can not be put in words. Over the last three years i have grown to love some of the people at Avon. I have grown to care for them deeply. I have grown to ache for their dissapointments and heartaches and be happy for their gains and victories. Today was a sad day for me.

Why This Site is Up

It is said that somewhere in the mountains up North, past Hardwar, past Rishikesh, past Gangotri and beyond is the region of the mysterious cave dwellers; holy men of the mountains. It is said that they often veil themselves, choosing a life of solace and quietude. Forsaking wealth, family, status and all worldly acclaim, from different parts of the continent, they retreat to this part of the world where an age old tradition of Master and Disciple continues. Where the rivers whisper their charm and the ancient Mantra's resonate with nature, with great love, new bonds are formed. It is believed that these sages appear only to those whom they have foreseen somewhere in the realm of the invisible and to whom they have chosen as disciples well before the meeting. Great feats they have been known to perform, miraculous feats: actions that defy logic and science. Most of all, they are spoken of as living Masters, filled with compassion and love, filled with wisdom and insight into the constitution of all things manifest and unmanifest and with the ability to take one deep into the Self. Whether this is true or not, i do not know for sure. All I have are the books, the stories and a mysterious vision. I am going to this place. I am going to find out for myself. If i may be lucky enough to meet an enlightened master, i am not sure what i would do. Perhaps i would stop and take a picture, maybe smile and in some way try to communicate with this timeless soul. Maybe i would prostrate and offer myself as a sacrifice. I am not sure. I would like very much to go for myself and see. It is said that when the disciple is ready, that the Master would avail himself. This has long been the tradition in India, the place i am traveling to 3 days from now; The birth place of my forefathers. I invite you to come with me on this journey; from the noisy streets of Delhi to the various Ashrams, temples and holy places, to the backwaters and villages, to the mountains of the Himalayas. I am going as an observer. I will be watching for the Brahmagyani: The one who has transcended ego. The cosmic Christ who i began to love as a boy. The eternal "I am" manifest. The one who is complete in the Self. The Word made flesh again. The one who is a fragrance, a life force and a sacrifice to this planet. This is our journey. This is a collective input. We belong to each other. If i am discouraged in my efforts then i am comforted by the fact that India is diverse and rich in its multifaceted people, traditions, renditions and nuances. I will take comfort in the every day lives of the people there, in the noise and in the silence. We will be posting here for the next few months. We will be putting up pictures and sharing incidents, thoughts and reflections from these travels. Stop by here on a daily basis as this blog evolves. Be included in this adventure. Welcome. Let us enjoy this journey together.