Sari Party 2010

Good food, pretty saris and wonderful friends. It was a great excuse to have a party - new friends, long time friends and pretty Indian things!

Continuing the Liaison Here at Home

Liaison:  a channel for communication between groups.  Culture: the tastes in art and manners that are favored by a social group; all the knowledge and values shared by a society; the attitudes and behavior that are characteristic of a particular social group or organization (selected out of the google search).


It seems to me my calling in life is to be a liaison no matter where life takes me - hence my interest to put my self out there as a "Cultural Liaison" - not that I know everything about all cultures - just that I'm willing to learn!

For example, one place I worked as a IT Liaison.  My main job was to train nurses to do their job on client server software instead of a mainframe software.  BUT....since the IT group did not want to deal with 30 independent and demanding nurses who knew nothing about computers and software, I not only trained the nurses, but all IT problems funneled through me.  If I couldn't help the nurses, then I met with the IT group to get things changed.  The two groups spoke a different language and both had established (and different) cultures that needed a liaison to facilitate conversation.  I learned a little of each language and appreciated each of their cultures enough to bridge their differences and make progress on the project.

A similar situation evolved in another customer service position, except this liaison position was not only between customers and our IT groups, but also between ethnic groups within our organization.  I often went with fellow employees to talk to developers because they couldn't understand their English, encouraging them to 'JUST TRY' .  Lunchtimes spent sharing food and personal histories flew by too fast but made going to work worthwhile.

Here's a funny one:  several years ago a few friends and I decided to work on a project for the Columbus Asian Festival.  It was a display of bridal outfits from all over the Asian world.  Also, we did a boat for India - which is quite a scene if you've ever been to the festival.  Anyway, I'm the only one of the group still at all involved (not much) but I usually ended up doing some craft representing India (one year it was the Hmong story drawing - not India);  I used to do the sari wrapping in the dress up area!  So, I mention this because there I am representing the majority ethnic group representing another group's culture - it's a little different, but fun.

Maybe it's just that I grew up in very multi-cultural places and have heard many different languages being spoken; but my family members do not seem to have this talent or desire - they still live among MANY other ethnic groups.  But sometimes living among many ethnic groups other than your own, creates discontent for some people, so it also must be that 1) I am curious and love learning about people; and 2) I believe we have more in common than we realize; 3) I love to travel and have new experiences even if it's vicariously through other people's travels and experiences; 4) some religious texts reference seeing God in a stranger; 5) you get the idea......

Working in retail also brought out my liaison skills.  When I overheard (usually negative) comments about other ethnic groups shopping at our store, I shared whatever knowledge and awareness with my co-workers (trying not to be a smarty-pants) talking of common traditions, making food, etc.  Sometimes, I was asked to speak to customers who were obviously (to me) speaking English but had an accent.  I think of that as liaison work as well.  In reverse, our dominant culture has some pretty strange beliefs and unspoken rules that I try to explain to my friends who did not grow up in this culture. 

One of  my favorite liaison activities is speaking to Ms. Bierl's sixth grade classes about my Indian/Hindu life as I experienced it on my trips there. They embrace this knowledge with such excitement and many spoke of wanting to know more, or shared their own experiences of trying the customs of other cultures.  They completely get it.  We are the same but different and sometimes doing it their way is more fun.


My liaison work to Isle de Reunion has been postponed to next year (hopefully not cancelled) so I'm starting on some new projects here in Worthington, Ohio.  My Cultural Liaison work will continue - just not sure what shape it will take.  Please post any and all comments about your own "Cultural Liaison" work.


Namaste

Back in the USS(A)

No pictures, but just letting everyone know that I am safely home.  A few days of waking at 4 a.m. and trying to stay awake until 7:30 p.m. are coming to an end and I'm starting to get back into the Columbus world again (OMG I just heard about Google changing its name to Topeka).
My very long flight home was complicated by my dropping my luggage on my big toe and having a time getting around four airports.  I had a five hour layover in Paris so I treated myself to a massage and spoke French to all service personnel in the airport.  The massage staff were VERY indulgent and we talked for an hour or so.  She actually spoke Portugese as well as French, and then we were joined by another client who spoke Portugese (she was from Brazil, travelling from Germany to New York and then back to Brazil.  All three of us enjoyed 'girly time' in the spa, in three languages.  Willingness to try is all it takes!

Then I ran into a young woman who I first saw in Mumbai and we talked for an hour until HER flight left.  She and I de-briefed our India trips finding common situations that ran up against our US experiences and we laughed and laughed and exchanged email addresses.  She lives in Chicago and will visit Columbus for a friend's wedding.  Such a small world!!

For the first time in all of my travels I purchased gifts at the Duty Free.  For some reason in Detroit, coming out of customs into security, the kid told me I couldn't take them through in the sealed plastic, but had to try and pack them into my already overstuffed bags.  YIKES, I was already late to be at my gate!!  I somehow got it into my bags, anticipating that all of my clothes would soon be soaked in alcohol by the time I got to Columbus.  I limped quickly to the boarding gate (I've never been in the Detroit airport) and remembered that I had shared with someone earlier -"Gee, I wonder what it's like to be the last person on the plane".  Safely on my last plane of the journey, I was looking forward to seeing my daughter's beautiful face and going to sleep in my own bed.  I also can't believe that through all of my side trips to Bordeaux and India - I NEVER ONCE HAD MY LUGGAGE LOST.  That is truly amazing.  Yeaaah, Air France - way to go!

I miss Kalpana's chai and sweet smiling face every morning - her letting me cook in her kitchen; Girish calling "Dahlia" to tell her he's home and being the best host a person can have.  I miss the curious people, the brave ones who speak to me in English or shake my hand; and the neighbors who invited me to snack (and chai sometimes).  I miss Vaishalli's exuberant love and Raju's quiet but caring affection (he always brings me safe water) I didn't realize how quiet it is here with Jake and Tuna.  Thank God for phones and email.

I have an opportunity to teach English on a French protectorate called "Isle de Reunion" in September.  My friend Cassie knows of my love of French and India and thought that this opportunity would be perfect for me (thanks Cassie).  The India part is that not only is it closer to India, but there is a large population of Gujrati's on the island.  I can learn about French culture, Island culture and India culture; the blended cultures, etc.  I should be an anthropologist.

I need to rent out my condo, find a place for Jake (or take him with me) all before September.  Please pray for me and my family as we anticipate and plan for this next possible opportunity. 

Back laundry, house cleaning, pet walking and French lessons.

Namaste

Carol

Shopping, Cooking, taking walks

I decided to cook lunch this day - a vegetable dish with cool tongs and heavy pans. I shopped for vegetables with Vaishalli (Radhika's aunt).
Piles of BEAUTIFUL vegetables and fruits. To this beautiful collection of vegetables we also bought pears from Washington State, papaya and Alphonso mangos (the BEST). YUM
Vaishalli, Kalpana and I visited Sula Winery. It's the largest in India and is the forerunner in India's burgeoning (sp?) wine market. My friend Cassie says there's to be a convention in India in the Fall that she will attend. She works for a French Winery in Bordeaux.
This statue is "Mother Earth" - the gentleman who owns this museum is saying thank you to Mother Earth for all of the gems and gifts she gives him (us).

Bathing God

These are from last weeks Thursday bathing day, but we are doing this again today because it is Rama AND Sai Baba's (this really big statue) birthday. Milk baths and new clothes and jewelry will be added today.

The copper vessel hanging is what drips the water and milk. These pictures don't show the prayer (puja) part with the candles lit - it's so beautiful with the music playing softly. Very relaxing, meditative.

Hello, my name is Carol and I'm a chai masalaholic

I learned from previous trips that NO ONE makes chai masala like Kalpana.  This is the stuff of dreams when I am in the US and anticipating either going to India or Kalpana coming here.  Now please, friends who make chai masala for me, I love your tea also, but.....Kalpana's wins hands down.  However, being the addict that I am I will not turn down an offer for chai - ever hoping for it to be as good as Kalpana's.  On this trip she finally told me why - no water.  Pure buffalo milk (lose weight here? HAH) with mint and sometimes masala and ginger.  No one wonder I couldn't duplicate it at home.

I knew I was an addict when we were on the train - I became VERY irritated when the chai-wallah would annouce with an unfamiliar cadence:  CHAICHAICHAIGARAMCHAI over and over up and down the train aisle.  I would eagerly respond CHAI (if you say yes he won't stop - you have to say what they're selling and then they'll stop) and get out my 5 rupee coin only to see him swing out the LIPTON TEA BAG and dispense water with milk into the cup. NO NO NO....(only in my brain) I want the REAL STUFF - where's the REAL STUFF??????

In the first hours of our train ride, sometimes I would get lucky and get the chai masala (brewed tea with milk and spices) and then order 2 or three at a time.  There seemed to be no regular schedule that I could count on, and he didn't always say MASALA even when he had it, so I did learn to ONLY respond to the CHAICHAICHAI MASALAGARAMCHAI (listen for the MASALA) and then check for the LIPTON tea bags somewhere on his person so that I wouldn't want to trip him as he went down the aisle with the fake chai.

In New Delhi, Girish would automatically order two or three for me for breakfast (they're small)  The waiters began to bring several - with our just saying an abbreviated "chai" for our 5 a.m. departures.  If we had the chance - we'd even risk having chai at some dive in a small city (it's boiled) to keep withdrawal at bay.  Sometimes it had masala - sometimes it was Lipton......UGH.  I began to settle for ANYTHING and would then complain with Kalpana about how bad it was!  Did I learn my lesson?  Did it keep me from trying anyone else's chai?  NO.  Such is the addict

My addiction was getting obvious - family, neighbors - everyone seems to have learned that I will do anything for chai - they ask me if I want chai just to see if I'll say CHAI??? YES???? I LOVE CHAI!!!!  and then they laugh.  They are eager to please the Blonde American Giant Woman and tea is cheap.  At the blouse shop - I shocked Kalpana by saying YES to their offer of chai - she had said no - HAH....I am shameless.

Some lovely neighbors invited me to tea - OH HO YES, this is home made tea - it's probably like Kalpana's, huh?  She took so long to bring it I had thought we had miscommunicated that I wanted chai.  She brought out chevda (you've all seen this snack of flattened rice with dried dal, nuts and spices, right?) grapes, all kinds of nuts; water for everyone - I began to panic - did she forget?  did she think I was joking since everyone was teasing me? oh, man - this stuff is spicy and I can't drink the water - should I ask  her again for chai? no, that would be rude.

I have only two more days of yummy Kalpana chai.  Maybe I should consider a de-tox or weaning process of some kind to avoid mayhem; I'll just have to substitute my VIA coffee I guess (sigh) - it's not the same at all.  I've had my two cups of chai (served in real china tea cups and saucers, on a tray) already this morning and I'm counting the hours until tea time - maybe Kalpana will offer some at lunch......so I don't have to wait until 4....or maybe  I can talk Vaishalli into stopping for tea when we're out........

Namaste

Garam Garam Garam (HOT HOT HOT)

Here's a link to the weather report for Nashik.  Did I already mention that the summer heat has arrived early all over India?? Yeah, I'm DEFINATELY feeling it; not to mention a mix up with the water and I'm down with a intestinal bacteria again.  http://www.mustseeindia.com/Nasik-weather

We have a full schedule of things to do before I leave - so there's no time to be hot!  I'm wearing a beautiful sari today (thanks to Kalpana).  Here's a funny story.

Two women were talking about one woman's search for her son's marriage match in which she attended a large gathering of eligible young men and women. She was talking in another language of course and she made a motion that I didn't understand:  Put your arms out like you're going to do the chicken dance at a wedding. - now move your forearms and fists in quick movements away from your body once or twice, keeping your elbows stationary.  Go ahead, do it.

Of course, I asked what that meant and was told nicely, that it meant the pool of girls there were, ahem, on the bigger side (uh, FAT???). I laughed and wondered what 'bigger' was for Indian girls since most of the young women I have seen are pretty darn skinny. Well, ok, move on.

The next day Kalpana takes me to the blouse store to have a blouse made for a sari that I bought in Columbus.  We're all having conversation (so to speak since I don't speak Hindi or Marati or Gujrati - whatever language they were speaking) about the sleeve and the little decoration at the bottom.  The tailor seems to not be agreeing with me about the style (he understands English of course), the decoration or something and as I am intently trying to gather visual clues from faces, pointing, stretching fabric, etc., HE MAKES THE MOTION LIKE THE CHICKEN DANCE!!!!!!  It's because I'm, ahem, 'on the bigger side'

I try not to make a horror face (OH MY GOD HE DID NOT JUST CALL ME FAT) and manage to not giggle even.  Later, Kalpana tries to play down the fact as I jokingly exaggerate how offended I am, "no, he was not calling you fat, just saying you are bigger than most Indians" - that might have been what Girish said, but the point was made and I'm definately REDUCING with fervor when I return home.  It's great incentive when a total stranger calls you fat.  I'm wearing a beautiful blue sari today, in the Gujrati style to maximize coverage.

Namaste

UGH...communicaiton problem - didn't bring the camera

Here is a link to the Shiva Temple that I mentioned earlier.  This is from Wikipedia (my favorite quick reference).  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trimbakeshwar_Shiva_Temple.  I received a BIG FAT LADOO with my prashad (extra specially prepared sweet that's a round golf ball sized sometimes with crushed nuts and fruits).  Yeah, I'm special that way. 

Kalpana shared some fun stories of going to this place when she was a child.  It's very ancient and since it was night and I couldn't take pictures anyway, I'm only bummed that I couldn't take pictures of the Hanuman ancient ruins that we visited on the way to this place.

Arti pictures

The priest (pandit) holds a plate with wicks soaked in ghee - this is to praise the deity; there is devotional music being played (bahjan) and there's a man ringing a bell to some beat I'm not sure of. Usually the bell is being rung to let the deity now you're there, so I've not been to one where it's rung to some music. The bell is for a kinda of a 'hey, God, it's me Carol and I need your blessing today please" and then you finish your prayers. And notice the cool fountain - it's cow's heads spewing water!! You catch the water flowing and throw it on your head (me) but others actually drink it. I learned my lesson at Ganapati Phule - don't FORGET EVEN PUJA WATER IS CONTAMINATED WATER FOR ME!!! I think I already told you a woman motioned to do that and without thinking I did it!

The too-dark shots are of the river and the offerings of sweets and a (again) burning ghee. This is done especially in memory of people who have died.

Did I mention dancing? There was a band and some dancing going on - too FUN!!!!

The last one is of the Rama temple all gussied up. It's a beautiful building and the temple inside is also beautiful. It has Ram, Sita and Lakshman inside.

All of the old buildings here were just fascinating (1700's or so)?. The old wooden shutters; the balconies of carved wood - I just couldn't stop staring and finding cool gems but it was dark and my batteries were running low.

You know, we get the term Bungalow from the term Indian word Bangala (which is actually Bangladeshi I believe, at least Bangala is their language. But the British did their number on the language and we have Bungalow. It's the wide eaves on the houses here where is keeps the rain and sun off.....just thought I'd throw you that one for the next trivia need you might have.

Ok, I can't stand it - here's the Wikipedia brief.....I knew those Gujrati's would find their way into this....

A bungalow is a type of single-story house that originated in India. The word derives from the Gujarati બંગલો baṅgalo, which in turn derives from the Hindi बंगला baṅglā, meaning "Bengali" and used elliptically for a "house in the Bengal style".[1] Such houses were traditionally small, only one story and thatched, and had a wide veranda.[2]

Today is a very warm day (probably high 80's) I took a stroll around 'the garden' to smell Kalpana's roses and watch the bugs in the lotus pool. I was trying to stay in the shade and was only out for 10 minutes, but YIKES I got a little sunburned. We were going to venture to Hanuman's birthplace today, but plans have changed and we'll go tomorrow. I leave India next Thursday, a week from today. The month has gone by so quickly!

Ram, Sita and Nashik Arti on the river Godavari, bathing of the Gods

Last night we attended arti (prayer and chanting) on the river Godavari - one of the most sacred of rivers (like the Ganges) in Maharastra. If you remember and earlier blog, Nashik area is where Ram was in exile, and along with Lakshman and Ram's love, Sita, this river area is where Ram and Sita bathed and there are beautiful temples (too many to count) all around.

Down the street is the Panchvita - the five trees (they look like Banyan trees) that mark the area of Ram's stay here. Another significant event that happened here is that (hope I get this story right) here is where Lakshman (Ram's brother extraordinaire) cut off the demon Ravena's nose . Demon Ravena was disquised as a beautiful woman whose name we'll have to get later). The Sanskrit name for nose is Nasika - hence the city named Nashik (sometimes spelled Nasik). The demon was trying to distract Lakshman so he could get rid of Ram and kidnap Sita, which at some point he is successful. Lakshman's got Ram's back 24/7 and Sita too for that matter.

In entreprenurial fashion, we purchased the priviledge of touring the underground cave area where Sita was kept during the battles; and another diorama of the nose event and a replica of Ravena (UGH he has many heads) on his chariot.

Nashik is also preparing for many upcoming anniversaries - one being Rama's birthday next week. There were many festivities going on - I'm having trouble uploading pics from picasa right now, but bands were playing and women were dancing in the streets. Everyone was dressed up in sparkles and the mood was very festive. Many children spoke to me and wanted to shake my hand "like westerners do".

Thursday is a special day because it's the day the Gods of the house have their bath. Wow. Synapses were firing as I thought of the judgements people have about "idols" in Hinduism. I thought about how it would be if we did a similar thing for a statue of Jesus (maybe even a crucifix) or an abstract symbol for God like Shiva being represented as a stone - quite a meditation focus, no?

How personal washing is - remember the stories about Martha (or was it Mary) washing Jesus' feet? As I helped to bathe Sai Baba (he's one of the six or so), I remembered all of the people I have bathed - children mostly, but a few adults for one reason or another - illness, disability. You can't help but connect to them as a frail human just like you; then I thought of God-as-human-revealed-to-us (as we see Jesus and Hindu's see their Gods as coming down as humans to help us). Then, as we are all connected to God in some way (some say we have God in us).

I'm no philosopher, certainly no intellectual - but this was a very powerful. Try bathing someone - with intention. Think about their walk on this earth - how they're trying to get through it with meaning just like you. Think of the dirt on their feet (this is easier when you're in India) - the sweat from work; how you can make them feel better - cleaner, cared for, loved, respected. This is why they bathe their God.

Namaste

Random things

I have sent the pictures that I thought you would like to see - they gave structure to what I wanted to share. Now that I have no new pictures, I thought I would try to convey two events that were 'awareness shifts' for me. I get into the groove here (past life influence I'm sure) but the reality that I am FROM THE WEST comes in the guise of things like: we're walking down the street in Nashik last night, we turn a corner. No one is holding my arm. I find my self wanting to be on the RIGHT side of the road (on coming traffic side), AAACH...wait, that's not right. Luckily there was no traffic, but my friend sees me 'wander' and grabs me. "You're doing that 'right/left' thing again". Yeah....I have to remember it too on stairways, hallways, etc. At first it's annoying because no one else is following the 'right way' and then I remember it's me.

It takes awhile, but the staring thing only bothers me a little now. You'd think I'd be over it b now since it's my third visit. Still bothers me. If they would just either smile, or say hello or SOMETHING. Yes, I'm a blondish head in a sea of shorter, darker people. And, like so many cultures that have a gradation of skin color, fairness is revered(even if you cant help it). So I know they're not used to seeing fair skin (so watch more western movies) but as another friend shared with me - some actually still wonder "what does she like to eat?" "why does she do this (fill in the blank)?", "does she cry?", "she smiles so much" and a thousand other questions about someone from another culture I assume they have some knowledge of.

I'll forget and laugh out loud in public - or any other normal thing for me - and it's such an oddity. And for the most part, since they are not shy about staring, so I am reminded of my public faux pas. Some women have actually stood next to me and just stared - even if I look at them; or look at them and smile (which is what I do when I'm not sure what else to do).

Children are most likely to come up and start speaking English, so that's pretty fun - adults will encourage it sometimes as well. I think I would much rather them ask me questions than just stare. I remind myself that some just know of Americans from our television sit coms or 'soap operas' and I want to tell them we're not all like that.

I had a massage yesterday to ease the muscle pain from the rickshaw incidence. It wasn't as good as my usual massages at home (Uday are you reading this?) but she managed to help some. I've never had anyone pour a half cup of oil on my head - took me three shampoos to get my normal hair back) and she used an herbal muscle thing to help. I'm feeling much better today and the bruises are starting to fade. She shared with me that her daughter has the same birthday as Jesus (December 25) and that her husband expired three years ago. Everyone in the US is Christian you see - and that is often a conversation starter with me. I think I made it clear that I didn't want to talk - I like to concentrate on my breathing when I have a massage - so she just carried on.

Since I'm 'on vacation' (you see I started out coming here to talk to people about working abroad) I'll tell you what an average day is like. Up at around 7 a.m., lights come on about 8 a.m. so I can use the computer and the water gets heated. I 'clean up' and go downstairs where Auntie Joshna, who is visiting to get her passport and visa taken care of, has already prepared chai masala for me and anyone else who is up. Sometime later - a breakfast is served. POHA....yum. It's flattened rice with curry leaves and not so hot spices

I take a walk around the roses, check my emails, blog, straighten my room, visit with whomever stops by (like the gardener, the floor sweeper Mughda-bai, neighbors) and then head upstairs to bathe and dress. We visit for awhile, read, have lunch, and then take a nap. It's about 90 outside now, so I'm not going outside until after nap. Nap is usually 2 p.m (when the lights go off again) to 4 p.m. Today, we'll not sleep so long because we're going to "THE MALL" at 4 with Vaishali. I'll put on lots of mosquito repellent after nap and we dress nicely and GO OUT...either walking, shopping, to a museum, etc. It's much cooler then.

We come back and have dinner - watch TV, visit, maybe people drop by or curious people have seen the American and come and ask my friends about why I'm here. If we have lights, then I'll work on the computer or call home; then around midnight we go to bed. This is only MY schedule. If I were to live here - I wouldn't be taking naps and I'd have to deal with the 'no lights' issue whatever I tried to accomplish for the day. Also, shops close in the afternoon for people to go home and eat, etc.

Back to Nashik - kids on the train

Picture this: as you walk down the aisle of the train, on the left are perpendicular naughahyde covered benches with backs and a hanging bed above. On the right, parallel to the aile are two stacked covered benches of the same (the top on hanging but affixed to the wall of the train of course).

At night, the people sitting on the perp benches fold up the back that they are leaning against and voila! it's another hanging bed. So six people can be in that compartment sitting/sleeping. Not everyone is related, so can you see how people need to be keenly proper and accomodating to such large numbers of people being constantly around?

Luckily, we had the parallel ones and we could hop up and down whenever. On our way home to Nashik, the perp area to us had two boys - one almost two years old and one 9 years old. Gurmit and Gurung - of course I was an instant hit with the two year old - we played peek a boo, he offered me his cookie, etc. The nine year old was learning English, so we practiced a little - we all shared food and in general passed the time together amicably. Gurung (9 y.o.) enjoyed seeing my pictures the camera - wanted to take pics of me (no thank you) and as he was in his bed sleeping, he kept pulling back the curtain and saying "auntie", "auntie". I made stern "acoban" faces (close your eyes) and he would just laugh.

We all got off at Nashik and said our farewells. I was really homesick for my grandsons.

Haridwar and the Sadu Happening

Sorry but I don't have any good pictures of Haridwar, they are all on Kalpana's camera. But it is a very sacred place, the gate of the gods. Since I am so paranoid about the water, Girish and Kalpana just splashed some water on my head and clothes - I didn't get into the water. It is a great blessing.

The second picture does not do the event justice at all. Here is a link to another blog (explicit material alert) but she covers it really well. I'm SUCH the amateur.

http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttarakhand/Haridwar/blog-474658.html

We were trying to LEAVE Haridwar to return to Delhi, it has been a very long day of driving and exciting places. The police and army were out in huge numbers, directing traffic etc. I thought at first the traffic jam was just a bus accident, but really what was happening was this incredible huge influx of people (not just sadus, gurus, swamis, and aethetics) and even after being 're-directed' through all of the craziness, we still sat in a jam for almost two hours. This facades are entry points into large tents that each guru/swami has. Some had music going (extrememly loud on a not too expensive loudspeaker) and some were actually singing. One in particular was chanting and it was worse than scratching on a blackboard. That was pleasant for two hours, huh? Good thing I travel with insect repellent because as it got dark - they came out in numbers along with all of the crowds. Things were feeling kind of "CLOSE".


These last two pictures are of the place we called home in New Delhi. Great security as I said before and since Gujrati's were being targeted in Mumbai, I was glad for it. We said our goodbye's to all of the very nice people and caught a train for Nashik.

Rishikesh

The Wikipedia entry is a little clearer, so here it is:Rishikesh is a holy city for Hindus located in the foothills of the Himalaya in northern India. The place gets its name after Lord Vishnu who appeared to 'Raibhya Rishi',[3] as a result of his tapasya (austerities), as Lord Hrishikesh [4]. In Skanda Purana, this area is known as 'Kubjamrak' as Lord Vishnu appeared, under a mango tree.[2]Historically, Rishikesh, has been a part of the legendary 'Kedarkhand' (the present day Garhwal).[5] Legends state that Lord Rama did penance here for killing Ravana, the demon king of Lanka; and Lakshmana, his younger brother, crossed the river Ganga, at a point, where the present 'Lakshman Jhula' (लक्ष्मण झूला) bridge stands today, using a jute rope bridge. The 'Kedar Khand' of Skanda Purana, also mentions the existence of Indrakund at this very point. The jute-rope bridge was replaced by iron-rod bridge in 1889, and after it was washed away in the 1924 floods, it was replaced by a stronger one.

This is a picture from a 'boat' we took over the Ganges (also called Ganga). There's an ashram over there called Gita Bhawan and some later pictures will be from that.

I thought it was rude to take pictures of people bathing in the waters (sans vetements) but this guy has shorts on, so I took his picture - bad timing I'll grant you. I have seen steps like this before on NatGeo, so I wanted to take a picture of them also.

The last picture I took for Connor - life size statues of Ram and his fav buddy Hanuman.

Yesterday, I watched most of a cartoon movie of the Ramayan. It was in Hindi of course, which I do not speak nor understand, but I got alot of the story anyway. I'm looking for in online so that Ms. Bierl's class can see it. Also, while touring the museum of the man who started Indian Film, Dada Saheb Falke, I understand he also produced the Ramayan back in the 30's or 40's. Interesting still shots from it are in this museum here in Nashik.

Near the Falke museum is a beautiful Buddhist temple and the deity is all gold and is about 3 stories tall. Very hypnotic.

We don't need to speak the same language

Our time at the Taj Mahal was shared with people from all over the world. I did not take photos of the women from the UK who were complaining vociferously about the toilets (and having to pay for them) because they were not part of my serene-ness that afternoon. But the buddhist people were ever so quietly smiling at me and so I wanted to take their picture. Everyone else just kind of crowded in. Off to the side, many Chinese (?) people were taking a photo of a very important looking buddhist in dark red robes looking very piously majestic. I thought there were enough people taking his photograph, so I took this picture. I thought maybe they felt like they were standing out too and that's why they smiled.

You'll see many other people in my pictures too, just not posing for me. I swore I wasn't going to take as many animal pictures as I did last time (and I have resisted MANY times) but this camel was just standing there quietly waiting for people to ride his cart - should have got a face shot, but look at my last trip's photo where we're both looking wide eyed at the camera. They're bigger than you think.

FINALLY! The Taj Mahal

I took this coming through the first main building - it was hard not to take a thousand photos, but I really just wanted to experience it. I know, these are tilted (blame it on being sideswiped by an autorickshaw hours before) but if you just tilt your head to the right a little, it's ok. We were there just prior to sunset (the MOBS hit around sunset) and it was still just as beautiful - I have seen enough photos at sunset, they're on the web - every shop etc.


Just close your eyes, it's 80 degrees, a soft wind is blowing - for all of the crowds it seems very quite and peaceful. The buildings do actually glow in the sunlight.

These are my friends Kalpana and Girish Jani - they are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary on this day (and they took me along bless them). We are celebrating all types of love on this day, not just romantic love. The love of friends, children, partners - everyone who shows you love even if you don't know them....


Personally, this photo of me is a rockin' photo.

More Agra Fort

Ok, I decided to show you the bathing pool. Now, remember, bathing pool probably doesn't mean the same thing as you and I think of bathing, so maybe it was just a place to cool off like a swimming pool. This is about 5 feet deep and I can't imagine how this was made/carved or whatever, but I want one. Imagine this full of water and what a great reflection the white stone building (or any of those buildings) reflecting in it.


These next two are inside the white marble building in the last post. They had to have planned all of the views for each door to set up like this. Going from room to room I would be entranced with looking at every inch - they're each a little different. What kind of objects d'art would be worthy of putting in those niches? LOL. Theres a shallow pond in the middle of this room. Cools things off in the summer. Maybe I could do one of those in my living room........

Fort Agra

Ok, remember when I told you that one of the Mogul emperors moved his digs/fort back to Delhi and made it SOOOO much larger? Well, this was the fort he moved out of. It's in Agra - the place where the Taj Mahal is. Yeah, you can't throw a stone very far without hitting mogul architecture somewhere! Just kidding. But I did warn you that you would be seeing alot of it. I'm sparing you ALL of my photos - just picking out the best.

Cool gardens, meeting rooms, (a great outdoor bathing area I'm not showing you) and if you look closely, a pre-cursor to the most incredible of all places out of one of the windows. I cannot adequately described the beauty and wonder of these places. Truly. You have to come see them for yourselves. BUT don't take a tour bus. Spend the little extra and go by car/driver so that you can stay as long as you want and not be pressed to shop in some crazy store by the tour bus company.