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