10.20.2006...Diwali Season

Clay Diyas...the most common image of Diwali

Tomorrow (October 21) is the Hindu festival of Diwali or दीवाली. If you didn't catch the news, the NASDAQ has decorated the outside of its building in NY to recognize the festival. That's pretty big news, actually.

I wonder where Diwali will fit in with the other assimilated US holidays. Will it be like St. Patrick's day or Cinco de Mayo? Will it be commercialized the heck out of like Christmas or will the burgeoning Indian population in the US keep it on their own terms? I suppose time will tell.

Don't get me wrong, it is a big commercial event here, but I get the sense that it still has a far more substantially religious meaning for those who celebrate it than Christmas does for Americans. And when I say religious, that doesn't necessarily mean spiritual.

In the meanwhile, festival preparations are under way.

Ahmedabad buildings decorated with lights...



Colored sand to make Rangoli art pieces...


Phool wali...flower vendors with marigolds to decorate doorways, necks and temples.


Children with "crackers"...fireworks are a big part of Diwali and some can be down right scary. These children were using stones to pound snapping crackers...the explosions were surprisingly loud. They seemed quite satisfied with the knowledge that they were scandalizing nearby adults.


Another hallmark of Diwali is the gifting of sweets, dried fruits and nuts. The sweets are generally an assortment of barfi sweets. I personally had an avoidance to barfi after an incident with overexposure to it the evening before our wedding, but have come to enjoy it sense. Maybe too much.

My in-laws were so pleased to see me wide-eyed as I opened and sampled the gifts they'd received, that mummy wanted to take some snaps.

I must warn you...if you had any notion I was a lady or even attractive these pictures may dispel such beliefs...

Although this one captured the sentiment, I didn't think it was that great so I tried again...


This one I think I was trying too hard to make Surnish's folks laugh...needless to say it did the trick....

Buying a New Car...In India

Did you ever wonder why a new car in America may act up shortly after receiving it?

It's because you didn't bless it properly and welcome it into your family.

Upon delivery of mummy and papa's new car it was gifted a flower necklace and anointed with vermilion symbols of luck including the ever present Swastik ( I put that on).

Then I (a person they consider to be very auspicious) was the first to drive it for added luck.

What do you know about that!?!

And Finally...Meetu

He has been in the family almost as long as Surnish and is quite a character. Here he is just after a bath...I love his punk look and couldn't resist take a snap.

Thanks for checking in!

Peace,

A Pink American

10.18.2006...Thoughts that Go Deeper

In these last several days, since having returned from Mt. Abu, I've had a good deal of time to think about 'things'.

I want to preface these thoughts by saying that all the individuals I have met have been genuinely kind to me and this is in no way meant to characterize anyone other than that.

I am pink and I am in India. While on one hand this seems like a plus because I'm somewhat of an exotic oddity, I mostly feel very out of place.

This isn't to say that I feel uncomfortable, oh no, just misplaced. There are a couple of factors that lead to this feeling.

HISTORY (or lack thereof)

In the US few seem to think anything about not being able to trace ones family line back only one or two generations. Rarely does ones lineage (other than the omnipresence of ones general ethnic background) come up as a topic of conversation.
Here it matters. People say they are this or that, even if they themselves have never been to the place of their origins. It would be like a 3rd generation Italian-American saying I'm Italian before I'm American and also introduce themselves as such. That's not to say that some don't but in general people in the States don't go about in that manner.

I have little history. I know I'm some Irish, some English and even some Czech and/or German. Our line may go back to one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, but when I read the genealogy put together by one of my great-Aunts, there was something amiss that made me believe that we didn't have that lineage.

It doesn't matter. I guess being free of historical claim means I am free to create my own history and adopt the customs I believe in or enjoy the most.

RELIGION and SPIRITUALITY

As some of you know I choose not to practice organized religion. I have practiced it in the past, but I prefer to develop a personal relationship with the creative powers that be rather than let some one else dictate this for me.

This is a struggle.

I feel as though coming to India is part of a spiritual quest. One that I've been set on for almost my entire life. But being that I'm pink, American, having little history and no religion would make it seem that I'm handicapped.

I don't feel this way about myself, but I get the distinct sense that others feel this way about me.

One guest who came to visit the other day was telling a story about the building of the Ashram in Puducherry (Pondicherry).

She said that because of the dream of a French woman, who then came to India, that the Ashram was built.

"If a French person can do this, then why not us Indians?"

This wasn't meant to be a derogatory comment, but at the same time how could it not be?

Why should it be any more surprising that a French person or Indian person or any person be granted a vision or achieve a spiritual awakening?

Are some peoples holier? Are some places holier? Only to those that assign the value tag.

Some would say women aren't worthy, others would say "no" to dark skinned folk, and others would say the poor cannot achieve such things.

Are we not all equal in the scheme of creation? We could all just as equally shun the material world and pursue our faiths. Alternatively, we could all just as easily turn our backs on our Gods and pursue the material route.

In the end it is the choice and will belonging to each human spirit that determines the path they pursue. And these choices can change at any time.

With that, I return to my path...because I am a woman because I am pink because I am American because I am without religion (but not without faith) all of these things mean nothing. The pursuit of spiritual awareness is no more inherently challenging for me than others simply because of the factors I have been born in to. I choose not to let them challenge me. Others may think, say or indicate any one or all of these factors as drawbacks, but I don't have to justify my existence to anyone on the day I pass from this world except myself and the higher powers that be.

And so I confidently move forward, having offered this testimony to my faith that I can achieve transcedence above the everyday. I can strike a balance between the secular world and the spiritual one. I can rise above judging myself in the eyes and words of others.

To be sure this is not an easy task and sometimes I am overwhelmed and even a bit frightened.

But I find no satisfaction in shrinking back into a worldly existence which simply offers little more than a sense of egoistic accomplishment with no real foundation in sincere service or faith, as I know it to be.

Peace,

A Pink American

10.15.2006...To Abu and Back Again

Namaste!

We returned late last evening from a 36-hour road trip to Mt. Abu in Rajasthan.

The most remarkable thing about this trip were the stunning visual effects. I found myself quietly watching the roadside over the hours we passed. And of course I took a lot of snaps.

The journey is broken out into five easy installments...

~~Part I: We're On Our Way~~

Our first destination was to be Rani Ki Vav. A very old stepwell located at Patan in Gujarat. As we drove I thought it best to try to capture the experience visually rather than try simply narrate it through words. Although in this ALBUM I did add a fair number of thoughts and explanations for what I saw.


I love the Indian countryside and roadways. The people are so colorful and active. I find that I often have to remind myself of the terrible quality-of-life situations many of these people are facing. During one stop for chai we discussed what a person in India could do with a monthly income of Rs. 500 or even Rs. 1000 (About $10-$20). Not much. The only things that seem cheap and affordable to everyone are poor quality food and movies. Just enough to keep the masses quelled I suppose. And if they don't have enough to eat or entertain themselves with then they are quiet from their hunger.

Now I haven't seen too much of that abject poverty in the more rural settings as most people there appear to be somewhat self-sustained. Poverty is much more stark in places like Ahmedabad because of the contrasting wealth and commerce AND the inability to be self-sustaining in an urban setting.

~~Part II: Rani Ki Vav~~

Rani ki vav has a most amazing story. In the mid-1970's a farmer ploughing his field came across some metal sticking up from the ground. He contacted the local officials. An excavation was begun and Rani ki vav was unearthed. This stepwell is 7 stories down and full of wonderful stone carvings depicting scenes from nature and of the Gods.
The guide told us that the stepwell had been partially covered by mud from the nearby Banasa river during a flood and then deliberately covered entirely to protect it from invading Mughals.

Mughals were Muslim and as is in the tradition of Islamic artwork there was a lack of human depiction due to the fact that early Islam forbade the painting of human images as it might tempt followers into practicing idolatry. As a result when the Mughals came, they often defaced or destroyed any artform that depicted a human-like figure.

The carvings on the first level of the vav were a bit worn, but the ones below which were preserved were magnificent.

Two carvings in particular that I snapped photos of were the goddess Durga and Vamana, and incarnation of Krishna.

Here's the ALBUM for you to enjoy.

~~Part III: Into Rajasthan and Up to Abu~~

After Rani Ki Vav we made our way into Rajasthan and up to Mt. Abu. Again the roadside scenery (ALBUM) continued to cause me to reflect on the human condition. I sometimes struggle with the notion that all peoples in this world should be trying to get to the same place on this material plane. If all of the Earth's inhabitants lived like Americans did (which is touted as the main drive for US foreign policy, but I think that's a blatant misnomer), then Earth would be in a poor state of affairs in no time.

Why do 'we' have to demean the idea of being a laborer? Laboring for oneself seems like a fine idea. It just so happens that when that labor is sold to someone else, that being a laborer becomes inferior. No one inherently is born into servitude (although many would argue otherwise), but if it is a chosen path to serve others, then why is it cheapened? Those who benefit from the cheap labor and abusive labor practices that exist in this global marketplace (especially Americans) are sooo easily convinced of the superiority of their lives in comparison to those that work to make those lives possible. Preserving the status quo isn't limited to a few in power and with wealth...keep that in mind.

However, in acknowledging this I'd like to say that there are MANY fine people and organizations everywhere trying to bring awareness to these matters and dignity to those who are otherwise robbed of it.

~~Part IV: First Night in Abu~~

Mt. Abu is a very lovely hill area, there is now doubt. However, one cannot escape the reality of all of India. There is still plenty of rubbish around, but you get a sense that the quality of life overall is better.

In the center of this area is lovely Nakki lake. At either side of the township are sheer cliffs from which you can see the valleys below.

Let me have the pictures do the talking here. ALBUM.

In the evening we passed the time playing cards and talking. It was an incredibly enjoyable experience that reminded me of many evenings and afternoons I had passed with my grandmothers when I was a child.

~~Part V: Second Day, Jain Temples and the Ride Home~~

The next morning I awoke to the quieting crickets and the crowing rooster. The city started coming alive slowly. I laid in bed for awhile just enjoying the sensual experience of the sounds, the smell of small cooking fires, and watched the sunlight creep across the paint-blistered wall.

On the balcony I did breathing exercises called pranayam and watched as small wisps of vapor escaped my lips. I never thought I'd see that in India. I was so moved I penned 12 pages in my journal about that first morning hour.

Our sightseeing for the day consisted of the Dilwara Jain temples. One cannot take photos inside, but I was able to catch a couple from beyond the walls.

Inside were the most magnificent carvings in marble. Huge ceiling panels with layers of marble shapes, flowers, god figures and so on. The details were fine down to the fingernails on the tips of the goddesses fingers.
Many of the figures had been defaced (noses cut off) by Muslim invaders. The Jains try to make their temples quite plain from the outside so as not to attract attention to the wealth of art on the interior.

After the temples we ate lunch and started back home. ALBUM.

~~~
To say the least this was another awe-inspiring experience.
~~~

Peace,

A Pink American