Where do I begin to describe India? It assaults the senses in every possible way. It simultaneously repels and attracts, amazes and disgusts, but most of all, its conflicting splendor and squalor makes one ask, “What is going on here?” It will take awhile to process what I’ve seen and experienced. You may have heard the saying that “we see things not as they are, but as we are.” Discoveries the past two decades in neuroscience are now proving the truth of this old axiom. Most of the information we take in is filtered through our existing belief systems and escapes the scrutiny of rational thought. We all are biologically designed to confirm our biases and reflexively reject opposing views. That is why change is so difficult and probably why addictions so hard to break. I think the best way to start is to caution myself and any readers still with me to beware of our limitations and ethnocentric tendencies. Ethnocentrism is the practice of judging other cultures by the standards of one’s own. I think I can safely say that after the overwhelming number of people one encounters on the street in India, the next most jarring sight for a Westerner is the trash and debris that is omnipresent. This was most evident during our trip to Varanasi, and in particular the section called Kashi, the oldest part of town. The riverbank scene in Kashi that you have probably all seen pictures of, is where Hindus come to bathe in the Ganges to end the rebirth cycle (Moksha) and to be cremated. You have likely seen a picture of a body being set adrift for its final trip down the river on a floating funeral raft (this is no longer permitted). Our trip guide, who had a PhD in anthropology, told us that for Hindus this is the holiest place on earth. From what I saw the past few days, it may also be the filthiest.
Kashi has miles of narrow streets, all littered with dog and cow dung, human and animal urine, and litter of every description. Because the streets are at best about eight foot wide and your head is on a swivel to take it all in, it is easy to step in feces (which I did). I also was the recipient of cow urine spray as an animal I was trying to pass had the urge to go just as I tried to slide by. Our guide had told us earlier that “You will hate India or you will love it. You can’t ignore it.” I got physical evidence of that.
After our return to the ship, I asked Laxmi Tewari, the professor I mentioned in my previous blog, to explain the apparent contradiction of how a place that is venerated as earth’s holiest place could also be so littered and filthy. His initial response was defensive, pointing out some of America’s cultural shortcomings. After I agreed with his America observations and persisted with my question, recognizing its ethnocentric foundation, he explained that historically in rural India human waste was seen as just part of a biodegradable process as were the leaves one used to clean with. This stuff all got naturally recycled but in our urban era of packaging and plastics it creates an unsightly and unsanitary problem. Evidently in India’s seemingly timeless history, change comes slowly. We then discussed how safe Kashi was. In spite of jostling crowds and the sea of humanity we waded through, there was little concern about theft or violence. After I got used to the constant press of people, I felt safe and unthreatened. I don’t think I would have felt the same in New York’s Times Square or a comparable crowded and unfamiliar American setting.
Because Jean has done such an excellent and comprehensive journaling of our India experiences, I will try to avoid duplicating her comments and describe things that caught my attention that she did not mention. Our two riverside visits in the Kashi area of Varanasi made an indelible and stunning impact. It was like going back a thousand or more years in time. Here are my observations and reflections in no particular order:
•Kashi, like Lourdes for Catholics and Mecca for Muslims, is a place of pilgrimage, but it has much more significance. It is a place to go to be released from the otherwise never ending cycle of rebirth.
•Thanks are given daily at the riverbank for Mother Ganges. There is morning bathing to remove sin and a Sun Salutation ceremony.
•Along the riverbank you see laundry men called Dhobi washing clothes. They are from the lowest class and also act as matchmakers because they know peoples’ secrets and where the “dirty laundry” is.
•The lowest of the lowest class act as undertakers and cremators and they construct sandalwood piers six feet high with incense to cover the obnoxious odor that would otherwise be released by burnt nails and hair. Not everyone can afford this service and use the $10 gas option as Jean explained.
•There is no crying at cremations because this is a joyous occasion for the deceased (remember Moksha?). A professional laugher may even be hired.
•Skulls are burned and then crushed so they cannot be later used for black magic purposes.
•Women are not allowed at cremations.
•According to our guide, Ganges water does not go bad. It is sold in shops much like Lourdes water in France. Also available are empty containers for filling.
•Directly across the river, which seems barren, Buddhist pilgrims collect “golden sand” as it is purported to be the site of Buddha’s first sermon. Deer Park, which we visited later, is also designated as the site of Buddha’s first sermon. Kind of reminds me of The True Cross of Jesus that has pieces on display in multiple revered places.
•In Hindu temples, prayer must be said daily, we were told, or “the energy” leaves the temple.
•As I mentioned, visiting Kashi was like time travel back to a primitive past. As a species, we are obviously still in the early stages of our evolution.
Here are some random thoughts about India today:
•Street traffic is so congested I don’t understand how accidents are not continual happenings. Traffic moves like a school of fish. Every bike, bus, and car moves in unison as a single organism. I can’t imagine taking my teenage son or daughter out on the streets to teach them how to drive.
•When we were here in 1997 we saw no shopping malls. Now I’m told there are over 2,000.
•The parts of India we have seen have changed noticeably since our 1997 visit. The traffic is better, it seems cleaner, I see less begging, and we are told India has made great strides forward in the past decade.
•Professor Laxmi Tewari told me that the caste system is breaking down. I suspect the internet is a powerful agent of change and a great leveler.
•A fellow passenger had a cynical explanation for the piles of trash on India’s streets. If Indians believe in Moksha, which is release from rebirth and future reincarnations, you’re out of this place. You’re not coming back, so why care about the environment left behind. But that raises the issue of deciding if one who liters deserves to be released from the cycle of rebirth.
One shouldn’t visit India and leave unaware of the influence of Buddhism. For a thousand years, from the 3rd century BCE until the 7th century, Buddhism was the predominant religion in most of India. According to the author of a fascinating book I devoured the past two days (80 Questions to Understand India by Murad Ali Baig), Buddhism was subsumed by Hinduism under the influence of the priest class (Brahmins) because Buddhism’s dominance made the influence and importance of Hindu priests superfluous. By the 8th century, Buddha was co-opted by Hinduism and made a sub god under the greater God Vishnu. Jesus suffered the same fate later on when he was added to the pantheon of Hindu gods. But what goes around comes around as the saying goes. Christianity was to later steal from ancient Indian religion and mythology to add to its catalog of “divinely revealed” beliefs. But back to Buddhism; here are salient points about Buddhism that you may or may not know:
•The term Buddha was a title meaning enlightened or awakened one. The man’s name was Siddhartha Gautama.
•Buddha did not worship God or a supreme being nor intend to start a religion.
•Buddhism was not originally a religion because it did not concern itself with metaphysical or supernatural matters.
•It is more a philosophy than a religion, which is why some famous Christians today also consider themselves Buddhists.
•It introduced compassion to the religious world and preached that hatred can only be overcome with love.
•Its basic thrust was to overcome one’s personal shortcomings, not pray to nor appease some divine authority.
•Buddha preached and taught a system of self discipline not a belief system.
Buddha was on to something important back in the 5th century BCE, which is why there has been a surge of Buddhist interest in the U.S. the past few decades. But back in India, I think it’s time for Buddha 2.0, at least along the banks of the Ganges in Kashi.
Tomorrow we arrive in Singapore, so before India becomes just a memory, I want to wrap up with some final thoughts.
•Our guide to Varanasi made the point that Indians are not comfortable with solitude or being alone. They tend to live together in a communal way in their homes. The American wife of an Indian professor on board said that when she came to India she found it impossible to be left alone in a room. Her new relatives assumed she wanted companionship whenever she tried to get off by herself.
•Indians may have a communal sense that Americans lack as we honor the “rugged individual” and the one who stands out from the crowd. David Reisman’s book from the 1950s I believe, The Lonely Crowd (if my memory is correct) described this phenomenon. Indians do not want to be alone.
•One day when returning to the ship in a tuk tuk, the driver stopped to help a cyclist who had lost part of his load and was dripping grain on the street from a large sack on the back of his bike. It was a nice thing to do and I was impressed by his “Good Samaritan” action. I wondered as we watched how long a stranded motorist in American would have to wait for help. I think in India help would arrive sooner.
•Because I believe the basis of a good life is anchored in relationship and not things, do Indians actually live better than more affluent Americans?
•The Indian professor’s wife said Indians are becoming more like Americans. I wonder, is that a good thing? And as our middle class sinks toward poverty, will we become more communal minded and less materialist? I think that would be a good thing.
•If you keep your eyes and mind open, travel can make you think but answers to questions are not always obvious.
That quote at the beginning makes a lot of sense!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting Dad.
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