I mentioned that our guide had the most wonderful smile, and a fabulous laugh. THAT is India. Smiles and laughter are everywhere, and they are infectious. I also want to talk about helpfulness. If we do not have Indian colleagues or friends most Americans contact with the Indian culture is through call-centers. We dread them, we rail against them, and frankly I have always said that hearing, yes ma’am, I am sorry ma’am, I am so sorry ma’am, does NOT answer my problem it only makes me angry. Fix the problem and stop punctuating every single sentence with sorry ma’am! BUT, I have found that is very much a part of the culture. Obsequious helpfulness is the norm, but when you see the smile put with it, not something you get at the end of a transcontinental phone call, it somehow is no where near as annoying. Probably isn’t going to change my abhorrence of call-centers, but at least I get it now.
The bindi. Sanskrit for drop. The bindi is the color or ornament between the brows. The bindi has many, many other names, but that is the most common. It has historical meaning, religious meaning, even to some, it states marriage versus single. The colors also can have meaning to some, but today in the era of stick-on bindi’s the color meanings are somewhat lost. The area between the eyebrows is the sixth chakra, and is the area for knowledge and enlightenment. The bindi is said to retain energy and strengthen concentration. It is also said to protect against demons or bad luck (the representation of the third eye). Cool huh? We should all sport the bindi, we could use all the knowledge and enlightenment we could get in this day and age.
The pen box decorates the cenotaph of the traditional Mughal male and the writing tablet was placed on the top of the woman’s cenotaph. This was for you to write your good deeds down that you did together when you go to meet your maker. How romantic!
The light. This is a discussion more for my friend Alex, and fellow traveler Christian, but I want to mention it here. We are so spoiled with the light in California. The sky is blue, and clean and that effects your photographic settings, i.e. it is easy to get a good shot, that is why soooo many photographers say “the light’, “the light” when they discuss shooting in our beautiful state.
Well, I feel I failed miserably with my photography in India. The smog refracts the light and makes your photographs look pixelated. I shoot on aperture, and no matter how much I adjusted the ISO my photos were usually blown out. It is sad, and now I know I need to go back home and take a photography class for those stuck shooting in less than ideal conditions. And yes Alex, I even shot on auto (heaven forbid) and those didn’t even come out – ouch!
I have spoken many times of the religions of India. When millions of people, of different religions live in close proximity so much can happen. In India, throughout their history they have lived together peacefully and happily. Sure like everywhere, there are extremists and problems, but basically they get along. For example, Muslims make the traditional masks and paraphernalia required for the Hindu celebration of Ramlila, without the co-operation of these two religions the Benares Hindu could not celebrate their religious epic. They accept each others beliefs, and sometimes take on each others deities. There are two famous Hindu tennis players that happily wear christian crosses around their necks. Our guide Annapurna called it “opportunistic praying”. When you believe in more than one deity, why not ask all of them for help!
Mom jokingly said she could become hindu. Their religion is easy going, happy, and based on the most delightful mythical stories. As a buddhist, I truly feel at home with all the different deities, Ganesha ( a Hindu diety) is my new companion, he removes obstacles and brings good luck, I need that right now so very much.
I brought up this subject because I wanted to say how at peace this country has made me. After a long walk on the Camino de Santiago with Julie Belott, I was getting there, and came home from Spain much calmer, but here I have found peace. My journey of mourning is no where near over, but this was a marvelously peaceful and refreshing stop on that journey.
My last thing I wanted to discuss was my Mother. WOW, she was a trooper. She is the energizer bunny, about the time most people were ready to quit and head for their rooms she looked at me and off we went shopping!!!! We had three places where stairs were rather considerable and she took a palanquin, frankly I think that is the way to live! The Indian people loved her, and she loved them. They would constantly stop and ask if they could take her picture and she would happily oblige. The kids on field trips would ALL want to say hello and shake her hand, she was like the president, she never missed a one. I thank her for being such a GREAT traveling companion and so much fun to be with.