I thought I might as well post while I'm still in a big city (Bombay, now called Mumbai), and net cafes are plentiful. Not that I can compete with Sunanda's tour-guide commentary!
Talking of tours, I hope to get on one of Bombay today which'll among other things take me to where Gandhi lived here. If not today then I can book it today for tomorrow.
I woke with the early dawn and have a window just about looking out into the harbour where the famous Gate of India, built 1909 as an entrance for George (what number?) II ? - to arrive. Opposite that gate, the story is that a wealthy Indian was denied access to an English hotel since he was a 'native'. In response he built the most imposing and elaborate, gigantic hotel you ever did see. So presumably he then stayed in it! 😀
Anyway,I watched and heard Bombay / Mumbai come to life. I'm in the district of Colamba which juts out to sea. As a result there's not so much of a rush hour since there's not so many places for traffic to 'rush' to.
There's a small burst watermain, bubbling about 2 feet up, which is a gift from the gods, as street people are gathered around it to have a wash, and to scrub their clothes. Mumbai / Bombay is home to about 19 million people, though not all have a roof over their heads. After this I'm due to meet friends who at some point will arrive at an ashram Gandhi inspired about 5 hours from here - he stipulated it had to be in a village, out of the cities. It's oriented aorund physical health. Until now I was only going there as a meeting place with my friends for a week, but after Bombay it already looms most welcome, as a respite from the noise and crowds. It'll be nice to go to a place of peace after this.
I was talking with other travellers last night about the 'problem' one faces, if you have a heart, upon confronting beggars. I'm used to it from my last visit; you can rarely give, as if you do a crowd will gather, and basically if you always gave, you'd be broke yourself in a day. So you have to pass by deformed people in the gutter, leaprousy cases, and the one-armed man who pursued me down an alley, begging, last night. Money is no final solution, and we wonder if it is better given to a charity. But that's no solution when you are face-to-face. It's ironic to have to think of oneself, as who here has the worst problem ???!!! - but all the same I think there's a need to master a sort of internal 'trick' or mechanism whereby you say no most of the time, even to the most awful cases, yet are mindful enough so as not to become hard-hearted. Because it can do that to the unwary: the heart becomes hard as a defence mechanism. To be avoided at all costs!
It reminds me of something a Teacher of mine said about Jesus. Jesus grew up to have an immaculate mind, an immaculate or perfect heart, and, we suppose, and I am sure, a perfect physical form. Now, we take on impressions from the world around us. That's why the Greeks built beautiful statues of the male and female forms: so that children would take on that pattern of perfection as they grew up, or even from the womb, from their mothers' impressions impressed upon the foetus.
In today's world, in the West that is, hideous deformity is hidden away as it were. They are hospitalised or treated. We rarely even see death. We don't walk the streets surrounded by leprousy and elephantitis, and deformed beggars. Well, Jesus did. So the point was made about how strong he was within not to be swayed by the environment as to allow the outer world to impinge upon his own developing Perfection of mind and form as a child and a teen.
Well, off to get a taste of real life now. Hi to all my friends on HP! 😉
RE: A Second Namaste From India
Lovely post, V. Amazing to think we're both in the subcontinent at the same time but more miles apart than we ever were in UK!
the problem of the beggars is always difficult. In the big cities, as yousay, if you give to one you will be besieged. Personally I never give to the able bodied or young people or children, but I do give something to lepers and the disabled. Indian people do too - it carries a blessing to give. There is always the danger of hardening your heart too much and not seeing these people as fellow humans (indeed as our very selves) but there's also the fact that sometimes these people just break your heart. What to do? A practical thing is to give something other than money - a little food, or a towel or a sweet. Even just a smile and eye contact can make a difference - both to you (me) and the beggar.
Namaste. Enjoy.
With love
Sunanda xxxx
RE: A Second Namaste From India
ORIGINAL: venetian
I ...have a window just about looking out into the harbour where the famous Gate of India, built 1909 as an entrance for George (what number?) II ? - to arrive. Opposite that gate, the story is that a wealthy Indian was denied access to an English hotel since he was a 'native'. In response he built the most imposing and elaborate, gigantic hotel you ever did see. So presumably he then stayed in it! 😀
Hi venetian,
Lovely post. Keep tapping away, when you can.
Gateway of India I suppose you mean this one:
With your hotel in the background?
George (what number?) II ?
King George the V and Queen Mary, I believe.
Some details here,
[link= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_of_India ]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_of_India[/link]
Enjoy your visit and keep posting.
Live long and prosper.
Prashna
RE: A Second Namaste From India
Lovely to hear from you venetian, and sunandaalso. Glad all is well with you. It's fabulous that you are both posting back to us all here on HP. We are following your posts avidly.
Many thanks and a Moonfairy hug. Keep safe and hopng to see more posts from India.
xx
RE: A Second Namaste From India
My hotel is not quite the sort that looks like that, Prashna. :D'Toilet' is done with a large beaker full of water. It reminds me of a great Asian sketch on Brit TV, taking off TV ads - ending with a lady in a white lab coat, after extensive tests on a plastic human bottom (what to best do with it) - 'Milk bottle! Because your a*** is worth it!'
Yes, Sunanda, strange being FURTHER apart...
Last night after my last post an Indian gave a banana to a beggar outside so it inspired me to have been doing the same.
An exhausting day today. THE touristy thing to do from Mumbai is to visit the ancient caves carvings (carved out of the rock exquisitely inside caves) on Elephanta Island, one hour by boat into the Arabian Gulf. At a guess they are about 600 AD.
[link= http://www.devi.org/elephanta.html ]http://www.devi.org/elephanta.html[/link]
Most of the tourists were Indian but some not. It was strange as they were flashing away, and some just found the caves fun to shout down for the echo! Since it's a tourist trip, people act like tourists. But the Mahadeva triple faced Shiva had me riveted. It's 8 1/2 meters high, and the photos here (see link) don't bring out the incredible aura or atmosphere. I was transfixed. Whoever did that knows what samadhi is like. It had me truly thinking that just to sit and contemplate that statue or frieze, upon its huge shoulders, contemplating the expression and the state of consciousness conveyed, would do more to teach anyone meditation than any book or course could ever do. It's all there, in that image.
One other astounding image has Shiva creating the universe, or time/space, with 8 arms and 4 legs whirling in very active but controlled activity. It parallels 'Let there be Light!' in Genesis - the Creation of all in the beginning. All matter was formed and all forces - electricity, gravity, etc - from this act. What is so startling and wonderful is that though the body is whirling in this dance, the expression is utterly serene, depicting that Consciousness or Spirit is unmoved by the coming of Action.
But I didn't know Shiva is associated with creation?
Must go - is late here, and just time to grab a bite before all closes. 😉
V xxx