Well, these blog updates are turning into weekly affairs. No matter, we went on a really interesting trip this weekend to Rishikesh and Haridwar. This trip was not only a test of how well we could get around India on our own (which certainly created interesting experiences), but also an opportunity to learn about Hinduism firsthand in two of the most sacred Hindu cities. We were given a scavenger hunt with certain places to visit and things to find out and basically shoved out the door with little direction. In India, the concept of a map is not what it is in the West. You don't typically navigate on your own in a new place. If people are in an area they're not familiar with you rely on everyone around you for your directions. So, if we were uncomfortable asking for directions before, we are certainly much more open to it now.
Thanks to help from our taxi driver, vikram driver, bus driver, auto-rickshaw driver and a random shopkeeper, we made it safely to Rishikesh. this city is well-known as the premier meditation center of India, and has numerous ashrams (like meditation schools) and yoga teachers. As such, there is a surprisingly large foreign population both of people coming to visit and yoga/meditation students there to learn. You might imagine, most of these people fall into the broad category of 'hippyish'. The city itself kind of sprawls up along the Ganga, and is nestled in quite a scenic valley between two hilly outcrops. We spent the entire day walking around the city and observing/praying for the many pilgrams, tourists, beggars & cripples, and sadus (Hindu ascetics relying on donations from other that supposedly bring them good Karma). Perhaps the most interesting experience was going out for dinner with some guys that we meet by the river. They didn't speak hardly any english and we only knew a few phrases of Hindi, but despite it we were able to get many points back and forth and it was an interesting and rewarding expereince. On the way back to your guest house, we passed a Hindu festival celebrating the birthday of Ram (often protrayed as a blue warrior with a bow and arrows).
In the morning we woke early to observe some of the rituals that people performed at the river. It was surprising to us to note that in the same places (and times) you would have people praying, meditating, washing, bathing, and worshiping idols. Later, we moved on to Haridwar. In an interesting turn of events, we tried to hire a vikram to take us to the bus stand so we could catch a bus to Haridwar. Apparently he misundstood us, and drove us all 20-some kilometers to Haridwar, but it was only 20 rupees so I guess it worked out in the end. Haridwar is a sacred place becuase it is believe Ram stepped into the river Ganga at that location, and it is one of the four locations of the Kumbh Mela, perhaps the largest festival in Hinduism. As it so happened, we reached Haridwar the day after a festival celebrating Ram's birthday, and there were just tons of people. And we've been told it gets much worse. The river banks are lined with these ghats, where people can bathe in the river and supposedly wash away their sins. We must have stood out amid the masses of Indians because the beggars (mostly children) and 'Ganga preservation fund collectionists' would hardley leave us alone. After a few hours exploring the city we walked to the bus stand (again with the help of about half a dozen shopkeepers), eventually found the bus to Dehra Dun and made it back to Mussoorie, thouroughly exhausted but gratefully for the ey-opening experience.
I won't lie, it was extremely difficult at times to expereince Rishikesh and Haridwar. There were many parts of the journey that were much fun and very enjoyable, but the fact remains that these are two of the most spiritually dark places in India. It was tough watching people celebrating and cavorting while consumed by the chains of idolatry and false ideologies. On top of that, it was extremely diffucult for me to kep my heart soft when the constant demands of the beggars really made me feel dehumanized and looked at as a moneybag. It will certainly give me much material to think about, pray over, and sift through for a while.
The Third Eye, an american-Italian-Maxican-Israeli
restaurant run by Indians where we had lunch in Rishikesh.
Ram Juhla, a pedestrian cable-stayed bridge over the Ganges.
And people were still riding motorbikes over it
Harry and Ko going for a 'dip' in the Ganges
The main bathing ghats in Haradwar, just after a Hundu festival
Some Sikh men who helped explain where we were... and a cool bridge in the background (engineers represent!)
