Cobie here reporting from the land of camels, turbans and prosthetic feet…for Shanti group land of air conditioned bus rides, home stays, and fine dining. Jaipur!
Sept 19th, we took a bus from Delhi to Jaipur. Upon arrival we were whisked off by Reshi Ji (our tour guide/program director) to the home of lovely Reika (co-director/artist/retired professor). After a short orientation and some hot Chai we were sent to meet our host families for the first time!
Sept 20th, our first full day started off on the right track with some morning Yoga at the program center. Our instructor is the daughter of a well known Guru who instructed the likes of Kate Winslet. She spoke in a slow direct tone, telling us “The body is a temple in which the soul resides” and “Yoga should not be so serious. The face should not be so tight. The face should be blossoming” (!!!)
Yoga was followed by a breakfast of bread, bananas, hard boiled eggs and of course Chai. Then our First Hindi lesson, Jake emerged as the teachers pet, while some of us grumbled about having to memorize full sentences on the first day. We had lunch with our host families (many of the meals were prepared and served by the “helpers”). We met up with the group after to visit Ganesha (Elephant headed god of wisdom) and Vishnu (The Preserver) Temples; while Reika regailed us with various myths on site. Then off to Jaipur Foot-a non profit serving all of India in the realm of prosthetic legs and feet. We got to tour the facility and meet many of the patients, learn the history and the process of making the “Jaipur Foot”. All day the group had been oohing and ahhing at the architecture of the temples, but Brianna expressed at the temple that “This is what I think is beautiful”.
Sept 21st, morning routine of Yoga, breakfast, then a lecture on the Political systems of India. Field trip of the day took us to a Block printing facility, where we saw art in the making (paper, pottery and block printing on fabric). Some of us bought fabric to make a Punjabi suit, which can be tailor made for around $4. That night We held a special “Intention Ceremony”. We were asked to contemplate our intentions for ourselves over the course of the trip. On this night we shared them with the group in a candle lit circle, and passed around a sacred ball of red thread (auspicious color) to signify the interconnectedness of our intentions. It was very powerful, and bonding for the whole group.
Sept 22nd, we visited SPECTACULAR Mogul ruins and the Amber Fort (Palace) just outside the city. Tired elephants lugg red faced tourists up to the fort from the base of the hill. We were quite a spectacle as a group of students with skin “whiter than white” (actual quote). Everyone wanted to take our photo and take photos with us. They asked us to hold their baby for photo, and wanted desperately to know where we’re from. We are famous! An air conditioned bus ride takes us to the hectic bazaar where we are haggled to death, emerging with some new Punjabi suits and various trinkets and treasures. We split off into our home stay pairs and took rickshaws (aka tuk tuks) home. Bri described her driver as “recklessly amazing!”
23rd, JKK Art museum, “Pink City Art Project” all local artists. “Cafeteria” lunch (which we happily ate at the museum)=GORMET. no corn dogs and cole slaw here. Next we were off to Calacar Basti, a folk art community in the slums outside the city. We were told to leave valuables in the bus, and didn’t know what to expect. We were greeted by a man in all white with a turban playing the trumpet and his assistant playing a loud drum. They paraded us through the main walk of the slum as (literally) 80 kids aged between 3-15 galloped along side us tugging at our clothes and hands. In two groups, we rotated through four different stations, each demonstrating a form of art in the community. 1-Horse dancing was the most hilarious, the dancer (which we all were at one point) straps him/ herself into the body of a colorful horse and dances around, sometimes into the crowd for laughs. 2- Racketeering to live harmonium, drum and singing with an incredibly famous puppeteer (who’s name I couldn’t pronounce even if I did remember it) with an incredibly fantastic beard. 3-sewing/quilting. 4-traditional dance with 2 beautiful, costumed women (a lot of hip circling and quick arm movements). We ended this experience (which we all agreed was the highlight of Jiapur) in a big courtyard all together doing a kind of conga line with an Indian twist. The kids waved to us until the bus disappeared.
24th, morning Yoga (special poses for students with Asthma), then a lecture from French/Romanian Prof. of Sikk and Hindu religion. Our last full day in this vibrant city, so we had some free time.
25th, We exchanged e-mails and took last minute photos with our host families. On the bus we bid goodbye to one of our own, Isa. After much thought she made the decision to continue her experiential education in the states. Namaste Isa! On the train ride to Varanasi we befriended our Indian neighbors, and took turns singing songs in our native languages. Some memorable American tunes that were belted include- Jingle Bell Rock, Foxy Lady, and ‘Baby’ (Justin Beiber) accompanied by the incredible Ben on his travel guitar. The train ride lasted 18 hours, plus 3 that we were stopped due to flooding/garbage on the tracks. We realized at the end of these 3 hours as the train began to move again that we were a mile from the station.
I leave you with a riddle that had us stumped for a week: If a bee is in your hand, what’s in your eye??