I've been shot

Im just back from the laundry. A tiny 1 room hut by the roadside which serves as a shop and home for a family of six. As I sat on the charpoy waiting for my dhoti to be ironed the two youngest kids were splashing about in a metal 'tub'. It says something about my isolated non family existence that I couldn't remember the last time I saw children stark naked having the time of their lives. The little girl closed her nostrils with her hands and was diving into the water repeatedly laughing all the time. Her brother though kept throwing tantrums inbetween, sulking a lot reminding me of my younger days. The same situation provididng very different reactions in people ! Everything and everyone in and around the vicinity were wet.

A very good day today. A documentary team from Canada shot us cleaning the shit out of Ganga, but alas my 5 seconds of fame were for nothing. We were unidentifiable under the green masks !

The  Kumbh Mela is almost over. For over a week millions of people marched into Haridwar and neighbouring Rishikesh hoping to absolve their sins by taking a dip in the Ganga at the auspicious time. Pure superstition you say ! According to Pundits one of the days was so auspicious that it comes only once in 5000 years ! So I decided not to take the chance and dive in !

There were people sleeping everywhere during the past  week including the roads. Even our early morning visits to the Ganga were not so serene anymore. But you've got to admire the tenacity of the ordinary Indian, how they make do with so little. Makes me ashamed of myself and my never ending needs.The most bizarre thing was the public announcement system. The majority of people visiting were from the interior villages of India. In the mad rush, people get lost,and so there is a public address  system to let people know if someone's missing or lost. But here's the unique desi twist . You make the announcement yourself. Women screaming their lungs out shouting  'helllloooooo, heeelllooooo, kahan heeyyy tuuuu? (where are you?)' is very common. As if the lost person also has a mike and is going to holler back. There are requests, scoldings, rants, sometimes dialects you have never heard of...you get the gist. Highly amusing...and very noisy.

Ah one more week in the ashram folks, and I have absolutely no clue where i should be heading next. Any suggestions welcome ;) Usually nature takes care of that as I meet someone or come to know of something that intrigues me. Also, a strange never before desire to settle down somewhere near here. I tell you, the river has bewitched me no end...Something unusual happened today. As i was swimming in the Ganges found a ladies handbag, full with personal stuff like driver's license, mp3 player etc. Don't get excited people, no money was involved ! So there it is , my stay drawing to a close, maybe, and the thermometer shooting steadily up, for sure!

22 comments:

  1. great stuff..!
    have been following the news on kumbh mela religiously.

    anyways hope your next destination is also as good and as serene as this one was..!
    tc, keep travelling :)

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  2. You write well especially when you're in the mood you were in when you were typing this up.. :)

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  3. I was invited to go to the Kumbh Mela but there was no time for me to make it. I'm so jealous but happy for you at the same time. What a blessing!

    You being filmed for a Canadian tv program made me crack up. Trust you to be wearing a mask at the time!

    I can understand being bewitched by the Ganga. She does that to me everytime I see her. Maybe you should go to Triveni Sangam and be bewitched by all three rivers.

    Jai

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  4. i didn't know you get to clean the Ganga in ashrams! aren't you supposed to be discovering that the self is beyond mind and body.

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  5. The part about people getting lost and the announcement was really amusing :)
    I wish I could experience few days like this.. how exciting it all seems ..

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  6. Sepo, sometimes , well actually a lot of the time i feel people are exaggerating my writing skills. Take this piece for example, composed in less than half an hour and left me feeling totally dissatisfied. maybe other people react differently from how you would react to your won writing. either that or you guys are putting me on !

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  7. Elmo, u got this wrong girl! i was actually feeling totally uninspired and scratching my head before i began this 'work of art'. well no harm done since u seem to like my uninspired prose better ;)

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  8. Hey Jai, Kumbh was fun enjoyable and also a bit of a pain coz of all the crowd. i just have the feeling that going to triveni sangam may make my brain go into sensory overload and cause permanent damage ! ;)

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  9. Nivedita you'll be surprised at what we get upto in ashrams ;) *wicked sly grin*

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  10. Aria its very easy, quit your job, pack your bags and viola ! :D

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  11. awesome!. I have a friend who took it off for a year, she was there too- who knows maybe it was her bag? :))

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  12. Wow! This seems like such an amazing trip!

    The part about the people's announcements made me laugh. =] 1 in 5000 years! Wow, imagine all those unborn generations wishing they had you luck=]

    And you should visit Rajasthan!

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  13. Then lack of inspiration brings about subdued and detached writing in you! I like everything that you write, Pan, no doubt there :)

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  14. I DO know, thanks to the media, what people actually do in ashrams.

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  15. Gal, sorry to let you down, it was not your friend's bad. ;) A bag update in the next post !

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  16. ariyathe, yes yes lucky though i dont think even this stellar constellation auspiciousness blah blah will wash away my sins !

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  17. ok elmo, i surrender. point taken...never argue with a woman :)

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  18. Nivedita, hmmm i havent actually read the paper, watched or heard the news all this year. judging from your sarcasm, it can't be good...

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  19. Interesting post written very nicely. With the size of our population we have to accept the inconveniences. BTW can you please let me know where to find the widget for "Recent Posts". It is very nice.

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  20. Haha!! The 'hellooo hellooo kahan hai tuuu' part is making me laugh so much, I have tears in my eyes now! I can almost imagine it happening. So amusing :)

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  21. I have no recollection of writing this post, but the memories of the events are gently floating by... As somebody once wisely said 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times'... :)

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  22. Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities? You inspire me to start reading again.

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Thanks for taking the time to write :)