Mumbai

We left Andrea in Florida at 9:30am on feb 5th and arrived in Mumbai some 30 or 40 hours later, slightly wilted but full of anticipation. We were welcomed into the home of Mohandhas and Deepha Nair, the parents of of our new friend Preethi, one of Andrea's grad students. We were very glad to have a home to go to, especially since for me (Emma) everything from a taxi ride to crossing the street to a trip to the bathroom was a completely new challenge. The Nairs were wonderful guides for us as I learned how to eat with my hands, dart through moving traffic, get clothes tailored, wrap a sari (which is more difficult than it might appear) and bathe with no bathtub and no shower. Ariel says everything in India is "slowly slowly" so I am trying to live by this.

I have noticed here that women are the primary bearers of color. At the train station due to sardine-packing crowds and the resulting facility for groping, certain cars are reserved only for women. Here you can see the split on the platform- in a wash of men in grays and blues, the ladies only sections are a burst of flying colors- saris and scarves, bright and beautiful- the fresh flowers in a land where everything else seems to be covered in a good layer of dust. I am enjoying my change of wardrobe but will find in my travels to the south that even loose cotton can feel stifling.

In the city there are so many new sights:
Motorized rickshaws like motorcycles with back seats crowd all the streets, sharing the road with "goods carrier" trucks personally decorated with colorful paint and tassles by their drivers. Everyone honks incessantly as if reminding their neighbors they're still there, except the long-horned cows who tredge quietly along pulling carts of kerosene to sell in the slums. You see them everywhere- people living in tents made of tarps and old saris or shacks that line the road. Children play, balancing on concrete barriers or rolling an abandoned tire along with a stick, their joy for life seemingly unquenched.

On the sidewalks people squat, crafting and selling goods- chains of flowers, soles for shoes, leafy greens. The chains of people occasional interrupted by a wandering cow. And everywhere people carry their loads balanced on their head- a skill I would love to master. Huge baskets full of vegetables or bundles of something unknown tied up in cloth and piled 2 or 3 bundles high with no apparent effect on the walker.

Everywhere I see things I've never seen before but I find myself amazed at how quickly they make sense and feel completely normal. It is certainly easier having Ariel with me who has already encountered India's initial challenges and whose process now begins further along, as he will tell you now.

Coming off the plane I could not believe I was returning to this place in which I had spent four months two years ago. Talking with the taxi driver my hindi poured back into my head from a neglected cup of chai in the corners of my memory. This was aided by the familiar sights and smells, such as the sight of men (only men) congregating in small groups on the nighttime streets or the smell of the taxi driver’s B.O. mixed with the smells of incense, burning plastic, and rickshaw exhaust. As Emma said, we were welcomed by the Nairs in true Indian fashion.

They were truly hospitable and understanding of our jet lag. We were treated as though we were their children. We were well fed during our three-day stay in Mumbai where we stocked up on our traveling needs: books, clothes, jewelry, sandals, toothpaste.

In the Nair’s home I encountered the Nair family shrine (see picture) and was quickly reminded of India’s allure to many westerners. Spirituality. Spirituality has made India a pilgrimage center for Westerners seeking spirituality beyond the Judeo-Chistian-Islamic traditions. For many, traveling to India is a pilgrimage, and India, a land of pilgrimages.

In the Nair family shrine I saw the familiar Gods and Goddesses, Vishnu, Shiva, Parvati, Laxmi, Ganesha but there was one image with which I was unfamiliar. It was of a lean naked man sitting with one knee up and a chillum (hash pipe) in his hand. I asked Mohandas who this was and he told me that it was the image of the saint, Gajanan Maharaj.

Gajanan Maharaj is one of the thousands of saints and holy men that India seems to produce. A person to whom thousands or millions of people are devoted and are willing to travel thousands of kilometers to visit. Even people on our side of the world find teachers here and travel to get blessings or make offerings. I asked Mohandas more about Gajanan Maharaj and he gave me a book of poems about Gajanan Maharaj’s life. Mohandas told me some fascinating stories from his own life and how his devotion to Gajanan Maharaj has affected it. I’d like to hear more of these stories throughout the trip.

All in all it has been an excellent reintroduction to India and I find myself once again fascinated by everything here. It’s also wonderful having Emma here as a companion this time. Next post, will be on Kerala theater, which is what we’re experiencing now.