India Independence Day 2

The bonfire at the Matrimandir

We began the day getting up at 4 a.m. to attend the bonfire in celebration of Sri Aurobindo's birthday. It is also Independence Day. The bonfire represents an opportunity to reflect on one's own meaning and purpose. The mother woke that the master is in us but also changes shape. Now there is a thought to meditate upon.

The full moon hung above us as the bonfire burned and daylight slowly crept in.

This is a special day in India so that there have been day and weekend visitors in large numbers. This has meant that our favourite haunts are quite crowded. Thus, it has been harder to get my daily chai teas in.

This trip to Auroville has been busy in some ways but in others we have been rediscovering the value of quiet and peace.

You may recall that I said that I was going for a bath in an emulsion that includes turpentine oil. It turned out to be quite pleasant and I am even going for a follow up. It apparently helps to detoxify you. We will see how it goes.

April after the bonfire

India Independence Day

India is about to celebrate Independence Day. We will start the day by going to a bonfire at the Matrimandir at 4 a.m. Here we will have  a chance to meditate with the words of The Mother and contemplate one's place in the universe.

Knowing that Independence Day was upon us, I picked up a novel on the partition of India which led to the creation of what is now Pakistan and Bangladesh. The book included a series of photographs taken by the famous American photographer Margaret Bourke-White. She was one the founding group of photographers with Life magazine.

She chronicled the devastating transition tat occurred as partition became a reality. Some 10 million people were on the move with Sikhs coming into what would be India and Muslims leaving for Pakistan. There would be religious strife and something in the order of a million people would die in the process. Villages that had been harmonious between religious groups were torn apart and former friends and neighbours became enemies.

The photographs are stark, terrifying and document a trail of death that is horrifying. I don't pretend to really understand partition. The line between India and Pakistan was arbitrary. India and Pakistan have had a tense relationship for much of their joint histories and it remains so today.

                                                The Sri Aurobindo statute in Auroville

This history stands as a stark reminder that the history of the world is littered with these stories.

This past week I have had the privilege of running some focus groups here. It reminds me how exciting focus group processes can be as conversations lead to insight and creative thinking. What really struck me is how different each group was despite the consistent questions and topics. It was an enriching experience for me and reminds me of how lucky I am to get to participate in this community.

A walkway near us

Next week, I am going to Chennai, some 3 hours north, to visit the Tulir Centre for the Prevention and Healing of Sexual Abuse. Their website is fascinating and helps one to see how many common themes exist around sexual abuse between India and the west. It also illustrates difference. Their site is worth a look - http://www.tulir.org

Termites in their hollows

I look forward to giving you more details on Tulir after the visit.

It was a dark and stormy night

The storm arrived after dark, although not an unexpected guest. Clouds had been building during the afternoon. This storm arrived though, with a force. Picture lightening that is so frequent that the sky is light more than it is dark; picture thunder that is so frequent you would think that the lead drummer of a famous band was at work in the sky. And the rain – ah the rain. It would be easy to think that you were on the set of some B Hollywood movie where an over anxious prop guy was standing on the roof with a fire hose trying to fake a storm. Yet, there were streams of rain coming off the roof that felt like there was a small but powerful waterfall above you. This went on for 45 minutes or so.

Throughout the night and again this morning, the power has been on and off several times. This means that the ceiling fans that keep the most, hum air in motion can eb absent creating a heaviness to the air at times.

the cows manage to eat the Palm Tree fruit that falls all over the place. Very fibrous. Many around on the ground after last night's storm

The smell of the air is magical so we went outside (under cover) to watch and breathe in this magical aroma. The night watchman told us that we must watch out for snakes escaping the building pool of water in the central courtyard. He had seen one escaping already.

It seems odd that, in a place where monsoon rains are part of the annual cycle, that drainage has been built so poorly. The courtyard was building into a pool before our eyes that was destined to overflow and then creep towards the room. There was no alternative.

Yet, this morning we wake to only a tiny pool inside our front door, the pool has vanished and the air has a humid coolness to it, the early morning bird song and chirps are a symphony at work. The watchman wanders around picking up flowerpots overturned in the storm.

Behind us is a construction site. There is a hole in the ground that is now a pool. Like boys all over the world, this invites attention. Four lads gather at the side, picking up rocks and engaging in a contest to see who can throw the farthest rock. Such simple joy.

This is the kind of intense rain that turns roads into muck; floods lowlands and feeds dry soil while filling reservoirs. It is a mixed blessing but for most, a blessing. There had been rains a few days ago, albeit not so intense. Yet, the day after in Pondicherry, the city about 8 km from us, we found stores that had been flooded. One was a favorite lunch spot denying us a stop as they tried to clean up. Last night’s storm, more intense, will create more flooding for people’s homes and businesses. A familiar cycle from which clean up will then occur. It will be interesting to catch the news in the next few days to see what longer term damage there has been. 

after the rains, the boys found a pool to throw stones in

Sweating in Meditation!

It is hard to imagine sitting in a well ventilated room with the wind sauntering through while you meditate, that you would also be sweating up a bucket full. But there I was doing just that this morning. The silence is a wonder as you wander into the sensations in your body while also surrounded by the sounds of birds in the yard outside. If you let your mind wander, as I regret I do sometimes, you can also hear the daily funeral processions in the background.

After meditation, we wandered to one of our favorite Sunday brunches with a wonderful array of Indian food. The problem with buffet anywhere in the world is the self discipline to say enough. Thank heaven there was a chai in offing which persuaded me from wandering back into the line. Costing 190 rupees or just under $4, this is an unmitigated luxury!

It is quite evident that tourism is down. The guest house that we are now at has ourselves and one Italian couple. Cash flow is a strain. You can see it all around. There are definitely fewer tourists – noticeably so. This is true here in Auroville but also in Pondicherry.

On the flight from London to Chennai, we noted that, if you took off the Indians coming home or to visit relatives and looked at the pure tourist business on the flight, the plane would be not a quarter full. We also noticed that it was a smaller plane versus the one this time last year.

News of the American credit rating downgrade is all over the papers. The price of gold here is skyrocketing. Westerners who have lived here a fair while talk about the impact that the economic crisis is having on tourist traffic. This is admittedly not the high season of travel in India – that comes from around December to late March. But one does have to wonder at this point.

Our bedroom

The welcome frog at the door

There is some sentiment here that the American economic crisis is a manufactured one by large American corporate interests who seek to ensure that Obama will not be re-elected. Interesting that such thinking would be around here.

Adjusting to the heat

Today is a relatively cool one - only 32 C. With pretty high humidity though. When there is wind, it is a blessed relief for a few moments. Then you start to come to grips with sweating - its just what you do in the sub continent - get on with it!

I have learned that there are some important truths:

1. It is almost impossible to drink too much water;
2. When riding a motor bike, the wind is not going to help much. It just reaches down and sucks up whatever moisture is on your skin leaving it sandpaper dry.
3. My eyes require a good sleep so that they can get the sand and grit out.
4. Chai tea solves everything.

This morning we were heading out for a walk when a friend met us. She was on her way to an impromptu concert by an Indian raga singer. It is hard to describe this trance like singing that draws you into it. You find yourself floating into an altered state as you follow the flow of the tones up and down combined with a subtle beat.

This was followed by meditation and then, (oh I bet you can't guess) chai!

Tomorrow we will participate in a half day silent meditation. On Monday, the focus groups for the child protection team begin.

Back in Auroville

Our arrival this year has been a bit more difficult. The guest house that we thought we had booked is not the one we had in fact booked. I like cats - don't get me wrong - but over 20 of them is too much. I woke up one morning to faeces outside the bedroom door. And there was ongoing construction which was way overdue its completion (not unique to India as anyone who has done renovations will know).  It was too much so we moved.

Our current guest house includes breakfast on the terrace with white linen - the lap of luxury. It is a bot expensive but with India's national day o August 15, it was hard to get a consistent booking anywhere that carried us through most of our visit here.

I am quite excited to meet old friends as well as new (such as this guy above). In particular, I am honoured to be doing some work with the Auroville Child Protection Team. One aspect that I am most looking forward to is being able to visit the Tulir Centre for the Healing and Prevention of Child Abuse. They have a blog that includes the story of a man who committed suicide after being unable to resolve the effects of sexual abuse in his childhood. It is one of the most moving and powerful personal accounts that I have read. It can be found at http://www.childsexualabuseinindia.blogspot.com/

So I will let people know how the work goes - obviously in a general sense.

India has been treating us to warm, humid days but very lovely. I also got to have thali today - an Indian lunch that consists of rice with a variety of small dishes to blend into the rice. It is one of my favourite meals here. There is a northern and southern India version so April and I had one each.

India remains a complex sensory experience with many contradictions such as a growing middle class that is quite evident while the poverty remains around it.

Back to Auroville

We are delighted to be returning to Auroville for the month of August. This will give us an opportunity to again experience India and the magnificent community within Auroville. I will again be posting on this blog upon arrival.