HORSING AND CAMELLING AROUND AT THE PUSHKAR FAIR by Donna Shaver

Horsing and Cameling Around at the Pushkar Fair by Donna Shaver

The Pushkar Fair, also known as the Pushkar Cattle Market or the Pushkar Camel Fair, is a world famous event.  It is held annually in the month of Kartika (October/November) ten days after the festival of Diwali.  The Pushkar Fair is one of the largest cattle markets in all of Asia, and a major attraction for visitors to India.  

To the outside world, it is a market and fair, but to millions of Hindus, it is a religious pilgrimage.  On our way to the fair, we passed many buses and trucks crammed with colorfully clad pilgrims.   Pushkar is a sacred city, believed to have been created by the Lord Bramha himself.  The name Pushkar comes come from pushpa (flower) and kar (hand) because legend says that the lakes were created from the petals that fell from his hand.  There are over 400 temples and shrines around its holy lake.  In addition to a temple to Lord Bramha, there are temples to Gayatri, Savitri, Shiva, and Badri Narayan.  Dipping in the holy water of the lake is believed to bestow salvation,   Although we would have loved to visit the lake, it was a long walk and time was short.

It was a short drive from our hotel in Ajmer.  We left our bus and boarded two camel-drawn carts,  The carts have a platform, about five feet square and are covered with colorful quilts.  Each has a canopy for shade, and two truck tires.  The platform slopes to the back.  We pile on, sitting as best we can, some of us around the sides and back of the platform with legs hanging over the edge.  Those at the front found themselves uncomfortably close to an enormous camel posterior--but that was soon forgotten as we were immediately engrossed in the action.  

The fair itself is quite the spectacle.  As far as the eye can see, there are livestock and tents, vendors and hawkers.  The earth is bare and dusty, with nary a blade of grass.  The land is gently rolling, and in the distance we could see the tops of a structure or two, perhaps temples.

The first half of our leisurely ride was through the area where the horses were on display--thousands of them, and all meticulously groomed.  They were mostly splendid animals, although I found myself disturbed by a surprising number of malnourished horses, ribs showing and heads hanging.  The horses were all of a type unfamiliar to me--their ears were slender, and curved toward each other, usually touching at the tips.  Many were black and white, but a variety of colors were represented .  There was an area of all albino horses.  At the end of one row of these dazzling white horses was a magnificent shiny black horse.  I adore horses, so I was truly in horse heaven!

Next came the camels--also in the thousands.  We have encountered camels throughout our journey.  Camels pull carts even in Delhi, but the camel ratio increased significantly when we entered Rajasthan.  In Jaipur, Agra, Ajmer and every tiny settlement in between, camels were common--often standing or lying near shops and dwellings.  Camel carts were common, and occasionally we would see someone riding on a camel.

To my unpracticed eye, they look all the same, but in fact there are three varieties of camel in Rajasthan--Bikaneri camels (hairy ears, great load bearing capacity, and stamina), Jaisalmeri camels (longer legs, can cover up to 14 miles an hour), and Gujarati camels (darker haired and adept at walking in marshy areas).  Who knew?

Interestingly, we didn’t see any cattle--an indication of the colossal size of the fair site.  Personally, I was far more interested in the horses and camels.  After all, we had already seen thousands of cattle wandering the streets, grazing anywhere a tuft of grass dared to raise its head, or sleeping in front of shop and homes.  (Sujata, our guide, told us that many people feed the cattle as part of their spiritual practice, and the animals remember that--for example--someone will be at a certain place at the same time every Monday with food, and they will show up right on time only on Monday.)

We noticed that many camels were shaved in patterns, and some areas darkened or colored.  As it turns out, two days before, there had been a camel decoration contest.  We finally saw the Pushkar Fair 2013 program and realized what all we were missing.  The day before had been both the Camel Dance Competition and the Horse Dance Competition (ballroom?).  

The day after our visit would be both the Turban Tying and the Moustache Competitions, and also the Indian Bride and Groom Competition, the last of which is explicitly designated “for foreigners”.  The last day features the Champion Cattle Competition.  

Each day had a jam packed program, most of them in the “stadium”, which consisted of a long, but not very high, set of risers facing an open area where the events take place.  We watched children performing acrobatics,  It was quite similar to the acrobatics that children perform on the roadside to beg for money from passing motorists.  It is hard to imagine, given the huge number of people there, what chaos must reign for one of the major competitions.  

There were huge troughs for the animals, and piles of sugarcane that may have been animal feed.  Periodically we would see an artful stack of dung patties, used as fuel for the fires of the food vendors and campsites--very handy, as the raw material is produced right there on site--a fact to which we can attest, as we witnessed copious quantities being produced.

After our cart ride, we wandered through the vendor area, where bridles, saddles, and all sorts of horse and camel accoutrement were for sale.  There were large areas for the food vendors as well.  But while most of us were taking the vendor-stroll, we were missing a major event:  Getting Ravi on a camel.  Ravi is one of our guides, and Taryn discovered that he was quite averse to the idea of getting on a camel.  We all teased him about it for two days before the fair.  So while the rest of us meandered, the opportunity arose for Ravi, Taryn, and Betsy Dunklin (Boise) to have a short camel ride--and Ravi caved!  (We have photographic proof.)

The Pushkar Fair was one of those exotic world festivals that I never dreamed I would have the opportunity to see it for myself.  What a treat to experience such a famous event with all my new best friends!

THE EVER WIDENING CIRCLE OF WOMEN by TIna Romenesko

THE EVER WIDENING CIRCLE OF WOMEN by TIna Romenesko

Today is a day that all of us have been looking forward to since signing up for this Indian adventure.  As we enter the Vatsalya building, we are again greeted by the lovely Jaimala.   Today is a workshop day, so the women are sitting on the floor, sewing, measuring, and marking fabrics with Colleen.  Our formal introduction to the project is an informational meeting run by Jaimala and Colleen.  Their gratitude to Dining For Women is palpable.  Our grant was received at a critical point.  Colleen had just been diagnosed with Hodgkins disease, funds were low, and it looked like her dream would have to be tabled for an unknown amount of time.  Enter DFW!  The program has been able to add over 30 women to the original 14, plus more that will be trained beginning today.  The procurement of Urban Outfitters (UO) as an outlet for their wares, with Colleen and staff at the designing helm, is a marvelous combination.  Today they will be working on a vest and a bag for UO.  Colleen will be working with some of the more advanced seamstresses this week, teaching them the art of design and color composition.  

The road has been long and filled with many challenges.  The women here are all involved with the commercial sex trade.  Ajmer is a hot spot for the industry, with a recognized belt of sex workers that serve the community and also truck drivers that are often on the road for months at a time.  Anchal, in partnership with Vatsalya, offer these women a change of lifestyle, health advice, and access to local clinics.  Often 150 women show up for an informational meeting.  A small percentage of them will actually participate, learn the new trade of sewing kantha quilts, and work toward improving their status and changing their own lives and the lives of their children.  

The Anchal space is airy and inviting.  The women sit together, working on projects, talking, laughing, and sewing.  A kantha quilt has 4-6 layers of recycled saris, that are hand quilted with a variety of stitches - that become an intricate part of the design.  A big part of the work is finding, washing, and sorting.  Since bringing UO on board, the quality and specificity of the work has become more stringent.  It’s critical that Colleen is clear and has project leaders that understand market standards.  

For the next hour, we disperse into the group, sitting on the floor in the workrooms, pantomiming, listening, and observing.  Susan Ackland asks about the relationship of 3 women in her group.  She gestures and asks “Auntie?”  to which they all dissolve in laughter, sharing high fives.  “Sisters”, they reply.  Another group of women point to Taryn Walker’s eyebrows and say “new design?”.  They had also been part of the Anchal partnership in Jaipur the previous day.  She motions tweezing and they all make startled faces that grow larger as she suggests the rip of waxing!  Threading is the preferred method of hair removal in India.  Women’s beauty issues in pantomime.  Love it.

In contrast with the Muslim group we visited yesterday, that really needed the money to provide stability for their families, these women already have money - quick money - as street workers.  Their choice to make a change is driven more by status than by income.  By changing their profession, they change the stigma of their children.  Anchal offers them a totally different lifestyle, that is not immediate, but is long lasting.  Many of the women still work in the sex trade, but are seeing fewer and fewer clients.  Some are home based.  Others are brothel based.  They are competitors on the street and friends, for the most part, in their Anchal home.  Not that there aren’t problems, muses Jaimala.  Some women demand more and want to work less.  Those issues are met head on -  immediately.  The structure of Anchal is clear.  They either choose to be part of it, or not.  

After lunch, we form a circle and 5 of the women sit with us to talk freely about how their individual lives have changed since embracing Anchal.  Jaimala interprets.  “We were helpless before, and now we make our own decisions,” says the group leader.  We all burst into applause!  One of the women’s daughters is now doing post-graduate work and her granddaughters are in private school - which wouldn’t have been possible, if her mother was still in the sex trade business.  Again - its a matter of stigma, not cash.  If your mother is a sex worker, your status is lower than low - and your chances of being accepted into a good school are almost nil.  One woman shared that she was orphaned at 11 and married shorty afterward to a man 16 years her senior.  She’s now the outreach project manager and has a good eye for women in need that want to make a change.  Another woman with two young children shares that her husband is an alcoholic and used to bring clients to her (home based prostitution).  Jaimala shares that she has had to be very strong to break that pattern of abuse.  

As we head upstairs to take a group photo, the energy is lively and playful.  We hug and smile and joke and smile some more.  Many of us have bought quilts and scarves.  Each is signed by the artisan, written in Hindi.  We search for each of them and take our pictures - together.  An Anchal first!  The women are very proud, holding their wares with bright smiles.  

Way to go, Dining For Women!  Your support has changed the lives of these women forever.  It’s an amazing opportunity for us to feel the widening circle of our individual impact at monthly meetings.  Again I am reminded of the quote Christine Schwartz shared with us Day one.  

We can throw our pebble in the pond and be confident that its ever widening circle will reach around the world.  Dorothy Day

What a gift to be here in India seeing these projects come to life - one woman at a time.

Donna Shaver and the Anchal artisan that made her scarf!

JAIMALA AND THE ORPHANAGE by Betsy Dunklin

Christine and her new protegee!  Vatsalya Orphanage

Jaimala and the Orphanage by Betsy Dunklin

This morning we drove to the outskirts of Jaipur into the countryside and down a rugged dirt road to the orphanage run by the organization Vatsalya and directed by Jaimala, who has an MPH from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  One of the orphans, who recently turned 16, gave us a tour of the grounds. Jaimala said that she was not much interested in school but managed to pick up enough English to serve as the official guide. She will soon become an employee of the orphanage. We learned much more about her when Jaimala rode in the van with us back to Jaipur after our visit.

The orphanage is made up of a few cement buildings, all very plain but with colorful walls.  Two buildings have bunk beds, one is a kitchen with a large solar unit that powers the oven, which impressed us all, and another has six classrooms.  While we were there, the children were playing board games on the porch of the classrooms.  A simple playground bordered the school rooms.  Much of the work in the orphanage, such as preparing meals, is done by the older children who are in vocational training.

One other building, with a patio and comfortable outdoor chairs, serves as Jaimala’s office and bedroom for the two nights a week she spends at the orphanage. The room is very telling of this remarkable, warm, passionate and accomplished woman. It is a small room, at best 10’x10’, made entirely of cement with one window overlooking the meadow where the orphanage is located.  It has a very small cot with a blanket covering it, shelves with books and knick-knacks, an old Victrola and an antique tea cart, adding comfort and ambiance to this otherwise most humble abode.  We lined up to use her bathroom, also cement, with an uneven cracked floor and water from a leak running across it.  A tiny sink was to the right of the door.  Past a wall was a toilet and shower combo, typical of many Indian bathrooms.

Several posters decorate her wall.  One stuck me as particularly meaningful:

“The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you. They are unique manifestations of the human spirit.”

Jaimala herself is dressed in a stunning Indian outfit of silk turquoise kurta and full, floor-length blue skirt, something most of us would only wear on a formal occasion but is everyday wear for her.  Her thick chestnut hair is piled loosely on her head. She looks regal but could not be more down-to-earth and welcoming.

On the van trip back to Jaipur to visit the sewing project, she told us the story of the young woman who gave us the tour.  She came to the orphanage at the age of five.  She had been living for months on the stoop of a Hindu temple.  One of the religious leaders realized that men were abusing her, tempting her with treats, and arranged for the orphanage to take her.  Jaimala said they were disturbed when she arrived because she continued to act out on the younger children what the men had taught her.  She was so young, and that was the only way she knew to get treats or “love” of the only type she had known.  This caused great anxiety; many interventions were tried but did not work.  Jaimala was especially worried about what would happen when the girl hit puberty but instead she gained some insight and maturity and has been useful at the orphanage as an interpreter and guide.  

Jaimala said 95% of the children begging throughout India actually have parents and homes.  They live in the slums and their parents leave them unsupervised during the day while they work at menial jobs. The children beg to entertain themselves and for the rewards it brings. The parents can’t fathom a different life for their children and do nothing to stop this practice. Jaimala also said most of the money donated to the big NGO’s never gets to the place intended but goes to bribes and mismanagement.

It is powerful women like Jaimala and small, direct-service programs like Vatsalya that are going to change India so more of its people have opportunity for health, education and a meaningful life.

LIFE IN THE VAN by Betsy Dunklin

Life in the Van by Betsy Dunklin

We spend many hours together in our tourist van, sometimes laughing together, sometimes quietly chatting with our seatmate, other times dozing.  We all find that our days are so full, and we are so bombarded with unusual sites and  overwhelmed by the crowds, that we get tired easily.  Taryn, our group leader, asks for a “check-in” every couple of days., asking us to report to the group how we are feeling spiritually, mentally and physically, and what the group can do to support each of us.  Taryn has worked hard to not only handle countless details of housing and feeding us and getting us to our destinations on time but to build camaraderie and a caring atmosphere.

Today, our energy level was low. Christine began by reporting  that she has a pinched nerve in her back that causes a great deal of back, leg and foot pain, and she is really struggling. Immediately, everyone offered drugs and advice. Our group includes two doctors, Martha and Susan, and a complete pharmacy among us, it seems. We all have our favorite OTC’s or holistic specialties to treat the typical ailments of travelers.  Sujata, our guide, offered a back rub.  Tina, a yoga therapist, volunteered a breathing treatment. Chris agreed she would ask for help if she needed it. We insisted she no longer carry heavy bags.

Tina, who had been very sick for a couple of days, said she was still feeling tired and asked for understanding.  Again, there were many suggestions of drugs and treatments we each could offer.

Heather is getting over a cold but is getting better.  Taryn asked what we could do to support her.  Heather paused, then said “Drugs!” That cracked us up.

Susan said she is happy but has a bit of a cold and hasn’t been sleeping well.  She said, in response to our many inquiries, that she doesn’t get sick that much so doesn’t have much experience to describe her symptoms.

Donna said she is feeling good but also has cold symptoms and is still dealing with “the green apple two step”.  A round of laughter again.  She too is having trouble sleeping and noted that one of the biggest challenges with moving around every night is just keeping track of all her stuff! We all have this complaint. Our careful organization has disintegrated, and we can’t remember which pocket or bag we put what.

Martha said she was fine and then told a very silly elephant joke. She said her husband, also a doctor, had a huge collection of elephant jokes he used to put patients at ease.  She and Sujata, our guide, began a silly-joke competition.  Sujata asked, “How  do you put four elephants in a car?” Martha whipped back, “Two in the front and two in the back.” Well, Sujata retorted, “How do you put four camels in a car?” Martha: “You can’t! There already are elephants in the car!” and so it went.

I went last and said I was having a great time, felt just fine, and no doubt was tempting fate by saying so.  Indeed, the next day the “touristas” struck while I was on the train.

We may be feeling road-weary and even sick, but our humor and mutual support remains strong.

Unfortunately, however, we lost Christine on Nov. 14 when her pain became unbearable and she decided to fly home from Kolkata.  She had been a good sport, trying our meds and breathing exercises to no avail. We are glad she is taking care of herself and will miss her in the second half of our trip.

AN ANCIENT SCENE by Betsy Dunklin

An Ancient Scene by Betsy Dunklin

On Nov. 9, after our visit to the Taj Mahal and on our way to the Agra Fort, we rode through an agricultural area with miles of recently harvested flat land, providing a respite from clamorous and congested Delhi. We saw no villages or houses, just the highway and farm land. In the middle of nowhere, a restaurant appeared, where we had a buffet lunch.

In the restaurant, I was mesmerized by the scene outside the large arched windows.  All was sepia-toned, with soft yellows and browns of the stubble remaining from the harvest, muted sage green of the occasional shade tree, and the perpetually murky sky caused by the inversion that arrives this time of year.  These shades were punctuated by women farm laborers in brilliantly colored saffron, azure, crimson and fuchsia saris (calling them yellow, blue, red or pink just doesn’t do justice to the richness of the colors).  Several of the women were using five foot long sticks to strike bundles of branches to knock out the dried lentils.  Our guide, Sujata, explained that later they will strip the branches and weave them into rope.  One of the women, who was tending a couple of large black cows, was knitting while standing. If I blocked out the busy highway bordering the fields and our restaurant, I could be looking at a scene from a thousand or more years ago.

This is emblematic of much that I have seen in India, the modern crashing into the ancient. For example, it is not unusual to see a man riding an elephant or camel-drawn carts on a major highway crammed with trucks, auto-rickshaws, motorcycles and bicycles.  Goats, donkeys, and, of course, the sacred cows roam everywhere.  I have seen them grazing in two-foot median strips of a very busy eight-lane highway (with 10-lanes of traffic and motorcycles squeezed between) as though they were on Ol’ McDonald’s back forty.  In the midst of the warren of stores and light manufacturing side by side in the ubiquitous crumbling cement buildings will appear a several-hundred-year-old ornate palace, temple or mosque.

I wondered what it must be like for the women served by the projects we are visiting. They and their communities are coping with meshing an ancient way of life that changes only very slowly with the values and fast pace of modern life.  Much of their dress and customs are the same as those of the medieval period, but they have cell phones and live amidst shops full of cheap modern manufactured goods in packaging that is strewn everywhere.

Yesterday afternoon, we had the privilege to talk to some of those women who are enrolled in Vatsalya’s project teaching them to sew discarded saris into quilt-like fabric used by Anchal to fabricate fashion for the U.S. market. (Urban Outfitters currently is selling fashions online that incorporate the fabric.)

To visit the site where the women are taught, we drove as far as we could into a Muslim neighborhood in Jaipur, our van just inches from the open fronts of houses, stores and work sites, with motorcycles, pedestrians, children, dogs, cows and goats squeezing between, unfazed. Finally, the van could go no further so we walked past the crumbling attached cement rooms, one with a man at a sewing machine, another with a man on a rug with his wares hanging from the wall, next men using their hands to put dirt through a sifter (for making more cement, perhaps?), then a closed door of carved wood, presumably to living quarters.

We arrived, took off our shoes before climbing down a few steps (steps are everywhere, uneven, and in unexpected places; we middle-aged-women with bad knees are doing our own sort of coping) and entered a dark room filled cheek-to-jowl with local women enrolled in the project.  Chairs were passed around and squeezed in for us to sit on.  

Most of the young women had colorful scarves loosely draped over their heads; a few who came in late were completely covered in black robes with only their eyes showing.  Jaimala, who founded and directs this program as well as the orphanage we visited that morning, said that during their sewing lessons, they learn about women’s rights and self esteem.  When they began the program three years ago, she said they all wore face veils, but  they now feel free to show their faces. And what sweet faces! They were shy with us at first but quickly warmed to us.

We asked them how the project had changed their lives.  One said she has more respect in her home because she is earning money. Several said they could send their children to private school.  Jaimala explained that the public schools are so bad they are useless and the only way children can get ahead is by attending the private schools.  (In Katherine Boo’s “Beyond the Beautiful Forevers” about a Mumbai slum, she wrote that teachers, who are poorly trained to begin with, rarely show up and often pay a fee to an untrained person to fill in for the day.) We left the meeting with smiles in our hearts and tears in our eyes.

Muslim group of women that work with Anchal Artisan project.  Jaipur, India

DINING FOR WOMEN'S "TRUNK SHOW" by Donna Shaver

Dining For Women’s “Trunk Show” by Donna Shaver

The Amber Fort in Rajhastan is yet another architectural marvel.  We were all stunned by its beauty, design, and engineering--the result of almost unlimited resources. It was constructed by the Hindu Kachhawaha, who were allied with the powerful Muslim Mughal Empire.   It was built in 1592 by Maharaja Man Singh I on the remains of an 11th century fort.

As we drove down the road, this huge complex arose on our left in the middle distance.  From the road, you see across a green plain a long walled roadway slanting ever upwards toward the imposing ramparts of the Amber Fort.  Looking closely you could see a long line of elephants making their way to the entrance to the fort, each carrying a mahawouat--the “driver”-- and two tourists facing out over the plain.    From this vantage point, you can see yet another fort higher on the hill following the ridge line.  We were to learn that the two were connect by secret tunnels in case of attack.

We joined the long line, which moved with surprising speed.  The next thing you know, you were standing on a platform in the “boarding area”--just the right height to to board the elephant. There is a platform on the elephant’s back, and the two of you sit facing out, feet on a footboard, and an iron bar across you as a handhold and safety precaution.  The elephant moves off so the next in line can take on passengers.

It takes a few moments to get accustomed to the slow, but substantial sideways rocking motion.  The elephants walk closely together, trunk to tail.  Each mahawouat decorates his own elephant, so many have painted flowers and flourishes on their trunks and side, or bangles.  Unlike African elephants, there is more natural color variation with the Asian elephants.  Many have large, diffuse pink areas on their heads and trunks, sometimes with naturally occurring gray or black spots.  

All along the way, there are photographers, blasting away with the hope of selling prints to the elephant riders.  We were all taken with the hyperkinetic Tony #1.  He fired away, following us over the incredibly uneven ground of the slope that rose in front of us, all the time shouting that he was “Tony #1, not Tony #2!”  He assured us he was the best.  (After our visit, we were set upon by many other photographers showing us the pictures they had taken of us.  We said “No!  Tony #2”.  One kept insisting he was Tony’s son, but we weren’t buying.  Indeed we did meet up with Tony #1 in the parking lot and bought our pics.  We were quite happy with the results.)

The fort itself is astonishing, both in size and beauty.  It contains many palaces and gardens, and is much larger than one might think.  The stone pillars, arches, and screens were breathtaking, as was the view of the valley below.

The Maharajah had 12 wives, each with her own palace within the fort.  They were both Muslim and Hindi, and each woman was allowed to worship in her own religion.  The queens’ palaces were arranged so that the queens had a huge and elegant courtyard in which they would spend time with each other.  Wisely, the Maharajah did not allow the queens to visit in each other’s palaces, so there was no jealousy or comparison.  In addition, there was a elaborate series of stairs so the Maharajah could visit one of the queens and none of the others could see where he had gone.  We agreed that the Maharajah was a wise man indeed.

Unfortunately, we had no elephantine assistance on the descent!

JANTAR MANTAR - ASTROLOGY / ASTRONOMY by Tina Romenesko

JANTAR MANTAR - ASTRONOMY/ASTROLOGY by Tina Romenesko

In the early 1700s, Jai Singh built 6 different sets of Jantar Mantar or Magical Instruments, designed to calculate time, location, and celestial movement more precisely.  I had heard they were amazing and astronomical in size - pun intended - but wow!  These instruments are immense in both size and accuracy.  

According to our guide, “These are the biggest, and the best!”  He went on to explain that, in his estimation, astronomy is the western equivalent of astrology.  We were all taken a bit aback at that statement, but isn’t it all the study of the stars and planets?  It’s what we do with the information that differs.  Is it applied to mapping the sky or our fate?  Telling time or calculating the exact place in the universe where we were born?  Astrological charts are calculated based on the exact date of birth, time, and location.  Jai Singh’s solar clock calculates the exact time and the exact place where you are on the earth - it is accurate to within 2 seconds - much more exact than your iPhone, or the doctor’s watch at your place of birth.  

He also created a huge fixed compass to locate the North star and calculate latitude.  Other instruments determine what house of the Zodiac the sun is in - and in order to track the sun’s movement more closely, he even built two half versions with large steps in between the reading areas - to further increase the accuracy with a close up view.

According to our guide, all of this information is a vital part of Indian culture.  Diwali (Indian New Year) changes every year, based on the heavens.  Both arranged marriages and love marriages look at the compatibility in the lovers astrological charts.  In some families, a marriage may not be allowed, based on this vital information, and wedding place and time is often determined not by the bride, but by the astrologer.  

Western astrology is more focused on your Sun sign, but our guide explains that here in India, it is the Moon sign that is most important.  I find it all fascinating and overwhelming - and so interesting that this astronomer from the 1700s felt it was important enough to map it all out on these Magical, giant sized Instruments.  

At the center of Jantar Mantar, there are 12 stations, each representing the signs of the Zodiac.  As I head over to Taurus, and have my picture taken with other Taurians, I observe that no where else in the world have I stood with a group of people that share my coordinates in the stars.  We have similarities that are determined by where we were born and when, even though we come is all races, and ethnicities, and from many different places on the earth.  Fascinating.

Astronomy or Astrology?  My iPhone dictionary (all that is available to me here in Ajmer…) describes the difference this way.  Astronomy - The branch of science that deals with celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole.  Astrology - The study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world.  Hard science or social science?  I think both views are valid.  Perhaps William Broad, New York Times Journalist and author of the Science of Yoga, sums it up best.

“Prove what you can, and be open to the rest.”  Lovely sentiment - facing reality with an open mind and heart.  Namaste.

MOSQUES, TEMPLES, and MORE by Tina Romenesko

The Baha"i Lotus Temple - Delhi, India

MOSQUES, TEMPLES, and MORE by Tina Romenesko

Among the most interesting aspects of Delhi for me, is the inclusion of many magnificent temples from many different religions.  

Yesterday we passed by the Baha’i Lotus Temple.  It was built in 1986 and is the newest temple of its tradition in the world.  The building was inspired by the lotus flower, and is composed of 27 Grecian marble petals, arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides.  It has 9 doors and 9 pools surrounding it on the spacious grounds.  We opted not to stand in the long line and go inside - the interior of all Baha’i temples is quite stark - as its primary purpose is for meditation.  It is truly an architectural wonder and is one of the most visited sites in Delhi.

Day Two we tried desperately to get to the Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in Asia,  before afternoon prayers. Unfortunately, the traffic in Chandni Chowk (the surrounding market) was so congested and crazy we arrived too late for entry. Only Muslims are allowed inside during call to prayer. With a little help from Sujata, two of our photographers, Susan Ackland and Christine Schwartz, were able to get up to the door and take photos for 300 rupees.  It is always awe inspiring to witness the Muslim call to prayer.  Prayer rugs, families, and of course the ritual of prayer itself.  The Jama Masjid was built between 1650 and 1656 and can accommodate 25,000 worshippers.  Since we couldn’t get in, we opted for a bicycle rickshaw ride around the narrow alleyways of Chandni Chowk.  Two by two we zig zagged through the chaos that had earlier delayed our arrival - and now was filled with a million different delights!  There are many wholesale sari shops in this area that sell the beautiful fabric most Americans know only from Bollywood movies.  They also sell the sequins, appliques, and bling!  None of us were up for 12 saris, the minimum purchase, but we certainly enjoyed window shopping from our rickshaw.  

The next stop was the Laxminarayan Hindu temple - dedicated to the goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu, who is referred to as Narayan when in the company of the Goddess of Wealth and Abundance (remember her from Diwali?)  Built in 1939, the three story, yellow and red building is filled with a variety of altars honoring the many incarnations of Krishna, Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Saraswati, Hannuman, and Ganesha, et al.  It even includes an altar and image of the Buddha - as he is believed to be an avatar of Vishnu.  Sujata, our guide, believes that Hinduism is more of a way of life than a religion.  She also taught us about the god that is honored in the month of November - a lesser known deity named Kartik, who along with Ganesha, is a son of Shiva.  His vehicle is the peacock and he will be the inspiration for the Pushkar Festival that we will be attending in a few days!  

On the way toward the India Gate and government buildings, we pass the white and gold Sikh temple.  Taryn Walker celebrated Diwali (a national holiday with spiritual roots)  at the temple with Sanjeev, our host at Grace House.  She asked about the background of the Sikh garb.  He replied that the clothing and turbans were originally intended to make the men look fierce, and that Sikhs were originally Hindus that decided it wasn’t necessary to pray to all the Gods and Goddesses - otherwise their beliefs are similar.  Interestingly, Sanjeev’s wife is Pentecostal, so his wife and two daughters were dropped off at their own place of worship for Diwali - a celebration celebrated across all religions in India.  We didn’t visit any Christian cathedrals, but Sacred Heart in Delhi is large and well known.  Generally, there are more Catholics in the South and more Protestants in the North.   

Religious tolerance hasn’t always been the stalwart of India - during the Partition, many Muslims chose to move to the newly formed state of Pakistan.  After much killing and politically driven outrage, the country seems to have come to terms with its ethnic and religious diversity.  Muslims are called to prayer, children form long lines to enter the Hindu temple, everyday the Sikhs prepare 3 meals a days for the hungry, and the Baha’i welcome all to enter and meditate in their lavish lotus temple.  But the most poignant example comes a few days later in Jaipur, where the Anchal Project local leaders have created a home based sewing cooperative for young Muslim women living in the slums, to provide a stable source of income for basic family necessities.  The director of this project, Jaimala, is not Muslim, but clearly these projects are driven from the heart, and completely free of religious bias.  A strong reminder that when we strip away the exterior facade of our differences, we all share the same basic human wants and needs regardless of race, color, or creed.

Laxminarayan Hindu Temple - Delhi, India