Mon. Feb.15, 2010

The Hotel Empee has a restaurant and I ordered the English breakfast. One egg, two pieces of toast, cornflakes with milk, juice and coffee. All pretty good except the corn flakes with milk were cooked like oatmeal. The main attraction here is the ancient Meenakshi temple and Hindus are lined up for blocks to go in. All I know about Meenakshi is that she was a very beautiful and powerful goddess who had three breasts. Once she was married, however, one of the breasts would disappear, so Lord Shiva married her. Madurai is about the same size as Varanasi, and about as old. Since no one here speaks much English or Hindi, JP decided it was too difficult to get around on our own, so we took a 12 hour bus tour. I'm templed out but the Gandhi Museum was worth the whole trip to see. JP got so engrossed in it, the bus nearly left him, stopping only when I started yelling. The driver gave me two minutes to find him, and I ran through the whole museum looking for him. He was blissfully wondering around the various rooms and I had to grab his arm to get his attention. Then I had to run like a mad woman back to the bus to tell them he was coming. I could have stayed there all day, but did manage to write down some of the wonderful quotes:

"The Englishmen flourishes and acts like a sponge, drawing up riches for the banks of the Ganges and squeezing them upon the banks of the Thames" John Sullivan

And from Gandhi:

"Truth is God."
"In my opinion, non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as cooperation with good".
"Death is our true friend, it is only our ignorance that causes us grief."

"Be not like the frog in the well. The frog knows nothing bigger or grander than its well:so are all bigots, they do not see anything better than their own creeds." Shri Ramakrishna

Madurai is where Gandhi decided to dress only in a lungi, which is about 8 feet of material, and worn by all poor men in India. The lungi Gandhi was wearing when he was shot is on display in this museum. It is a very eerie thing to see. There are Catholic churches everywhere here. One was blasting beautiful hymns over the loud speaker. The Indian Catholics are very devoted to the Blessed Mother, as am I. When I was frightened as a child, I would envision myself curled up at her feet, her cloak wrapped around me.

On Sat. Feb. 13 we took a 10 hour train ride back to Chennai and back to the Comfort Hotel. This was a much more comfortable trip where I could stretch out. By then I was on a strict diet of toast, bananas and cake. I don't even like cake but it is better than chilies or Indian deserts. I notice that the farther south we go, the more the lotus are blooming.
When we got back to the hotel, I again noticed the family living across the street. Dad and Mom were up and chatting with a bunch of friends. Then I noticed Mom was talking on a cell phone. There was a decrepit rickshaw parked across the street, and I think it is Dad's. I think he is a rickshaw walla. I also believe these folks would be shocked if they know I had been feeling sorry for them.

On Sun., Feb. 14 we took a Tamilnadu bus tour. Temples, etc. We stopped at a silk emporium where there was a display of a guy weaving a silk sari. The old wooden loom was huge and very complicated looking. I can't imagine how long it must take to weave a sari. All the women on the tour bought silk saris, averaging about $30 apiece. Another interesting place was the Beach Temple in Mahabalipuram. We had been there about 10 years ago, at which time I was not allowed to go in. Now it is more of a museum so I could go in. There were originally 7 temples chiseled out of solid rock here, but the sea has claimed all but two. I was fascinated to see how they cracked the stone. They chiseled out a small hole and hammered a piece of wood into it. Then they would pour water onto the wood. As the wood expanded, the rock cracked. We passed more and more Christian churches, cemeteries, and schools. Well done, Thomas, well done. Hindus accept all religions as part of God. One time when Jai was a baby, I was sitting with him in a stroller while JP wandered off somewhere. I think it was in Rishikesh. A Hindu holy man walked by, and assuming we were Christians, bowed to baby Jai and said, "Little Lord Jesus", then walked away.
There was a Moslem man from Bangladesh on the tour. He had come to Chennai for treatment for some ailment, so decided to see the sights. Since neither of us could go into some of the temples, we hung out and talked. He said Bangladesh is very beautiful and has the longest beach in the world. At one point only that man, a man from Singapore, and myself were on the bus, waiting for everyone else. The Moslem man (I never got his name) unwrapped a small rug and , facing east, said his prayers. It was beautiful to watch and I thanked him for the experience. I then asked him if he had yet made the Hag. And yes, he had done so last year, one of three million people who did so. At least once in the life of every Moslem, he is to follow the route taken by the Profit Mohammad from Mecca to Medina in Saudi Arabia.
The day was sweltering and I was a dripping mess. Not so the Indian women. They looked as fresh in their silk saris as they had at 6AM. Even the flowers in their hair looked fresh.
The last stop on the tour was a wide inlet of the Bay of Bengal. The boats were pretty rickety and the dock positively terrifying, but I could not give up the chance to be on water. It actually made me sad. Besides my friends, the things I miss most from Maryland are the beautiful rivers of the Upper Chesapeake Bay: The Susquehanna, the Elk, the Bohemia, the Sassafras, and the Chester.
When we got back to the hotel we were pooped. So, we bathed and vegged out in front of the TV. It was Valentine's Day and the controversy raged on about it being celebrated in India. Like JP says, it is just not in keeping with the Indian philosophy of life. But, of course, the young married women love the idea, as do the card, chocolate and flower industries. The other headline was terrible. There was a bomb blast in Pune, south of Mumbai. Nine people were killed and 40 seriously injured. The reason, of course, was the controversy over Kashmir. Right now most of it is under Indian control, but Pakistan believes it should be part of their country. How many lives have been lost over this land as well as over Palestine. I have no answers and don't even know the salient questions to ask. But I clearly hear the cries of thousands of mothers as they weep over the bodies of their dead children. Educate and empower the women!
We also see ads on TV and many signs saying "Save our tigers. There are only 1411 left". God help animals when they are in contact with humans. We also see lots of Amway signs. Chennai is a modern city with many attractive large buildings and good streets. We also smell much less sewage here. Of course, however, there are lots of huge cockroaches here. They don't bother me a lick. I am on a first name basis with lots of bugs that come to my garden, and I can tell you, a roach is a butterfly compared to the biting red ants of the high desert.
I am now in Pondicherry and in love with this French beach town. I'll be able to send a post tomorrow so good night for now.

Peace,
Nadine