[My boyfriend Matt just visited me in India for the first
time. I invited him to write a guest blog post about his experiences. He also made some short videos,
included as YouTube links below.]
A year ago, I had absolutely no interest in traveling to India,
but today, I wouldn’t trade my experience for all the rupees in Delhi. I spent
an intense two weeks traveling across this intense country with one Elsa Marty,
and it was all I imagined and more.
The first thing that struck me was how on the surface
religion was everywhere I looked. Unlike the US, where it’s often a private
matter, religion is loud, external, and in your face in every step of Indian life.
From shrines and statues in every public bus, and business and people’s names,
to the way they dress, to music that’s playing, to the way they say hello, you
know someone’s religion within 5 seconds of being in their presence. You
thought “Namaste” was how you said “hello” in Hindi? Nope. It’s how HINDU’s say
hello in Hindi. Where Elsa works, Christians greet each other with “Yishu
Sahay” which literally means “Jesus Saves,” and Muslims with “As-Salaam-Alaikum”
which translates to “Peace be upon you.”
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| A multi-faith shrine in a Tourist Information Office |
Most everyone is Hindu, Muslim, or Christian, the three
major religions of the nation. The latter two are minorities, comprising about
15% and 2% respectively, but you wouldn’t know it from being immersed in the culture.
Their festivals, places of worship, and traditions seemed to be just as
colorful and loud as those of Hindus, and they seem to be in competition
sometimes for the most extravagant expressions of faith. A few random examples
include: Hindi Christian rock blasting in a fancy restaurant; gaudy shrines
featuring Mary, Jesus, or a saint on public buses, covered with flashing
lights; huge lettering on the top of most vehicle windshields, with the Christian
ones saying things like “Infant Jesus,” “Ave Maria,” “Bible Knowledge,” “St.
Anthony,” and so on. They really like the little baby version of Jesus.
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| "Jesus, Door of Love" |
The first half of my trip was in the northern part of the
country, Ranchi to be exact, where Elsa is working. It was great to actually
live with a family, see the day-to-day, eat the food, and chat with her friends
and colleagues. I helped Elsa teach her daily English classes and met many of
the church leaders she works with. I took care of a few chores too, like
getting new glasses, getting my shoes fixed by a local cobbler, and getting a traditional
haircut.
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| With Alex and Idan, Elsa's host family |
A highlight of this time was a brief road trip we did to a
tribal village about an hour outside of Ranchi. I’ve always loved the concept of
time travel, and this is probably the closest I’ll ever get to it. Besides the
cell phones wielded by our motorcycle driving “chauffeurs,” nothing else told
you we were in the 21st Century. Aspects of life felt more familiar than I
thought they would have. My feet got washed by our hosts just like on Maundy
Thursday, the family farmed as a way of life and washed their clothes on rocks
in the river, just like my Slovak grandma described, and I frolicked in large
piles of hay... just like... I often do with leaves. This style of living wasn’t
some novelty, but tradition.
Video: Motorcycle Road Trip in Jharkhand, India
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| Playing in the hay |
The following week, we played tourist in the southern part
of the country, taking a public bus into the mountains to a wildlife preserve,
then back to the coast for a few days on the ocean and backwaters. The incredible
geographic diversity really surprised me. Towering cliffs, like in
Lord of the
Rings, gave way to endless tea farms. The tropical coast boasted with
palms, and there were all types of birds, fish, and mammals invading every
ecological niche. Check it out...
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| We spent a night in a tree house in the wildlife sanctuary |
This wasn’t what I had expected. It was a mind blowing
landscape, but as the days went on, the oppression of the pollution really
began to set in. The air is poor there, and there are countless reasons why: heavily
polluting trucks, a growing population, less than perfect garbage disposal, etc.
But the one that seemed most in my face was the nightly burning of garbage. It’s
like a tradition: every night, each household seems to burn the day’s trash
right in their backyard. This makes for an oppressive fog that you can’t seem
to escape from. So many big questions: Why aren’t there heavier handed rules
against this? Can’t people see that they’re poisoning themselves? How can we
outsiders even comment on or tell them what to do? But it is our planet’s air
to share, isn’t it? These questions and more occupied my mind as I looked for
mental distractions from my shallow breathing as we passed through some of the rougher
areas.
Video: Random Air Pollution and Litter in India
After but a brief toe dipped into this country, I can attest
to the fact that most of what people say about India is true. It’s incredibly vibrant
culturally, in a way I hadn’t experienced before, it’s tough, dirty, beautiful,
extreme, spicy, and it can really feel like a home when you fall in with the
right group of loving people. I couldn’t be prouder of all the amazing things
Elsa is learning and contributing while she’s there, and I can’t wait to visit
again.
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| With friends at Hundru Waterfall |
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