I spent my last day in India, Christmas, in Kolkata, the bustling capital of West Bengal. The metropolis was India's capital under the British Raj from 1773–1911, and is the country’s oldest operating port. After arriving by night train from Varanasi, I left my bag at the station and headed into the historic area surrounding Fort William, an 18th-century British fortress and Indian army base. Indians love festivals. So it was no surprise that non-christian Indians came out in full force for to celebrate Christmas, crowding into the streets and parks to shop, snack, and hangout...
Varanasi is not for the faint-hearted. The infamous Varanasian touts scour the ghats with preternatural persistence in attempting to sell their wares or services. A maze of thread-thin alleyways studded with hundreds of Hindu temples pad the area between the ghats and the rest of Varanasi, a bustling, noisy, typically Indian city with cows vying with the tuk-tuks, rickshaws, and automobiles for space on the dusty streets. When they find their ways to the ghats, visitors must be prepared to witness the display of burning bodies on public pyres. Those who try escape by hiring a boat to take them down the Ganges, will be confronted by carcasses and corpses floating among the debris. Those who make it as far as the opposite bank will encounter members of the notorious clan of Aghori Sandhus who drag corpses from the river to engage in ritual cannibalism and other ghastly rituals. Indeed, Varanasi is full-on—India level 10. As Lonely Planet succinctly states: “Varanasi takes no prisoners"...
I got to celebrate Diwali with the Herr family in Bir -- a small town in the foothills of the Indian Himalaya. From left to right: Miri Herr, (myself), Lovely Herr, and a family friend of the Herr's. Rangoli are aesthetic patters created on the floor for the purpose of attracting good fortune.
The Diwali festival is a one of India’s most widely known and celebrated events. The festival is an auspicious observance, celebrating new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil represented as light over darkness...
The Dharmalaya Institute was founded in 2008 by an international team. According to its website, Dharmalaya is “devoted to education and empowerment for compassionate living, with a practical focus on sustainable village development, contemplative service-learning, and immersive ecotourism.” I attended a week-long Earthen Architecture and Sustainability Workshop held at Dharmalaya’s eco-campus located in the bucolic Himalayan foothills near the town of Bir...
On the train to Amritsar I made the grave mistake of attempting to create a sleeping cacoon of solace by wrapping, around my a head and torso, an ocher dhoti— the same kind babas wear (baba, which literally means “father,” is term of endearment that a younger person can extend to all elders. The honorific title is also used to refer to the orange-clad Hindu monks). This resulted in my sleep being continually disrupted by the unpardoning index fingers of conductors believing that I was a vagabonding baba. However, despite arriving in Amristar with bags under my eyes, I have to admit in taking pleasure witnessing the deluge of chagrin overcoming the conductors faces the moment they realized I was a gora (the Indian term for a foreigner)...
I was on a tight schedule after leaving Mai Thik Hoo as I had signed up for an earthen architecture program at the Dharmalaya Institutein Bir. Although I could only afford to spend a day Pushkar, I just had to get a taste the iconic backpackers’ hub before I absconded north to escape the post-monsoon Rajasthani heat...
Following my trip to the Kumbh Mela in Ujjain, which you can read about in my previous post, the gang (consisting of Frites, Amelie, and myself) continued on to Rishikesh, which, as you might recall, is the iconic epicenter of Indian spiritual tourism where I spent my first 6 weeks in India studying yoga...
Kumbh Mela, a Hindu pilgramage festival held once every 12 years at a given site, drew an estimated 70 million visitors to the city of Ujjain this year.
KUMBH MELA — a pilgrimage festival where millions of Hindus gather to bathe in one of four sacred rivers that, according to Hindu mythology, were formed when rivaling demons and demigods splashed holy amrita (“nectar”) unto the land during a scuffle over a jug holding the nectar. At any given place, the Kumbh Mela is held once in 12 years...
I'm quite late posting this! (Holi was March 24th.) I've been off the grid for the last few weeks soaking up the sun in Kerala and Karnataka, coastal states comprising about half of India's western seaboard. I owe you guys blogs from my travels in the backwaters of Alleppey (known as the Venice of India) and from Fort Kochi, a nexus of Indian spice trade colonized by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British, and home to India’s most ancient Jewish community established after the destruction of the second temple in 70 CE. I also spent two weeks camping on a secluded beach in Gokarna investigating free will and determinism with an English chap who goes by "Frites"...
I just arrived in the beach side backpackers haven of Varkala, a burgeoning town the southwestern coastal state of Kerela. It’s really touristy here, more so that I expected, but also very simple and underdeveloped. The address of my guesthouse is: “near the helipad.” I’ll be traveling in Kerela for the next 10 days...
Of course I would never lend my support to an international mining company whose business model calls for the exploration and exploitation of coal to feed the industrial complex...
In the early CEs Mamallapuram (aka Mahabalipuram) was a bustling seaport. Today the town teams with European tourists sojourning to see the town's World-heritage listed temples, which gives the town outright touristy vibe; as my guidebook puts it, “Restaurants serve pasta, pizza and pancakes, shops sell hand sanitizer and things from Tibet, and you known you have landed, once again, in the great Kingdom of Backpackistan”...
Tamil Nadu is a state on Indian’s south eastern tip sharing a maritime border with Shri Lanka. Littered with temples and Dravidian ruins, this ethnically and culturally distinct region, composed mostly of Tamil speaking Hindus (around 80 percent), is known for its vibrant culture that continues to manifest the venerable architecture, music, art, and dance traditions of the Tamil People’s Dravidian ancestors...
This monochrome photo essay documents life in Rishikesh, India. I spent six weeks in Rishikesh, a North Indian town bifurcated by the Ganges, studying yoga and soaking up the culture...
Delhi, You are hella whack but fun all the same. If you were a cheese you'd be jalapeno cheddar -- not something I'd put on my bagel every morning but a titillating late night snack. Delhi, you are...
An Aarti is a ritual of Hindu worship usually performed at the end of a Pūjā — a prayer ceremony honoring Hindu deities or celebrating an event. During the ceremony, participants release oblations — usually in the form ghee soaked wicks — into the fire and chant devotional hymns.
There are many different variations on the Aarti and the ceremony may be done public or privately and at any time of the day. The Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh’s largest ashram, hosts an Aarti every evening at sunset on the banks of the Ganges.
There is a rich tradition of Hindu hymns that accompany the Aarti. Harmoniums, flutes, tabla drums, and bells are traditional instruments that accompany the vocal melodies.
Participants releasing oblations into the ceremonial fire.
Young devotees at the the Parmarth Niketan AshramAarti. The Aarti is held daily at sunset and open to all. It is very popular among tourists.
Aarti literally means “remover of darkness” and the ceremony involves circulating an Aarti plate or Aarti lamp. This act serves as a symbol of devotion to and sublimation with the divine light. It is customary for Aarti participants to hold their hands to the fire or fire lamp and then rub their faces and bodies with the “light.” This practice represents purification of the self through sublimating the self, which may have dark aspects, into the illumining nature of the divine.
Participating in the Aarti is a honor for the young devotees.
It is customary to release an Aarti plate into the river at the culmination of the Aarti ceremony. The plates contain ghee or camphor for burning as well as flowers, rice, incense, or other offerings in honor of a God or a person. The Ganga is sacred to Indians and it is commonly believed the river has healing powers.
A young boy who wanted to sell me an Aarti plate giving me a demonstration of how to perform the oblatory ritual of releasing an Aarti plate into the Ganges. Children are often tasked with the job of selling Aarti plates to tourists. They can be terribly persistent and, frankly speaking, very annoying — God bless them.
Built by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahān, in the mid-17th century (who also erected the Taj Mahal), the Red Fort, which came by its name from its 75 foot red sandstone walls, is one of Delhi’s most iconic monuments. The fort was designated an UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007...
I’m back in Delhi now and working hard on curating my images from the last month and a half in Rishikesh as well as my recent trip to Agra (home of the Taj Mahal).
I just have to take a break from that work and write a quick post to share the experience of my Bollywood debut. I will be starring as a Welsh wrestling coach in the film Dangal (Disney Studio India), which is slated for release in late 2016. The sports biopic is based on the story of a father who taught his two daughter wrestling. The daughters won the gold and silver medals in the 2010 Commonwealth Games....
