Travel
In January, 2015, Governor of California, Jerry Brown, declared a State of Emergency in response to the fourth year of the State entering a record-breaking drought. In August, I drove from Los Angeles to the Kings Canyon National Park in Northern California, witnessing first hand the devastation of the drought...
Read MoreBeggars in Pushkar's main bazaar.
I was on a tight schedule after leaving Mai Thik Hoo as I had signed up for an earthen architecture program at the Dharmalaya Institute in 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...
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Members of Mai Thik Hoo taking a power-pose after finalizing a logo design. We ultimately eschewed the design, deciding that the spiral was trite.
Frities and Amelie participating in a Fire Puja at the banks of the Ganga in Rishikesh.
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...
Read MoreKumbh 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...
Read MoreHello again. I’ve just arrived in the State of Rajasthan via a 15 hour night bus from Mumbai. Rajasthan is known for its desert scenery, camel salaries, and fervent celebration of Hindu festivals; indeed there is a religious “camel festival” that starts tomorrow. Before I get swept up with everything going on here, I’d like to do a quick recap of the ongoings of the last couple months as poor internet connectivity and a busy schedule (festina lente as they say) did not allow me to blog.
I’ve essentially been spending a lot of time at the beach as I traveled north along the maritime states of Kerala and Karnataka...
Read MoreI'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"...
Read MoreEvening fog blanketing Kodaikanal.
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...
Read MoreOf 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...
Read MoreIn 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”...
Read MoreTamil 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...
Read MoreThis 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...
Read MoreChennai from above!
I'm lying in bed in my hostel in Chennai (aka Madras) -- a city on the east coast in Southern India...
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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.
Photo essay on the Ganga Aarti -- a Hindu fire ritual held at the bank of the Ganga (Ganges) River.
Read MoreBuilt 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...
Read MoreI’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....
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I wrote the following a few days ago while I was in Rishikesh (I’m back in Delhi now). As you will read, internet connectivity was an issue in Rishikesh, which is the reason I’m posting this post “post-humously” (oh I'm horrible).
With adventure,
Shalev
It’s been a while since a posted anything; the reason being that I have not had access to an internet connection sufficient for uploading photos (I have many to share!). I have also undertaken an effort to eschew from any unnecessary use of my laptop and phone as I have been intensely focusing on cultivating my yogic practice. There is a yogic method of Bandha(literally to “bond” or “arrest”) in which the practitioner engages muscles contractions described as “energy locks” to seal in the practitioner’s energy. Traditionally there are there are three Banda corresponding with the perineum, abdomen, and throat. However, as a 21st century yogi, I have come to value the importance of a fourth Bandha — the cyber Bandha...
Read MoreThe Gurudwara Bangla Saheb temple (pictured below) is the largest Sihk temple in Dehli. The temple is open to visitors of all faiths and can be toured casually (but be sure to arrive dressed in modest attire; head coverings (required for both men and women) are available on-site). The temple features a large purification pond in which worshipers bath to cleanse themselves of their sins...
Read MoreOn my first day in India, I explored the Feroze Shah Kotla Fort with a group from Stops Hostel...
Read MoreI've been traveling in the northern half of Italy for three weeks. These are my impressions are stories after sojourning from Venice to Rome via Padova, Siena, and Florence.
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