Asylum

Saturday:

I woke up around 6am, which gave me enough time to eat breakfast, and head to the temple. The heritage walk began at Shri Digambar Jain Lal Temple (http://www.culturalindia.net/indian-temples/digambar-jain-temple.html) across from the Red Fort in Old Delhi. I arrived early enough to wander around the temple which was really spectacular. Outside, near the side gate, there was a group of musicians in traditional dress playing ceremonial music with a really heavy drum beat. Every once in a while, the two drummers on the right side of the circle would look at me and smile and do silly drum solos. I sat listening for a while, and then made my way upstairs to the prayer and meditation sanctuaries. The first open room at the top of the balcony is the largest, with straw mats on the floor and small tables for people to sit and pray at. On the walls are murals depicting the stories of Krishna, Ganesha, Shiva, etc. On three sides of the great room are little red doors, sized perfectly for children, and maybe purposefully small to humble those who enter. In the rooms to the left and right are more prayer tables and meditation spaces. Ahead, the doors lead to a room decorated in gold accents with scales, incense, prayer beads, and other adornments.

I sat in the main room for a while just thinking about how lovely traditional religious practice can be—I like to take the attractive aspects from different paths and combine them in more of a superstitious awareness. For example, I say Hail Mary’s even though I am not a devout Catholic (I’d like to learn it in Latin at some point), but I also meditate on the four noble truths, though I am not a disciplined Bodhisattva. I also knock on wood for almost everything, but that’s neither here nor there.

The last part of the temple I explored was the charity bird hospital. The steps were covered with excrement and feathers, and since they make you leave your shoes at the entrance of the temple, I was a little worried to proceed. However, the bird watcher on duty lent me his flip flops and we went up to the bird houses. It was basically three very large glass encasements full of pigeons. On the floor in the hallway, there were dead pigeons and piles of feathers. This part was really just sad. However, when we went up to the roof, there were hundreds of pigeons hanging on wires and mingling around on the gravel, which was really quite beautiful. I donated a few rupees to the charity bird hospital and went to reclaim my shoes.

At around eight, I met Lauren, Rahil and Daniel outside the temple and we began our walk through Chandni Chowk, or, Old Delhi Six. We walked along the main drag for a bit where there was the Hindu temple, a Buddhist temple, a mosque, a synagogue, and a Baptist church. He then led us through narrow alley ways and through courtyards to the Jama Masjid Mosque (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jama_Masjid,_Delhi), where there were few people praying and many Greek tourists. We climbed to the top of the tower which gave an absolutely incredible view of Delhi (I’ve stolen that picture from Rahil, as my camera had died by this point in the walk).

While we were walking out, a little girl asked Lauren and I to take a picture with her, which was really quite astonishing. It’s a different perspective being a minority here.

Afterward we ate brunch at an establishment in Old Delhi and I had Pani Puri (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panipuri), among other delicious oddities, for the very first time.

We took the metro up to Connaught Place, and I grabbed an auto rickshaw to see a possible apartment in CR Park. The place was nice and the girls who live there seem really down to earth, so hopefully that works out. Also, its way less expensive than Kit-Kat’s. Their current room mate, who is moving out, was actually a friend I had met at Andy’s party last weekend. I’m quickly learning that the expat community here is pretty tightly knit, which is comforting.

After seeing the apartment and talking for a bit, I grabbed an auto and headed out to West Delhi to visit the Uma Pandey boy’s home. The area was really desolate, and the trip out there took about an hour and a half because my driver took me all the way to Rohini—the language barrier is often frustrating. Once I arrived, I met with Tanveer, the director, and he introduced me to the other volunteers and the children. They were celebrating several February birthdays, so we all put on party hats and sang a version of happy birthday where you clap your hands a lot. I helped serve cake, samosas, and warm milk with nuts and turmeric. There are 57 boys in the home and all of them attend school daily. They were all homeless before entering the home, and most had been physically or sexually abused, exploited for labor, or just left somewhere. One of the younger boys in the front row asked the director what my name was, and after a quick domino-effect, the boys said in unison “ooohhhh eeeellliiissseeeee!” It was adorable. I was expecting the experience to be sobering and depressing, but all of the boys were so full of life and hope—they acted as though nothing were wrong in the world. I wish the home were closer to my work/home situation. I’m going to start working as a volunteer at the girl’s home near Kashmiri Gate tomorrow. I think I’ll bring them a futbol and some nail polish.

Sunday:

I spent Sunday recuperating from Saturday brunch, working on my summer research proposal, and packing. I told Kit-Kat that I was off unless she could lower the price of the room, but she assured me that demand was high and she could find someone else to rent. She was really nice and fair about the whole thing—I think I grew to love her a bit.

Sunday evening Rahil and Andy came with me to a Bharatanatyam Recital at the Habitat Centre (where I work). Bharatanatyam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharatanatyam) is an intricate interpretive dance which often tells the stories of Hindu gods and goddesses. The dancer’s costumes were particularly ornate and unlike anything I’d ever seen before. The dance itself was really difficult, as every single movement, step, expression, etc. symbolizes something very specific. Afterward, we headed to the top of one of the buildings to an ‘English Pub’ for a pint. Rahil and Andy attempted to explain cricket to me, which was a waste of time—I suppose I will figure it out when I play it myself. After some debates about vegetarianism, we left the pub and they dropped me off at home.

This morning was a little heartbreaking—I left Kit-Kat’s with all of my belongings and brought them to my cubicle. I tried to tell Safiya that I really liked her and would miss her. She looked terribly sad, and I hugged her three times before I left. I hated to leave her without anyone to mime jokes with. She’s worked as a servant her entire life, and did so while raising children and taking care of her husband, who doesn’t work at all. She’s expected to cook and clean for different families, and then come home and do it all over again for free. Her husband refuses to help her, and she’s condescended to frequently. The whole situation was really disturbing--I just hope she’s happy and that her children have found work or fulfillment that doesn’t prevent them from enjoying life.

Tonight is my first couch-surfing night. I’m staying with Sascha and Anna in Green Park, so I’ll let you know how that goes in the morning. I have two other apartments to look at this week, so I should have my safety net in place by next week--which, Andy reminded me, is technically cheating.

Namaste,

E.