Consume: Clear Light of Day by Anita Desai

Clear Light of Day by Anita Desai

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book as part of my directed readings course I'm taking here in India, but unlike the other books, this one was written by a women, and also unlike the other books, this one was much less focused on India and much more focused on family and everyday life.

In a way I found it kind of refreshing. Yes, it was about the Partition of India, but it was also about the partition of a family. It had a very Forest Gump feel to it. History happened, like the assassination of Gandhi, but it was mentioned as an event in these characters lives and not as some random event that shook history.

In reading this book I was reminded of just how important sibling relationship are in India (or at least, in traditional Indian values). If you stop and think about it, siblings are the ones who will know you the longest. Your parents will die, your spouse will have missed out on your childhood, and your children come much later. Siblings are the ones who are there for the longest, and yet it is not something we seem to emphasize in our own culture. Could you imagine planning your life around where your brother was going to live, or maintaining a good relationship so that marriage between your children was a possibility? This all seems very foreign to us.

Geshe Yonten Coming to BYU?

About two weeks ago I mentioned a documentary film I watched by Geshe Yonten and his experiences trying to educate children in Zanskar.  Well, based on my blog post, his personal secretary just sent me this facebook message.  Anyone know who we would need to talk to in order to get Geshe to BYU during his tour of the states this fall!? I would like to get back to her soon.

• 
  

  July 17

  Laura Strohminger Roth

  • Geshe Yonten
    Hi Rachel -
    
    I am coordinating Geshe la's U.S. tour and would love to help you get him to BYU! My e-mail is lsroth1@gmail.com. He will be in Colorado and Montana so it is definitely possible! Probably the best timeframe would be mid-September or early November. Let me know what you think.
    
    Thanks!!
    Laura Roth
    
    
    

If you have not watched the trailer, click here!

A Birthday in Amritsar, India

I turned 22 during our mid-semester retreat in Amritsar.  It was awesome, but completely unconventional.  I woke up to breakfast in bed provided by Kristen—a plastic bag of mangoes and bananas, with a bottle of mango juice to go with it.  I was ecstatic.

Later the group went to a great Indian restaurant where we shared fantastic Indian food all around—family style.  My group was sweet and paid for my meal.  On the way back to the hotel we wanted to do some shopping, and I serendipitously ended up buying a sari, a traditional Indian dress. 

                                    

After sifting through all of the materials (curse me and my indecisiveness, and thank you to Hailey who helped) I was able to finalize on a sari so we could rush back to the hotel in time to go to the Indian-Pakistan border. 

To get there we took a taxi with a funny driver named Uppal.  He kept saying, "Cholo Pakistan!" or "We go to Pakistan!"  His other favorite phrase was "shanti shanti," or "peace peace," after a moment of road rage.  Here is a picture of him.   You can read about my experience at the border and my thoughts there from my last post.

For dinner I decided to go to McDonalds.  Yes, I know, a bit stupid considering I am in Amritsar among some of the best Indian food around, and I don’t even like McDonalds back home, but I was dying to have a chicken burger and some real French fries. 

I feel like I could write an entire paper on the cultural experience of going to a McDonalds in India.  Not having any beef on the menu was only one small drop in the bucket for differences.  There were language barriers, personal space bubbles being popped left and right, intense stares (keep in mind I am wearing my sari), and the advertisements were of a completely different realm of humor.  The place was packed, but we were the only white people for once.

My Experience at the Indian-Pakistan Border, Etc. in Light of the Book Train to Pakistan

As part of the consume aim of this blog, I am combining both my personal experience (and photographs) of my mid-semester retreat to Amristar with a book review of Train to Pakistan.  This was definitely one of the most powerful experiences I have had yet in India.  I would love to hear what you think.  Am I the only one who had never heard of the Partition of India, this event that killed nearly a million people- Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims?  What are they teaching us in school?

Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book, particularly this version with photographs from Margaret Bourke-White (a pioneer in photojournalism) was fantastic. It is short but a powerful story about the Partition of India in 1947—an event I am sorry to say I had not known much about until coming on this field study to India. I began it on my own train ride to Pakistan.

Okay, so maybe not Pakistan, but a train to Amritsar and the Pakistan border. That has to count for something, right?

Reading this during that experience both impacted my experience and my reading. The Indian train system itself is something to marvel at. When this still functioning colonial train first pulled up to the station I just stared. People hanging out of windows, out of the open door frames, crammed to the roof. I think that Khushwant Singh’s description was remarkably parallel to my journey. Compartments made for fifty with “almost two hundred people, sitting on the floor, on seats, on luggage racks, on trunks, on bed rolls, and on each other,” the oppressive “heat and smell… tempers frayed [because] someone had spread himself out too much or had trod on another’s foot on the way to the lavatory” (59). All of the above happened on the short two hour crawl to Amritsar.

Consume: Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French

As part of my consume goal I am including this review of an awesome book I just finished. I have a lot of updates coming, including my mid-semester retreat to Amristar! 

Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land by Patrick French

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This has been by far the most informational book I have read about Tibet. I’ve spent months preparing for my field study here in Mcleod Ganj, home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile, but this source has given me the most accurate portrayal of what actual happened and what the situation is currently in Tibet. French is an entertaining writer, with a nice blend of travel writing and history, and has clearly done his homework in putting this together. I’d recommend it to anyone who is genuinely interested in Tibet looking for some answers.

Reading this right after the autobiography of the Dalai Lama was an interesting experience. The two are strikingly different. In His Holiness’ autobiography he ends on a very optimistic note that he and his people will one day return. My Tibetan host sister is also very hopeful that this will happen one day. French, however, spends the entire book building up his ethos and gets to the end and concludes that “the Dalai Lama has lost the battle, and had probably missed the slender chances offered to him by China” (299).

In other words, Tibet is toast.

Consume: Freedom in Exile by the Dalai Lama

Freedom in Exile by Dalai Lama XIV

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Reading this book in Dharamsala, the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in Exile, was a unique experience. I’ve heard a lot about this remarkable man from my Tibetan host family as well as from some of his frequent teachings, but this book helped me understand a lot more about his personal journey.

Getting a personal account of his flight from Tibet and the events leading up to it (including his interactions with Mao) were highly interesting. I had not previously understood India’s motivations for being so hospitable to the Tibetan refugees, but this book makes it clear that it was a tough situation at first; Nehru felt that the Dalia Lama was “asking too much” (163). In fact, India was not even one of the countries in the UN who recognized the Tibetan government in exile. Yet, despite the bumpy start, India still continues to be very generous to the incoming Tibetans. Nehru even took it upon himself personally to see that the Tibetan children received a good education in both Tibetan and English since they are the most valuable resources (164).

Consume: A Hike to Triund

A little over a week ago our group decided to take a hike to Triund out of McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala.  It is a 9 kilometer hike one way (according to the menu at Nick’s Italian Café), and depending on how hard core you are it can take you anywhere from 2 to 4 hours one way.  Our group took about 5, but we had a lot of breaks.

It is all uphill getting there, and all downhill coming back.  There is virtually no variety in the workout, but the hike itself is beautiful.  If you are interested in ever doing this hike try to go earlier in the day to ensure you have planned enough time to spend on the mountain.  Do it on a clear day too so you do not get the fog problem we had, and pack a lunch because there are some shops up there that are very pricey. 

Here are a few pictures I took.  I will admit I was disappointed by what I captured.  The rain and clouds contributed a lot to that.  I’ve felt this lack of enthusiasm for photography ever since I got here in India though—in many ways I do not think I have ever gotten over the ethical dilemma I faced in Ghana. This week I have made a goal to get my camera out...

Consume: The Essential Gandhi by Mahatma Gandhi

The Essential Gandhi by Mahatma Gandhi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book changed my life. It is by far the best biography I have ever read, but I think the unique format lends itself to that. While it is officially an anthology, the editor strung it in a way that Gandhi himself narrates the story. Drawing from all of Gandhi’s writings, this blend really makes up something special.

It is more than the fact that it is packed with a bunch of quotes you might find on dentist office posters or written on your mirror though (which there are plenty of that I will note at the end of this review). It inspired me to be a better person. I second what Einstein said, that “generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked this earth” (323).

One of the most refreshing things about this biography is that Gandhi is very frank and honest about his human shortcomings. This might sound really silly, but I remember once taking the Meyer Briggs personality test and noting that Gandhi was also an INFJ (of course someone else took it for him, but still). After reading this book I can start to believe that he and we may have actually shared a lot in common, at least, when he was young. As a child he was “very shy” and would run straight home from school because he “could not bear to talk to anybody” (6). He also admits that he was very afraid of things (11), had a problem with secrecy (12), and once had to confess to his father than he stole from his brother (13). I laughed as I went through marking the pages—so many parallels to my own life, particularly his obsession with seeking truth (14). I remember as a young teenager some of my earliest terrible poems were about the conundrum of truth, especially around the time of my parents’ divorce. It does not really shock me that I am now very interested in the authenticity of experience and storytelling for my field study projects. I doubt I would have made that connection had I not read this biography.

Consume and Connect: Geshe Yonten and "Journey from Zanskar"

This post is part of the consume aim of my blog, but I’m also hoping that it will promote connecting not just for me, but for a good man and friend, Geshe Lobsang Yonten, in his mission to educate Zanksar.

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to watch a documentary put together by Geshe called “Journey from Zanskar.”  When India was divided up into Pakistan, there was also a portion of Tibet that was considered Indian, though the region, Zanksar, was religiously, culturally, and linguistically Tibetan.  Because of this the education system in some of these rural villages are missing out on a proper education and their culture is slowly being forgotten.

Geshe’s goal is to help combat that by educating the children in Zanskar.  His documentary was about a very moving experience he had getting 14 children to Manali and Dharamsala for their education and the trials and difficulties he encountered.  His Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama told Geshe once that it was his responsibility as a monk to help reliving suffering.  Geshe comments that he took Bodhisattva vows, and even though he is not a Bodhisattva, he is determined to do his part to make the world a better place.

The documentary is fantastic, and Geshe Yonten is going to be touring the United States at various universities to show it.  I am hoping that we will be able to promote his mission enough so that we might also be able to get a viewing for him at Brigham Young University.

If you are interested in what Geshe Yonten is doing you can watch a youtube video, check out his website, be his facebook friend, like his facebook page, or contact his secretary putting together his schedule for when he comes to the United States.

Skj Traveler: Connecting

Since connecting is a large part of the project that I am doing here in India and with this blog, imagine how excited I was to find a surprise friend invite on facebook.  Instead of desperately hunting down interesting travel writers and photographers, Skj Traveler spotted me first!

After browsing this facebook page I soon discovered that it is Shara Johnson/Simon's facebook page is for sharing some of her travel writing and photography.  On her website she has several publications listed (most of which are available to read full text, or at least an excerpt), and several great citations as well.

What I most enjoyed about Shara's website was what she wrote in her bio.  She says that she "does not wish to confuse the reader into wondering what really did or didn't happen" because she comes "from a rigorous nonfiction school of thought that if it didn't happen [she does] not write that it did.  She also notes that "a common problem in nonfiction writing is knowing how much to trust the author," and that when she does not have enough to write a full story she drops it instead of fudging her way through it.

I guess I really relate to this, and it is refreshing to see that someone right off the back is coming out and saying, hey, this is a limited medium.  It reminds me a lot of what I was doing in Ghana with the authenticity of travel documentation and some of my conclusions I drew.

In addition to photography and a Trazzler site, she also has a blog embedded into her website with current writings.  While she does not have a place for others to post comments, she does post very frequently and has a very fun, unique writing style.  You should check it out when you get a chance.

A Tibetan Wedding in India

“Same same, but different.”  This is a common Tibetan saying directly translated into English.  This morning I went to my first Tibetan wedding, and while there are many differences from the weddings I have attended, the feelings and thoughts I think when attending a wedding were the same.  A great “consume” activity if we are talking about being a student of Tibetan culture.  

We were invited to this wedding by Elizabeth because it was a member of the host family she is staying with.  The extended family came over to discuss if this girl would be allowed to marry the boy (being a love marriage vs. arranged), and once they agreed it was okay they threw the whole thing together in two days!  Compare that to the countless hour and stress that goes into planning out a wedding in the States. 

In India Tibetan weddings are much different.  My host sister told me that in Tibet they last fifteen days.  This one just lasted all day. 

The program said that it started at 9, but that was far from the truth.  Polychronic time and whatnot.  We were going with the family and did not arrive at the reception hall until 10.  We sat around and ate snacks (Tibetan cookies, rice, and some derivative of trail mix) until it was time for the scarf ceremony.  There was nothing too fancy or formal about this.  The couple sat near the alter of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and people would form a line and drape white scarves over the couple and the members of the family.  There were no vows exchanged, no grand gestures for complex formalities, but you could tell it was still very important.  The bride wore a silk red chupa (a traditional dress), and both her and the groom wore some special Tibetan hats made of fur.  People showed up in jeans and t-shirts of chupas.  It was so much more relaxed in general than the weddings I am used to—the one I have dreaded planning for myself most of my life.  

Since we had a few hours to blow we played some cards that they handed out.  Kristen had us play a silly fortune telling game with different boys we could potentially marry.  It was the perfect setting.  After a few rounds of that we all talked about what is happening in our current dating lives, how these relationships came to be, first kisses, and all of those other feelings that come creeping up when you are at a wedding.  We talked about dream weddings and ideal honeymoon destinations.  I don’t know why I struggle so much coming to terms with any one of these ideas for myself.  Call me crazy, but I think the most romantic kind of wedding is an elopement.  If you could guarantee that my wedding could be as relaxed and enjoyable as this Tibetan couple’s wedding though, I think I could be more than happy with that kind of arrangement.  

After the scarf ceremony there was more eating.  Then more eating.  Lunch was served, but we left shortly after that.  It was good food, but after a pancake breakfast and the snacking I had a hard time stuffing it all in.  I assume that the eating would go on till dinner (which was supposed to start at 6).  While we did not attend the rest of the festivities, I am very grateful for Elizabeth and her family for inviting us.  

Oh love… I’m quite sappy today.

Adela  and Myra

Yoga and Meditation Teaching Class in McLeod Ganj, India

“Relax, normal breathe…”

“Try, try, try!”

“Yoga time happy time.  Relax time.  Enjoy feel...”

“First me… not like this, they are wrong…”

“Yoga time no any type of tensions…”

“Control your mind…”

“Head touch the knee! Head touch the knee!”

These are just some of the one-liners I am quickly learning from Om at the Om Yoga and Meditation Center.  As part of my “consume” aim, I thought I would share a little about it.  Kristen, Megan, Elizabeth and I joined yoga teacher training classes, and I could not be happier with this decision.  There are many places to find yoga classes or teacher training courses in McLeod Ganj and in all Dharamsala really, but the “Om Yoga Meditation Centre” is the best price, and so far from what I’ve observed, the best company.  It is run by Om and his wife Rita.  Rita was the Hindi teacher for the India field study group of 2010, and has quickly become a great friend.

Honestly, looking forward to yoga and meditation everyday is one of the best decisions I have made here in the field.  It is helping me with my body and also my mind, giving me more energy and optimism for my project, giving me something concrete to look forward to each day.  Right now I feel like a cripple on account of being the opposite of flexible, but I am looking forward to getting better and better each day.  Does anyone know how long it takes to improve flexibility, or different techniques that help get you there faster?  Any advice on how to do silent meditation would be helpful too...

Anyways, if anyone is interested in yoga classes, teacher training (100 and 200 hours available, as well as super amazing student discounts), Hindi lessons, or reiki healing classes in McLeod Ganj, India, check out the Om Yoga Meditation Center.  You can email them at om.yoga@ymail.com.

Adela

India: A Million Mutinies Now by V.S. Naipaul

As part of my "consume" aim of this blog, I am writing reviews of the books I am reading.  Here is my latest one:

India: A Million Mutinies Now by V.S. Naipaul

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was the first book I read upon arriving in India. It was recommended to me by my friend, Jay, who said that this was a great representation of his first experience being in India, so I had it added to my directed readings course contract.


It is hard to sum up 500 pages worth of words, but I’ll try my best. This is about modern India, but a slightly dated version at that. While it is interesting (most of the time), thorough, and great at painting a sort of portrait for the reader of the complexity of this country, it is also very dark. It has a very negative tone to it and appears to be Naipaul’s trip to explore his own Indian heritage but at the same time note the “million mutinies” and overwhelming problems the country faces. I wonder sometimes if his commentary on Calcutta, about it being a dying city, and recognizing that because everyone is suffering is actually his opinion on the whole country (325). In general I would have liked to see if he had any positive experiences that were just not recorded here.

Rethinking Consume, Create, and Connect

I am starting to at least think about getting more settled in here in Mcleod Ganj, India, and as part of that I need to think more seriously about my course contracts.  I think by outlining it here I can work out my thoughts and feel less overwhelmed in general.

Course contracts are independent classes that field study students set up with faculty at BYU that work to get students credit within their major but also enhance their experience in the field as well.  Ideally, they are supposed to compliment the projects they have developed.  As part of my ten credits, I am taking a 3 credit Digital Culture class with Dr. Burton, my faculty mentor.  We still have yet to flesh out what it is I need to be doing entirely, but it is based on three aims that I have outlined in my blog intent. Consume.  Create.  Connect.

After an email response from Dr. Burton I realized that I needed to get a little bit more of an understanding of these points.  I have since revised my blog intent to include a few things.  Create is more than just creating the way I have already done in Ghana.  I also need to increase my online presence, figure out how to create things so that they are available to others, and find collaborators.  It should go hand in hand with "connect," which is where I need the most growth.  While this will be the most difficult, it will be the most rewarding if I can stretch beyond my mere one person undergraduate experience and share what I am learning with people who can actually benefit from it.  These three aims need to be just as present as my avatars.  

Something else I will be doing for my Digital Culture class is following the Digital Culture Blog and connecting with students who are currently in the classroom back in Provo.  

So yes, keep an eye out for that.  Also, I had one friend email me to mention that she does not comment on my blog because it is a class assignment and was not sure I wanted my professors to see.  I want EVERYONE to know that this is a place where both the personal and academic sphere are coming into one blog.  As part of connect I would love nothing more than to hear from you.