Vigyan Ashram
March, 2007

Vidgyan Ashram is a school outside of Pune in the village called Pabal. “Vigyan” means ‘Search of Truth’ and “Ashram” symbolises ‘Simple living and High thinking for us, a organization where all are equal. Started in 1983 by the late Dr. Kalbag, his wife, Amma, is still there teaching today. She welcomed me to Vigyan Ashram after it was recommended by a friend from Mumbai. The school uses a radically different approach than the traditional, classroom style of Western education. Instead, it relies upon hands-on learning as the foundation for progress and understanding. The students who attend are "drop-outs" i.e. those who have been pushed out of the educational system (80% by the 10th grade). While here, the students grow food, poultry, build housing (including all buildings on the campus), furniture, and create their own innovations. They also conduct water well prospecting and have a M.I.T.-sponsored computer technology laboratory. When I was there, they were working on building a pedal-powered charger for flourescent light bulbs so that local village homes can have a few hours of light each day. Currently, there are 8-10 hour blackouts during the day due to the electrical drain of the IT industry from surrounding cities of Pune and Mumbai.

Back in the States!

I can't believe it. Six months truely flew by in what seemed like the blink of an eye, now that I'm back at the comfort of my home. I wanted to document some of the things I'll miss and not miss about India. I'm compelled to do this after having a conversation with someone about the foreigners who visit India and how they tend to idealize their visit (amazing trip, wow, yeah, I'll definitely be back, etc. etc.) Even if they don't particularly enjoy the place, they may only report or remember the good parts so as not to be disappointed with their trip (to themselves or others). Looking over some blog entries, perhaps I did idealize this trip in the reporting of it. Naturally, I was more compelled to write about the good than the bad. But in all honestly, there was very little bad. It was a wonderful trip because of the people I met along the way and the extreme hospitality they showed at every bend. There are the sleezeballs that are unfortunately present everywhere but they were by far the minority leaving me and my excessive baggage to safely wander along.

Things I'll miss:
-the amazingly warm, welcoming, and beautiful people, the friends I've made
-the beautiful trees, plant life, rivers, and surroundings
-how Hindus reverse the pronounciation of V's and W's (my name is Rainbow Wogt and we go to the willage)
-the traditional and classical music, how much singing ther is
-the food- sooooooo simple, soo good. The fruit! What will I do without my beloved chikoo, amla, and ramful?!
-the simplicity and slow pace of life in general
-cows in the streets and the general non-violent reverence for animals
-the question: "What's your good name?"
-dancing to the drum beats and percussion musicians that bless all celebrations
-learning the cultural characteristics and beliefs like: sweeping after dusk is bad luck, covering your ears prevents sickness, no raw foods when sick
-my dupata and kurta-- i not only developed a feeling of great comfort in my scarf and long shirt but an appreciation of how it's part of every woman's daily attire concealing the breasts and bum, which feel so objectified here
-local bananas, coconuts, street barbers, street food, street everything!
-cute phrases like how everybody says "less of" than fewer of even "very less of"
-the cultural worship of water

Things I won't miss:
-public urination-- very public: on the street, the road, on the side of a building
-bollywood/radio music that apparently comes with a minimum decible level
-public buses- the most the bumpiest, dirtiest, and crowded places I've been in India. There are rails on the back of seats that I learned were for holding on when you're practically thrown out of your seek.
-lack of municipal recycling-- why, petroleum industry, must you pollute our lands with this plastic rubbish and then not take responsibility?!
-scams-- those crafty individuals who have figured out how to scam travelers like over-charging for bad bus rides
-sexism and pushiness-- how some men ignore women and some others fondle them
-dinner at 10PM
-constantly honking horns
-customer service-- more like customer NOT service

All of that being said, I won't fret too much about missing or not missing, as I fully intend to return! Though I'm being honest about the less favorable aspects (as there are anywhere), the strongest feeling I leave India with is a tremendously deep sense of gratitude for all of the people and places that made this experience so special. Thank you!

I'm back in Dharamsala, where they recently celebrated the Tibetan New Year Celebration: Losar. Happy Losar! I came up here from Chandigarh (a city ~300 km south), where I lived in the Nek Chand rock garden in Chandigarh for 5 days with about 40 others for a Zero Waste Conference. The garden is composed entirely of industrial waste materials. Most of the other participants were from here and are active in sustainability projects throughout India. For example, one person I met works with hotels and institutions to reduce their waste production. With buildings to fill with all the biomass, the methane is trapped and piped to the kitchen to use for cooking. The hosting organization Seva ("selfless sevice"), provides alternative education free of cost and is totally volunteer-based. One of their members, Kush, teaches children math by intricate methods of oragami and paper folding. So, Seva hosted a gathering to make creative things out of rubbish and to strategize on waste reduction & management. It was great! Together, we prepared, cooked, and ate three vegan meals each day. We had workshops on making baskets, jewelry, cases, and furniture out of paper, scraps, and rubber. We danced, debated, sang,and slept piled on top of each other, Indian style. This is a picture of a group making cocnut shell jewelry. And another of Gyandev, who I accidentally called bastard instead of God of Knowledge by mis-prouncing his name. He is dressed up for an event we held with the public to raise awareness about zero waste. Here are more photos of the event.
From there, I met up with a few friends from Delhi in Dharamsala. I wanted to write again about it because it is a place with such feeling. The day after tomorrow, I will attend a teaching of the Dalai Lama at the main temple here which I will use a radio to listen to a translation (given in Tibetan). There is chanting echoing about the mountains accompanying the rain and thunder we're getting today.
Last night, a conversation with an Tibetan named Lutz who has been here for about ten years and talked about the Chinese occupation in Tibet. The entire region is militarized and it is impossible to talk freely in the public. In addition to systemmatically erasing their culture, China is also exploiting the natural resourses there. It is a region very rich in natural resources and China has been mining these since they arrived in 50 years ago using Tibetan prisoner labor. Then, I came across this interesting article today discussing the same issue. Check it out here. Also, check out the Mount Everest Campaignregarding the recent inprisonment of Tibetans crossing the moutains to come to India.
Anyway, despite all of this, the Tibetans I've met have such peace about them and truely live out their leaders messages. When I saw the venerable Samdong Rinpoche (first elected prime minister of Tibet in exile) speak, he said that only when Tibetans have no hatred or anger, but only compassion for the Chinese government, will freedom return to Tibet.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to New Year's Dinner:

I spent the holidays in Chennai, a city in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. There, I stayed with family friends who also live part time in Connecticut down the street from us. Originally, I thought I might be in Chennai for long enough to do some volunteer work. My friend Aparna's family runs an organization that does disaster relief and various related projects. Though I didn't end up being in Chennai for long, they invited me to New Year's dinner. Address in hand, I arrived in the trusty auto where my host was on the porch inviting me in. I was welcomed by his son and daughter, both of whom were married to foreigners (one from Chicago, one from Denmark). Before long, I was brought a plate of delicious food. I asked Aparna's aunt, Usha, about her work but she said she didn't much feel like talking about it. So, we discussed other topics. When we started talking about Aparna, it became clear that something was not right. They have a niece in the states named Aparna but she lives in Texas and is a doctor. My Aparna lives in Montana and is an lawyer. Hmmm. Then, it turns about that my hostess' name was Uma, not Usha. I was at the wrong place-- Usha lived a couple doors down! So, with good blessings, they sent me on my way to Usha's along with my box of sweets I brought. I arrived at Usha's just in time for their New Year's dinner. First we served the wise elders. Then, we sat at ate delicious festival foods, made all the more enjoyable by eating with our hands. After dinner, we had coffee, sweets, and continued to laugh about the blunder I made. What an amazing place where people invite strangers into their home and feed them. Only in India would this have ever happened.

Kanniyakumari- the tip of the mother land!
January, 2007

From paradise (i.e. Eternity Beach), I traveled south to the very tip of India, at the meeting of the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean. This place carries great spiritual significance and so is a pilgrimmage site for many many Indians. Sunrise and sunset are particularly significant times of the day. I took these picture early one morning on one of the quieter stretches of this blustery coast.
From the Vivekananda Kendra Ashram, I walked through a few coconut groves and arrived at a small fishing village, where fisherman were preparing to go out on boats and a few devotees were knee deep in the water and fully emersed in puja (prayer).

I finally visited the great Taj Mahal. Sike! I didn't care to get caught in this tourist trap celebrating a ruler who had this monument built for one of his wives and then had all the laborers killed. But I thought I'd throw a pic up on here for good measure, care of Karly.

Eternity Beach
Auroville
January, 2007
Wooo hooo!!! Happy new year, indeed. I've arrived! I know I say every place is amazing, and this is one is no different. In this community for human unity started in 1968, I am staying with a wonderful couple- Anna from Norway and Uval from Israel- who have lived here for the last 20 years during which time they created Etermity Beach. They raised a family of five children and now have four grandchildren. There are a few guest houses on their property, including one which has a kitchen on the first floor and a bedroom loft on the second floor with a grass thatched roof. This is where I sleep, drifting off to the sounds of animals all around and the waves of the Bay of Bengal lapping on the shore.

This area is basically a desert from which Aurovillians have created cool forests, farms (vegetable, spirulina, orchards, etc), schools (very free spirited, kind of a mix of home and community schooling), healing centers (where I had a great chanting session), and much more. This makes it easy to buy all kinds of locally produced goods like soap, candles, clothes, and even kambucha! It's like a permanent Burning Man. The community has about 1800 people with the capacity to grow into 15,000. It's paradise here this time of year and probably even more so during mango season (April/May). But then comes the hot, hot, humid summer. The community is made up of Indians (from the north and south) but there are lots of white people too-- many from Europe (especially France, who colonized the nearby city of Pondicherry). Local Tamil villages also overlap with much of the area, to create an interesting mix of cultural flavors. It's the first place in India where tank tops are acceptable. Phew!

Auroville is pretty spread out and even with a bicycle, it takes a while to get around. So, I've been riding around on a moped. What great fun and oh, the adventures to be had! The first time I took it out, it made it about 10 KM away and then broke down every 20 yards. I dropped it off to have it repaired (which ended up costing a whooping 75 rupees) and took a loaner, which had no gas. So, I stop on the side of the road to ask, "Where is the closest petrol station?" And this man responds, "How much do you need?" In a few minutes, he returns with an old Brandy bottle full of petrol and oil (which they mix with the petrol here). Excellent!