Namaste, everyone or hello, as they say in the States since we have now finally landed on American soil, after a 24 hour delay due to a malfunctioning hydraulic line on our Continental flight. I must say that Mercury, the planet of transportation, has not been ruling in our favor during this entire trip. Five hour train rides became 12 hours, 14 hour plane rides included an extra 24 hours, limo rides to the airport were five hours instead of 2.5, and so on...just the universe testing our flexibility and patience. I must say that everyone held up remarkably well. No major meltdowns; a real go with the flow, unless there was a crash and burn behind closed doors that I didn't hear about, but I don't think so and I hope not---although it certainly would have been justified.
A quick review...
The trip was really a very special one. The connections that were made with the children at Avadh school were heartfelt and special; it was truly a soulful exchange that left everyone feeling exhilarated and close---"You are my best friend" was expressed to all of us by many of the kids. It culminated in a celebration of Holi, where everyone was doused in powdered colors-on our faces, in our hair, on our kurtas, hands and feet-from stem to stern. Even my mother-in-law, nearly 85 years of age, and some of her fellow women friends, had their faces covered in greens and magentas. What fun! We would like to bring this to Hotchkiss if possible...but be forewarned--it makes a water fight look mild!
By the way, take a look at the poem that is at the bottom of this page. It really expresses the feelings that were a part of this experience.
Agra-that incredible Taj Mahal-was mesmerizing. What an amazing expression of design, architecture and beauty. It is breathtaking! As many times as we have seen it in print, there is just no way to tell you how overwhelming it is! When you consider what is being built now, one cannot help but wonder if any of it will endure or if it should endure when you see a monument like the Taj and many of the other forts, tombs, imambaras and other historic sights...visual feasts, meant to last centuries...
Jaipur," the pink city", is a great place, but the heat of Rajasthan rendered us a bit lifeless, so we limited most of our activities to the early morning to avoid the heat. At City Palace, the Maharajah received us so graciously and Manju Singh, his relative and friend of Anjula Bedi's, treated us to some snacks at the cafe, where we observed some traditional Rajasthani folk dancers and musicians.
Our return to Delhi included a trip to the American Embassy, where we met Mr. and Mrs. David Mulford, the U.S.Ambassador to India, and his wife. We had a tour, followed by a long, leisurely and delicious lunch where he gave us some insight into the responsibilities of his job and the many things that happen behind the scenes to promote the relationship between the US and India. His wife talked about her life and her role in educating Indian women about breast cancer, as she is a breast cancer survivor. They were both very inspirational and provided the students with some solid examples of how to embrace the many challenges in your life... by being willing to move yourself outside your comfort zone to encounter new ideas, by choosing to learn about new walks in life, by jumping off into new careers and generally stressing how important it is to continue to grow and experience the many things that life has to offer. They both have been pioneers in their lives and were concrete examples of how one can make this happen.
(P.S .We all wore our saris on this occasion and we learned how to navigate with the many yards of fabric wound around us! Our hats go off to the Indian women who wear this garment every day and perform their many duties so effortlessly in this garb!)
Last but not least, I want to applaud all of you who made this trip what it was. Communal living is not easy ,...even under the best of conditions, but traveling in a place like India really revs everything up to the next challenging notch. Trips like this are always cause for reflection on many levels. There are always things that we might have done differently, reactions that we wished had not reared their ugly head, unnecessary judgements, comments, inappropriate laughs, stares...never mind the stares...staring in India is an acceptable practice and we had more than our share of that, with the bevy of beauties that were on this trip!...just little insensitivites that on reflection could have been avoided. All in all, I think we all did incredibly well on all counts especially given this new environment. Things will continue to come up that remind you of India, of one of the kids, of your fellow travelers, something you learned, something you saw, something you smelled, God forbid...those smells in India-help!--- whatever. I hope it was a learning experience for all of you on many levels, that it brings a smile to your face, that it has given you a new appreciation and that you take it with you on your next journey, wherever that may be.
Many thanks to all of you for a great trip. We will continue to do fundraising and hope you will all help us with that and will get your family and friends on board. We will be setting goals to sponsor kids, hire teachers for accreditation and to expand the physical facilities. Thanks, again. It was a pleasure to get to know all of you and to share the many spices of life that India has to offer.
All the best on your life's journey,
Pamela and Navin
P.S. If you want to be reminded of India, just open your suitcase...whew! The many smells of India are still locked up in there and it is not the pleasant odor of curry or incense!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment