Last Goodbyes to My Sisters in India

We had tickets to watch a dance performance tonight by a famous Indian dance choreographer. I wasn't sure if I was up for it so I thought I'd let myself think about it while the group waited to gather together to leave together. Just a few days ago I was in below zero weather. Now in very hot Gujarat I am feel acclimated. I am now cold at night and having to put on my winter coat just to stay warm as if I was Indian experience Indian winter.

While we waited to all gather I gave all the girls around a tarot reading. It was fun and everyone enjoyed the exchange of experiences of palm reading, astrological reading etc.... One surprise for me was sweet Achil's sadness. She told me things that were like right out of Bollywood films without a fairytale ending.

I ended up choosing to go to the dance performance and all of us girls squeezed onto two rickshaws on laps and all. It was a chilly night at the open air amphitheatre. The performances were beautifully done. It was a great evening. We were hungry afterwards and Lakshme and Heena went to get pizza for everyone. Pizza is the closest to western food here for the volunteers and a taste of what feel a bit like home is a big deal. We stayed up till 1am.

I told all the girls that we should do our good byes now instead of 4am in the morning when I am set to leave for the airport. We got into a circle and did prayers. Everyone was so sweet in sharing their thoughts about me and how they will remember me and how I have influenced their life.

Heena,"Your laugh, the light you bring, the good chi you add to the room by just being helps everyone."

Snehal,"You seem at peace with yourself it must be the meditation and prayer you do everyday. Hope we can all be like you more at peace. You are a very unique spirit."


Murin,"Your friendliness, warm openness really helped me feel at home and welcomed and situated."

Payal,"The gift you share with us by being light hearted, not too affected by stuff around; nurture, warmed, sensitivity."

Laxmi, "I really feel that you are this huge ball of energy and thank you for sharing that energy with us."

Auchil,"You inspire me with your encouragement and support."

I shared with them the story of doing service everyday and it is easy to burn out and loose hope and that each of them inspire me with their efforts. I also explained what a Bodhisattva is and validated how they are each doing the work of a Bodhisattva.

Kite Delivery to Boarding School For the Vision and Hearing Impaired

On the way over in the car ride I had good chats with Laura and Bology. People are very curious why I am doing what I am doing. This surprises me every time because people who I have come across on this trip has actually showed interest in hearing what I have to say. You know it's like people to say, "Hi, how are you?!" in passing and when you've answered they've already stepped far enough away that they can't hear you. So since we were in the long car ride out of town I talked and talked. I told them that I think my logic can be really screw me up and I think this trip was about trusting another system at work. Plus it has been about experience kindness where ever I go and this has allowed me to open my heart and let go fears.

We decided to buy ice cream for everyone at the school. That is a lot of scoops of ice cream. Upon arrival I saw two boys walking leaving the school walking in a pair as if they can see. It was a sight for me to see. We entered the gray cement building where the boarding school is held. I climbed the stairs and passed through walls of chipping paint, dust everywhere, and aroma of urine and mugginess filled the air. The entire lighting of the building is gloomy, dark, and gray. I guess in a blind school there is no need for lighting. But really I disagree, I think it is important to feel light through the body.


The kids were finishing up on lunch. We made it just in time with ice cream for dessert. It was a great idea and I am glad Laura thought of it. Ice cream is not in the budget at all here due to lack of funding. It was great to see students and staff all enjoying the ice cream. I think it's hard to not become a kid again when you are eating ice cream.

I saw two ladies sitting on the floor preparing dinner right after lunch.



The girls sat separately in the kitchen.

The school staff located a guitar for Bology to play and sing to the school. It was such a treat for them to hear English songs. He sang all Pearl Jam hits. The kids listened with their whole body. Laura held Bology's video camera and filmed it all. It's amazing what gifts of joy a guitar can do. That was amazing giving.


The kids may not be able to see with their flesh eyes but they can seem to see with their other senses. They seem be able to manage not running into me when I can't seem to manage not running into them. One boy was seeing with his hands. He really was soulful. He'd really pass as a Blues artist. Some students also have added conditions of mental disabilities. It was sad for me to see. One boy was asked to perform for us. He could imitate any radio broad cast. He was beat bopping with his lips.

The kids were all very excited to receive the kites. One boy treasured his kite so much he wanted to stash it in a safe place into his silver tin treasure box. However the kite was bigger than his box. He managed to find a plastic cover to put it away in for safe keeping.

The entire experience here has been amazing for me and emotional too. I wanted on this trip to India to go to the slums and be with the lowest caste and I did here. I wanted to go to orphanages and disabled schools and I did here. I wanted to see birth and I did with the one and half month old twin at the slums. I wanted to see death and I did in Delhi on the taxi on the way to the bus agency. A man was dead in the gutter and no one paid any attention to it. He just laid there dead.

Kite Delivery to Boarding School Kids

Laura woke Linda up for her flight because she was still asleep and she woke all of us up to say our goodbyes. Linda cried over the gifts we got her. We held hands and said our prayers and sent her off. It was still night outside and the sun has yet to rise. We then all dove back into bed while Laura played music the whole time. It was difficult for me to fall back asleep this way. I just rested in bed.

My sisters here all inquired about my daily meditation, practice, and recitation. They said they watch me do it every morning and night in bed and they were curious what it was I doing and why I do it regularly regardless how late at night it is and how early it is. I hadn't noticed that they all had noticed all this time. They wanted to hear what it was I recited so I recited a bit of Surangama Mantra for them to hear.

Today I delivered the kites we had been making this entire week. We first went to a boarding school for orphans and otherwise homeless kids run by Manav Sadna. It felt like Christmas and Santa Claus came to deliver presents.

Volunteering at Seva Cafe

For the evening we went to Seva Cafe to volunteer because they were short on volunteers. I was put on dish washing assembly. This is the entry level post, everyone must start from here before given more responsibility. This is the first step in the ladder. Then you will be trusted with putting yummy spreads on bread to be toasted. Yes, that’s the protocal unless you are Guri from Charity Focus known for her cooking and can come in and revamp the menu and run the place then you don’t have to start at dish washing station.

Well, I was limping and had trouble standing from car accident injuries that it was great I could lean on the sink while I did the dishes. I tried to hand mop the floor instead so I could actually just not stand but Laxmi insisted that it wasn’t my job to do so. I’m thinking like which step of the ladder is the floor mopping on? She said because for the longest time she resisted moping the floor and everywhere she went she would some how always end up getting stuck mopping the floor. Now she sees it as a practice because she doesn’t want to do it she has to in order to over come it. So moved and impressed by this beautiful spirit, I left her alone to mop.

We had dinner there and it was delicious. Bology from MIT who is on his way to his sister’s wedding down south found out about Seva Cafe online and stopped by Ahmedabad especially for this experience. He brought his acoustic guitar and played any request that was Pearl Jam related. This made all the Australian native volunteers very happy. The energy was at an all time high.

Afterwards Linda and I got onto a rickshaw and went to a night market bazar to do shopping. Shopping makes Linda happy and Linda has not been happy since the train ride. Linda wanted to be in a nice Hotel and no longer wanted to rough it in any dorm bed and she wants clean new white sheets with running hot water and to sleep on a real bed and use a real towel. So we went shopping and she got lots of gifts for her friends and family. A local woman told us we as females should not be out later than 10pm that it was dangerous for us even if there was more than one of us. She also told us to only pay 30% of the given price. Linda had me haggle for her. The trick is you have to be willing to walk away and if they don’t call you back then you have to take that too. Well, there are plenty of stall who are selling the same thing so if this one doesn’t then go to the next one.

Kite Festival in Ahmedabad

I walked to locate the ATM that was 2 minutes away but ended up walking for 30 minutes. I missed it totally. I didn’t mind the walk, it’s a good warm up. I asked two girls on their way to a computer class at Manav Sadhna to show me where the ATM was and they took me to Bank of India but they didn’t have ATMs there. I was directed to Bank of Bombay instead and had to cross the bridge. They guy was nice to draw me a map of which I had trouble relating to. People I passed by smiled at me and starred at me. I felt quite comfortable through it all. I followed the map the best I could and I didn’t see the Bank of Bombay ATM after the bridge but I did come across Bank of India ATM by accident, by getting lost. Sometimes you have to get lost to get to where you need to go in the end. Well, at least in my case.

I went to Manav Sadhna and saw the Gramshree project happening on the grounds. These women from the slums are working on quilts, bags, clothing articles to sell under Gramshree Project. All the money goes to the women and then they get to save the proceeds in a bank account. You can check it out on http://www.gramshree.org/

I walked the grounds a bit and just watched what a day at the Gandhi Ashram and Manav Sadhna was like. There were people working on maintaining the grounds.

Then I stopped by and watched children from the boarding school enjoy music from the volunteer guitarist.
Then I went into the office and the kite assembly was in mass production everything was made from scratch and designed by volunteers to get it in time for the Kite festival. On the kite a verse on saying no to intoxicants and addictions were printed as part of the design. These kites are made for distribution for students at the school and also at the vision and hearing impaired boarding school. The kite festival is about kites flown in the air and the string is made of fiber glass so that each kite flier can cut off another kite off the air. It’s a kite fighting competition. The first thing I thought of when I heard it was, “what are the casualties and the injuries involved in all of this with humans and birds.”

Nirali has a group formed to pass out flyers that educated people about not using fiber glass to save the birds and also a phone number people can call to report injured bird that need to be picked up for medical care. It’s really her heart and soul and her project. She is the it in the project. There really isn’t much of a group helping her in her crusade to save the birds.

Drizzle the Water and Pretend it's a Real Shower

Took me a long time this morning to figure out what shower meant here. It meant water out of a bucket. There was water being boiled out of a boiler with chopped wood old fashion style. I was so happy and grateful for the bucket of hot water. But I was so looking forward to a shower that I had to somehow come through with it for me. So, I prolonged the little buck of water experience by drizzling the water over my head so I can imagine I was in a real shower.

Breakfast this morning was amazing, it wasn’t just crackers two pieces of crackers. People really went out of their way and dug deep into their pockets to offer us samosas, dahl, and chai. It was delicious, chai was perfectly made.

Today I was suppose to go to the slums to drop off blankets with Sunil but I ended up going into town to TCI travel agency to book a ticket to Pondicherry. Afterwards Linda and I went to track down a McDonalds for a veggie burger. It wasn’t that great. I think she misses western food, culture and I think she misses home. The best thing about McDonalds for her was the toilet. She exclaimed with enthusiam, “you have to check out the toilet, it’s a proper toilet you can sit on and it flushes, finally!”

Then we went to the Bazar Mall next door and I bought some scarf for myself. We then went to Gallop Mall and Linda ran out of Rupees. Linda wanted some time to wander on her own and so we parted. I got onto a rickshaw alone and managed to not freak out. Fortunately my driver was an honest man and charged me honestly and also drove me to where I asked him to.

I went back to the travel agency to pay and pick up my air ticket to Chennai then a train ticket to Pondicherry. However the connection required a 10 hour lay over etc... it all got very complicated and mixed up. Then when it came down to closing time, all of a sudden there were no more tickets available now. I don’t know what happened and how it all happened but okay that is how it all stands. There sure was a lot of confusion on both ends some how but I have learned that everything happens for a reason and it doesn’t necessarily happen the way I planned because a better cheaper wiser plan is available but I can’t see it because I’m too stuck on to my plan. So I need to get unstuck so I can see the better plan.

In the evening we went to the annual Cultural Folk Dance Festival. It was outdoors and we were under dressed. We were not prepared for the chilly wind. There was a bon fire pit for people to stay warm. But really, it didn’t do the job, people were all cold. The dancing itself was not my cup of tea and like performances especially dance. I found myself more interested in the costumes and accessories than anything else.

We had delicious food there. Jayesh wanted all of us to try the food there and insisted that it was important for all of us to stay healthy and that volunteers need to eat. I was asked what my volunteer plans were and what projects I would take on. I told him honestly the best thing for me with me week here is to just get to know what other people are doing and that is a lot already.

The guys were also cold and left early but their car was full. The had on t-shirts even more underdressed than us. I kept warm by going back for the food. The spices in the food could keep me warm for about an hour and half. We finally left before the program ended for the night. Finally, because I ran out of stomach room long ago and I kept getting cold.

At the end of the day, I decided I would go ahead and fly to Pondicherry via Chennai and then from there figure out how to take the bus or hire a taxi for 6 hours and get to Pondicherry. I’m not going to freak out. It’ll be a part of my India Travel adventure, adding more for the memories and the stories to tell later.

Very Green Community Center in the Slums

After lunch I went to the Slums to visit the community center built with recycled materials. We crossed a newly built bridge over the sewage. Until a week ago a log was the only means to cross this sewage creek. Regular falls into the sewage was common, and as a result skin disorder builds on your skin. Finally after a recent flooding, a motion to build a bridge over the sewage creek was realized. Now, people do not have to worry about falling into the creek to and from the slums.

Center was very creatively done. The walls are made of crate boxes and glass bottles. For one of the rooms the wall was beautifully hand painted.

A man on the wheel chair teach has volunteered to teach at the center after receiving the gift of the wheel chair. The wheel chair was designed by an man named Don in Hawaii who found a way to assemble the wheel chairs here at low cost with all supplies donated.


Other volunteers who speak Gujurati also teach here.

Children of the slums are encouraged to come to school to learn. It’s free and yet the place is not filled. After each class the students are given food to eat. A lot of the students come for the food in the beginning but either way it’s a way to get started. Here the major thing they teach the children is hygiene. Lots of girls are discouraged from going to school because there are boys there too. There is still the mentality that education is useless to a female. So often it is the women who inhibit other females. So often it is the mother who finds reason of chores for the daughter to do before she heads to school and never makes it to school because she was busy all to keep the girls away from school and getting educated.



In the center there is also a meditation room a sanctuary for prayer. It is an interfaith center.

Save the Chili Beans!

Tonight is Monday night and Seva Cafe is closed on Mondays. Everyone showed up at Manav Sadhna office to prepare for a bye bye party for a resident volunteer who is due to return to her life. Since I did not deliver blanket with my partner I ended up helping out to prepare food for the dinner party.

The regular Seva Cafe being their night off were suppose to enjoy an evening of us serving them. But it turned out anyways that we needed their help. Usually the cooks at any place don’t get to take any time off because really, they have most experience and make the best food anyways and they always will be called on the last minute to rescue a dish from tragic to magic. So that is what happened tonight.

Lakshme had a recipe to make chili beans and it was a recipe from her sister in law for two, when she tried to make it for 50, she ran into experience trouble and quantity trouble. Who did we call to save the big 20 gallon pot? The head Seva Cafe chef! It was suppose to be his night to chill. But which kind hearted service person would let a pot of beautiful ingredients turn indigestible?

Auchil made veggie kabobs over the gas stove. It was a hit. She strung all the cut bell peppers together on to a metal skewer and grilled it over the gas stove and so on with the rest of the veggies. Then she took it all apart and reassembled them onto bamboo sticks. I think her curry sate tofu balls were the best and high lighted the kabob.

We sat in a circle. In the center was a mandala made with colored sand or red and yellow. We the new comers got to light the candles that highlighted the beautiful mandala.

We ran out of plates so there was a rush people wanting to insist they rather share plates with each other. One group of five ended up eating off one plate and of course the usual you go first no you go first went on. I once heard that is how they do it in the heavens, letting the other go first.

After dinner there was music and dancing keeping the circle formation. My back hurt and I had trouble standing and sitting but I wasn’t going to be a party pooper. I didn’t quite pick up the dancing and just ran around in the circle with everyone. Linda was more than tired and ready to leave. Because the girls cooked all the guys did the washing afterwards in assembly line formation and that was nice.

Buddha's Time? Happening Now.

I was suppose to deliver a blanket to one of the most needy in the slums but due to lack of coordination my service action plan fell through. Sneha however went with her partner and they went to an elderly couple in the slums who sleeps on the ground and uses the newspaper for blanket.

This reminded me of a story during Shakyamuni Buddha’s time where a couple offered the only article of clothing they both shared. They were so poor that they only owned a pair of pants and only one of them could wear it at a time and they would take turns.

When I first heard this story, I truly had difficulty in relating to it or even imagine such things. I thought, “oh you know stories get passed down and on and things get exaggerated etc.. to make the point.” Well, I have been to the slums, met with the people, shook their hands and saw the conditions they are in. That story is not old, out dated and it’s not out there. It’s here, it’s real, and I have come acrossed it.

With Patience With Hope

Lots of amazing talented people fly here to volunteer. During a volunteer end of day wrap up meeting I can really relate to some of the frustrations. People come here with a set amount of time they have taken away from their life, put everything on pause to be here. They even brought their binder, color coded, laser printed agenda or starter kit for the programs they wish to successfully launch and implement to make this world a much better place. Yes, people have great aspirations, even good plans to realize them, but often the human conditioning aspect is difficult to calculate into factor.

It is easy for the successful ones to see the answers to success, resolutions to problems and to carry them out. And it is specifically the ones who are stuck and difficult to change that continues to remain in suffering and distress. If they were like the successful ones then they wouldn’t be stuck in a rut. So this internal challenge is what a volunteer must over come with patience and continuing hope.

I see unconditional service to greater good of humanity opens the heart and prepares it for compassion. I believe only with compassion is there room for peace, calm, clarity and wisdom.

I have relied my meditation and chanting practice through out this trip or really it’s more like I have clinged on and I see it has been the breath of my life. It lights my way.

Play in the Sky

Tried to explain to the young girls in the slums that since they are not doing anything with their time anyways, why not go to the school located in the center of the slums. It is free and they should invest in their future. It was hard to get someone to translate the following, “you can choose to walk the ground. There is nothing wrong with that. But wouldn’t it be nice to also have the option of playing in the sky too?”

The basics of schooling for any one who enters the school regardless of their age is basics on hygiene. Then they enter the rest of the program and learn general education on math, science, etc..

The moms were the ones difficult to convince. They believe it is useless for a female to be educated since birthing age is in the teens for girls here and that is the only future for them to give birth to children. However, the fact is, now most of the men in the slums are drunk most of the day, it’s really up to the female to run the family and bring in the income to feed the family. Still, the moms are really afraid of sending their daughters to school to be educated because a female’s place is at home and home is the only place she needs to be.

I told a group of the girls if they went to school tomorrow the volunteer teacher would teach them how to dance in western style but they have to go to school every day and learn a move a day. The girls were interested in that but I really don't know if they can get pass the moms in the morning. Just like the little kids are more interested in the food than the education and the young girls here are more interested in dancing than academics, it's alright, one step at a time. Whatever works it what should be used according to the people and the place and time.

Rights and Freedom

In the same afternoon I also went to visit a recently widowed mother of 5 children. Her husband recently died of TB. She has a pair of twins who are a little over a month old. One of which is severely under weight and as a result the healthier of the twin gets neglected. All five children and the parents live in this little shack. It has enough room for a twin bed made of nylon netting and a little space on the floor for the rest of the five children to lay on. The floor is a dirt floor. A really lame and silly thought ran through my mind, “Is the TB still in the air in this little shack?”

In this culture, the widow is suppose to spend the time in morning to sit at home and pound her chest in grief. She is to stay indoors and not go out in public to do anything. Well, the husband was the sole income provider for the family who collected trash. The oldest child is 11 year old girl who now has to take up that responsibility while her mom does her grieving thing and sit at home and pound on her chest. The other two children who makes up the rest of the five were all toddlers.

I see all the valuable they have in the house is kitchen pots but they don’t have food for the appliances to be used on. They have one blanket which the entire family shares and currently the twins are using them. The twin babies do not have diapers, they use that blanket for warmth and for pooping and peeing on.

The babies cry for nurturing and for food and physical contact. The entire family is malnourished and in need of care. I wondered if the children have the luxury of growing up to resent their parents for their inadequacies and all their lackings. Or is this a western concept, a right to demand and be ungrateful, a right to feel victimized, deprived, or to feel unjust. Such rights are seen as freedoms, but such freedoms do not liberate suffering.

You Go First, No You Go First, No I Insist,...

We had breakfast after we dropped out packs down and picked out a bed in the dorm. We were served Chai and crackers. I heard this was a festive treat normally such luxuries are omitted.

I met everyone who is volunteering and was just blown away by their hearts of goodness and their dedication to their service work. I met Jayesh who is the head of Manav Sadhna. Every morning he has gatherings with everyone.
I learned out of respect, to address Jayesh everyone adds pie to his name but it really sounds more like bye. So it would be Jayeshbpie.

The day starts with group mediation then a chant-prayer, then official meeting starts. He checks in with everyone to make sure everything is well and solves problems that are left unresolved. Then the large group breaks up into smaller groups for project meetings. Then it’s lunch at the Manav Sadhna office. After lunch everyone starts their work for the day. Here is more info on NPO http://www.manavsadhna.org/

For lunch we helped to make roti. I like making roti, I learned it in Nepal and now I get to practice some more here. Lunch was simple and delicious. There was a lentil dish, a salad dish, rice, fruits, and roti. Here for lunch instead of fighting to go first, everyone insists on going last. Thank goodness for those who were willing to be selfless and go first so we can get the lunch eating action actually going or else we would all still be insisting on each other go first and never end up eating at all.

Happy Inspirater

All the villagers came out and wanted to host us by pulling out a bed for us to sit on. The kids came out really excited and happy to check us out. They were all covered in dust and wanted to shake my hand. A woman handed me her son’s medical report saying he has maggots and fleas and also scalp disease. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stand so close to all of that but there was people everywhere all in good spirits surrounding us. I thought about how small my heart was to not want to stand next to someone who has maggots and fleas. But I couldn’t help the fear that ran through me and the wish to be a bigger person than I was at the moment. I had a lot more respect for humanitarians. And I was certainly grateful of the bridge so I didn’t have to fall into the city open sewage creek.

While trying to be aware of the little foolish internal fears that arose while being in this new environment, I noticed the sunshine smiles each child was emitting. It’s contagious. I think that was the only thing I caught that afternoon; joy, pure simple joy. I pulled out my camera and everyone rushed to have their pictures taken. They radiated even more joy. My goodness if that was even more possible. Getting their photos taken made them very happy. It was the most attention anyone has paid to them in a long time. I am glad my camera was a happy inspirater.

Then I saw a few girls run to a small bucket of water that was brown and gray with things inside and used it to wash themselves up to freshen up. Was it the only access to water they had?

Toilet Garden

I woke up and meditated for a long time. It was working for me. I like those kinds of meditation, it’s not like pulling teeth the old fashion way. But in actuality the meditation was inspired by lots of tension and pain in the body from the train ride and fatigue in general. I knew if the meditation didn’t take care of it then it’s hopeless.

Today we switched from the women’s volunteer dorm house to the Sanitarium Center because it would undergo renovation. So we all packed up and went across the street to the Sanitarium. I heard there was a toilet garden, so instead of roses it’s got toilets for the garden. I didn’t quite understand it in the beginning and thought, “we will have to use modern toilets out in the open in open space? But why.…”




The founder of this center was an inventor of toilets and sanitation process in India. During Gandhi’s time he invented portable toilets for the salt march to the ocean for the masses. That’s cool!

Seva Cafe

Linda and I were so happy about having access to water to wash up. There was no hot water but we didn’t mind. It was water out of a basin and that was how much we had for use. It was not for a bath or shower, it was enough to wash up and that was just fine.

We went to Seva Cafe for dinner. Seva Cafe is also supported by Manav Sadhna volunteers. All proceeds go to social projects. There is a board which shows where the money went to, how much, who it is benefiting. One of the family being supported by this system in the slums is an elderly mom who is taking care of a disabled adult daughter. The place is completely run by volunteers except for a hired cook.

It is at the top roof of a building. The place only feeds 50 each evening and is only open in the evenings with the exception of Mondays off. When that number is reached then the place closes down for the night. It is done this way so there is no waste of food and so each evening, food is budgeted this way.

The menu is listed on a chalk board and every evening the menu is different. You can order what ever you like and as much as you want. In the end there is no bill in the envelope for your check. This is based on the concept of gift economy. What you have eaten that night have already been paid forward by the kindness of someone else before you. The meal was not free and is not a donation. However you can pay it forward for someone else who comes after you out the joys of your heart and make it possible for someone else to eat. Aside from the delicious vegetarian food you had the night you also experienced the joys and gratitude of others who make this possible for you to experience.

You can see an actual clip of it www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0V1XVzD7ik

Indian Standard Time

We finally arrived at the Gandhi Ashram and were taken to Manav Sadhna office where we would make a call to contact Nirali who would take us to the volunteer housing. As we entered I saw people learning the basic on computer. We sat and watched as V-Jay helped us to call Nirali. Nirali showed up much later than she said. Of coarse it was on Indian time frame which is always much later than the said time. And when you understand this then you know they are not late, they are on time in Indian Standard Time, I call it IST.

We were taken to the women’s volunteer dorm. I met Laxmi, Auchil, and Snehal.

Lakshme is from the UK and has been here for a few months volunteering and has taken up guitar lessons with another native who has volunteered to pay acoustic guitar for the children at the hostel boarding school in the Ashram and at Seva Cafe. Auchel is a social worker doing her Masters degree here working with women in the slums on setting up bank accounts and educating them on basic business start ups. You can find out more about what she does through http://www.indicorps.org/volunteer.php

May be it was all the fatigue, may be there were all the dangerous adventures with the train, I felt a sigh of relief upon arrival and I felt a sense of refuge here. May be it was just all these beautiful young people in their twenties taking time off in their busy and very blessed lives to share their skills and hearts in this volunteer work to contribute to change this world to a better place for everyone.

Too Close to Breakout

Linda was still feeling ill with a headache. I did what I could to help her feel better. We sat and chatted the rest of the day. Passerby were all very curious of us and stopped to chat with us to make sure we were liking India and well treated and comfortable.

And after last night’s episode I decided that I would not go to Mumbai with Linda after Ahmedabad and I will not take anymore buses or trains in India by myself. I decided I would like to go to Pondicherry and visit Mark and Yoo-mi via airplane.

An older man and two younger man stopped by our booth and sat with us and decided they would keep us company or really we were keeping them company. The older man did not get along with the younger ones. They had what can be called as generational and cultural gap. The older man lectured the two younger ones on how to be an Indian person in India. Then turned to us and asked when we would get married and how old we were. He told me that if I keep it up I’d just grow ugly and no one will want me. I told him Linda’s mom who is 50 years old now has a boyfriend and is happy. They all raised their eyebrows at this news. Such things are unheard of and scandalous or something.

The men on our cart let us get ready and get off the cart first. But no one was gentlemen enough to help us off the cart or help us haul a taxi. They all fled as if we were all strangers and didn’t spend the last 6 hours chatting.

Linda and I stuck tight with each other. Upon exiting the train on the platform there were sharks lurking already and followed us every step. Both of us went into operational mode as if we practiced this before or had a strategic plan to say the least. But no, we really didn’t but some how we went into a mode as if we did and operated that way. Whatever the plan was I had no idea of the details, it was all very tricky and used all my survival skills and awareness.

Exiting the station, two sharks were still on my tail and I decided to part with Linda to shake them off so Linda can at least have the space to pick out a taxi while I diverted the attention. I kept walking towards the other two young men we spoke to earlier on the cart as if we were all together and the sharks would think this was a better chance than going after Linda because there were three of us. Well, the guys made no contact with me and hauled a taxi for themselves and fled like there is no tomorrow.

I was left with two sharks still at my tail totally vulnerable. I turned to look at Linda who was 15 feet away and she was getting into a taxi who had the Gandhi Ashram sticker in the windshield, I ran after the taxi. The two sharks chased after me as I hopped onto the taxi. They blocked our running taxi and yelled at our driver. They were bullying him and making threats for taking the two of us in as customers claiming us as theirs. They were yelling at us saying we couldn’t get onto this taxi and had to get onto theirs but we were already on the taxi with all of our packs too. This is why you go with pack and not a rolling luggage. The maneuvering flexibility is so much better. Like chasing after a rolling train, running away from sharks, jumping onto a taxi for a quick get a way. Well, our driver yelled back at the sharks in rage, it was a very stressful and looking very dangerous on the verge of violent breakout. We yelled at him to get his attention and had him just drive off. This taxi Linda picked had a meter light and as he drove off he yelled, “cheaters! cheaters!” at the sharks. He explained to us that these guys were not legitiment drivers with legit business. So glad we didn’t get into their taxi.

As we taxied across town, the driver pretty much gave us a tour on the taxi and pointed out sights and monuments and told us about the upcoming kite festival. He turned out to not only be a taxi driver but a tour guide.

Crumbs and Trash

Last night I managed to back my pack all the way to the back of the bunk and used a strap to hook my day pack for some form of over night security. I was very cold last night and only had a sarong from the beaches of Thailand for some sort of warmth. I told myself I could sleep during the day when it is warm since we will be on the train for another whole day.

I dreamed this morning I had shot a partner who was also in the work of security with me and because some how he had gotten programmed to go bad I had to shoot him down to stop him from continuing. I shot him so that he could be shut down from the bad programing and be erased to start over with his family as a normal person again.


I laid on my bunk awake and thought about how heroic it is to be a monastic. What does it mean to have blessings and conditions. It really does take a lot of taking care of business with everyone to be successful at anything. It really requires everyone’s agreement to support and give their blessing. It really takes the effort of a community for anyone to succeed at anything.

This morning the alcoholic army man packed up his bag and I jumped thinking it was time for us to get off. He was suppose to go to Ahmedabad too but he decided he would get off 6 hours early instead at another station. This man was a nice man but he drank the whole time he was on the train. He would pour it into a cup and then drink it. People would join him as he poured it for everyone else who passed by.

I got off at a station to buy food since Linda was still got her face against the wall on her bunk. I got roti and potato but the potato turned out to be cold. I got what I thought was string beans but turned out to be fresh green chili. Since Linda still felt ill after last night she did not eat any of the food and there was plenty that was left over.

During stops on the train, people would get on and off to buy things or vendors would get on to sell chai tea or fruits. A fruit lady came by and asked for the food that was sitting by the window and I gave it to her. The the other fruit girls all came by to do the same. The first fruit lady refused to share with the other girls. So I gave them chips I had and crackers. They too also refused to share. Then more and more fruit girls came by and wanted the same but I was out of food to give. They refused to leave and when they were done eating the left a mess of garbage behind, there were crumbs everywhere and trash.

“What a sight! How was that possible,” I wondered. “If they were that hungry wouldn’t every crumb be precious.” These girls were covered in dust. There were other children who came by to perform acts and beg for money. There were also older children who came around to shine shoes and sweep the cart clean. It was sad to see. I live in the Silicon Valley, everything is pretty Heavenly compared to this.

Arranged Marriage

We went out to the platform to catch our train which ended up being 30+minutes delayed. While we waited a pair of starving dogs walked by and one was injured and limping. It was a sad sight. It is best not to be born as an animal in Asia. The dogs were just skin and bones. I wanted to feed the dogs but I didn’t. I think they will manage to find food, it probably won’t be much. In India it’s hard to find scraps of food chucked or wasted. There is always someone else near by who is eyeing your food and will finish it for you as soon as you walk away. There just isn’t enough to go around. Nothing gets wasted here because there just isn’t enough to go around to being with.

Children came by and begged for food and money or anything, they performed for us without our request. These children were no older than 7 years old. Linda and I then began a conversation centered around psychology and sociology. It may be for a 7 year old to not notice where this is leading them. It’s fun now like a game to play with friends and do this but what happened when you grow older. In India you can never shed the identity as a beggar, everyone will treat you as so and remember you to continue to do so. What is gained from this experience for a seven year old other than a momentary moment of fun. It was sad to see.

We got onto our cart and there were men already in our seats. They looked at me while I looked at them and being the Sagittarian Tiger that I am, I pointed my fingers at all these men and then moved my fingers to signal them to move. They did move and make room for us. Finally the stories I heard about traveling in India was showing up in front of my eyes. I used to hear stories about this having a seat ticket but no seat anyways when you get on to the train because there are other people in your seat and they just won’t move and there is nothing you can do about it. They told us that they had a thing called pass and with it they can sit wherever they wanted. These passes have no number. But really I think it’s more like if there are available empty seats then they sit wherever they want but not take over other people’s assigned seats.


Across from us an elderly grandpa sat in the middle where all these young men sat. His hair was all white and so were his beard. He leaned over to the window and he looked troubled. Well, being on a long train ride is like being on a long bus ride, and what do you do to entertain yourself, talk. So I didn’t mind my own business and decided to talk to my neighbors even though there is language barrier, but that wasn’t gonna stop me.

I asked one of the younger man to ask to ask the grandpa how old he was. I learned he was 65 years old. Somehow he looked much older than his age. He looked 15 years older than his age in my opinion. Linda asked if it was safe for us to be riding on the train like this. One of the young man with the brush of his palm sided his shirt and showed us the tip of his dagger and said, “safe, yes safe, we are all safe.” Referring to the fact that everyone is armed so no one is the under dog and if anyone is in trouble, there will be plenty of help around. He meant well and tried to comfort us with sightings of his weapon. I’m not sure how I feel about it all, surrounded by men and surrounded by weapon armed men.

I continued to not mind my own business and probed the grandpa some more. He like most marriages were arranged. And in Sikh tradition you can only have one spouse. He said he didn’t like his wife to begin with but they managed to have 4 children two boys and two girls. Although he didn’t like who he got through the arranged marriage, but he whole heartedly believes in the system of arranged marriage and so all his children were married through that system. It was all quite funny to me. He got so fired up about the topic and went on and did a very old person thing, shoved his belief down everyone’s throat. It got so heated that the young men on the train refused to stand down with the debate. It turned kinda ugly actually as the jokes and humor went away on the topic.