This Week, A Roller Coaster of Emotions

The last week has been a huge roller coaster ride…from my camera’s disappearance to my personal crises and questioning everything I believe in...I'm trying to live in the present and accept the reality of things here and now, to feel and understand the positive aspects and the drawbacks of working with my new students and then meeting some new friends along the way. I have been physically exhausted, expending huge amounts of energy emotionally—getting my head around what is going on here—and physically—exposure to two new languages (Marathi and Hindi), new food, climate, and sensory overloads every time I go out. I cannot remember a time where I have felt so overheated, and physically and emotionally drained as I have this past week.

Today is Ganesh (the Hindu god)’s birthday, and it’s one of the biggest holidays and celebrations in India. Hindu Indians invite Ganesh to their homes, take care of him, and feast in his presence while sitting near an altar that is prepared for him. Each village or society has a huge shrine that

includes his statue, made of painted clay or plaster (see my pics: I tried to see 51, which is considered auspicious). Seeing Ganesh being welcomed into Pradnya’s family’s neighbourhood was definitely soemthing to remember! There was a vibrant, positive energy on the streets and in homes, ricocheting everywhere, throughout the hearts of people Hindu and non-Hindu alike. Compassion surrounded us; drums and cymbals deafened us; the dancing and fanfare of the ceremony were as potent as the ubiquitous incense.

Of all the religious ceremonies I’ve ever experienced (and believe me, Catholics and Hindus share a lot when it comes to worshipping idols), this was probably the most fantastic, musical, loving and spiritual. Rich or poor everyone celebrates in a similar way. Nothing bad should happen on this day in the Hindu world, and every creature has the right to live and enjoy life. So to celebrate the day and partake in cultural observation I met with Pradnya (visiting friend from UMich), her brother and her parents who are originally from here. They happen to be in town for a few weeks. I really felt a strong and positive spirit in India today, and I hope that this positive energy along with the will of Ganesh, god of good fortune and prosperity, will continue.

We went to visit at least ten neighbourhood shrines of Ganesh that captured some of his most heroic and notable deeds in defending humanity. (N.B. Ganesh still seems a little scary to me…I do not particularly care for his elephant head. You can read more about him to understand the elephant head and how that evolved.)

Another accomplishment from this week is that I finally made it to the fabulous international textile store, Fabindia, to buy curtains and my bedspread. I spent less than $30 for those things plus a matching bath towel…and my room looks completely transformed! I am thoroughly enjoying the warm and vibrant colours (note the before and after pics). I would have liked to buy the sheer, silk curtains but my neighbours would be able to see through them.

In other developments, as I’m trying to forget about my camera, I’m reminded that material things are just that: material and not permanent fixtures in life. I am trying to accept that I'm back to where I started before I had the camera. I did, however, go to the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai to get a signed and stamped affidavit to show that my camera was in fact stolen, in the case that my new credit card covers the camera in the case of theft…still waiting to hear on that. The Consulate visitation was the direct result of my visit to police station, whereby the police officer told me, “If someone had a key to your flat, it is not considered a break-in.” The police, evidently, are not the ones you turn to in the case of theft. Pradnya’s parents told me that they had lived here until their mid 20s, and they had never once visited a police station.

No internet at home yet so I’m still uploading pics, the blog and emails at work. Hope to get a regular system at home or find a cyber cafe in the neighbourhood for regular visitation sometime in the very near future. All the photos you see here are done with my trusty Pentax Optio pocket.