unknown by some.

Today is the 11^th of November.  I happened to be in the city at 10 30 and decided to stop by the tomb of the unknown soldier in the main business street of Sydney.  All the brass was there.. well.. a lot of it at least.  Important people in Australian society laied wreathes.  High ranking soldiers, politicians,  businessmen and women.

The last post was sounded . there was a minute’s silence.. the words.. “lest we forget” were read out by the speaker. it is a solemn occasion.  Remembrance of those who gave their lives for the freedoms that maintain the status here and in many other parts of the world..

Armistice day was at 11 am on nov. 11 1918  when the ceasefire went into effect.

Of course there are no diggers* left now.. but there were a couple of old soldiers from the second war,  and a few in the crowd from Vietnam who showed up.

The people who are highlighted are the soldiers who fell at the front. .  “they shall not weary…”

But actually.. it is the unsung heros that have made the difference. If you ask me.. the mothers who bore children to fight in one capacity or another..   the men and women who worked themselves to death to keep the place going while everyone else was away.. ..   the unsung heros .. the unknown soldiers are the ones that win the war and keep the place worth fighting for.  ( I don’t mean to take anything away from the courage of the soldier at the front, but he is doing his duty no more or less than the soldier who has no uniform at all.)

*digger is what the australians were called in the first world war (by the English I assume).. they were English who had gone digging for gold (in Australia.. that’s how I understood it at least

dilly delhi

Delhi strikes me as an unusual place.   I had expected something far more clichéd. It isn’t.. it’s a bit bizarre actually.. unusual. It is the political centre of India no doubt  but it seems to be eccentric…I get the impression that there is an awareness of the chilling seriousness of the role it plays in the country and an awareness of its own shortcomings..

Some of the people you come across here are really very sophisticated indeed as befits the capital of a populous country.

 there is a spotlessly clean park at the central roundabout called conaught place.. where the shiny traffic circles on polished bitumen.... but the rest of the entire country looks like a rubbish dump with pigs running around in it.. . Sorry .. to me it does.

 I just don’t believe it. delhi i mean.  Its on some different grid.

new delhi was designed by some architect as a candidate for the capital of the commonwealth by the looks.. but.. the reality is that the indians haven’t taken to the role.. no.. not at all really..  I wouldn’t hold my breath either.  The commonwealth is pretty much defunct anyway. The 19^th commonwealth games are playing here right now.. I don’t think anyone could care less.

delhi graffiti..

Delhi graffiti.

Graffiti is a greek word latinized;  romanized more like it as the latins were a pretty stolid lot unlike their cousins over the tiber,  and probably would never have scrawled on walls.

One reads it like writ.

On the wall in my hostel in delhi there  are comments about India and Indians left by travelers and those who may pass for travelers…(suffice it to say that) its not a 5 star hotel. The travelers have been the addicts and the lost.. the wide-eyed and curious.. the fortunate and the unfortunate: (and just plain travelers like your humble editor.)

Most of the comments are negative.  Indians are impolite, noisy, dirty, stupid, cheater, disgusting, superstitious…   a couple of people wrote ‘I will never return here.’..  there are dialogues.. like threads.. one person described India as an addiction; a sweet one.  One person said that travelers here come only because its cheap.. they come to meet other travelers and don’t give a stuff about the disgusting indians…

There is condemnation of the horrid middle class that has arisen here recently.    

there are prayers mostly om. Glyphs of anarchy.. infinity symbol, peace symbols, gay activism, others I don’t recognise at all.  There is the buddhist wheel of dharma.. .. some Korean .. some Japanese characters/kana. Some French.. one good one reads ‘qui sait se contenter est riche.’  He who is content is rich. The double meaning of which speaks loud and clear in this  hostel..  it has a bleak side.

It is actually not a bad spot.. its quiet ( from traffic noise at least)..bug free… it could do with a good dust out and wipe over but its not to0 dirty and is cheap.. centrally located in paharganj..  delhi’s tourist ghetto.

The trip up here wasn’t very good..

There was a 6 hour delay. Which meant a 8 hour wait at the station after 3 hours of jarring 4 wheel jeep down the hills from Darjeeling.. guh!..

That wasn’t so bad .. the waiting room in Indian stations are often fairly exhausting but usually interesting enough.  This one gave me the impression that the new jalpaiguri junction was totally organised and controlled by the elderly, benevolent Bengali woman in a yellow and orange cotton dress who hobbled/floated  up and down flanked by 2 overweight retainers who evidently cared for the old lady .. but  then the train was slow..   ..  very slow.. in fact over 30 hours longer than the trip should have been which was 33 hours.. so it was well  over 60 hours by the time the mahananda express rolled into old delhi station..  I could only get a sleeper class ticket and it was not comfortable, it was not adequately policed either and though nothing was stolen I was harassed a fair bit.… I arrived quite exhausted.. travel here is not for the infirm.  Trust me.

kolkata .. further thoughts. mother theresa

That kolkata had its genesis as the English east-India company HQ in situ is apparent .  the city has a strong Victorian stamp..   most of the sprawling,  grandiose buildings … mock Georgian or Victorian… some are huge. Some gothic .. are crumbling.. 

Its basically a secular modern city. strong muslim flavoring.  The strident religiosity of other places in the subcontinent is notabley absent.   .its more for the dropouts of India not so much its advocates or critics...   . it is perhaps the deepest mark the English left here.

If one cant develop some humility wandering in the streets here, then probably one should try another planet.

Walking around the street I passed by mother theresas place on ajc bose road..( many of the roads in Calcutta have 2 names as people disagree on what they should be called .it will have its roots in sectarianism. so they have 2. Perhaps more)

What interest has a political economy blog in mother Theresa?  I wouldn’t say nun.  ( forgive me sister.)

I first heard about mother Theresa as a primary-school boy .. I had largely forgotten but at that point I think I had promised myself to go to India and be a missionary..  a noble thought.. one a bit too noble for me to have lived up to..  ( not sure how sorry I am to say that.) (one has to be careful what one says.. even silently to ones self.. or especially.. )

This is what I think of mother Theresa now:-

1950 she formed the missionaries of charity after a decade or so in Calcutta.   Her movement vowed to help the poorest of the poor.

The poverty here is unbelievable but I believe that the efforts of that one lady from Albania has made a huge difference.   I believe she healed the sick and alleviated much suffering.  I believe kolkata is a much better place for her having been here. and the world also. A saint.. I believe that India with all its ugliness halts at the portal of her mission,  and is there forgiven.

ayodhya bullshit and sai baba of shirdi

Ayodhya verdict and saibaba.

I recall images from the early 1990s of fanatics tearing a building apart.  Machete wielding loonies running amok. Police either shooting or not shooting. .. bjp elections and resulting years of ultra conservative politics along sectarian hindu lines..  I cant  think of one good thing about it frankly.

Years of legal wrangling. (yet another lawyers picknik) producing really nothing much at all of any value whatsoever for anyone (apart form the lawyers.. of course).

In my current hostel, guests who do not have their own padlock can take one from reception.. I have a small padlock but I took an extra one just the same.  On the key-ring is a plastic medal with an image of sai baba of shirdi.

Now no-one really knows who sai baba of shirdi was or where he actually came from.  he just turned up one day in shirdi and lived in some deserted temple... The one thing everybody knows about him is that he said basically that there are more important things to worry about than petty differences of religion..

This is the point he wanted to make.. like kabir before him.. another of india’s famous saints. 

This is why he is actually so very much loved in India. Coz everyone (almost) recognises both the truth and the importance of his message.  His picture is all over the place.  His message is loud and clear .. forget the differences and focus on the truth which is bigger than all of us.

For what its worth, I am not making any effort at all to try and reconcile the ayodhya or any other fanatics.. it’s a total waste of time.. let them wring each others necks rather than be a millstone around everyone’s neck… they are a small number of clowns with a big loudspeaker.. that’s all. .. be they in orange on a juggernauth on the street or in white on a minbar in the mosque.

To hell with them all.  inveterates!!! 

In indo-china .. Malaysia actually there are saltwater crocs. They have a saying that eventhough the surface of the river maybe calm,  there is no telling how many crocs are in the river.  .. or something like that. (I don’t know malay at all.. I just read it somewhere.)  but this situation brings it to mind. On the surface there appears barely a ripple.. the muazzin cheerfully calls to prayer.. the bells in the temple sound.. even the lamas trumpet up here in darjeeling… but the events of ayodhya outs the truth about sectarian inveterates in this country.. it is a problem that will surface until it is dealt with in the hearts of the people here. at the behest of legitimate leadership.. ie. Until they start taking sai baba seriously and expose the lurking crocodiles. 


***

swami nithyananda & the usual accusations

I don’t recall exactly what the charges against Socrates were. They are listed in the apology of Plato.   ...not respecting the gods.. corrupting the youth.. etc.. the usual lawyers picknick .. but I wonder how closely the text resembles the action brought against swami nithyananda.

Nithyananda who? you probably ask..

Well..he is not so recognisable as the Rajneesh.. or saibaba..but  he is an important figure…(and equally as photogenic notwithstanding..)

 I have spoken with a number of indians on the subject who as a rule dismiss it as unimportant.  I rather disagree.   strongly actually.

I am not the judge on this case and do not have all the facts before me..but…

What I have seen of nithyananda on his (web) recorded lectures etc. has left a positive impression on me.  He is a teacher of classical Indian yoga and philosophy.. a (vedantin) acharya lets say.  It is through such teachers that classical India finds expression today.  (and survives..)

Many people recognise him..and he has followers and various ashrams around India as well as a presence internationally .( usa)

What happened earlier this year is that he was arrested on the charge of adultry or something..having sex basically with some film star. And imprisoned .his ashrams were attacked. The one I went to visit in Varanasi was deserted..the police had sealed the building.. his followers had fled.a neighbor of the ashram near manikarnika ghat..pointed this out to me..   (he was scandalised at the action against the swami.)

as I was there I felt I was been watched and that the authorities were being notified.  It was perhaps my own paranoia... but tehn again perhaps it wasnt..  It’s the feeling I had at least.

My question is..why was nithyananda targeted and a serious attempt to shoot him down launched?  Why?

I have a feeling that plain jealousy maybe at the root of it  ..the kind that is allowed a loud voice in a corrupt milieu.

Socrates opted for the hemlock for his own reasons in  what i imagine to have been  a similar situation. .he was making a point in doing so.   Nithyananda on the other hand has more lessons to give…  strength to him.

pedestrianism.. not.

Right of way

Well.. the time has come for a direct assault on the state of India.  But as my resources are limited to a screen and my motivation is that of good-will, the attack is going to be restricted to one criticism.

Now,  in Australia and as far as I know, every country with even a remote claim to be civilized, the right of way is given to pedestrians.

In both India and Nepal pedesrians do not have the right of way.  It has ledto a state of predatory driving and use of vehicles as offensive weapons.   Of course not all drivers are guilty of it but many are.

Recently I went up to the roof of the hostel and watched the traffic, unobserved.  Around half the vehicles evidenced signs of predatory driving and inappropriate use of their warning device.

It is true that on narrow winding streets full of blind corners, use of the horn is necessary.. but.. it is abused to the point of mania  and the traffic is way too fast.

In my (old) lonely planet guide book it mentions that 6 pedestrians per day in delhi are skittled  (fatally) .since then it has probably increased…

But its not danger of being hit by traffic that is way too fast and dangerous that concerns me as much as the noise drivers make with their horns.  They speed through crowded narrow streets with horns blasting like shark among minnows.   IT IS A SERIOUS HEALTH HAZARD.

In traditional religion.. water is sacred.. air is sacred.. but even more sacred still is the ether.    The akash.  In India it is violated more seriously than any element.

The right of way in Australia is given to pedestrians . if pedestrians abuse the right too much then they will be hit sooner or later. But the reverse is not true.. abusive drivers here plow through the streets with impunity.

Some of the worst offenders are actually the police and military. its incredible.  People are just not aware of how big a shock it is to the system.  As if the  air pollution from old and worn out engines wasn’t bad enough.!!!

The right of way in Australia is given to pedestrians.  Australia’s sins are many but pedestrianism isn’t one of them.

Its time India and Nepal reigned in the abuse on the road.  It is aggressive and violent.  Outside the temple ( or mosque ) on the road is the place to practice ahimsa.  (salaam/islaam)Right of way

 Guys!!! Get real about the road rules!!! People will stop coming here if you don’t. its unnecessary and simply too stressful.

local fashion

Local fashion

Girls of the subcontinent, particularly of marriageable age are often particular about their appearance.. I guess it’s a general rule but here in the Himalayan region it is noticeable.

In ladies fashion here at the moment.. are silk/cotton pajama pants.. usually bright pinks or reds.. sometimes with some embroidery, a long shirt (or qamiz I think they call it).. bright happy colors again.. purples.. yellow.. reds mainly.. . Over the long shirt.. (sometimes to knee length, open at the side..)  they usually wear a woollen cardigan.  Over their shoulders they put a kind of scarf or shawl .i think it was at one stage a head covering but here they’ll have none of it.. hehehe... usually of very fine cloth.. its probably silk.or pashmina I think it is maybe called.  They often rearrange the shawl as they go in the street. unselfconsciously.

Feet a given vinal sandles or open straps on a leather sole.  Something easy to remove on entering a home..

  Jewellery is not just a fashion item here.. its also a measure of ones spiritual status.  Gems and their strategic placement speak heaps.  (ive yet to really understand that much of the language. . but its way more than about a handful of ice.)

Ladies fashion is in short beautiful.  The women are not so much chik as have a quality unique to this part of the world I feel.. we neeed a new adjective unless they have one already in hindi/nepali or Tibetan that we maybe borrow.. I suppose they do.

As for the men, well. So far as I noticed its like Kathmandu.. fake nikes, cheap designer jeans and garish printed t-shirts.  In short .. hideous.  It must be where the yetis get it from ..

The exception is actually some of the military men who take some pride in their appearance/uniform.  (maybe I’m mistaken but I saw one officer even wearing mascara.)

The eldermen dress like conservative elders wherever.some wear a topi or traditional nepalese hat.. the women retain more traditional attire.. Tibetan or local Himalayan.  the occasional sari. demure and um.. inspiring really.(The women up here are way more empowered than their sisters on the plain. 60% of teaworkers are women…they are the breadwinners..)but seriously: for anyone to grow old in India is an inspiration.

I guess I am a pretty ordinary guy and I can say that I certainly never pictured myself as a ladies fashion commentator.. but the girls and their stylehere attract even my attention.. hehehe.

fascist poison

perhaps its just the drooping jowls, but lawyers seem to avoid talking to me..

in the hostel in Darjeeling.. (it’s a good one actually… near the tenzing norgay youth hostel)  are some europeans.. one dude studying law.. in Portugal.. .. its like a recording..  smoke and mirrors.. legalese.. superiority .. its complex.. ( I have friends in low places)  .  


nor do i ignore the possibility of body odor or halitosis. (as a reason for their avoiding me)

but why is it that I feel that that lawyers everywhere are the more or less hard-core apologists for the more or less fascist regime that supports them?   Is it some kind of symbiosis or am I too far gone already for anyone to be bothered answering? 

superior..mmm.. well they maybe look it ..and some advocates are possibly genuine (and superior to those they defend)..  but it’s basically a profession of pimps. (no wonder so many lawyer jokes are bitingly accurate.) (has anyone ever really heard a lawyer tell a lawyer joke?)

the portugese have a history in India.. around goa as I recall.. and along the coast to Mumbai..(I once had a friend called Joe de Sousa from Mumbai.. whose ancestors had been converts/victims of the portugese)…

banglore is the major city over there I’m told.

going back to Portugal a few hundred years ago… and with the increasingly fanatical tone of the Turkish khalifate, the spice trade was interrupted. (they talk about spices . as if the portugese gave a hoot about spices they couldn’t get from Portugal........................Bof).

 The portugese being inventive enough and facing the atlantic ocean..(maybe some viking residue)  ..having a history of ocean voyage, decided to go around Africa to get  to (the euphemistic) spice islands... they established an archipelago of settlements around the african continent to s.e. asia... Mozambique..macao . guinea bissao i(i think) east timor..  etc..protugese settlements.. maybe they wanted spices .. they definately wanted gold.. slaves.. who  tf  knows what they wanted.?.   (what they did in south America is pretty good indication….. of what they actually wanted… )  but they were here in India first before any other europeans as a political entity..  (though of course there had been travellers .. the .. marco polos of this world.... etc. )

I don’t think I ever heard portugese rule characterized as benevolent.  no.... it was conversion by the cannon basically.. the sword having been replaced with the proliferation of more up-to-date means…they were ousted by the dutch and English (east India companies) if I recall correctly who followed hot on their heels..(though the indians didn’t get around to finally kicking them out till 1961)  I doubt that anyone here in India missed them when they were sent packing...fascism has no roots in the evolving human soul.

It was fascism that poisoned the old Europe.   It is now that Europe is paying the price for its fascist/imperialist past.  Instead of concentrating its considerable forces on unity, it is basking in the imagined glory of a vanished dream.  (not just the portugesers.. the poms.. the French, .. even the scandinavians look back to the viking past…. Fascism is what poisoned the old Europe!!!!!!. May it rest wherever it is resting.  Hope remains as long as it does so.

Its cloudy this morning..no visibility in Darjeeling. Best not to come here in September if you want to go trecking or viewing everest.  Too much rain and mist… still it’s a welcome relief from the gangeticplane..where it is(at this time of year at least) so hot and uncomfortable that all you can think of is getting some good ganja to escape or a jet plane to somewhere else.. heheheh.  That guy from Portugal wasn’t so bad.  Ive come across far worse.

locals

Locals

The animal kingdom suffers. Its not only the human, vegetable and mineral.

Yesterday near the main square of Darjeeling.. chourastra or something, suspended on a telephone wire above the lane was a mangy and harassed looking mother monkey clutching her cub,  crossing the ‘road’  .. 3 meters up as simians do...  Dangling on the wires she scuttled across.. They were the only monkeys I have seen up in darjeeling.  I guess the English shot them for practice and drove them away for good.

Another thing the English liked doing here was to shoot tiger. I read that on one expedition, king george v who was visiting with his son.. (edward vii I think… the guy who wised up, abdicated andran off with his gf. hehhe. )  Well. They shot 80 tiger in the forest that is now chitwan park in nepal.  The tiger has been basically driven to extinction as is well known. Largely by such gentlemen I’d say…. much to the delight of the villagers who have capitalized on this and other things to sell the forest out completely .. I imagine..

the lion that roamed this part of the world succumed in the 19^th century already..  there are a few rhino in parks..

I came across an elephant in bodhgaya… one only. So far in india.. he was happy enough .. but not very.  I doubt that he was getting enough to eat .. there was no water in the river for him to wash….

Oh.. one day in kathmandu I went for a walk to the pashupati nath.. hindu temple.. I didn’t go in as they wanted to charge me for it.. I did go around the back to the small park there .. I sat down at a shrine on the bhagwati river to catch my breath there was a saddhu in the shed looking after it.... After a few minutes monkeys started pouring out of one huge tree over the river.. they poured out.. there must have been hundreds of wild monkeys there.. they were like ants coming out of a nest.. J

One puss cat I saw in the hostel in Kathmandu.  I suspect better-off people have them at home. ( I never got near receiving an invitation to any home there..  it must be me.)

Cows of course are popular in places like Varanasi, among sectors of the populace at least. (everyone knows. It’s capital of the cow-belt U.P.) . and can be seen freely roaming around or seated majestically in the middle of the flow of traffic…(there must be pictures of them on the web but I cant really get there right now..) in Varanasi I noted quite a few rats as well.. I saw only one cat there….one! A poor mangy decimated thing that looked more like a cartoon than a cat.. there were dog-packs there as well but not like here in Darjeeling..

In Darjeeling there are so many dogs it’s a bit unnerving… at night.. they bark and growl.. fight.. yelp.. in the day they like to lie around on the road in packs  ostensibly asleep, of about 10.. they arenot big dogs and are not formally aggressive.. but they are wild dogs and best left alone.

I have seen no rat here.  I guess that is the wisdom behind letting so many dogs roam the street.  I guess they keep the monkeys at bay as well.

As for horses ,,, well.. the unfortunate ponys that are forced to drag tongas .. overloaded with people and produce is sad.. they are whipped and obviously treated very harshly..   noone seems to care for horses here.  I haven’t really seen one... just stunted ponys.. ive seen a couple of half breeds and one Arabian. .. that’s it. ( my grandfather’s business was horses and the family company bred and sold horse to India amongst other places.)

A couple of pusscats that someone obviously cares for are about the hostel where I am now.. I doubt that they would spend long out.  But its an indication that Darjeeling is a degree more cat friendly than other parts.

As for birds,  crows and pigeons and minahs.. that’s all.. I saw one eagle.. don’t recall where… that’s it.. in the whole time here.  I read there are hundreds of species in the national parks..  right.  They’d better stay there if they know whats good for them.

India has pretty well lost contact with the animal kingdom but there are zoos and soi suppose there is still a chance for some of goddo’s species.

indian foreign-policy, the usa and iran.

indian foreign policy, america and iran…

Here in Darjeeling one doesn’t become too concerned about popular news broadcasts… however…

One would have to be a total idiot not to notice the sparks between iran and the usa and their increasing intensity.

I have a small short wave radio. It travels with me.. there are several stations I pick up.. others I have to wait till I move to the next hostel.. I can usually get some bbc and voa..   you can get some idea of whats happening…..though one tends to travel to get away from retail information services.

Yesterday I bought a well known brand of antiseptic. (infection used to kill millions..) The pharmacist in a small kiosk in the market wrapped it in a piece of newspaper. Back at the hostel the article in the paper was about the grounding of a jet that had been carrying us military personel that had entered Indian airspace without the appropriate permission..(I guess its old news for everyone else.. I didn’t get the date on the paper.  i’ll admit reading it avidly.. hehehe.. )   well.. its an indication of the state of relations between usa and India. ( I mean honestly.. the Indian action is not a friendly one.. ) And I imagine it is directly related to the friction with iran… indias expression of disapproval.. seems to be what is happening..

A month or so ago I found some paper that had a brief story about fidel castro coming out of retirement to warn the world about the dangers of a conflict between iran and America… in the case of castro it is hard to tell just how distorted the reporting maybe…. Though its pretty clear that the aging leader had something to say on the subject…(to have him come all the way back from Valhalla.)  the fact that castro is involved gives one pause.  Castro was at the centre of nuclear issues in the early 60s.  and his knowledge of this type of brinksmanship is pretty well unparallaled.

The usa is already deeply involved in Afghanistan and pakistan.. not to mention the hotch potch presence in the middle east..and the lingering cold war pacific bases. … there is little doubt that the indians would prefer less rather than more…

over the centuries, relations between India and Persia overall have been pretty benign or so it seems to me…though some of the Turkish and afghan invaders have not been so benign… ( though i'd really have to read up on it to speak with any authority on the subject). Persia has been one of those cultural entities held in some esteem here…(there are broad similarities between certain strata of their cultures.) so it is not surprising that the indians would be prepared to send a clear message to the white house.. .. India is neutral or want s to seem to be. But….. but it certainly wants to say it is no friend of the usa.

 it occurs to me in light of castro weighing into the debate, that there is also a nuclear issue here..  the usa .. and I suspect largely at the instigation of the jewish (Israeli) lobby accuses iran of harbouring the intention to develop nuclear weapons.   Well.. they probably have some capability.. enough to spook the jews who are themselves armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons. (ty mordachai vaanunu.)

Indias own nuclear ambitions can be viewed in comparison to iran.. I would like to believe in the fundamental benevolence of the usa and suppose the usa does not want India to develop as a nuclear power .(though I couldn’t really be sure about that).. I am not sure but I imagine that beneath the obvious round of sabre rattling etc, there are issues of great sensitivity here...

 there are many pieces of the jigsaw missing.    . too many to really get a clear idea … the indians certainly want uranium..(ask any australian)  but there are other things to think about in Darjeeling at least..  and I doubt that anyone can really get a much better grip on it at any rate.

Personally I am definitely allied to the American position in so many ways.. but usually on middle-east policy issues, the americans get it wrong..   and while its not for political pundits to prophesy its so easy to imagine that the middle east will be the undoing of the usa.. this isn’t to damn the yanks (they are perfectly capable of doing that themselves)  but to raise a voice for the common weal.

I have largely described my position on iran it in the blog entry on iran..and shatranj..   ...a sovereign state and has the prerogative to develop whatever it sees fit for its own defence.    If the usa wants to engage iran in a head on confrontation in defence of Israel, then I believe that the persians will play them like a zither in due course.

Nuclear weapons and the threat of instant annihilation for anyone who their posessors decree is the most outrageous form of terrorism to date.

In a perfect world there would be none. Obviously.  But this blog entry is about indias foreign policy, not American terrorism,  Persian ambitions or Israeli passive-aggression.

 it is not indias action re the grounding of the usa aeroplane that disturbs me.. what disturbs me is indias claimed neutrality.  This is the  real problem.. India cannot be a neutral nation.  Like anywhere else, there is right and wrong in international relations.. neutrality is not an option.  This was gandhi's greatest mistake.. .. in 1939. ( or whenever it was that he determined india's position re the  then Japanese admin.)  if the indians want to come down on the side of the Iranian admin., then let them make their position clear.

(child )labour party

(child) Labour party.

One reason why India is as it is, is on account of child labour.  It is perhaps one of the most vicious forms of slavery or abuse.  Well. Its hard to think of a more vicious one.

In one village I stayed I met a young man who was a student in Varanasi university.. intelligent villager.. son of landless peasants (serfs).  Very poor people in bihar. ( though he assured me that they were not beggars.) We met a few times.. he was on holidays from university and had some spare time.  He also undertook some volunteer teaching work at the local school when not attending studies.

One day we were out sitting by the river talking about this and that and three young children came by.. they were collecting rubbish.. recyclables any old bottles or cans.. paper.. the eldest would have been about 8 years though their growth was probably stunted from malnourishment making it difficult to judge.  They listened intently to our conversation.  they werent imposing.. they were hungry to learn and join in… after a while they went on their way.  My bihari friend  said that he knew of their case.(it was not a large village) his school  had wanted the boys to enrol and attend class but the parents required the boys to work to contribute to the household income… it was one of those moments that left me wondering.  (Or staggering had I been standing.)

Worse cases on a daily basis happen in the form of child beggars.  I reckon it is often so that  the parents  send the kids out to beg preventing them from going to school.

In Nepal it is more blatant. 

Often on the busses you get child conductors.. they work very hard.. in very, very polluted and harsh conditions.. it must ruin their health.. they will gain no reward as the parents will take whatever their meagre income will be.. they will miss out on schooling and be exposed to who knows what other influences in stead….

That is not where the problem ends though.. the children will be the sons and daughters of displaced peasants or even working peasants who subsist on  100 or200 rupees a day or less.. that is their wage.. and they work hard for it .   this is no fiction:  it is slavery.

I grew up so blithely ignorant of just how lucky I am..

darjeeling

Darjeeling.

I became fascinated by Darjeeling..   I so liked the tea.. maybe that is why I became a tea fanatic.. not sure.. but this place has been drawing me for years.

There is a genre of literature some call ‘esoteric’  that suggests that Darjeeling may become a power locus .. or capital city of this part of the world one day.. it could be .. it has a remarkable attraction.. the tea from around here is so good.. it is a meeting point of various cultures.  It maybe some kind of capital city some time in the remote future.. who knows??

Today I went shopping.. for a number of things. There are Nepalese here.. in fact the palce strikes me as more Nepalese than Nepal..  though I have just come away from Kathmandu in a period of political turmoil.

I passed by the ‘buddha shop’..  there were wares from Bhutan, Tibet.. I wanted some new trousers.  The old ones had had some wear and tear... I found some I liked . blue red and purple striped traditional nepalese style.... the tag announced ‘ made in tibet’ I asked the girl.. really? Made in Tibet?.. she told me happily they are made here… I didnt want to point out that Darjeeling is in West Bengal… Hindustan.... she was a very sweet tibetan girl.  She obviously felt at home here as did the tibetans who had sewn the pants..

I also bought a red coral ring from the buddha shop.. Tibetan style.. ..   I’d been looking for one.  Both Nepalese and tibetans are skilful smithys.

 Darjeeling has only been developed recently as an urban settlement.  Its not an old place at all. I haven’t a clue how or why they got here coz its remote and in the middle of nowhere in particular, but the English established a post here. something to do with some strategic position or pass in the mountains. On the way to Nepal.. and nepal is the buffer state between two colossuses.
without a doubt.

I wonder if it had anything to do with the grand old duke of york.. who had 10 000 men.. . id have to look that one up..

They also wanted to plant the tea they had .. um.  obtained from china. And break the chinese monopoly on that particular herb.

There had been a buddhist monastry here.. no idea how long it had been here.
.  Darjeeling,  the name, is said to be from dorje ling.. or lightening rod (lingham).. an impressive title indeed…  very positive. Very spiritual .

I think they came here coz it has a mysterious attractive power.

I kinda wonder if it has something to do with the british choice of Calcutta as the capital city of this part of the world.. as it is the closest port to Darjeeling.  It seems to me that the englishers had tuned into something.  I reckon Calcutta may regain this role as well... it wouldnt surprise me to see the chess board around here rearranged pretty soon in line with things to come..

(ps. the photo above.. taken on roof of hostel on mac.. yes.. they are mountains as well as clouds.)

mahabodhi temple

The mahabodhi temple is supposed to be built on the spot where guatama achieved enlightenment.  It’s an oblisk ornately fashoned in some kind of cement. .. though at some point it has been restored (last century I think but it is not so important.) . . It is constructed directly next to a bodhi tree that is said to be a cutting from the original.. that too is not important.     (Nice tree the bodhi.. shady. Good on a hot day.)

Entry to the grounds is gratis.. and the precinct is tastefully maintained. Though this is not what people come for.

The thing that attracts people to this, the most important site of veneration for the world's buddhists, is the message of the buddha.  And that is that enlightenment is a reality.   One can achieve enlightenment which is the opposite of delusion…there is an end to suffering.. it is this that the buddha realized under the tree here after so many trials.. .  I have nothing but admiration and the utmost respect for him.

One can actually enter the oblisk into what is the focal point. ( i almost said "holy of holies" but that would be misrepresenting the place... in 'buddhism' (i think it is right to say that) the holy of holies is the heart of a human being.. or whatever is living.....)    It is austere enough.. a room with about 10 square meters or less of bare stone floor space... a large statue of the buddha seated facing out. It is golden.. as for the expression on the face of the buddha well,  you have to come and make up your own mind about that in the brief moment that is permitted for one to glance at it.. if one dares.. .  There is an altar before the statue.. Some simple flowers are on it.. nothing else.. a monk comes and gracefully bows down before it touching his forehead on the stone..  There is an aura of profound veneration in the small space.  Its as genuine and serious as it gets.

I arrived early enough for it not to be so busy and so spent a short time with 4 or 5 monks in silent meditation before the public started to arrive..

  it is one of those places that is life changing… let it be said. It confirms my deepest beliefs or fears about mr. buddha.. that he was indeed the enlightened one.

patna .. bihar.. india.

The trip from patna to bodhgaya is easy.  The train system in India is good.  It is at times delayed.. and the seating maybe not particularly comfortable.. best have a rug or something in your hand luggage to adjust ones posture..   but trains are good.

Lonely planet guidebooks are very influential. one simply doesn’t heave loam without one.. (credit cards are good too.)   the writer of the edition I have (an oldish one I got second hand and cheap) was not impressed with patna and gave it a bad rap.  There are problems in bihar.. but the place is showing signs of improving .. for sure..  there is a socialist government and it is definitely has widespread popular support. ( the figurehead is a notorious persona called laloo or something who has been in trouble with the law on and off..)

 It seems moreover that the two sides of politics are not taking extreme positions.. and one sees partisans of both sides doing things like talking on the train in a cordial enough atmosphere. Progress is happening.  There is definitely an effort being made to move forward. 

On a grimy shopfront on the main block there was a sign in shoking pink and white as I recall.. THE NEW INDIA. It said.. I don’t know what the store had been.. electricl goods or something.. it had moved or gone fut.. it had been there for a few years.. maybe 9 or 10..

But…

 I went shopping in a deparnment store!! It was good value too.. busy and business was brisk.. there was variety and items of fairly good to good quality.  ( I got some sweet lime pickels that are really good!!! In a buy one get one deal..)  I did only see one ‘megamart’ .. and security was heavy.. but .. it is a sign of a new India..  I seems to me that the reason why progress here has been so tardy is largely the business ethics.   Mistrust.. sectarianism.. non-willingness to do business openly.. .. one small kiosk after another all selling the same rubbish.. stale food. Junk food.. rubbish.. no quality anywhere… things are changing.( the security in the department store was there to a degree at least against action from the clique of miserable kiosk wallahs id say )   It might take a few more years for ‘consumerism’ to really take off.. but it is going to happen.. and it will totally and fundamentally change bihar.. amen.. thank Christ. Buddha Krishna and hanuman as well.  Well I suppose its nothing new to anyone from Mumbai .. or such places.. but.. it is happening here right now..  It never entered my imagination that I would one day be standing in support of consumerism.. but there it is.

.   I rememeber some time ago reading somewhere that India would never change.. it was a book by em forester or someone like that..  but whoever it was.. they were mistaken.. India is changing right now. 

miniatures

Minitures

Patna is a busy place.. it doesn’t have a good reputation.  But you have to make your own mind up about theses things. 

I am sitting in the local youth hostel drinking some tea I bought in Nepal from where I came yesterday. The tea is from ilum an area near the more famous Darjeeling.  I mistook the price in the shop and paid more than I intended (4000 nepali rupees a kilo) I did only get 100 grams..  but drinking it, it is the best tea of its kind I have had to date.. it was processed with Chinese technology (as distinct from the Japanese),,  very good tea. 

The honey is another thing that is really good about Nepal.. yum..  I tried a few brands.. all really good.   another thing I liked a lot was the cheese I bought from a shop near the guesthouse I stayed in kathmandu..  I don’t know what milk it was made of.. tasted a bit like semi aged peccorino.. but I am not sure if it was goat or not .. maybe buffalo,.. or maybe yak..   at the hostel someone had nailed a yaks head to the wall.. strange looking creature..  like from a different eon.. like a mammoth.. thats kinda tripped into ours.. by some portal left open by a time lord by mistake or something...

 I didn’t feel like asking the shopkeeper what it was made of..( the cheese i mean)   shopkeepers in Nepal are difficult.  Sorry to say but I find them dishonest.   double standards is the standard.  I think it comes ultimately from an aid mentality.  Not sure.

I made it to the youth hostel after a long journey.. 2 greulling days of very bad roads.. delays.. noise.  .. it is not good to arrive tired in patna.  It is not tourist friendly.  There are no cheap hotels that are accommodating to foreigners.  I was lucky to get to the youth hostel in fact.  Thanks to the guide book actually.. nothing else.  Watch out here!!

***

The police are a bit jumpy in Kathmandu.

About a year ago in Sydney I bought a folding umbrella.  It fits nicely into the side pocket of a backpack.. mmm.  When I bought it I remember saying to myself .. I maybe take this one to India with me.. .. well.. strangely I did,  .. I got caught in the rain in Varanasi…

Then one day in Kathmandu I went looking for a liter of milk.. it began to rain as I came away from the shop.. on the corner.. there were two armed police in blue uniforms there minding the traffic.. etc.. I didn’t really pay attention.. I was busy getting the umbrella out of my daypack.. but I did suddenly become aware of them reaching for their guns as I fished around for the umbrella.   They relaxed when I popped it open and went on my way in the rain.

***

Crossing the border from Nepal to India at birganj.

The nice man at the hotel where I stayed the night at birganj answered that the rickshaw ride to the border should cost 20 rupees.  Since every rickshaw wallah demanded 100 I decided to walk being totally fed up at being treated like an idiot.  The guidebook said it was 5 kilos.. it was. Though it was a hot day.. and by the time I arrived at Indian immigration over the border the sweat was dripping off me.. I rather wondered if I would look suspicious.. but as it turned out I probably didn’t have to worry that much.  I must have missed the nepali immigration office as I left without a stamp. Right. Ahem.

***

In the Spartan Indian immigration office there was an overweight official of about 60 years. He did have a very jovial air and a bright red tilik on his forehead. He wore an assortment of large stones set in various metals on quite strong hands with which he handed me the forms to fill out politely and efficiently. I had the feeling that this man was capable of quite serious responsibility and was happy to do business with him.  I promised myself to recall his welcome next time I became exasperated by the touts  in India.  He checked my details as I noticed a picture of the mahatma gandi on the wall below the corregated asbestos of the roof and beams.  all was reasonably fine.  We namastaed and I left happy to be on my way.

***

Rickety old bus from raxaul on the Indian side of the border to patna.. had to replace one tyre on the way.. the tread was giving out.. then 3 hours later the spare blew out.. pop.. hiss clunk clunk clunk.. ..   it was a solid old bus.. very heavy chassis. So it barely lurched. We just slowed down by the side of the bitchuman.  The conductor went off somewhere down the road with the spare tyre that had been removed earlier while others removed one of the double wheels on the back.. I didn’t wait to see how they configured it.. but sat down talking with some locals who were passing by.  There are a lot of friendly people in bihar.. well mannered and self effacing.  Here at least.. we did stop for refreshment a couple of times where the people were not so polite.. but you get that at bus stops.. petty crims.  Troublemakers. Layabouts .touts. 
its the only time ever that i have had to give my passport number for a bus ticket..   its an indication of the nature of transport and tourism in bihar..   people say its not safe to travel by bus in bihar..   i tend to agree but things are improving..  better if one is young and fit and doesnt mind a bit of kung fu practice..  trains .. sorry to say are not a lot better.

kathmandu, cows piss and charras

As a kid in the early 1970s I heard stories from travellers about Kathmandu.  I suppose I filed the info away..  I certainly had the wish to go there.  Exotic music.. Tibetan mysteries.. newar temples.. famous charras….  Well.. the hippies I am sorry to say had children who turned out to be yuppies who come here to pose for pictures to post on facebook.

Ahem.  ( i gotta admit doing it as well.. )

As for the charras.. well.. its illegal here and anyone stupid enough to trust someone trafficking it on the street..  deserves to pay the fine that may be expected to  be  extorted from them ..  

30-40 odd years ago..maybe..  yup.

The situation here is one of transition..   its not a republic.. and not a monarchy.. I guess it will find its way.. over the years nepal has generated a lot of good will.. ( best to think positive...)

I went looking for a gemstone yesterday here.. and entered the shop of a Tibetan trader..  there are dozens of Tibetan shops selling antiquites and all the art and craft that has accumulated in Tibet over the years..   its the heritage of a people that have lost their country.. and are losing their identity if the guy in the shop is anyting to judge by..

He didn’t have the stone i wanted so I asked about dzi.. not any more..  he said.. I said maybe 20 years ago.. he nodded.. he was decidedly not happy.. I said maybe in a new york boutique for $10 000.. he nodded again..

I left the shop none the happier myself..

the gem i sought is called gomedh which they say means cows piss.  .. as the best is the color of cows piss.. in english its hessionite..  it is supposed to protect the wearer from the harmful influence of the dragons head.. or rahu.. the north node of the moon..  quando in roma..... waisa desh.   jaisa bhesh.

kathmandu has the worst air ive ever been subject to.. i would stay longer here but for its poor quality.  my friendly advice to the people here is clean up the garbage on the streets... get some pollution controls..  more traffic cops.. and above all .. give pedestrians the right of way.. otherwise you encourage aggressive driving..  and the state of the roads that you have right now..  failed state. or def. heading that way..

I did find the cows' piss I was looking for.. a nicely faceted exemplar... and had it set in sterling for a reasonable price.. I had a good day in toto.. and will probably value the memory of it.