Well, this is Chennai, the last stop on what has been a whirlwind trip through India; a non-stop roller-coaster ride through the weird and the wonderful, the beautiful and the strange, the unknown and the unknowable. And what a trip it has been. From the vitality and intensity of the North to the alluring charm of the South, it has been a journey that has been by turns bewitching, arduous, wondrous, revelatory, challenging, and sublime.
Having seen a significant portion of the country, to say that I now know India would be a gross overstatement -exaggeration bordering on fiction- for I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of this vast and varied country. To fully understand India -its Byzantine inner workings, its long and storied past, its ineffable mysticism- would likely take several reincarnations which is more time than I have. But during my short time here I have come away with a few observations and lessons.
India is Poor and Dirty (Get Over It)
The most oft cited objection I hear to travelling India is one of two grievances: the pervasiveness of its poverty and the insupportable uncleanliness. People from the West are simply not comfortable witnessing India's conspicuous beggary and the accompanying squalor that are part of everyday life for many people here. And barring the odd sybaritic trip, a traveller to India does not have a choice, for these two ills confront at every turn and are as inescapable and undeniable as the heat.
But to write-off India as simply "poor and dirty" is both dismissive and lazy and makes for such an obvious observation as to be superfluous. Of course it's both dirty and poor, any place struggling with the challenge of overpopulation to the tune of 2 billion people is bound to be. But India is also many other things, among them one of the most beautiful and exotic places I've ever travelled to. The challenge is to look past the obvious and see what lies underneath and that's where I feel a lot of people fail. Blinded by the extreme poverty and dirtiness many are too quick to judge, vowing never to visit and thus depriving themselves of a meaningful, rewarding and possibly enlightening cultural experience.
When we visited Varanasi -our first stop on our trip through India- both my parents nearly lost their appetite for travel on account of the dirtiness and intensity of the place. By the third day they had shuttered themselves indoors, refusing to venture outside lest they have to deal with fouled streets and importunate hucksters. At the time I thought that our trip was doomed to failure and that an early plane ride back to the comforts of the first world was inevitable; but to her credit Mom toughed it out and after seeing the country I think even she has come away with grudging appreciation.
Of course India is not for everyone. There are those of us whose thresholds for human misery and repulsion at unsanitary conditions are too low. It's not an easy country to tour by any measure, and no matter how seasoned a traveller you are, you're bound to experience at least one case of severe culture shock. But don't pass up a visit to one of the oldest civilizations in the world on account of this. India's history is so old, its country so far-reaching and its culture so rich that you're bound to find something that speaks to you.
India Will Test You
In a broad sense, India is one of the most challenging countries I've ever travelled through. It is as much an exercise in character building as it is a test of said character. If you're in any way unsure of how you will react under unfamiliar/strange/trying circumstances, India will let you know. Even the well-seasoned will have their mettle tested here, if not by the maddening bureaucracy or suffocating pollution, then by indefatigable touts or wily salesmen, and barring even that, then by the sheer chaos of the place. Like my parents, it may all come to a head in a very undignified and violent outburst, taxing both patience and health and perhaps most tragically, one's curiosity and appetite for travel. But if you're able to weather the barrage of India at its worst, then you've earned the right to see India at its best, and what a treat that is: the amazing architecture, the fantastic food, the kindness of its people, the unforgettable sights and exotic experiences, and its impenetrable mystery; all there waiting to be discovered and experienced. Take a look back through my previous posts and you'll hopefully get a glimpse of what treasures await you here.
While the simple logistics of travelling through India will prove challenging for the reasons I've mentioned above, the country will also test you more profound ways. It will challenge your thinking, test your mental and physical fortitude, throw you mercilessly outside your comfort zone, confront your biases, force examination of your values, and may even get you to look at your way of life. If travel is about broadening one's perspective then I can think of no other place that will do this better than India. And because it does this, you come out richer for it, the experience being its own reward with the added bonuses of (one hopes) wisdom and insight. Which brings me to my last point...
India is Humbling
Travelling somewhere that's poorer than the place one calls home invariably induces humility. In India, this is doubly true simply because the poor are everywhere. One has no choice but to examine oneself when confronted by the obvious destitution; and sometimes this leads to learning things about yourself that you didn't know. In my case, it held up a mirror to reveal an unflattering reflection that I preferred not to see, shedding light on my own ignorance and callousness with such harshness as to incite shame.
While in Delhi visiting one of its many great temples we were approached by a barefooted woman in a soiled red sari. She was begging alms like many of the poor in India do, hoping for a little pity and some spare change from the odd tourist or local devotee. She stood out from the other beggars because of how she looked: gaunt, with the use of only her right arm, her left ending in a crude stump at the elbow. But what was most shocking about her was her face: it was absolutely grotesque. Likely the victim of a vicious acid attack, what little skin remained was coarse and raw, taking on the characteristic bumpiness of caustic burns. She had no lips, had only one roving eye and no eyelids. It's one of those sights that's simultaneously revolting yet arresting. You want to look away but you can't.
My first reaction was visceral: I was repulsed and wanted to get as far away as possible. But I composed myself and when she came to plead for change I tried to ignore her and had to be urged by our guide before I parted with a pitiful sum, even by Indian standards. It's something for which I still feel shame. I don't know why I reacted the way I did; perhaps it was because I was overwhelmed by feelings of shock, fear and disgust. But here's what was heartbreaking: when I gave over the change she was so utterly happy -elated even- and grateful for the pittance I have given her, flashing me a disturbing smile (the only smile she could offer) and wishing countless blessings upon me. Was it because she was happy to be even acknowledged? I can't know for sure. It was only later, when I tried to imagine what life must be like for her did I start to harbour guilt that I didn't hand over more, especially at the reaction my miserly donation had elicited from her. India is full of these little episodes, leaving its imprint on the mind, soul or in my case the conscience. I was struck time and again at how people with so very little could be so happy, indeed happier than many people I know back home.
Of course the challenge here is to internalize these lessons so that they can inform future thinking and behavior. One of the perils of living in the first world is that it is too easy to let such hard-earned and valuable insights be drowned out by the noise of the superfluous until they're altogether forgotten. Even though my eyes have been opened I know that gradually, by some unknown and insidious process, the insignificant will become significant and the important will somehow become less so. Before long, concerns will be only of the first world variety: worries of promotions, of money, of status. It's a lesson that I believe needs to be learned often and repeatedly irregardless of how sincere one's intentions are. Here's a quote from Khushwant Singh's Delhi that I hope will help me keep things in perspective:
"That's Delhi. When life gets too much for you all you need to do is spend an hour at Nigambodh Ghat, watch the dead being put to flames and hear their kin wail for them. Then come home and down a couple of pegs of whiskey. In Delhi, death and drink make life worth living"
which I interpret to mean: "Think you've got it bad? Have your reality checked by some real world problems. Then, once that's sunk in, hit the sauce to give yourself the courage to carry on." Prescribing reality checks and whiskey? I like this guy!
It's interesting to re-read my initial impressions on India with the benefit of hindsight. In my first post on India I had said "Although I can't know for sure, I feel like one can visit only this city and come away with a good idea of what India is about." While it's difficult for any city to encapsulate an entire country -let alone one as old and varied as India- I'd say that my initial impressions still hold true. So much of what India is is intertwined with its deep religiosity, and more than any city I've visited here, Varanasi captures not only that, but so much of what I've written above.
So would I recommend travelling to India? If you haven't figured it out by now, the answer is a resounding yes! Do it! It will challenge you but you'll come out richer for it. For those in need of that extra nudge here's a clip that will hopefully get you off the fence:
Yay for finally reading the FAQ and learning how to embed video!
Next I'm off to Sri Lanka with the family for the next month. We'll be joined by the esteemed VY to poke around Ceylon and see if there's anything worth experiencing. This may be my last post for a while, or maybe even my last post for the rest of my year off, I'm still not sure. Writing isn't as fun as it used to be and I'm struggling with working up the motivation.
Oh and what of Chennai? Considering my ill-health, I spent the entirety of my two days here walking the 50m between our air-conditioned hotel to the air-conditioned shopping mall so not much to report. Cultural exploration at its finest.
Goodbye India, its been real.
The people of India.
Experiencing the world and loving every second of it.
