Cochin Synagogue (Kerala, India) & meeting w/ elderly Indian Jew Sarah Cohen

I wanted to share our incredible experience from the other day in Cochin, Kerala where one of three Jewish communities in India resides. We visited the Paradesi Synagogue, built in the 1567, and we met an elderly female Indian Jew for the first time. 

Alex & I rented biked to ride the 4km to "Jew Town" which was a peaceful ride since, as a predominantly Christian area, stores on our route were closed for Sunday. 

The streets approaching the synagogue were lined on top with silver flags, and a floral rainbow marked the last bit of lane-way. As the only functioning shul in the area, it is a heritage site and thus receives many visitors...so there are many shops with surprisingly large and high-quality antique items, mostly statues but also including Judaica such as menorahs. 

Outside the entrance to the shul is a red gateway with Magen Davids and menorahs, and a clock tower which is a more recent addition. As we entered to pay the rs 5 fee (10 cents) we noticed signs that forbids photography so we have no pictures of the sanctuary but are bringing postcards & a brochure with some history of the local Jewish community and the synagogue for you all. 

Inside was a small sanctuary that very much reminds me of the shuls in Safed, Israel. The bimah is surrounded by a small brass fence and stands in the middle of the room...with benches around it and along the perimeter of the room, which means that all who are there are equidistant to the Torah being read. The floor is covered with 1000 Chinese tiles that have blue landscape designs on a white background, and although there are several similar scenes each one is unique. There is an upper balcony for female worshippers, as in Safed. 

From the ceiling hang magnificent glass latern-like chandeliers, with an eloborate centre-piece lamp burning coconut oil continuously in front of the Ark. The Ark is framed by gold-painted engraved wood and draped with Indian cloth with embroidered Hebrew at the top. On either side of the Ark the walls have been painted with tablets containing Hebrew prayers such as the Shema, and on the other side with the 10 Commandments. Outside one of the windows are several old gravestones (presumably because some parts of local cemeteries have been built over). We were able to acquire replicas of copper-plates inscribed with a mixture of the local language of Malayalam and Tamil which were given by a local King (Maharaja) to the leader of the Jewish community (some scholars say from the 11 century, but many agree they are from the 4th century) stating that they would have their own land and be granted special privileges such as some tax exemptions. I will send the translation in full. The earliest Jews arrived to India in 73 C.E.!!        

Since I am here to interview people for my dissertation, and am including some small sample groups from the Abrahamic traditions in India, I asked who I could connect with in the local Jewish community which numbers at about 60. I was told to talk to Sarah Cohen. We found Sarah's Embroidery Shop not too far on the shul lane-way and entered to see a Muslim fellow in the front main area which was lined with books, embroidery and many pictures of Sarah (including one of her inaugurating something with a ribbon-cutting ceremony). Upon entering we saw two elderly women in the front room, one doing embroidery and another sitting in a chair...Alex said "I hope that's her!" because the woman in the chair was adorable even from a distance. The Muslim fellow, Thaha Ibrahim who keeps the shop for Sarah & is a close companion, led us into the other room and sat me down beside her. She asked where we were from and when we said Canada, she lit up and started talking quickly in the local language of Malayalam. Thaha was all smiles and told Sarah we only spoke English, but I tried to speak a bit of Hindi with her as well, which she is also familiar with. She told us that on this day many Israelis came to see her! We learned that she is 92, has lived her whole life in Cochin and would never leave India, and had a late husband named Jacob who she married in the 40s but they had no children. She is the last Cohen of the area. 

As we chatted I burst into tears of joy, and we took some pictures. She often talked about how much she loves singing and how they sing prayers in Hebrew and Malayalam. Sarah told us her attendant, the other elderly Keralan woman, had to give her a bath and she would be back soon. Thaha then showed us a documentary he has been making about the Jews and synagogues of the area, featuring old footage (including clips that show Sarah as a young woman!) and contemporary interviews with some Indian Jews and Muslim historical experts on the subject. Sarah returned all fresh and in a new dress, and as she walked into the room unaccompanied she started singing along to the Jewish Malayalam songs that was over old wedding footage. She told us we must see a wedding, and the brides wear beautiful gold...so much gold!!   

We then watched old videos of Sarah and her late husband Jacob at a celebration. They were being praised and garlanded. We noticed from the videos that, unlike other Indians, this community is very kissy (just like us Toronto Jews!)! Sarah too liked to touch hands while chatting...which doesn't happen much in the context of gender relations in India, save some younger people of the modern generation. 

Thaha then invited us to go see the other synagogues in the area with him later in the week and connected me with a friend of his with very good English who is a Muslim Hebrew calligrapher and who I will interview tomorrow. Thaha long ago fell in love with the Cohens and is very jovial and invested in documenting the history of the local Jews...he told us he does not understand why there is fighting between Jews and Muslims since they are so similar. He is very sweet and an inspiring fellow. 

I bought a book on the synagogue (and there are several books I will be bringing back on the history of Indian Jews) as well as a blue keepah made in their shop. We said farewell to Sarah and told her we would see her again soon, and I said "see you soon" in Hindi and she said in deep song "ohhhh...phir melengay!" with her head wobbling. What an utter delight! 

   

I will send a follow-up email with links to a couple of videos of Sarah & I chatting and singing together.

I am so full of joy! This has been a long-term dream come true.

(pics to come...I had trouble loading them when posting this for some reason...)

Lapis Buddha Murtis

Found these beautiful, precious & quite unique Buddha murtis in Jaipur's Pink City today, made entirely of lapis! Each is uniquely crafted &, as you can see, the pieces of lapis themselves have unique natural colour variations. They are priced by weight. Lapis Lazuli is often referred to in Buddhist prayers when making mental offerings of a perfect environment, or in descriptions of Buddha-realms (places entirely suited to training for enlightenment), where the ground is said to be as smooth as lapis lazuli. Also, crafting & venerating images made of precious materials is seen as particularly auspicious, meritorious & also an offering to that which is represented (as also seen with Jade Buddhas in Chinese Buddhism, & flawless marble Jain statues of the Tirthankaras) despite the fact that such personages themselves eschewed owning or even touching precious stones/materials! We use precious substances to honour those who have entirely renounced them...we offer the absolute best to those who have given up dualistic notions of precious/non-precious. Of course, such offerings pale in comparison to offering one's practice with both a pure compassionate intention and an accurate view of the nature of reality.

Jain interviews & a family dinner

I have been meaning to write about my time with Naveen, a Jain fellow I met at the Ayurvedic clinic...but haven’t blogged in weeks!

The same day I went to the Arogya Bharti Ayurvedic clinic, I knew I had another interview in the evening and returned to the guest-house to rest up. Later that day I was hustling up the street to catch a rickshaw back to the Pink City and I heard someone hollering behind me. I took notice but certainly didn’t expect it was directed at me…I soon turned a bit and noticed a fellow running towards me. He asked “do you know me?” with a smile and I remembered it was Naveen the Jain fellow from the clinic. I asked if everything was okay and if we had in fact made a plan to meet the next evening or if I was mistaken, and he told me he wanted to give me a book on Jain philosophy. It was a very sweet gesture and I can’t say I’ve had a respondent so eager that they came to find me at my place of accomodation!   

            Heading to a respondent’s apartment in the Pink City I walked down one of the narrow side-streets and saw a monkey on a ledge and stopped to take a picture. Behind me a fellow said “only in the junior countries would you see that!” and a fellow chewing paan was smiling over the moment. He asked me what I was doing and I told him I was a researcher from Canada looking at religion and health and we chatted for a bit. Seeing an opportunity, I pulled out a business card and asked him if he would want to do an interview and he slowly beamed with his whole body, putting out his arms and twisting the hands and saying “of course!” and we planned to get in touch and he said we could meet sometime in his office nearby. A happy chance encounter! Eventually I got to the barber shop I was told to ask for directions, and a fellow led me straight to the building I was looking for. Two floors up was my next interviewee looking down, and I found my way upstairs through a narrow darkened stairwell. I was greeted by Surendra, a middle-aged Jain philosopher-poet, and he brought me into his study. He had me wait and as I sat I took in the room…a younger fellow was on a chair exercising his leg, two desks with computers, a huge mattress with cushions for sitting and relaxing, books in all the walls. I have always really enjoyed the Indian building-habit of incorporating bookshelves right into the concrete of walls. Surendra returned and we both sat on the mattress. I always have high-hopes that I can successfully sit crossed-legged during interviews but after a couple I have realized that it is awkward for me with my computer and my back starts to hurt. Halfway through this interview I used one of the cushions to prop up against the wall, which helped. Surendra was an engaged, light-hearted and lively informant, but we ran out of time after the questionnaire before the open-interview so we planned a second meeting…but after we stopped we continued having a lengthy chat full of rich detail, which I am always happy for. We should be meeting again this week.

           

            The next day Naveen came to the guest-house for our interview, and he was a half-hour early. I wasn’t surprised and wasn’t quite ready but pulled myself together as he checked in at the desk (which I found a bit strange that he had to do in the middle of the afternoon…we were going to the rooftop restaurant anyway). This was the first time someone came to me for an interview…usually I go out of my way to meet people on their turf, according to their wishes. It was pretty clear he wanted to go into my room but I wasn’t quite ready for that, so we went to the rooftop. Since this interview I have gotten over it, and have had an interview in my room since some people find this preferable due to the privacy. We started off and I was introducing the interview and Naveen interrupted me and said “before we start I want to her everything you know so I don’t overlap.” I could immediately tell he wanted to be in charge but I wasn’t about to give him a lengthy bio or lecture and, a bit sternly, said that that would take a long time since I have been in Asian studies for more than 20 years and have been preparing this research project for more than 4 years, more than 6 if we include all of my grad studies. He was unswayed so I also mentioned some of what I have done in my research so far, such as my work on Jain and Buddhist pre-mortem death rituals. That he seemed to get and was apparently satisfied and we started. After a couple of questions into the questionnaire Naveen asked me if I wanted to know about pranic healing, to which I said sure and this led to a very long lecture. After an hour and forty minutes of Naveen talking we had gotten through 4 questions in the questionnaire, the whole questionnaire having about 120 questions and the open-interview about 30 (some with multiple parts). I don’t begrudge all the detail because he is a very well read on Jainism and Ayurveda, and thus one of my most exert Jain informants, but I couldn’t help feeling that I had lost control of the interview by giving him free reign. I was determined to be in the driving seat for our next interview since we agreed to meet again the next day. We ran out of time in the first session because he had to get home for dinner and asked me to come along. I was a bit hesitant, not wanting to intrude, but he insisted and I rolled with it…and I was touched by the offer. Naveen is equal parts of intensity and endearing sincerity, and we had a great chat amidst the terrible (and anomalous, apparently) evening traffic on the way to his relative’s place. We arrived at a neighbourhood and he pointed out the local Jain temple, dedicated to the first Tirthankara of this age Lord Rishabha. We entered an apartment complex and into an elevator, those horrifying types with the metal-gate…and no lights inside. We arrived to an apartment full of women of various ages, the oldest was Naveen’s mother and in her 80s. Most spoke no English so I spent most of the time just watching, and answering the occasional question through Naveen. He and I sat on (rather, sunk into) a couch and the TV had a naked Jain monk lecturing from a wooden lotus lectern. Naveen’s mother was deeply involved, and when Naveen and I were chatting I am pretty sure she waved her hand at us to keep it down! Another older female relative even clapped at one point during the lecture. I find Indian religious programming truly fascinating and one of the common elements of televised lectures are frequent shots of the audience reacting. What I also find interesting is that Indian religious figures often holler at the audience, usually clipping the microphone which is already full of reverb. Maybe it is a Hindi lecturing habit to give it with gusto…and the audience really gets revved up! Especially with Jainism, which so strongly emphasizes mental pacification, I find the yelling a paradox. In the Buddhist monastic code there are precepts that advise speech to be soft and even, so that when seated a person seated 2 people next to you can barely hear you. The logic is to be moderate in both the volume and number of words, so as to not disturb others’ or your own mind. The next lecturer, another Jain monk, was yelling even louder!! So much so that one of the women turned the TV off…perhaps for my sake but I can’t be sure. I was really taken by it. I haven’t seen enough televised lectures in Hindi by Buddhist monks to see if they yell also, but Hindu and Jain religious teachers seem to have very passionate delivery, and the listeners clearly love it. Naveen went to take his mother upstairs, and I was sat down for dinner after being directed to the bathroom to wash my hands. I noticed the faucet had a small piece of cloth wrapped around it. This is common in Jain places since water is seen as a living entity and cannot be drunk without being strained first, so that one does not breach non-violence by drinking something that is alive. I have seen this before and have contemplated it a lot, in that even the act of turning on the water and passing it through a strainer technically (according to the Jain view) kills the water-beings (both the water as a living thing and the microscopic beings that live within it). I suppose since drinking is almost unavoidable, unless one is fasting unto death, and it is seen as more important to not INGEST living things and less important that straining water is a killing of sorts. I found it awkward to be seated without Naveen, but his cousin-brother was there and we were served sweet and savoury pakoras (deep-fried balls) with green chutney (sauce). They giggled when I put the sweet pakora in the chutney, but I really do love sauce…as do Indians. There were also some sweet slices of a type of dessert that tasted like halva, made from sesame. The women kept placing food on my plate every time something was depleted, and even when I protested! This reminded me very much of being in Gujurat when I was a monk and where the family would watch me eat and fill my plate constantly  before taking any food themselves…which I find very awkward. Perhaps taboo, I kept asking when the women would eat and they said they need to serve the food hot and they will eat after. It certainly was delicious, full of lively Hindi conversation between them, and peppered with some translated interaction between us. The whole family were very sweet. After Naveen and I sunk back into the couch…I almost fell off and the youngest of the women, a teacher, brought a chair for me and I said it was okay. Naveen, his cousin-brother and I chatted, and soon Naveen’s son came and was pressured into eating too despite his protests. He was on his way to a wedding and Naveen said he could give me a lift. We took our leave, and I expressed my gratitude to the family as best I could. In the car Naveen’s son and I chatted and despite some language barriers he was able to tell me that he is always impressed when people come from afar to study Jainism, and that one particular Jain monk showed him the importance of studying the tradition in a historical context. It was a very intimate and enjoyable evening with an adorable Jain family!                        

Meeting Sri Sushil Vaidya-ji & tour of Arogya Bharti Ayurvedic Clinic PART 2

(con't from previous post)

            Soon after finding out that the fellow in the suit was Sri Sushil Vaidya-ji’s younger brother, named Rajendra Shekhar, I quickly realized that he would be talking on the doctor’s behalf. Rather than hijacking the interview, I noticed that the Vaidya was paying very close attention to the conversation and would pipe up occasionally to make corrections and additions. Rajendra’s English was fairly good but pretty basic, and I was appreciating that he likely knows what his brother would say regarding key themes and principles in his worldview, and also he seemed to be a protective buffer for the elderly Ayurvedic doctor. He had some pretty orthodox views on religion and caste, and often separated religion and health but was determined to make it clear that karma, diet, lifestyle and practices related to concentration, yoga and prana (breath) are the key factors affecting health. Rajendra is as intense as his Vaidya brother is mild, but it was a rich, if terse, conversation. Due to time constraints and language limits, this was one time when the questionnaire part of my interviews wasn’t suitable. I did ask if I could interview other staff and the Vaidya assented. After we had done as much as we could, Vaidya-ji got up and walked out and Rajendra kindly offered to take me on a tour of the facility. The waiting area was now entirely full (10:30am?) with a very quiet crowd, and we walked upstairs. Rajendra is on the left, another volunteer on the right...

On the next floor there was a table with an older lady writing on small packets of herbal remedies, and Rajendra told me she was one of 250 volunteers and from a very good family. We crossed a large room with grates looking down upon the waiting area and into a back room that was clearly for religious practices. 

Rajendra told me that Sushil Vaidya-ji teaches Vipassana meditation there. The next floor up was a duplicate of the previous floor but the back room was, instead, a medication teaching and preparation room with a similar set-up of mats and small tables, but the room had more space and was lined with big plastic jars containing herbal remedies. 

The next floor up was an outdoor patio and a library in the back that was full of books from different traditions (Jain, Hindu, Osho) and I was shown some handmade books that students make after their training to describe their experiences at the clinic. 

We then sat for tea over casual conversation and we got to know each other a bit more. We went back to the man floor and I was shown the medication distribution area, filled with well-dressed and disciplined volunteers. I was told that everyone works for free and when I asked if clients are charged, he said they pay a 1 rupee token fee for herbal remedies. Very impressive, indeed. We then went back to the patient care area and Sushil Vaidya-ji came back and it became clear we were going to take some photos. First, Vaidya-ji took out a small vial with a roller on it (like lipgloss) and took my hand and rubbed a yellowish substance on it…he told me to rub my hands and breathe it in and that it would help my heart. His daughter Dr. Kala Kasliwal encouraged me while I was inhaling, speaking of its good effects. We then took several rounds of pictures with female and male staff. 

The whole thing was very sweet and there is a lot of good energy in this place. I asked Dr. Kasliwal if I could come back to interview other staff, she said I could come back the next week…and that people only speak a little English. I also mentioned that perhaps I could help out some time, which made her falter…she eventually stammered something like “alright.” This is the 3^rd time I’ve offered to volunteer in India and each time it seems to be more awkward than helpful. If they have enough help, I certainly don’t want to be a burden…but the observation of the workings of the clinic would be very insightful. I’ll visit again and see what happens.     

       

A busy week of research in Jaipur with Ayurvedic practitioners & Jains PART 1

        Early in the week I had a meeting with someone who was to be a key Jain connection here in Jaipur. Our phone conversations had failed miserably but I had heard he was a wonderful person so I went in with an open mind. I arrived near the Jain compound early and from my previous stay in this area I knew there were momos to be had in the mall across the street. Inside I saw the same momo-stand but they only had veggie momos and I had a hankering since the previous day and went for a Subway deli-sub (without the veggies, of course…the mistake of assuming veggies of international chains are somehow safer got Alex into trouble in the Delhi airport in 2010 and made for her longest airplane ride ever). The compound was a bit desolate and it looked like they were cleaning up the aftermath of a big celebration. The compound has a temple in the central courtyard, 2 huge grassy areas, one beside the residences and the other beside what seems to be the main celebration hall. I wasn’t sure where to find Dr. Sogani but went upstairs to the area where the canteen and lecture hall is and found three people at a table. I poked my head in and made a gesture like I didn’t want to interrupt. Dr. Sogani invited me in and the two people with him said they were just chatting. The people with Dr. Sogani, an erudite Jain scholar and language teacher, said they were from Sydney, Australia and were studying Prakrit with him. Dr. Sogani was friendly and I learned that he is in his 80s so some of my irritation from our earlier failed communications melted away. The pair said that they do 2 hour sessions with him and then he gets tired. He was very friendly and smiling but we both had language barriers with each other. I told him that I had found a place to stay and thanked him very much for discussing accommodations with me…he said something about the rooms there being over rs 700 and I told him I had a great place for a good price in Gopalbari (I have since found out that there are researchers staying there now, but I’m happy where I’m at). I then told him about my project and he looked perplexed. He asked what I was researching and I said Jainism and health. I also told him we both appeared in the same book, and gave him the details of a publication we both had articles in (mine on Jain Voluntary Fasting unto Death or sallekhana)…hoping that would lend some legitimacy. Nope. No idea. I handed him one of my info sheets and he said he had read it…I then realized that one person I was emailing with about interviews was his assistant. I asked if he could help me find people to interview and after telling him I interviewed Dr. Shugan Jain in Delhi he handed the paper back to me and said that if I interviewed him that certainly was enough. My heart sank and I told him light-heartedly that I was looking to do about 50 interviews in India and 50 in Canada, and the female of the visiting pair tried to explain the ethnographic nature of my project (one spoke some Hindi), and he looked surprised. I asked if I could interview him and he said maybe after working with this pair in the middle of December, and when I asked if he had any suggestions for other people I could interview he gave me a few names and addresses, a partial phone number and no emails of course. I asked if he could put up a poster for recruitment (with detachable email leaves) and he handed my papers back to me shaking his head. I asked if he was willing to be interviewed and frowned and waved me off saying not really. I suppose one only gets time with him if one is studying Prakrit with him. I think the language barriers between us were factors also. At least he was straight up with me. He was indeed warm in person but I found him dismissive and resolved to not be discouraged and to find my own ways to get recruits for the study. Many recruits have come from meeting people in person, word of mouth and from social networking.

            The next day I had a meeting with a well-known Ayurvedic doctor who I was told about by an amazing fellow in Delhi that I came into contact with through a Jain youth organization online. I hadn’t slept well so was tired and cranky and as we passed the Pink City gates... 

...started living through another example of directions gone wrong…one part of the directions sent me to one place, another part of the directions to another area completely. I had seen one landmark that was described to me and knew in my gut that was where we were to go but let the rickshaw driver ask several people for directions, as they are wont to do. Fortunately I leave lots of time to get to appointments and eventually we ended up back at the right lane in the Pink City. 

Several people down the narrow lane pointed me towards the clinic and I arrived at a yellow archway leading into a courtyard. 

I was told to take off my shoes and went down into a waiting-area with quite a few people sitting quietly on metal chairs. I checked in at the desk and sat to wait, noticing the table splitting the room had hard-cover folders with reading materials in them. Almost instantly I was brought into the back and sat in front of a desk. Not knowing what was happening I pulled out my computer and someone told me to put it away because he was coming. As Sri Sushil Vaidya-ji entered the room there were about 8 people inside a small office, women and men all well-dressed and bowing slightly and hushed. The Vaidya was quite frail but energetic, wearing all white with glasses and a bit unshaven. He sat beside me and I sat after him and waited for someone to guide me as to the protocol. Nothing happened so I said I was doing research on religion and health and would like to interview him, handing him and info sheet which he read and nodded while doing so. He handed it back and started to leave, and I got up also, and he must have noticed my confusion and he put his hand on my shoulder and said warmly with a huge smile, while looking right into my eyes: “wait and we’ll talk soon, ok?” Sushil Vaidya-ji left the room and I was taken into another room with empty patient beds and blue and orange curtains. I was sat with a female volunteer as Sushil Vaidya-ji’s daughter Dr. Kala Kasliwal was busy seeing patients. I told the volunteer that was currently babysitting me, Poonam, that this was a bit awkward for me because this was a patient care area and the doctor seemed to be very busy, but nobody was concerned about these things. In fact, she asked about my research and after I told her a bit about my project she said that it would be interesting for me to observe how religion is incorporated into the care delivery. Poonam told me that she was new there and learning what she could, asked my religion and told me she is devoted Jain Svetambar (Murtipujak). I asked her if I could interview her and perhaps some other staff as well and she said it would be up to Sushil Vaidya-ji. I noticed patients being massaged, wiggled and percussed, and Dr. Kasliwal taking a history from a mother about her son who was coughing and her assistant busily scribbling notes when the doctor spoke. At one point Dr. Kasliwal lifted her arms and swung them around and said “this is my theatre!” A fellow walked in and greeted the doctor and she introduced him as her senior, and the fellow promptly sat down all smiles and wanted to chat with me. He asked if I believe in rebirth and told me about meditating on parts of the head for different purposes, mentioned a worker at the clinic remembering being a peacock in Jain temple in the immediately preceding life, and mentioned Jain Samadhi Marana (death in meditation). I told him I have spent time investigating sallekhana and he said many think it is not good but he thinks that it is good way to die, one that all Jain saints hope for. I looked at Poonam and told her that this was the kind of conversation I was looking for in my interviews! I asked the fellow, named Naveen Jain, if I could interview him and he was overjoyed and we exchanged contact info. He asked if we could do it that night but I told him I had another interview that night and that the next day would be best. He is the first recruit so far that planned on coming to me for the interview, as the area I’m living in is on the way for him when he returns home from work. More on Naveen later…he has turned out to be a very compelling respondent and a new friend.

            I was then ushered into a small office and met a tall block-faced older fellow in a brown suit. He shook my hand warmly and looked me in the eyes and said “you are most welcome!” The Sushil Vaidya-ji entered with some other people who left, and he went straight to sit on a small metal chair rather than the chairs with woven wicker padding despite the fellow and myself trying to get him to a better chair. We all sat down and I soon was told that the fellow was Sushil Vaidya-ji’s younger brother!

TO BE CONTINUED!

- - Meeting Sri Sushil Vaidya-ji

- - Arogya Bharti Tour, tea, photos

- - interview with Jain philosopher in a Pink City apartment

- - Naveen chases me in the street to give me a text, we have 2 interviews, he brings me for a Jain family dinner

Last night in Delhi, Heading to Jaipur, First week in Jaipur

        On my last night in Delhi I finally made the time to go and see Interstellar, which I had been dying to see. I made sure I was packed for my 545am pickup for the bus to Jaipur. I don’t typically go out and about after sun-down, for safety, but this was just a quick trip 1 stop by Metro to the dreaded junction station of Rajiv Chowk. I have to admit that heading down to the tracks I felt a strange anxiety knowing that I would be stared at, giggled at, pointed at…which I try to take as training in empathy for those that have to put up with this every day of their lives…but something quite remarkable happened. I was crushed up against the door inside the train and someone behind me said “Trauma-neurosurgery?” I was wearing my blue St. Mike’s TNICU shirt. I turned around and said “yes, I work in hospital in Canada.” What followed was an amazing discussion. He asked what kind of patients we see and I told him that we see all sorts of traumatic injuries, include those of the head, and also various brain related conditions. A tall fellow in his late 20s or early 30s, he proceeded to tell me his story of being born with some sort of condition that makes him prone to aneurysms, and years before he had symptoms from one that left him hospitalized. Light-hearted and well-spoken, he told me he was lucky to be alive and that he got the best care he could have hoped for. He was very friendly and expressive, and we laughed during our conversation, and everyone around us observed our interaction as it happened. I was a bit stunned by all of this, since I had gone in with some fear, and in retrospect, I wish that I had given this young fellow my card so we could do an interview as he is a unique case of a young person with experience as a patient in hospital with a very serious condition. I also sometimes think moments like these could be a set up by bodhisattvas who manifest in atypical ways to teach us…my fear of being ridiculed can be an obstacle to connecting with others.

            I arrived at Connaught Place, a commercial hub of Delhi sometimes called Connaught Circus (for good reason), comprised of white-pillared buildings located in a huge roundabout. 

It had been a while since I had been there, but I do recall a brief skip there in 2010. I found the theatre and bought a ticket, which was a bit more than $6…half-price for Toronto but more than rs 300. 

I had some extra time so I thought to go and get a McVeggie, which I had been craving. I passed a crowd and it seemed to be the launch of the anti-spitting campaign. A troupe was acting out the message with flair and drums to a captivated audience. 

 

I got a couple of sandwiches and tried to enter the theatre but they frisk and have metal detectors (as does the Metro, Malls and theatres) so I was told I couldn’t bring the burgers inside. I gobbled one and smuggled the other inside, and went to get more treats. It was about 15 minutes before show-time. I got some popcorn and a drink, which they serve on a lap-tray (they certainly know how to do it right!) 

and walked into the theatre and another movie was playing…I suppose they go right down to the wire, which makes sense when there are only a couple screens. I waited in the lobby which was immaculate white stone and had 3 waiting areas replete with golden curtains, tables and chairs…suitable for a Mob Boss meeting. 

Eventually a line up for the theatre started and we paraded in and tried to find our seats which are designated. The front section is more expensive (by a couple hundred rupees, and was empty this night), and I also noticed double-sized seats with a small table in-between near the back (like the VIP rooms at Varsity theatre). My seat was in the front row of the 2^nd section and when I asked where my seat was, a non-Indian fellow said “beside me!” to which I responded “oh, I’ll give you some room” and moved a couple of seats over. Next hordes of people came in with the ushers all clamouring for their seats in this row, all the while the rest of the theatre was near empty. The movie started and people were still nattering and shining lights to find their seat so I moved a couple of rows back finding this all too ridiculous. The movie is sensational, and in the middle as a ship is about to land on an extra-solar planet, the lights go up and the movie stops. The screen lit red with the word INTERVAL and I thought of Monty Python and went to get some nachos, which were fairly thick spiced chips which came with salsa and cheese dips. To suit the Indian palette there are many offerings in addition to popcorn…cakes, various veg burgers and wraps, but no candy! Due to the slow line, I was getting worried at missing the movie starting up again but as I entered the ship was landing again so I suppose they back it up a bit when they start it up again. The movie was simply astounding and I can’t wait to see it again…I’ll get my chance since they only ever show maximum 2 Hollywood movies here at a time. Another quirk is that you can only exit the theatre from the exits that lead right to the street and so can't go back into the theatre to use the bathroom, which is annoying...and weird to have entrances blocked by security. I suppose they are trying to avoid people doing free double-headers.           

            I didn’t sleep much and was in the lobby for the 5:45 am pickup…what this actually meant would become clear soon. I waited for 30 minutes, about 15 minutes after what I thought was the bus departure time…but the fellow at the desk assured me not to worry. Then the “pickup” arrived and I asked where the vehicle was, and he kept pointing in the distance. Had I known that I would be dragging my luggage for a click down pot-holed laneways I would have hopped in a rickshaw…the “pickup” was a walking escort, and I spat and growled the whole way. The driver shoved my luggage in the back and the walking escort said gleefully “luggage charge!” I was in no mood and said “what luggage charge?! I’m not supposed to have luggage?!” I wondered if I had a minute to get a chai but no such luck. I sat in the small bus that held about 15 people and it soon filled up, mostly with a Bangladeshi family of 2 males and 8 females. I was pooped so closed my eyes as we started to leave Delhi but the women were talking with gusto at full volume for at least 3 hours. I read the newspapers and just as I was about to get worried for lack of food, we stopped at a roadside dhaba. As with the many unilingual signs around Delhi, reading Hindi comes in handy and I could read the menu painted in red on the wall so I ordered some prantha (stuffed fried bread) and chai…and ended up having 3 chais! I felt a lot better. We were clearly in Rajasthan as the road-sides were all sand and a camel went by pulling a load. We continued on and the terrain changed even more, with rocky hills springing up on both sides which delighted the Bangladeshis who broke out cameras and camcorders. Afternoon now and the women were quiet and the guys started talking, and the younger fellow then started up a conversation with me and was very friendly and chatty…he wanted to know what I did and how much business managers made in Canada. The trip was supposed to be only 4.5 hous but after 6 hours we arrived at the Amber Palace and we got off. 

I asked the driver how long until we went to the heart of the city and he said 2 hours. I flipped because I specifically asked when and where we would be dropped off and was told the bus would stop for sightseeing for 30 minutes. Infuriated I jumped into a rickshaw with a friendly young Indian guy who had similarly been misled by a bus company. We passed the Water Palace...

...and an entire family on one motorbike...

After the young guy hopped off, the driver Chandra (who was surprised I knew what his name meant!) wanted to chat. The ride cost rs 300 but I was happy to finaly arrive at the guest-house. I have since written the bus company, with no response of course, so I will confront them when I’m back in Delhi (the company is inside the guest-house I stayed at).

            I found the New India Guest House online and liked that it seemed to have funky décor, was clean, had a rooftop patio and the owner communicated well by email. They were very friendly when I arrived and we worked out a great monthly rate less than the Jain compound that I tried to stay at…trying to work that out with my Jaipur contact proved impossible. He said there was a wedding and no room, and I asked when it would be over for rooms to open up and he got frustrated and said he didn’t understand my language…this from a scholar who writes books and lectures in English. I think it was just my karma ripening to lead me to this great place that suits me. The neighbourhood is quiet and not too far from a main road that leads to the Pink City. Despite being tired I went for a 1 hour walk to one of the gates and found the road lined with mostly jewellery stores, which makes sense for a big city in Rajasthan, the wedding destination state of India. Here's a roundabout on the main street...

...and one of the gates to the Pink City...

...and local landmark, the Pink Tower...

...and this is what Indians think my name is (Shaan is a famous movie, and artist as well)...

...here is the view kitty-corner to my room...

I relaxed the next day and planned on starting research activities on Monday. On my first day I established that the wifi here is spectacular, which bodes well for research, concert booking and also Skyping with Alex daily, as has become our routine. I also quickly realized that the house cook, Saleem, is a very talented cook and a sweet man. We chat often. It seems, though, that mid-afternoon is siesta time so on Sunday I was starving at this time and went down the street to where I saw a café. This chain, Café Coffee Day (CCD), is all over the place and always clean and with good coffee. This place was adjoined to a hotel and was dead, but full of sunlight and with soothing music. 

It seems like a good place to go write if I need a change of scenery. The food is good, a bit more expensive, and takes a while but a really peaceful place to chill.

            The past week was full of research activities. I made recruitment posters with my email as detachable leaves at the bottom. I interviewed 1 uneducated Muslim local who gave very rich answers, and 2 Jains (one an agnostic MD) which were both fantastic sessions. I am shooting for at least 3 interviews a week. On one day when I didn’t have any booked, I tweaked my questionnaire, did a media-scan for articles related to health and end-of-life, and every day I have to do concert bookings since I am still running shows while I am away. On another day I decided to visit one of the recommended hospitals that services Jains and walked for hours and made a few stops along the way. It was also a chance to get to know the area a bit more, and I found a supermarket quite close by for hard to get items. I always leave with screen-shots of maps to where I am headed, but this was a bit of a meander since streets are often not labelled. I use the main street of MI road, and the sun, to get my bearings. I walked down a street called Ashok Marg, named after the great Dharma King Ashoka who did much to promulgate Buddhism in India. One roundabout on this street has at its centre the 24-spoked Ashoka Chakra (wheel) which is depicted on Ashoka’s edict pillars as well as on the flag of India. The spokes represent the Buddha’s teaching on the 12 links of dependent arising in forward and reverse order. I passed some colleges and thought that hanging posters in such places might be a good idea. I entered a journalism college, which had a beautiful wall-painting of Ganesha at the entrance...

...and behind the main desk 10 people were talking, and another table had 10 students discussing their work. I made a gesture that I didn’t want to disturb what looked like a meeting at the desk, but an older fellow with a cloth over one eye invited me to tell them what I wanted. What followed was a lengthy discussion over a simple request to hang a poster. The fellow suggested I take out a newspaper ad, which is a great idea which I will be doing asap. A Sikh student helped in the discussion and eventually they agreed to hang a poster and wanted several but I said I had limited numbers and 1 would suffice. I came upon a big government hospital, which was beautiful both inside and out (quite different from the run-down public hospitals I am used to seeing in Dharamsala) and an administrator said I couldn’t hang posters without governmental permission, even after asking if there was a community bulletin board. I started to recognize an area as I was randomly passing the Jain compound that we stayed at in 2010... 

...and my contact wasn’t there so I spent some time in the shrine room and asked to leave a poster, which they weren’t comfortable with and told me to return to talk to the guy in charge (the same fellow I had trouble communicating with on the phone). I passed a road-side Muslim shrine-tomb...

...and was surprised to see a female attendant giving out blessed-food (prashad, here in the form of bananas) which I didn't know was an Islamic habit as well. I eventually made it to the hospital, which a sprawling and immaculate campus with nowhere to go to talk to anyone in charge. I was hoping to access some Health Care Professionals via the hospitals but this reinforced the fact that the way to get recruits will be by word of mouth, various advertising and through religious communities. After a couple of hours of walking, the sun was setting and a rickshaw took only 10 minutes to get me back home.   

            Tomorrow another week of research begins!