Namaste! It seems like a daunting task to write about all the amazing sights, sounds, and adventures of my two week trip traveling around India. I will do my best to highlight some of my favorite moments from traveling around the northwestern area of India from march 3rd to the 17th. Well it all started with a two day train ride from Calcutta to Shimla. Boy oh Boy is the train quite the experience. I definitely saw first hand how tight knit India's extended families are!! We shared our seat section on the train with a family who (when we did not have the bunks up for sleeping) crammed all 12 of their relatives in with us for the journey in seats made to fit 8!! Ha ha, while they were very nice, I was obviously excited to change trains on the last leg up to Shimla. The last leg consisted of a 5 and a half hour ride on a toy train on a narrow gauge line constructed in 1903. It traveled through 104 tunnels and around the ridges of mountains with views that were absolutely breathtaking.
Shimla is the state capital of Eastern Himachal Pradesh (the state) and it started as a summer retreat for the Raj. It is strung out along a 12 Km ridge and is 1,000m above sea level. It is cooler up there, with beautiful views and peaks. Also, it is a bit cleaner and more upscale than the area in West Bengal. This is due to the tourism (fancy coffee shops and stores) and laws banning: spitting, plastic bags, littering, and smoking. We toured the town and due to the elevation and steep hills you definitely could feel it being a little harder to breath. One day we headed into Kufra and rode horses along a 4km hike up to a temple on the mountain. The view was beautiful and you could see the Himalaya's in the far distance. Also at the top you could take photos with yaks, snakes, and Indians dressed in traditional ware. There also were food stalls, a temple, vendors, and an amusement park in the distance. I saved my rupees :-D. Next we headed to Naldehra for a hike in a cedar forest. To finish we went to the Jakhu Temple.
Perhaps one of my favorite things about this area of India are the monkeys. They absolutely are everywhere and the Jakhu temple dedicated to Hanuman (the monkey god) is overflowing with them. Unfortunately, here they are so used to humans they are quite vicious and you are handed big sticks to try to keep them away. Kat and I were not given sticks (they handed them to the men) and the monkeys came after us. I tried to scare one off but it was not scared of me and our driver had to come to my rescue with his stick. Ha ha. Despite this I loved watching their antics, they are like little people. I also loved Shimla but we were off to Manali.
It took 8 and a half hours to journey by car to manali. The elevation is 2050 meters and the town is surrounded by white capped mountains that are the base of the Himalayan mountain range. According to Hindu legend Manu (the Hindi equivalent of Noah) landed his boat here to recreate human life after the flood. It was quite cold and I had to wear all my clothing, (in the hotel too, since none use heat) but it was exhilarating to be in the Himalayan Range. We went towards the Rotang Pass, but only could travel part of the way as it was still closed for the winter. Like many around us we stopped and enjoyed the sight. We took loads of photographs, and enjoyed a once in a lifetime experience. Also here were hawkers, and skiers, and snow mobiles, and the largest fluffiest bunnies to take photos with in the world... I swear. I didn't take a photo but I just loved the bunnies and always tried to pet them. We went to the nearby Vashisht Town with hot bath springs and temples and it is a sort of hippie town in the mountains. Back in Manali we went to the Hidimba Devi temple erected in 1553 of stone mandir and wood. We also went to a Buddhist monastery where inside there is a two story statue of Sakyamuni (the historical Buddha: ie the thin one not the chubby Buddha). This was my favorite so far as I loved all the bright bright colors and prayer flags. I also thoroughly enjoyed turning the meditative wheels surrounding the building and chanting the oms. Manali also had wonderful parks and souvenir shopping for all you at home!
After Shimla we headed off to the Kullu Valley and on to Maikaran (meaning Jewel from the ear). According to local legend a snake stole the Jewel from Parvart while she was bathing then snorting them into the earth releasing hot springs. Here the springs are hot enough to boil rice. Some of the springs are mixed with cool water for baths. Inside were female only baths where Kat and I went and outside and in a separate inside room ones for men. They are like huge hot tubs only people actually bathe in them. And the best part about this trip was that it was the day to celebrate Holi..... the best festival of all......
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Final Day in Ranchi Village Re-Construction Program
For our final day in at the Ranchi YMCA we were very fortunate to be taken to tour their village re-construction program conducted in the 68 villages of Maranghada. The programs there are as follows: a children's school in 5 villages and 1 night school, indigenous and tribal sports, games, songs, and dance, agricultural extension program with in support of Birsa Agriculture, health care programs, food for work programs, construction of roads, tanks, wells, electricity, and small irrigation canals, vocational programs (tailoring, typing, bamboo handicraft, bee keeping, tile making, pickle processing, oil extraction, village marketing), awareness programs of witchcraft/superstition, AIDS, population expansion, environment, and hygiene, and promotion of community forestry, conservation, and alternative energy. Whew!!!!!
After over an hour drive we arrived at the Y headquarters to a wonderful welcoming of tribal song and dance. They gifted us with many lei's of flower garlands. We also joined in the traditional dance. The people of these villages are tribal people, therefore their language is not Hindi or Bengali but one of the many tribal languages present throughout India. Therefore, whenever we spoke we needed two interpreters!! One to put the tribal language into Hindi or Bengali then another person to translate into English! Anyways after the welcoming dance we visited the villages that are 3rd world status. Here the teacher must go door to door to collect children for school because the parent often would prefer their help out in the field. There are only 1 or 2 crops of rice cultivation a year as this area tends to be very dry. Many of the villages have no electricity and they are very very poor. These villages truly are without any modern amenities or lifestyle. It is a bit hard to explain all we saw and I am running out of computer time :-D
So to sum up the trip we also saw some of the programs stated above being enacted and visited a man whom produces honey which was quite tasty and we brought some back with us. We had a delicious lunch prepared in the traditional way cooked over wood burning fires and headed back to Ranchi. From Ranchi we caught our train home. We were very thankful to M. Sagna for all his and the Y's hospitality and the programs we saw and the way they helped the people of India will truly never be forgotten.
After over an hour drive we arrived at the Y headquarters to a wonderful welcoming of tribal song and dance. They gifted us with many lei's of flower garlands. We also joined in the traditional dance. The people of these villages are tribal people, therefore their language is not Hindi or Bengali but one of the many tribal languages present throughout India. Therefore, whenever we spoke we needed two interpreters!! One to put the tribal language into Hindi or Bengali then another person to translate into English! Anyways after the welcoming dance we visited the villages that are 3rd world status. Here the teacher must go door to door to collect children for school because the parent often would prefer their help out in the field. There are only 1 or 2 crops of rice cultivation a year as this area tends to be very dry. Many of the villages have no electricity and they are very very poor. These villages truly are without any modern amenities or lifestyle. It is a bit hard to explain all we saw and I am running out of computer time :-D
So to sum up the trip we also saw some of the programs stated above being enacted and visited a man whom produces honey which was quite tasty and we brought some back with us. We had a delicious lunch prepared in the traditional way cooked over wood burning fires and headed back to Ranchi. From Ranchi we caught our train home. We were very thankful to M. Sagna for all his and the Y's hospitality and the programs we saw and the way they helped the people of India will truly never be forgotten.
Ranchi 2nd Day Vocational Programs
On our second day in Ranchi, we were given a full tour and explanation of the vocational programs. At the main YMCA center, the building hosts numerous vocational classes for educated youth looking to further their studies, drop-out youth needing some vocational training, and anyone else whom cares to participate. The Y charges a nominal fee which is much more accessible to the lower income classes, than attending a different university or training program. There also our opportunities for scholarships. The classes range from 3 months to a year and a half and after completion the students are awarded certificates of completion. There is training in computer, typing, stenography and Banking/Railway/SSC Coaching, and Government Exam coaching, all of which are needed for government employment positions. There are also classes in English, Tailoring and Embroidery, Fabric and oil painting, knitting, Fine Arts, Stitching and Beautification classes. Many of the students have also formed a Uni-Y program which organizes Career Guidance classes, job fairs, debates, seminars, cultural programs, and sports and recreational activities. After viewing the vocational programs we toured the school.
In conjugation to the vocational programs the two main centers, the center of Ranchi and one in Thulwa (near the city), also house primary schools. The schools will soon be certified by the state as primary schools which is necessary for the students to get proper admittance to high school. The school in Thulwa was very nice and they are looking to actually build a high school. The children here get a very good education and like all Y funded programs the school helps with funding to reach out to lower class families in order to provide an education to all.
Finally we also were given the wonderful opportunity to be present at the certification ceremony at the vocational center in Ranchi. Many of the girls we had met the previous day at the vocational room in the slum were present to receive their certificate. In a total surprise, we were asked to give the certificates themselves to the students as they were named. We spoke some words of congratulations and acknowledged their hard work and new found skills. Then there was an open room discussion as the women asked questions about us,the United States, and our impressions of India. They really seemed to like us, and requested taking many photographs with us. It was quite an uplifting day, and a bit more light of emotion than the day prior.
In conjugation to the vocational programs the two main centers, the center of Ranchi and one in Thulwa (near the city), also house primary schools. The schools will soon be certified by the state as primary schools which is necessary for the students to get proper admittance to high school. The school in Thulwa was very nice and they are looking to actually build a high school. The children here get a very good education and like all Y funded programs the school helps with funding to reach out to lower class families in order to provide an education to all.
Finally we also were given the wonderful opportunity to be present at the certification ceremony at the vocational center in Ranchi. Many of the girls we had met the previous day at the vocational room in the slum were present to receive their certificate. In a total surprise, we were asked to give the certificates themselves to the students as they were named. We spoke some words of congratulations and acknowledged their hard work and new found skills. Then there was an open room discussion as the women asked questions about us,the United States, and our impressions of India. They really seemed to like us, and requested taking many photographs with us. It was quite an uplifting day, and a bit more light of emotion than the day prior.
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