Reflecting on India

The tiny alleys of Varanasi old town

Reflecting on India

Often when one reads about people’s experiences in India words that get overused include ‘contradictory’, ‘fascinating’, ‘exhausting’, ‘frustrating’ ‘friendly.’.
All of those apply to my short time here.
It is a place that has taught me many things and whilst what I planned didn’t materialise I’m so pleased I tried.

The first thing I learnt was…do your homework. I had read that the best time to visit is December through February, so I thought I was on the pigs back landing in January. Wrong. The one thing I failed to factor in was that pollution in India sky rockets in the cooler months as the fumes and smog can’t escape in to the atmosphere. So the AQI stays well over 200, often over the 300 mark. The pollution had an immediate and significant impact on my health almost straight away, to the point now, two weeks in, I can’t walk up two flights of stairs without stopping for breath! My heart, which was working wonderfully after the procedure in October is now bouncing around like a butterfly! So the decision to leave wasn’t a hard one! I no longer feel the need to stay up on a self imposed cross in some self flagellating pose. My health is more important than proving something to myself or anyone else.

Secondly, I’ve learnt that Indian people are generous and kind. Despite their own challenges, they never cease to amaze how important it is to them to treat travellers as guests, as friends. This kind of display of unselfish kindness is a dying thing in so many ‘western’ or so called ‘advanced’ countries where ‘me-ism’ dominates. Yes, life here is very different to what I may be accustomed to, but that does not reveal itself in an impoverished approach to complete strangers. They are a proud people who love their country. I’m pleased for them that they have such pride, though it’s not a blind pride – I have had many discussions with Indians about all that is troublesome to them with their homeland, and they show great insight and awareness, and recognise that they however are somewhat stuck in trying to solve these wicked problems. As one guy said to me – in western cultures they have systems but they don’t work. In India we don’t have any system but somehow it works’ I guess the term ‘work’ is a loaded and contextual term!

Thirdly, it’s clear that anything and everything can and is solved here…..but you need buckets of patience and ….cash! Necessity being the mother of all inventions certainly is demonstrated here every day. It’s a bit like ‘she’ll be right mate’ in Aussie slang, tho there it can also can mean ‘yeah, right, that ain’t gonna work’ whereas here, it has to work!

Fourthly. I have gained insights in to just how utterly complex the climate crisis is when you see the ‘engine room ’ of the crisis unfolding every day here. People everywhere sit in doorways with a little bowl of wood burning to keep warm. Old engines spew out unfathomable levels of toxic gas. There is rubbish everywhere and open sewers in the absence of any facilities. There are a billion people crammed in to a finite space. So yep, I get the reusable plastic bags and recycling but when you see what real pollution looks like, I’m left scratching my head as to how any of that first world ‘green’ push can counteract this. I can only hope that the best and brightest here, and there are many, are dedicating themselves to this seemingly intractable problem.

Fifth, there’s the thorny issue of the role caste and religion play in this society. There seems to be a blind acceptance that where you are in this life is where you are, and moving through the caste system is deeply challenging. Even in death there is no equality – those that have shrouds get placed on an alter pyre to burn. Those lower down….a few twigs are thrown together in to a bundle away from the main area and are burnt there. I watched as one day a bag containing a human was being cremated – they were poor, there was no family. No ceremony. Just a police officer taking a photo of the burning body as evidence he had carried out his duties. And young people lighting their cigarettes on the street pyre. I, along with another guy, felt compelled to stand next to this person – no one should leave this world alone.  I have also learnt the art of gracefully and gratefully receiving help, especially here as to offer help and have it refused is frowned on. These past weeks have been challenging and I only got through with the help of countless and selfless individuals as well as one man’s Guardian angel approach to making sure I arrived and left on time. I have been fed, watered and accommodated and I’m eternally grateful to Asraf and his wonderful office manager Adrisha.

I have also learnt patience. Those who know me well know I’m not known for my patience! But india, and travelling generally, teaches you patience. With traffic, with things that don’t work, with barking dogs and delays in just about everything! There have been a few moments which severely tested me but I’d give myself 6 out of 10 overall….about 6 more than would have been the case a few years ago!! I’ve learnt to lean on my partner and friends too as a release valve ….they have always been there with a supporting word.

Lastly I think I’ve learnt the limits of my tolerance towards invasion of space as well as cleanliness. In India there is NO privacy. None. Sitting typing on your phone, people gather round and read without batting an eyelid. Reading a menu and some guy walks in and takes it out of my hand without asking or acknowledging me. Blood stained sheets and mould infested sinks. People constantly pushing and shoving. Rats and mice everywhere. And being constantly asked for selfies!! I’m pretty tolerant of having dirty clothes to wear or even shoddy conditions, that’s all part of the travel experience, especially on a budget and in foreign lands. But eventually it wears you down. You know the next accommodation is going to be the exact same as this one. They’ll be noise pollution and physical pollution. Dogs will howl all night. People will clear their throats loudly and gee, as for spitting and peeing and crapping in the open sewers (and I do get that for many that is their only option)….well, the accumulated impacts of that are very visceral.

I spent 4 days in Varanasi and I’m glad I did, tho I was pleased to leave too!
I wandered each day to the old quarter where there are no cars but hundreds of tiny, crowded alleyways filled with tiny shops. I found a great German bakery which was a great meeting spot for us rambling sort. I also connected with a ‘slum school’ (their words not mine) and volunteered there a few times -such a humbling experience. This is a small private enterprise run by one guy offering food and some basic schooling to slum/ street children. I wandered to the two main burning ghats and to countless other ghats to see spiritual gurus in trance like states, while westerners sought out their 500grams of self enlightenment!
Getting out of Varanasi was the biggest challenge, as the flights were routinely cancelled due to smog and fog, which meant my schedule of connecting flights was not going to happen. I found an agent who tried to get me on the train to New Delhi. It’s a bizarre system here. I think it goes something like ‘I can see you’re a walking ATM so I’ll charge you double for a seat’. Me – ‘that’s grand. Just get me that seat’ Them – ‘well, hold your horses, what actually happens is you pay me a massive amount of cash, I take that cash, and you get to be on a wait list for that seat’. Me – oh, so I’m not purchasing a seat, just an opportunity to be on a list for said seat ….that’s correct?’ Yes!
So having parted with cash I was told to return the next day at 7 to see if I had been lucky to get a seat. If not, I’d have to come back the next day! That’s how it works! But as it so happened I did secure a seat which meant a mad dash back to hotel about 3 Ks away, get a tuk tuk to the station with Bob on the roof, and then get on a train optimistically called the Super Express Train! It was super….super super slow. I think we averaged 30kph. The smog and fog meant that the train could barely move…on many occasions we stood for over an hour going nowhere. But this is India and time is relative! Not having food in the slow boat to New Delhi was an issue however! Especially as three meal times came and went!! We arrived some 12 hours after the expected ETA with no announcement or explanation…it was late, get over it! It was an extremely testing time I must confess, and merely added to my anxiety to get away from India as soon as I could! I don’t doubt it has one or two more gifts to give yet before the wheels of the plane leave the ground here in New Delhi!

On the ‘super fast express’….honestly, that’s its name 🤣