Tomorrow morning I am flying to Thailand. I have to leave India to renew my visa, because with a tourist visa I can only stay in the country for 180 days at a time, even though the visa is valid for 5 years. So anyway, I'm gonna be staying with my friend Om who was an exchange at my high school. I'll be there for 8 days. I'm so excited!
School was pretty good this week; things are going well.
~m
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2009 February 21 Saturday 21:29 GMT+00:00
What a fortunate name your friend has!
And how courageous you are to stick it out in India all this time.
I remember the first real taste of India I had. We arrived from Bangkok at what was then Calcutta airport in the middle of the night, and our group took several taxis to Calcutta Station. We walked into the train station, and it looked empty.
Suddenly, the gray concrete floor stood up. Rather, what I had mistaken for a gray concrete floor, which was actually a mass of humanity which had been sleeping on the floor, dressed in identical dirty dishwater gray cloth, rose up en masse.
Just as suddenly, when it was perceived that there were foreigners, Westerners, Americans present, we were surrounded by grimy children with hollow, helpless eyes, hands outstretched and clamoring piteously, "Bakshish, Baba, Bakshisha, Baba".
I was overwhelmed, staggered, and might have fallen were I not supported by the press of the throng. The utter hopelessness of so many human beings struck a devastating blow to my understanding of the meaning of human life. It broke my heart, and seared an indelible memory into my soul.
Of course, you know all about that kind of thing. Please know that I admire you, and I am grateful to you, for dedicating so much of your precious youth to doing something, contributing, salving, in the face of what you must also perceive as all but hopeless poverty and suffering.
There is also spiritual India. I wish I had taken the time to guide you and your family to Vrindaban http://www.mathura-vrindavan.com/ while you were in Agra. Linda told me in September the Taj was on your family travel plans. Having not read your blog very much until now, I don't even know if you got to Agra.
There is another tirtha, holy place, within striking distance of Kolkata, that I would encourage you to visit if possible during the remaining three months or so of your work in India. Here is a map http://www.maplandia.com/india/west-bengal/south-24-panganas/mayapur/ showing the location of Mayapura http://mayapur.com/.
Even closer to you is Iskcon Kolkata http://mayapur.com/?q=node/733 where they serve a sumptuous vegetarian feast every Sunday, as they do in all Iskcon Temples Worldwide.
In either location, you can tell them "Lomasha Rishidas (ACBSP & TKG)" sent you. And they may stare at you blankly.
May the Blessings of the Supreme Lord and Her Eternal Consort be with you always.
Uncle Indy Rishidas Lou
2009 February 21 Saturday 21:52 GMT+00:00
P.S. If you like excitement, the best time this year to visit Mayapur would be from about now to March 13, during the celebration of the 523rd appearance day anniversary of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (Schedule here: http://mayapur.com/node/943), although accommodations will be CROWDED!
If I had a magic carpet, I would fly there for the program on the evening of February 26.
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