Au revoir Allahabad

That's it. Two months in Allahabad and Im about to leave. Tonight train to Agra to see Taj Mahal, then stop in Delhi to say goodbye to friends and finally Mumbai. Ye Mumbai, city of Bollywood and all that.

Allahabad won't leave me with so many good memories. Its a small city and the word fun doens't make part of the vocabulary. Of course I won't forget amazing times I had with my friends. The Sangam, the river, the hinduism and all those characters.

It's a great place to think about things, about your life. It can be shocking sometimes. You can see things that go beyond your imagination. All that pauverty and lack of hygiene. People struglling for some rupees and others asking for food. This is a big problem here. They are so many and so less resources. But India is growing fast and I hope they can handle this situation. But the main thing is that it makes me think about all the selfish things we carry with us. We get nuts if we loose the bus, if someone makes a scratch in our car, if the waitress is not fast enough, if the economy is not ok and Im about to loose money, if its raining... All those little selfish disturbing things which don't have any comparison with what people have to handle here. It's just retarded. We know very less, at least I didn't, of how bad could be the world.

Once I was having a tea in the street with a local friend and he said something I won't forget: "India is very poor but has higher thinking". Of course it made me laugh but its a cute idea. And most of it is true. Their culture is impregnated with philosophy of life. The eternal battle between myself and I. The illusion of life. Ego and true self. God and human.

There are hindus, muslims, christians all living in peace. People are simple and humble.

Here everything goes very slowly. No stress, just relax. Perhaps is the sun and the high temperatures :D.

Here are some pitures:









I love this picture!


And many more. I love all those flavours and colors!!


Ive many more but it would make this post so big. Instead I show you the place where Ive been working. The now famous HRI.













I leave you with this beautiful shot,



Namaste!

Holi

I don't have many words to describe what happen today. It was just beautiful. A show of colors, music, happiness, that's Holi.

Here are some pictures







People dance and sing. Everybody throws colors to everybody and when we expect less. It's so damn funny!!



























And in between we have sweets and bung. This a drink made with milk and cannabis. I think you can imagine the effect. Super coool!!



And the color doesn't come out easily. I was a bit afraid when Ive realized that. I had a couple of showers and Im still all colored. Would I rest like this for all the rest of my life? It seems it takes 3 or 4 days. Hope so!!

Isn't this the coolest thing ever?

Sangam

Sangam means meeting in hindi.

By January people start filling Ganga's riverbed which by that time goes almost empty. It is impressive to see so many people in the same place. The field is full of tents and people stay for at least two months. They come for the sacred waters of Ganga. They pray and have baths.

I went for a walk with my friends. The spectrum of people is really very large. There are so many hindu congregations and "churchs", if I can call them this way. People come to pray, make business or just visit like me. You can see the famous Sadhus. These are men that left everything behind, home, possessions, family, to dedicate exclusively to the gods. They are also known as Guru or Baba. You see them wearing very few clothes and in some extreme cases they just walk nude. They have their own space of connection with the gods, and they seem to be in a kind of trance. Of course smoking hax helps a lot. Here is a picture Ive took during Sangam



Seems pretty nice decorated this place. The people you see in the picture come to pray and receive his blessing.

You can see also amazing characters. Usually they carry some symbols which are associated with a particular god. I think this one is carrying a trident much like Shiva does



Others seem coming from a movie. Check this one with fashioned glasses. Pretty cool!!



and this one



The other guy in the picture is Chopno. A cool guy from HRI. He's a student there.

And many many more!! Look at this












Here is a small video Ive made. You see people having bath in Ganga waters. This is one of the most sacred things an hindu can do. It means a lot for them. If the water wasn't so dirty I also would have done it.



Namaste!

Two months in Allahabad

Hey folks, friends and fans!!

It has been a long time I don't post here. Somehow reflects what has happened here in Allahabad, nothing!! In indian standards, Allahabad is a small city. It has about 3 million people which in a country with at least 1 billion is considered small. Allahabad is known for its religious traditions, for the Ganga river and the universities. There are a couple of good universities and of course HRI. The institute for atomic and nuclear physics where Im right now. Certainly the best physics center in India and one of the leading in the world. It has amazing physicists that Im proud of being working with.

HRI also represents what I consider the future of science. People, students and professors live on campus. They have their own houses with garden and garage and they live with their families too, it's like a small city. You see kids playing around, filling a space which is normally occupied by theoretics. It's a very friendly environment. Here you have almost everything. There's a football field, gym, swimming pool, gardens, animals, etc. I shall post some photos. And of course here is always sunny.

Allahabad is a small place. There's not much to do. Though there are two shoppings. In one you have a cinema and there's also Mcdonalds, of course with vegetarian food. This a vegetarian land. Im 90% vegetarian now. The roles of vegetables and meat have been inverted. Very rarely I eat meat. Food at the cantine is far from being good but outside campus you can find very good food, including vegetarian.

People are very simple and nice. I feel like a star walking in Allahabad streets. Everybody stares at me as if I was coming from a different planet. They even want to have a photo with me. I just laugh!!

At the same time there are so many poor people. Many leaving in the streets struggling to get some ruppees. It's shocking to see homeless kids that even don't know where are their parents. Sometimes I give them a ruppee or two and they leave. Othertimes I carry some food with me and I give them. I prefer to give food than money. This reality was difficult at the begining but Im now used to it. The other day there was a small girl in the streets walking around. She seem very happy, dancing and jumping. She came to talk to me. I had some bread and gave her some. She didn't asked for money. But it was the scene was surreal. Seeing that poor small girl so happy nothing have to eat. To think about...

Delhi sightseeing

I want to share with you what was one of the most difficult days since Im in India. On thursday 13 January I took a tourist bus and went for a sightseeing of Delhi.

I wake up early because Ive to meet the tourist bus in Ramakrishna metro station. It's still a bit far and it will take me 30 minutes or more to get there. Unfortunately I can't find the station on the map but according to their directions I should go to the center. I get out at New Delhi station but I don't see any bus. The time is running and I have to rush. I call Cyril and ask him to contact them. He then tells me that it is better to take a Rickshaw to Ramakrishna station (in a older post I refered Rickshaw as being a three wheeler automobile taxi, well in fact that name is for a three wheeler bike. Im still learning) and that is what I do. This time I don't bargain with the driver. Needless to say, Delhi streets in early morning are not very pleasant to see or smell but whatever! I need to get used. I finally get there and there's someone already waiting for me. We go to the bus. I couldn't belive in what I was seeing. The bus is really dirty and smells bad. I now understand why 200 ruppees for the whole trip. The guides?! Wow! I think it's better not comment...

The first stop is a hindu temple that I unfortunately don't remember the name. I have to remove my shoes and leave camera and phone in a safe. We only have 20 minutes to visit. The temple is beautifull and full of gods. As I enter Im approached by one of the guys that work there. He starts explaining which statue is which and seems wanting to guide me. Well... I think I will have to give him a tip later but I left my wallet in the safe. He's very kind and takes me to see the temple. Of course at the end he does a small pause as waiting for the tip but I apologize because I left my wallet outside. I felt it was not good but Iven't asked him for anything. I leave the place and run to the bus.

In the following, Im not sure of the correct order of events. We have visited so many places! I think we went to the presidential area where we could see the parliament and also the Indian Gate. Look at the pictures






Just for curiosity, you can see that I have something in my forehead. That's because I was blessed in the temple by a priest. As you can see there's a dense fog. If you add the polution it becomes really unconfortable. You can feel it, it's really unpleasant. My partners are super nice. They want to know everything about me and take photos. Again, I feel like a star. They help me with the indie and guide me.

The next stop is the house of Indira Ghandi. She was prime-minister long time ago and became famous for her strong personality and for the sense of unity she inspired. Some people loved her others hated her. She ended being assassinated after an etnic polemic about hindus and sikhs.

Im getting tired of walking, get into/out of bus and walking again. It's cold and the air is so polluted.

It's time for lunch. But before that we pass in by a big store where we can buy souvenirs, clothes, gold, and many other things. Of course I seem to be the main attraction. Sellers try to sell me anything they have and sometimes they are very annoying. Tired, I decide to wait outside. Finally I have sometime to rest and meet the other guys.

Now we move towards the restaurant. The bus takes us to a place that I would hardly describe as a restaurant. There are cows outside, it is crowded and cleanliness can be discussed. I look backwards in time and I start wishing never come here. I think my stomach won't survive this day. Im mentally devastated and I need guts. At the same time I know that is my mind that is causing this. Im in panic but Im aware of that and I start calming down. In fact it was not so bad... I only had to eat with my hands because I didn't trust in the forks I had in front of me. I just wanted to finish my lunch as quick as possible.

I have to say that's a difficult job we have to do to disrupt our minds from the ilusory perfection we see in rich countries. I can't imagine when I will be back to Paris. I won't stop laughing!!

In the afternoon we went to the Lotus temple, to the Mahatma Ghandi "grave" and some other places. I put quotation marks because his body was cremated, of course.





I leave you with a photo of Delhi. It's almost evening. I just wanted you to see how polluted the air is.



The way back home is a big punch in everything we think about humanity. I saw things that left me very sad, truly. Im still trying to get used to this new reality but I see different things each day. One thing is sure, I didn't know what was poverty.

Back to Delhi

After the Strings meeting in Puri I returned to Delhi. My idea was to spend a couple of days there just for sightseeing. Afterall, Delhi is the capital of India so this had to happen soon or later.

Before leaving Puri I had the opportunity to visit some other temples. The architecture is mostly the same everywhere. Nevertheless here are some photos.





As you can see in the first photo, more than my stylish standing, Im not wearing shoes. That's a requirement whenever you visit a hindu temple.
In the second photo you can see a priest having a bath. That water seemed so dirty!! as in any other place here.
The last photo was taken inside the temple. I can't tell which god is supposed to refer to but the priest has prayed for me. You were supposed to leave some money and sign to bookkeeping your offer. I left some ruppees. The priest said I will be very happy!!

I arrive in Delhi on tuesday evening, 11 of January. This time I go to Cyril's place by my own. I take the prepaid taxi. As in the last time the taxi driver doesn't know where Getanjali is and I start to think that I will have a long evening. He asks his friends and after some calls he figures it out. This time was much faster!

Cyril is not at home yet but he told me where the keys were.
He wants to join some friends for dinner and we do so. He tells me it is a very nice place but it is kind of hard to find. And in fact it is. He asks here and there. The place is really hidden but he was right about it. Very nice place and seems to be well known because it was crowded. The name of the place is Gunpowder. I think the name says a lot, we are going to have hot hot food. His friends were waiting and we meet. There are more foreigners here and that makes me feel more at home. Cyril orders some traditional food from his place, Keralla. I enjoyed it a lot. It was very good and spicy also.

We head back home. Some of his friends start to come to his place one after another. They are super cool. Most of them are part of a band called Higher Conscience. These guys love music and they are impressive with the instruments. The ambiance is just super cool, we have guitars and amazing players. And of course there's always some haxixe to relax our minds. Music, music and more music. It was a good soirée!!

The next day, the same guys and the same receipt. Music, tobacco, haxixe, guitar and more music. Super chilling environment.

Im starting to like Delhi!

Hindu massage on the beach

In the last day of the Strings meeting me and my friends we decided to get a massage session. After a week of "intensive" (;D) work I think we merited. Getting a massage here is very cheap and a common practice. The manager of the hotel was encharged to contact the people.

Just before lunch we head to the beach, which is just 5 minutes from the hotel. People are enjoying the water and after sometime the massagists arrive. They are two guys. This a all body massage. Im one of the firsts. He starts from the foot fingers and goes up to my hair and face. He uses some natural oil. I think its from coconut. The massage lasts for 30 minutes and its very pleasant. I was really needing a treatment like this.

Of course I became all oily but I feel lighter and go for a swim in indic waters. The waves are kind of agitated but its safe and the water feels so good.

I forgot to say that the massage only costed 200 rupees or 3 euros!! Good times here!

In the afternoon I had to go to the city to buy a new suitcase. Unfortunately in the flight from Delhi my suitcase got damaged and most probably it wouldn't resist the next flight.

The manager of the hotel arranged for a guy to drive me to the city. We go by motorbike. Im thinking how would I bring the suitcase. The ride is cool eventhough the traffic is chaotic. There's always people crossing the streets, cars horning and cows around. We arrive at the city and I just see chaos!! It is super crowded and smells really bad. I buy my suitcase and then we take a different way back home. We go through the village. The scenario could be shocking if I was not already used to it. That is, people living in very poor conditions, super dirty streets, many animals around and lots of cows. All this in a exoctic background permeated with temples.

It was a good ride. For me it seemed like a real 3d movie with special effects. This is India.