It's been ten days since my last post but it's been ten crazy days!
As I mentioned, I was playing host to SIX guests. That's right, that's SIX, not six...
It's been an interesting experience.
I gave them a quick tour of Mumbai. They are my kind of travellers. Wanderers, as opposed to tourist place freaks!
So, on the 17th, took them for a stroll from CST to Churchgate, via the Gateway of India.
Had them travel on the bus and train...
On the 18th, we went to Siddhivinayak and Haji Ali...
Both these blurbs are from the 18th.
So right, these six guys landed up in Mumbai minus one backpack and one guitar.
However, we were to go pick up the luggage on the 18th, as it would follow them on the next flight.
My cousin and his friend went in to claim it and it took them a while. Apparently, those things have to be retrieved from some warehouse...
It was during this time that I was watching a little boy of about 8 or 9 waiting impatiently for his father to turn up.
He knew his dad had landed but he was still passing through customs and immigration and the kid was getting impatient.
The boys came out. My cousin had his backpack, the guitar was still absconding. Air India said they'd look into the matter and send on the guitar to Pune. So they came out to get the address for Pune and then went back in.
I'd been waiting for about two minutes when I heard a yell from behind me "Daddy's here!!"
There was a gentleman coming out, who heard the yell also and immediately the demeanor of his face changed.
He went into "scan mode", looking for the source of the yell. He didn't have to look for too long. A nanosecond after the yell, there was this little dark blur, that streaked past me and launched itself at the gentleman. The kid stuck to the man like a burr to sheep's wool!
The expressions of both, father and son just had to be seen. They can't be described. Nothing was said after that yell but the actions definitely spoke louder than words.
Cute beyond belief!!
Later that day, we went to two places of worship.
As I mentioned earlier, I'm not the most religious bloke. So, when the cops refused to let us in to Siddhivinayak with our cameras, I happily volunteered to babysit. My cousin waited with me and we had a discussion where I shared with him, my wireless worship observations. When the other guys came out, they were pretty disappointed. They had been charged between 10 and 70 rupees for sundry items to be offered to the God, by middle men. They came out feeling exploited. Not a nice feeling. Especially not at a place of worship and definitely not at such a vaunted one.
I've never been inside the temple, and apparently, I won't be taking anyone there again either.
I mean, for a country that practically worships foreigners...for them to feel exploited is probably not that special...
One shouldn't knock something without trying it. Perhaps if I do go in, my experience will be different. However, I suspect that I won't be missing much.
After Siddhivinayak, we decided to go to Haji Ali. By the things the guys were saying, I thought that perhaps they were not too keen on another similar experience. However, thanks to another group of foreigners, I *had* been to Haji Ali and I knew that no exploitation of any sort takes place there.
It's only a severe pathos generated by looking at or hearing the various maimed beggars that line the causeway.
Fortunately or otherwise, living in a society with so much poverty allows one to desensitize and live in a bubble. Were that not the case, asylums, and not prisons, would be jam packed here...
When we did go into the Dargah, we were sort of discussing how many Hindu temples are built in such a way and in such a place that the resonances that come from the architecture and area have a blissfully calming effect. If not to worship an idol, I might consider going to certain temples at times, to seek this calmness. I mentioned during this discussion that the Dargah was a fairly bustling place, where no real peace was to be found, but it was an experience nonetheless. As it turned out, there were even more people visiting the place when did, that were there when I last went in 2003 or so...
The boys went in to look at the tomb and we even saw a prayer taking place. Quite busy.
As we were walking back to the main city along the causeway, James, one of my guests, said that he was thankful that we did end up going there even after that slightly bad experience at the temple. It was really beautiful, he said.
Funnily enough, just before he said that, I was feeling a calmness take over me as tiredness and stress seemed to drain away. I suspect it's the beautiful noise of the sea waves as they wash up near the causeway, combined with the vibes and resonances of all the people that come there with whatever different hopes, beliefs and faith they have and hope and know will be fulfilled. They seem to make for a knockout combination. Even churches are built in a way where the silence and architecture overpower you into calmness.
However, I never thought that a bustling crowd of people on a promontory in the sea would evoke a feeling of peace.
Very definitely something in the resonances of that place...
As I mentioned, I was playing host to SIX guests. That's right, that's SIX, not six...
It's been an interesting experience.
I gave them a quick tour of Mumbai. They are my kind of travellers. Wanderers, as opposed to tourist place freaks!
So, on the 17th, took them for a stroll from CST to Churchgate, via the Gateway of India.
Had them travel on the bus and train...
On the 18th, we went to Siddhivinayak and Haji Ali...
Both these blurbs are from the 18th.
So right, these six guys landed up in Mumbai minus one backpack and one guitar.
However, we were to go pick up the luggage on the 18th, as it would follow them on the next flight.
My cousin and his friend went in to claim it and it took them a while. Apparently, those things have to be retrieved from some warehouse...
It was during this time that I was watching a little boy of about 8 or 9 waiting impatiently for his father to turn up.
He knew his dad had landed but he was still passing through customs and immigration and the kid was getting impatient.
The boys came out. My cousin had his backpack, the guitar was still absconding. Air India said they'd look into the matter and send on the guitar to Pune. So they came out to get the address for Pune and then went back in.
I'd been waiting for about two minutes when I heard a yell from behind me "Daddy's here!!"
There was a gentleman coming out, who heard the yell also and immediately the demeanor of his face changed.
He went into "scan mode", looking for the source of the yell. He didn't have to look for too long. A nanosecond after the yell, there was this little dark blur, that streaked past me and launched itself at the gentleman. The kid stuck to the man like a burr to sheep's wool!
The expressions of both, father and son just had to be seen. They can't be described. Nothing was said after that yell but the actions definitely spoke louder than words.
Cute beyond belief!!
Later that day, we went to two places of worship.
As I mentioned earlier, I'm not the most religious bloke. So, when the cops refused to let us in to Siddhivinayak with our cameras, I happily volunteered to babysit. My cousin waited with me and we had a discussion where I shared with him, my wireless worship observations. When the other guys came out, they were pretty disappointed. They had been charged between 10 and 70 rupees for sundry items to be offered to the God, by middle men. They came out feeling exploited. Not a nice feeling. Especially not at a place of worship and definitely not at such a vaunted one.
I've never been inside the temple, and apparently, I won't be taking anyone there again either.
I mean, for a country that practically worships foreigners...for them to feel exploited is probably not that special...
One shouldn't knock something without trying it. Perhaps if I do go in, my experience will be different. However, I suspect that I won't be missing much.
After Siddhivinayak, we decided to go to Haji Ali. By the things the guys were saying, I thought that perhaps they were not too keen on another similar experience. However, thanks to another group of foreigners, I *had* been to Haji Ali and I knew that no exploitation of any sort takes place there.
It's only a severe pathos generated by looking at or hearing the various maimed beggars that line the causeway.
Fortunately or otherwise, living in a society with so much poverty allows one to desensitize and live in a bubble. Were that not the case, asylums, and not prisons, would be jam packed here...
When we did go into the Dargah, we were sort of discussing how many Hindu temples are built in such a way and in such a place that the resonances that come from the architecture and area have a blissfully calming effect. If not to worship an idol, I might consider going to certain temples at times, to seek this calmness. I mentioned during this discussion that the Dargah was a fairly bustling place, where no real peace was to be found, but it was an experience nonetheless. As it turned out, there were even more people visiting the place when did, that were there when I last went in 2003 or so...
The boys went in to look at the tomb and we even saw a prayer taking place. Quite busy.
As we were walking back to the main city along the causeway, James, one of my guests, said that he was thankful that we did end up going there even after that slightly bad experience at the temple. It was really beautiful, he said.
Funnily enough, just before he said that, I was feeling a calmness take over me as tiredness and stress seemed to drain away. I suspect it's the beautiful noise of the sea waves as they wash up near the causeway, combined with the vibes and resonances of all the people that come there with whatever different hopes, beliefs and faith they have and hope and know will be fulfilled. They seem to make for a knockout combination. Even churches are built in a way where the silence and architecture overpower you into calmness.
However, I never thought that a bustling crowd of people on a promontory in the sea would evoke a feeling of peace.
Very definitely something in the resonances of that place...
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