Back where we started...
Trip Start
Jan 08, 2008
1
4
6
Trip End
Mar 31, 2008
Dehradun,
India
Monday, March 10, 2008
And we were even starting to think we wouldn't come...at Auroville we thought we might spend another week down there and then joe would have to head for Mumbai to meet a friend from home who is coming out and i would head up north to Rishikesh, the yoga centre of the world, to do some yoga. but we realised we couldn't be in india and not come back here, and besides, auroville just wasn't doing it for us
Joe and Tak
. so we hot tailed it upto delhi, covering over 2000 km in two days and stopped in at our home away from home in delhi - the Wongdhen House - for a few nights. The hotel is in Majnu KaTila, a tibetan part of delhi, and we were so happy to be back among the red clad monks and smiling momos (tibetan grandmas). Perhaps because we lived in a tibetan area for the majority of our first stay in india, we both feel more at home with the tibetans, and they are certainly an extraordinarily friendly people. being in the tibetan area is also a lot more relaxing then being in the thick of delhi, which is chaotic, noisey, polluted and unbelievably crowded, Majnu KaTila is like a little haven off the main streets and away from the chaos, and tibetan people just don't stare in the same way as indians. Being a western woman in india is the closest many of us will get to being a celebrity, you are stared at everywhere you go. The men stare at you, and often in an obviously leering way, and the women stare at you in a curious or dissaproving way (no matter how conservatively you dress). Joe is invisible next to me! I think we feel it more coming from a place like the uk where staring is considered very rude and we're just not used to it. Mostly the stares here are just curiosity, but when you're trying to sleep on a train and four men come along and sit opposite you with the sole intention of staring unblinkingly at you, it can get a little annoying. And after two months of being stared at, openly talked about and having complete strangers asking if they can take your picture (or worse, asking joe if they can take my picture), or if you will pose with their baby/children/grandma/uncle/first cousin/friend etc....it does try your patience
Momo!
. So you can imagine how nice it is to be among a people who don't seem to feel the need to stare at you, and apart from a friendly Tashi Delek or Julaie, pretty much ignore you!The most exciting thing about delhi, however, was the new underground! i had had visions of the trains and buses above ground that are inevtiably over-crowded to almost double maximum capacity and often feature people hanging out of doors by one hand or balancing picariously on the roof.. coupled with delhi's immense overcrowding and just the sheer number of people EVERYWHERE i had images of a hot dirty swarming mass of people all fighting for space in a half built underground tunnel. I mean london underground is terryfying enough at rush hour and british people are normally saintly at queing (compared to indians who often disregard any sort of queing system whatsoever). but was i in for a shock, the new dehli underground is spacious, clean, modern and wonderfully air conditioned, as indians all over india will tell you it is of 'international standard' and this even includes pot plants! speeding along under the spwarling mass of delhi it is easy to forget what country you are in, until you turn round and notice twenty pairs of eyes staring at you that is! And the majority of delhi's residents will probably never see the swish stations and ultra modern trains, because it isn't cheap and it is heavily guarded by army officials with guns, you have to go through metal detectors and bag searches to get in and once there you notice a distinct lack of anyone who is not a tourist or belonging to the wealthy set. certainly no beggars, chai sellers or eunichs here! and absolutely no spitting allowed!
So that was delhi - oh we went to india's largest mosque too, which was very beautiful, but really, after the excitment of the underground it's easy to forget
Ngoengas put on a show
!and we soon headed up to dehra dun. which is becoming much more hip and western than in the old days...fancy coffe shops and extensive english book shops are jostling for space beside the chai stalls and newspaper stands, and even the dreaded golden arches have replaced our old favourite burger joint 'Gary's'. but we didn't stay long in dehra dun before taking the 20 minute bus to kulhan, the roadside gathering of huts and restaruant shacks that lies between our beloved monastry and school and the newer library and college of the same buddhist lineage. we stayed in the scholar's house of the library, dividing our time between playing with the ngoenga's (the disabled children) and catching up with joe's old students who were all monks of ten or tweleve when we were first here and are now grown men! the temperature was near perfect and the surrounding mountains and euclypt forests make it one of the most pictueresque places to be.
It was wonderful seeing my old students again and learning from the school's new director of all the changes and new students and teachers in the school. it has come on leaps and bounds since i was teaching there (which was in it's first year of opening) and the children are still as crazy and affectionate and wonderful as ever. it is really great to walk into the school grounds every day and be greeted by 20 delightedly screaming and excited children who all want to shake your hand and hug you (and then play football for hours!)
of course there are still some major issues at the school, the main one being what to do with the kids who need constant care after they have reached adulthood
Joe, Pema and Rigden
. many of my old students are now in their early twenties but still attending the school as there is no where else really for them to go, except home with their families or an over-crowded 'institute'. the tibetan government are in talks about building a sort of residential home/collage next to the school that would teach cottage crafts and care for those unable to find employment, but as with all these things it takes time, people and money all of which are slow to come together and meanwhile the kids grow older...on a more positive note, two of my old art students, two deaf boys, have gone up to the hillstation of mussouri (directly above ngoenga on the mountain top) to learn the tibetan art of thangke painting (the excuisite paintings of buddha and other tibetan teachers you often see in temples or homes), they are both very good at it and will be able to have their own buisness upon completeing the 3 year course. it is also encouraging to see the new physiotherapy room and full time physiotherapist and to learn of the many professional western volunteers who have come to ngoenga to offer their support and expertise - one of the biggest problems for the school is the sheer lack of tibetans who are qualified in the necessary areas - such as speech therapy, physio, health care etc. Many of the children are sponsered but some are still seeking sponsors, and although the school cannot accept direct donations they benifit from contributions made through the tibetan health department. if anyone is interested in donating, sponsoring or volunteering at the school please email the director Tsegyal Dranyi at ngoenga@rediffmail.com or ask me for more details, its the only school of its kind for tibetan children with special needs and it is really a joyful and inspiring place!phew, so after all that i'm running out of steam! Many momos (steamed dumplings not grandmas!) and philosophical talks with monks later joe and i have gone our seperate ways - he to mumbai to meet dave, and me to Rishikesh....but i'll save that for another day.
Om Nama Shivaia. till next time
xx
