Nov 4, 2009 – Udaipur, India: There is a duality in the energy of each of us that creates seemingly ironic contradictions. It is the same for India, a country of contrasts. I started thinking about this as I read the label of a popular Himalayan brand of water. It points out that those of us from “fast food” cultures nevertheless insist on bottled water from mountains that took eons to form.
In this country many things are the opposite of what you'd expect, and I’ve seen a lot of apparent contradictions. For example, the spas here are clean and serene, yet only steps away is dirt and chaos. India is the birthplace of yoga, yet a westerner has a TV show to instruct the locals. Squatters live in tin and cardboard shacks, but they have satellite dishes perched on top. At the remote desert Pushcar festival, the locals ride camels while talking on cell phones.
Religious and cultural practices likewise show some contradictions. It is considered sacred to feed the birds here – which results in such large flocks that people are hired to specifically to scare them off. People name trucks for Krishna or one of the apostles (depending on their religious beliefs), but then drive recklessly, causing accidents and even deaths. In one breath our guide tells us that the caste system is abolished, then proudly tells us that he is a Brahmin of the highest caste. They believe it reduces karma to feed the cows, so they buy grass to do so – from the man who owns the cows.
The list goes on. I've never seen so many electrical wires… or experienced so many power outages. You need long legs to hike the tall steps of the palaces, but then hit your head on the low doorway at the top. You think nothing could smell worse, and then someone in your group passes gas. When the plight of the people looks the saddest, there is someone nearby practicing laughing therapy and no one looks unhappy. I guess all the contradictions are contagious, though: throughout the trip I’ve been tempted to book a flight out, but now that it’s time to leave I find myself wanting to stay longer.
I believe these ironies reflect the battle of the sexes. Isn't it interesting how critical masculine or feminine energy can be of the "other," only to discover that just like India, this duality is a critical part of each of us?
What a great article and perfect summary of the contradictory nature of the self and our surroundings. I live in South Korea and have travelled through a bit of southeast Asia, seeing my share of such bizarrities. I am amazed some days how a nation can be so technologically advanced yet so uncivilized as to have people squatting in to holes in the ground.
thank you for sharing,
Bonnie
Posted by: Bonnie | November 14, 2009 at 08:22 AM
sounds like you could write a guest blog for me on this topic- interested?
Posted by: Betty-Ann Heggie | November 27, 2009 at 05:12 PM