India 2009!

Today we woke up VERY early. Early as in, 4:45 AM, because our train was leaving at 6:30 AM! Howrah station was busy and crowded even at that early hour. It was about half the size of 30^th street station with about 10 times as many people. Our first Indian train ride was AWESOME – we couldn’t stop looking out the window as we watched the landscape change from busy, noisy Kolkata into the big, wide open space of rural India. We sat in the all-women’s car, which was actually very nice and made us feel very comfortable. We even made friends with some of the women we were sitting with!

When we arrived in the village, we were glad to learn that we would be taking a car to the school and not riding on the bus, because the only available seats on the bus would have been hanging off the back or sitting up on the roof J The village was awesome! All of the houses were made of mud and straw. (I had a somewhat awkward experience later on when we were visiting a family and I touched one of the walls and a chunk of it came away with my finger. Oops!)

We could hear the children laughing and playing outside as soon as we drove up to the school. A few of the teachers met us and brought us into the area where they were. We were shocked to learn that they had planned a performance for us! They sang songs, read poems, and performed a few dances for us. Mayadidi helped to translate the meaning of the songs for us. (In Bengali culture, “didi” is a term of respect that you can add o someone’s name, it literally translates as “elder sister.” So Maya told us to start calling her “Mayadidi.” We also call her older brother, who is living with us, “Uncle.”) After watching the children perform, we got to sit in on a yoga class! Yoga is a very important part of the children’s education at Shrimashram because they believe it is important to develop children both mentally and physically. First we watched the children learn how to meditate – I was so impressed at how well they were all concentrating, I never would have been able to sit through something like that at age 7!! Then a few of the children showed off their yoga talent – it was kind of like watching Kev Shields breakdance in slow motion, only much cooler. ;) Then Michelle and I got a personal meditation lesson of our own! We sat together in front of the yoga master and listened to his instructions while all of the children in the class gathered around us. I was really excited because I have been wanting to learn how to meditate ever since I got to India! I had a little trouble with the breathing though and snorted pretty loudly at one point. I also could not fold my feet up into a pretzel like the yoga master could.

Afterwards, we got the chance to speak with some of the teachers and have lunch with the husband and wife who first founded Shrimashram in the 60s. It was so inspiring to hear about how they started the program and how they have kept it going for so many years. Their organization really does do EVERYTHING – they have several schools just like the one we visited, along with adult education programs, and awareness programs and workshops. They even have several acres of land that they use to grow crops to sell along with medicinal plants that they distribute for free to villagers. We got to speak to some of the teachers too – they all have really awesome stories. One teacher told us about he had been to engineering school but, after graduation, decided to come to Shrimashram to volunteer because he realized that’s where his true interests were.

After lunch, we took a nap in a small room they had set aside for us. Well, actually, Michelle took a nap, while I finished the rest of our Frooti (this AMAZING mango drink they have here – we’re seriously considering shipping 20 bottles home) and walked around the school a little more. Everybody takes afternoon siestas here because of the heat, so it was nice to be alone and relax for a little while. After everybody woke up, a few of the women teachers, Minati and Shubhva, walked around with us and showed us a little more of Shrimashram’s land – like their ponds, mango trees, lemon trees. We even saw a cow and her baby calf! (There are cows EVERYWHERE in India, even on the busiest, nosiest road in Kolkata). They also took us to their family’s house just a short walk away from the school! The grandmother and the great-aunt of the family were also living in the house. They were so friendly and loving – they kept holding our hands and putting their arms around us. It was nice to feel so welcome so far away from home. Michelle and I have actually found that that is one of our favorite of Indian culture – many people are not afraid to put their arms around each other or hold each other’s hands. It’s even acceptable for two men who are friends to do that with each other here, which is a nice change from the U.S.

We were sad when it was finally time to leave the village, but we were very tired and ready to head home. I slept for most of the train ride, while Michelle stayed up listening to Mayadidi’s stories from her life. One of the most awesome things about her is that she is so willing to answer any of our questions or tell us anything about her life! We feel like we have known her for years, even though it has only been a few days.