May 3, 2010-

Morning-

I just woke up,(a little bit early if you ask me). It’s my second day in India. In the city of Chandigarh, in the Taj Chandigarh hotel, to be exact. I am so excited! I am going to meet this elderly Hindu lady with an unpronounceable name. Something along the lines of Mahesha. Yep, I’m right. You know why? Because it says so on the address she gave me. I made an appointment with her over the phone. She even spelled out her name for me. I could tell that she was a woman that I needed to respect. As for the reason I’m excited, she is going to teach me yoga! I think that yoga is an important Hindu thing or else she would not have suggested I learn about it. You see, I told her what I knew, and I asked her what else she thinks I need to know, so she suggested yoga. I can’t wait. Yay! Room service is here with my breakfast! Mmmmmm! The toast and eggs smell so good!

May 3, 2010-

Afternoon-

I’m in this family-run restaurant that serves original Indian food. But guess what!?! There is no meat! None at all on the menu. Oh well. Trying vegan things for a meal never hurts anyone. Anyway as you may know, my yoga exercises have ended. It was so fun. And at the same time, I was sweating buckets. Even though we were under this huge, shady tree on side of the lane that led to her house, it felt like I was in a volcano. Luckily I brought ice cold water to the tree. Everything I said about the lady was true. And I totally respected her. When I asked her why I needed to learn yoga to know more about Hinduism, she said that yoga is part of the Hindu’s spiritual practice. I wanted to know what part, so I asked her. She said that it has something to do with the mental and physical disciplines in India. When I asked to clarify it, she said that it has to do with basically the Hindu texts. She also said that there are many different types of yoga, such as Rāja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhaki Yoga, and Hatha Yoga. Wow. She was stock full of information. The waiter is coming to take my order. I’ll take some onion bat chi please.

May 3, 2010-

Later Afternoon- 

I’m getting a tan at the Taj Chandigarh hotel pool. But, at the same time, I am reading this book about Hinduism. Ok. Here is a cool fact. Get this: The Hindus originated around the Indus Valley in Pakistan. Around 80% of Indians regard themselves as Hindu. I know. I am very factual. Ooo!!! They are coming around with the drinks. I’ll have an Arnold Palmer, please.

May 3, 2010-

Night-

I am at the hotel restaurant. It is a very, very fancy restaurant. I am so exited! I am planning to go on this tour with this guide in the city that I set up right before I got ready to go to this restaurant. I also went to this family run stand to buy a sari. By the way, I am sitting at the bar part of the restaurant, since I am a one woman show. I love the granite they used for the the bar table. Looking at the menu I am eying only one thing. Lamb curry. Which I guess kinda breaks the vegan Hindu belief, but what can I say, I was born and raised in San Francisco, California .

May 3, 2010-

Bedtime-

I am in my oh so comfortable hotel bed right now. I hope I don’t fall asleep while writing this. What if pencil lead got into my mouth or something. Anyway, I am so tired right now, it’s been a long day. And you would think the the yoga would build up energy. I guess it’s not the same with everyone. Oh. I forgot to brush my teeth. Got to go!

May 4, 2010

I woke up early this morning. The sounds of traffic were loud outside my window on the fourth floor of my hotel building. I went to my window and saw that the street was jammed with people, cars, rickshaws and everything you could think of. I have not really gotten used to the early morning risers in India. Back home I don’t get up until 9:00 or 10:00 and sit in my PJs  with a cup of coffee reading The New York Times. I looked at the time. It was 7:32 AM. I still have 2 and a half hours until I’m going to meet with my guide Vanhi. I put on my absolutely amazing sari (if I do say so my self). It is light blue and silver. I bought it from a little stand near my hotel. Anyway I am getting off topic. So after I got dressed I went down to breakfast. I love the Indian breakfasts buffet I had Stuffed Idli and Suji Uttapam. It was delicious! The grapefruit juice was actually really good. I haven’t had a good one in a while. Usually they have too much pulp in them, and I don’t like that. Suddenly I realized it was already 9:00 AM, and I was meeting with Vanhi at 9:30. 

I rushed back up to my hotel room # 444, brushed my teeth, did my hair and put on my new light pink lipstick just like Tagaini was wearing not yesterday, but the day before when I met with her to go around the temple. Today, I was meeting Vanhi in the lobby. When I got down to the lobby there was a very pretty young lady sitting in one of the very hotel- looking armchairs. She rose when I walked into the lobby.

“Hello” she said in a very strong Indian accent. “My name is Vanhi, you must be Truly. Welcome to India. “ 

“Thank you very much. I am glad that you were able to meet with me today.” 

“First I will take you to my Grandmother Induma, and she  will tell you a little about the history of Hinduism.” Vanhi seemed delighted to say.

” Oh that sounds great. Let’s go!”

“Alright.”

We took a taxi to her grandma’s house. It was this little one- story house in the India countryside. When we got there she welcomed us with a big hug and said “Swaagatam”.

“She doesn’t speak much English, but I can translate what she tells you”, said Vanhi

“Well, I understand a little, but thank you very much.”

Vanhi started talking very fast as she was trying to keep up with her grandmother. This is what she said: Many people cannot agree about the start of Hinduism, although  Hinduism is regarded to be one of the oldest organized religions. People think that  Hinduism history is closely related to social and political growth long ago. Then she told me about the holy days. The Hinduism festival of light is called Diwali. The celebration is the triumph of good over evil.  Hanuman Jayanti is the celebration of when Hanuman, the monkey god, was born. Janamashtami is the commemoration of the birth of Krishna. Makar Sankrant is the celebration of when the sun journeyed to the northern hemisphere. It is one of the most important days on the Hindi calender. Raksha Bandhan is a celebration of brotherhood and love. She was still talking. I was writting down every word of it,  so that I would not forget. The other holy days  she taked about were Swaminarayan Jayanti lord Swaminarayan’s birthday, Vaisakhi is a festival, ganesh chaturthi is the birth of lord ganesh, then there is also Mahashivratri , Navaratri,Rama Navami, Thaipusam,Varsha Pratipada. After she was done talking we had lunch. She made cabbage and carrot curry. It was so good I asked for the recipe, here it is: 

• 4 cups of finely chopped green cabbage

• 2 cups of grated carrots (loosely packed)
• 1 small onion finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 1/2 tablespoon of crushed ginger
• 1 packet of EasyCurry’s Veggie Curry spice mix
• 1/2 tablespoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of water
• Finely chopped chillies if desired

May 4, 2010 evening 

I am sooooooooooooo tired so I think I will go to bed. 

May 2, 2010 

I am on my way to India to see how hinduism is practiced now a days. After a day of being with Deepak, my head is spinning with information.  The first thing I did was cheek out of my hotel. It was kind of sad to leave the  Pearl Continental Lahore. It was such a beautiful hotel, with its large rooms, great views and a fab shower, but I am getting off topic. So I will tell you what I did after I left the Pearl Continental Lahore. Deepak had rented me a car so I could drive over the border. I was a little frightened to be driving on my own, but Deepak said I would be fine.  The roads in Pakistan were hard for me to drive on. They drive on the opposite side of the road. When I reached India, I drove to my hotel. It took me three hours, but it was not that bad. There was so much to look at. The hotel I  stayed at was the Taj Chandigarh in Chandigarh. It was a nice hotel The rooms were beautiful. Deepak, who helped book my stay in India, really out did him self. When I reached my hotel I was scheduled to meet with Deepak’s good friend Tarangini. I was in my hotel room when I heard a knock. It was Tarangini She was a  very pretty lady with long black hair flowing down her back, large brown eyes and perfect lips. She had on a lovely red sari, with beautiful gold embroidery. She looked stunning next to me in my torn jeans, and T- shirt, that had Mills Collage in big letters, and my hair in a sloppy ponytail after my 3- hour- drive. I had no makeup. ”Are you ready to go?” said Tarangini. after quick hellos and a nice to met you. I said ” Yep, lets go”. I grabbed my camera and, my backpack, and put on a little lipstick. I was ready to go. We went out side and it was so hot. We grabbed a passing rickshaw and told the man to take us to ISKCON Chandigarh temple. She talked the whole time, but it was so interesting. She told me all about the clothes,architecture, and all of the cultures that were so fascinating to me.  When we got to the temple, she took me on a tour. It was an amazing place. I was blown away by how beautiful the place was. It was full of beautiful ornaments and flowers and porcelain dolls that looked like great gods. The dolls were dressed in saris and long flowing colorful dresses. The women there also had saris on. They were long and in so many bright and beautiful colors. When we walked in we were greeted by Praket, who is the pandit at ISKCON Chandigarh temple. Tarangini whispered to me Praket that means ”intelligence”. A pandit is a hindu priest. ”She whispered again, ‘he is strict lacto-vegetarians which means he does not eat eggs, but he will eat dairy for spiritual reasons. ” I nodded, then he walked up to us and started speaking right away ” We pandit are supposed to maintain purity of body and mind.” while he was taking I was writing it down this is what he was saying. Hindus do not have just one spiritual leader they have many.” Here is a list of them:

Annapurna= goddess of food and cooking

Ganesha= lord of all existing beings (the elephant- headed god)

Maya= goddess of illusions

Balrama= symbol of strength, and the ideal everything, honest, and simplistic

Garuda= king of the birds

Ram= central figure of the Ramayana which is the very soul of India

Bhuvaneshwari= the queen of the great world “Bhuvan”

Hanuman= monkey who resembles courage, power, and faithful selfless service

Saraswati= goddess of knowledge, music and all creative expressions and arts

Brahma= creator

Indra= ruler of the gods and heavens 

Shakti= mother goddess and principle of creativity and energy

Kali= goddess of time

Shiva= destroyer of the world

Dhanwantari= physician of the gods

Kartikay= spiritual and the scientist of the gods

Sita= Ideal of womanhood

Dhumavati= beholder of smoke and eternal widow

Krishna= symbolizes love and divine joy

Vamana= a dwarf

Durga= symbol of all divine forces

Kurma= turtoise incarnation of Vishnu

Vishnu= protecter of the universe and ever peaceful

Ganga= symbol of the river ganga

Lakshmi= the goddess of good fortune, light, wealth, and beauty

Matangi= the dark one

May 2, 2010 afternoon 

When I got back to the hotel, I was staving after a long day with Tarangini. It is not that she did not take me to lunch. It was just that we walked around a lot. For lunch I had Vegetable Pulao. It was amazing.  Tarangini had Rajma, which looked good too. It  was this little family run restaurant.  Tarangini is a vegan, and she also does not eat onions or garlic this is part of the hindu religion. 

May 2, 2010 evening 

I am about to get into bed. I have just come back from dinner. I went to this shack for dinner were I had Chana masala, but now I have to go to bed. GOOD NIGHT! Tomorrow I have get up early,  to meet Mahesha. Bye bye!

May 1, 2010

I just left the Pearl Continental Hotel, and I’m on my way to meet up with Deepak Indivar, who is going to show me around and tell me more about this amazing religion and country. 

I met Deepak right outside the hotel main doors. Actually the doors were very nice; they were made of glass with a chrome finish around the edges. Anyway, not to get too distracted. I was saying…What was I saying? Ah! Yes, I met Deepak right outside the hotel main doors. He was dressed in jeans and a button down shirt with a nice pair of black shoes. He was bald. Tall. He had very broad shoulders and a wide smile across his face.

“Hello” I said shaking his firm built hand. 

“Hello” he said, in a deep, Indian accent.

“I can’t wait to begin exploring this beautiful country”

“Well, I was thinking we could walk around a little so that I could explain the basics about our religion.”

“Oh, perfect!”

“How about we go to the Shalimar Bagh Gardens?”

“That sounds like a good idea!”

I had absolutely no idea what the Shalimar Bagh Gardens look like, but it sounded quite nice so I went along with it. We walked to the gardens where we sat on a bench, and he began to tell me what felt like all he knew.

These were some of the notes that I took:

• Around 80% of India is Hindu.

• Their spiritual leader is Guru or Sage.
• Hinduism was the first religion that believed in reincarnation.

• They celebrate lots of holidays like Diwali the festival of lights.

Deepak explained how their god, Nirguna Brahman, was without form.

We were relaxing and enjoying the warm sunlight when a group of dancers, singers and musicians came by singing and dancing and drumming Hindi music.

” Shub Dhin” I heard Deepak say to what looked like the group leader. (He told me later that this meant, “good day”). Then he kindly introduced me, and I was greated by a warm hug and a “Swaagatam”, which I later learned was “welcome” in Hindi. I should have studied their language a bit before I came, but I didn’t, so that is a disadvantage.  They did a little dance to some music and then left.

He suggested this Indian resturant about two blocks down from the park, where we ate  dinner. I had rice with baingan bharta and a meat somosa with naan. It was so delicious. I am really tired, so I am going back to my hotel.

I just got back at 10:00 o’clock, and I’m going to bed. I am just getting my self a cup of chamomile tea, warm and soothing. 

I’ve decided to study some Hindi tonight for my meeting in three days with a girl named Vanhi.

Goodnight.

April 30, 2010-

Dear Diary,

I am exited as well as squashed. I probably should not have told Dr. John Smith about my travels to India and Pakistan to learn Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Now he’s droning on about Hinduism. Really, just listen to him.”Truly, Truly, throughout this trip you will learn a lot about Hinduism since it is the worlds third largest religion.”

He keeps saying my name over and over again. Truly, Truly. Except I am not listening to him. I am trying to come up with a tactful way to tell him the middle seat gets both the armrests. He already has the window seat. Gosh. Elderly Mrs. Stokes has finally woken up. I was dying to use the bathroom, but now she’s gotten started on her grandchildren, Suzy and Chuck. As my older brother told me 25 years ago when I was ten, when in doubt, smile and nod. Finally I am able to interrupt her to slip away to the bathroom. 

April 30, 2010-

Dear Diary,

It is now 5 hours since I have used the bathroom. I sadly am still sitting next to Grandma Stokes and Dr. Know it all. Yes,! They’re finally bringing around the unidentifiable airplane food and beverages. Chicken or beef? I’ll take a Sprite. 

April 30, 2010-

Its been 1 hour since I managed to choke down the chicken. I’ve been sleeping for an hour as well. Dr. Know-it -all didn’t seem to notice the chicken’s stale taste. Now he’s going on about how great it was. Wow, and I thought his taste in clothes was bad.  I can finally see the ground!  Oh, how I missed the dear old thing.  This is so exiting! Now they’re announcing that we have to buckle up so the plane can land. Whew, after 15 hours of flying, I can’t wait to get off. 

April 30, 2010-

I have checked into my hotel. I got a pretty nice one in east Pakistan near the border of India. It’s called the Pearl Continental Lahore, or something like. Oh, wait I checked the directory that is on the nightstand. I’m right. After the plane reached the airport, I ran to baggage claim, grabbed my bag, and ran out the door. Then I jumped in a cab and said, ” The Pearl Continental Lahore,”  which made me feel like a celebrity. My travels had begun.