Siva Ratiri

Yesterday was one of the most amazing days since I came to India- and maybe one of the most memorable days ever! It was "Siva's Night"- which is apparently a pretty big festival here. About a month ago one of the families that lives below us wanted to know if we'd come with them to their village and celebrate the festival with them. We told them we would, and we said we'd pay for the car (they said we wouldn't do well on a bus- which i scoffed at- but after yesterday i really believe them!)- which came out to less than 10 dollars for each of us (Laura, Emily, and me).

The day started with us going to this temple next to a sacred lotus pond under a huge banion tree. We had been to the temple one time before because it's next to a huge rock (called a Jain Mountain) with Jain caves in it about half way up. When we came before we didn't go into the temple- but this time the family led us in and we were blessed and then washed off a little in the pond. Then the family said we should climb the mountain.

It's not a huge mountain- really it's just one huge piece of rock reddish gold rock with desert varnish up and down the sides. There are some steps carved in for the first twenty yards or so- but after that you just climb up it. Before it was sort of a steep climb, but we did it at 8 am or so before it was too hot- but even then we were exhausted by the time we got down (as it had begun to be hot already). This time we were doing it in the middle of the day. We had water, but really I just needed a hose or something. To make things crazier, we didn't have any shoes on because we had just been in the temple. So- Emily and Laura and about 10 Tamils and I were running up this rock in the middle of the day, trying to get to the shrine at the top. We all had to periodically stop and sit down to give our feet a rest from the burning rock. They were throbbing! Finally we all got to the top to find that the only thing that was there was just a big post. So- we took pictures in front of the post and rested for awhile before starting down. The way down was somehow just as hard as the way up- maybe it was because of the knowledge that we were working out way towards a shady pond in which we could put our feet.

After some icecream we all got back into the car and headed out towards the village. It was a beautiful drive down uneven dirt roads surrounded by patty fields and grazing cows. When we got there we rested inside in the shade for a few minutes and then they suggested we all go bathing. They had mentioned this a few times over the last month- but we weren't really sure what they were talking about. There seems to be quite the tradition of bathing in India- usually religious bathing where you go to a sacred pond or waterfall and immerse yourself- one side for me, one side for women of course- But it didn't seem like there was anything like that out at this village. So we agreed, and we all started walking. We left the village and were suddenly in the most beautiful country. We followed narrow paths through marigold fields where workers were picking flowers- occasionally they'd give them to us, so the entire group had flowers all in their hair. There were so many different types of flowers in the different fields- ones that were so bright and colorful and ones that were so aromatic- but the only ones i recognized were marigolds.

We got to the "bathing pit"- which was just a huge hole in the ground filled with water. I was peering over the edge when I heard a loud machinery noise followed by rushing water and then water was blasted out of a hose with fire-fighter pressure. Pretty much what followed was women in their nicest saris and salwars being hosed down in the middle of a field in India. It was a little crazy, but one of the most refreshing feelings ever! especially after the morning's jaunt up the hot rock. It was such a nice feeling though because it was all just families. It seems that so often in India where there is a great experience to be had it's wrecked by hoards of teenage boys yelling "white woman white woman" and harassing anything that moves. But here it was just a few families- the one we have gotten to know over the last six months of living above them- and a few families that we had spent the morning with. It was sweet to see the shy little kids being led into the water- the flowers were all soaked out of our hair and any bindis or puja marks on our forehead were washed away. It was really comforting- the only men around were brothers and fathers with their families- and all the women were so sweet and sisterly. By the end we were all soaked in water and were actually pretty thankful for the sun to be out!

There was a nearby house that someone suggested we walk to- so we started through fields again. This time there were delicious beans on one side and rice on the other. We got to the house which was small and stuck in a little shaded grove of coconut trees. A boy who was about ten or twelve climbed up a coconut tree and knocked down enough for us to all have one. Then we sat around and drank the milk and then ate the coconut. Nothing is as refreshing as that after a long hot day! The family that lived in the house seemed really nice. They had a lot of children who were running around playing with the dozens of animals around. They would pick up baby chicks and hand them to us- and Laura spent a good portion of her time there playing with a puppy. Then we were led to the back of the house where there was a rose garden. I actually went out of my way to smell the roses! The women who brought us there picked the roses and put them in our hair (which had already dried because it's India and is So hot!), and then we all just sat around smelling flowers for awhile!

It's interesting to look at this serene little house out in the middle of nowhere India and feel so safe and comfortable. I find it interesting that India is mostly rural- and yet is also thriving in technology. I guess this could be my Alaskan shortsightedness- but somehow I feel like India's relationship with the rural life style is somewhat contradicting. I hear statistics like how women are much less likely to get infections from dirty menstrual rags because they wash them more in villages (although, compared to the US it's still likely they get infections). But then I hear other statistics like how something like 70 percent of women in villages will, at some point, get an infection that leads to their uterine lining hanging out and they don't do anything about it- a statistic that isn't true for women in urban India. Anyway- I found myself thinking about these things yesterday- looking at this family in this patty field. The children are probably going to grow up and be educated- maybe engineers or lawyers- Tamil Nadu, i hear, has great education, urban or rural. I guess these kids will probably grow up educated, for sure literate, and then move away from their village and come back for holidays like my family here (although my family isn't literate- but their children are). These issues are so complicated- and I haven't even begun to understand them.

When the sun started to set we walked back through the fields to the house we had left our stuff at. There we ate a delicious dinner and rested for a bit. I was feeling really satisfied and relaxed. It was nice to have a little Indian style vacation as opposed to going to the touristy places for vacation and having a US style vacation in India.

We all piled back into the car, and I thought we were going home (was really looking forward to getting back in time to maybe do some work!) and then someone announced that we were off to see 11 temples. So we spent the rest of the night going around to different temples for this festival. There were so many thousands of people on the move. We'd leave the car in one place and then walk from temple to temple- like trick-or-treating, but instead of candy you get ash smeared on your forehead. Whenever we did get back in the car we just sort of piled in (also reminiscent of trick or treating!). I think I constantly had a little toddler on my lap sleeping- and was sitting half on Emily or Laura almost every time.

By the end of it I was so exhausted from walking and so tired of being yelled at by Tamil guys. I was just dragging my poor little bare feet along the gravely ground, occasionally stopping to pick thorns out of them. Danu, the girl who lives below us, held my hand the whole time. I think they had a sort of system going on in which someone watched each of us so that we were constantly surrounded by family members and thus unable to be harassed too badly by the groups of passing guys. I was thankful for it, honestly.

We eventually got back home at 2 am, and I slept so soundly! So- the day was at times a little painful and at times amazing. All in all quite the experience!