No place like India
New Delhi, India 12/2008
New Delhi, India 12/2008
Ludhiana, Punjab 12/2008
Ludhiana, Punjab 12/2008
Ludhiana, Punjab 12/2008
Ludhiana, Punjab 12/2008
Ludhiana, Punjab 12/2008
Golden Temple, Amritsar Punjab 12/2008
Golden Temple, Amritsar Punjab 12/2008 (My first trip to India)
I can still remember liking the way air smelled and how it felt thick and warm. Stepping off the plane felt like I was stepping onto another planet. The fog was heavy in December so it took us 18 hours to drive to Luthana, Punjab. Our drivers name was Pupender and he stocked the car up with Indian candies for the ride. Every time the car seemed to stop, I’d look out the window and see little hands and faces pressed against the glass. My heart ached with confusion and tears ran down my face for most of that drive. It was the first time I felt humanity in that way and it hurt. We finally arrived to the unassuming house and were greeted by 5 or 6 people. We got out of the car to them jumping up and down, trowing money and flowers at us, feeding us more candy. I was delirious and slap happy as I entered the house and my eyes had to readjust to the gorgeous gold palace I now stood in. I had my own room and the bed was as hard as a rock, I never slept better in my life. I woke up to fresh chi tea, smiling ear to ear, so excited to be experiencing life in India. The energy outside was so intense, all of my senses felt like they were being attacked and my body felt stressed. I walked past a little alter in the street and I noticed people falling to their knees to pray. In that one precious moment, I declared a time-out in the midst of all the chaos. I realized that in order to truly experience life here I had to accept what’s so and let go of the story, the judgement. The country opened up to me and I saw beauty and spiritual energy everywhere. I was able to recognize my state of beingness and fall in love with the nature of my own essence. Being in India taught me about life. How to pay attention and how to see the beauty. I learned deeply that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, that nothing is guaranteed. Every time I’m out in the world is a risk of some kind no matter where I am. I learned to be truly grateful and to see and feed what’s good because what we feed will always grow. I find India to be one of the most fascinating places on the plant and I’ve gone back, again and again. To eat with my hands and to walk barefoot in temples. To adorn by body in jewels and henna. To practice yoga and to pray. BEING in this country is powerful and I’m so thankful to have been welcomed and to have expanded in the ways that I did. For me, there is no place like India.
Kolkata, West Bengal 12/2012
Kolkata, West Bengal 12/2012
Kolkata, West Bengal 12/2012
Kolkata, West Bengal 12/2012
Kolkata, West Bengal 12/2012
Kolkata, West Bengal 12/2012
Kolkata, West Bengal 12/2012
Kolkata, West Bengal 12/2012
Kolkata, West Bengal 12/2012
Jaipur, Rajasthan 12/2015
Jaipur, Rajasthan 12/2015
Jaipur, Rajasthan 12/2015
Galtaji Temple, Rajasthan 12/2015
Jaipur, Rajasthan 12/2015
Jaipur, Rajasthan 2015