One Week in India is Not Enough

Last week was definitely one of my favorites of Global so far, although our arrival was a bit of a shock for the whole group. One member of our group, Noah, was denied entry into the country when we arrived at the immigration desk. Last year he was a part of a St. Olaf study abroad group who got turned away due to an issue with their visas. This time he had all the correct paperwork from St. Olaf, and no one expected it to be a problem. Apparently there is some sort of waiting period that has to run out before someone who is denied is allowed to enter the country again, and Noah's wasn't up yet. Thankfully he and Joel were able to fly directly to Beijing, but the sudden loss of two group members was jarring.

In order to cope with the sudden loss of Noah for the week, we adopted a motto: What would Noah do? Noah studies Asian art history and was the most excited to visit India of all of us, so we made sure that we would do as much as we possibly could on his behalf! So, even though we arrived at the hotel exhausted from our flights, we hopped on a bus for a full afternoon of sightseeing. That first day we saw two temples: the Lotus Temple of the Baha'i religion, and Bangla Shahib, a Sikh temple.

Approaching the Lotus Temple

The Lotus Temple was designed by the same architect as the Sydney Opera House, and blooms from blue pools of water that surround the entire structure. We were able to go inside (after taking off our shoes) and meditate or reflect for awhile. The interior of the temple didn't allow photography, but it was a very simple and beautiful space. When I asked for some information about the Baha'i religion at the info desk later, I was told that Baha'i includes elements of many different religions and holds all images of god as legitimate interpretations of the one god they believe in. They also do not have any sermons or official interpretations of scripture. The religion is focused on the individual search for truth, and the simple interior of the temple is designed to allow people to focus on their individual practice rather than being influenced by the space itself. I really appreciated having a few minutes to close my eyes and breathe after such a hectic 24 hours of travel.

We put on our shoes and made our way to Bangla Shahib as the golden hour was setting in. We received more of a formal tour at this temple and were able to see the ornate worship space, sacred pool, and kitchen. The kitchen was my favorite part of the tour. The temple serves hundreds of free meals every day for anyone in need. Everything is cooked in enormous pots and the kitchen is primarily staffed by volunteers. As we were leaving we walked past a father and his young daughter sitting together and making roti, which made me smile.

The outside of Bangla Shahib and the sacred pool

The next day we woke up early to get to the train station. Elizabeth had planned for us to visit the Woodstock International School in Musoorie, a town way up in the foothills of the Himalayas. St. Olaf sends student teachers to Woodstock almost every year, so Elizabeth has been connected to the school for years. I loved getting to see so much of India rush past outside the windows, and the tea service was such a fun bonus! We had lunch in Deradun and then took a bus up the winding road into the mountains. Our driver made ample use of the horn, as we were driving on essentially a one lane road with cars going both directions with a very steep drop off the side. He told us that, in India, "Honking is like breathing, we cannot live without it!"

1. Outside the train station early in the morning. 2. Tea time! 3. A town passing by outside the window.

We stayed at the Hanifl Center of Woodstock, which is their outdoor and environmental education center. They lead trips, teach environmental science, and train students in wilderness first aid. I felt right at home! Hanifl is like a combination of Outdoor School and Oles Under the Sun, just with ten times the funding. We spent our first full day in Musoorie hiking and experiencing the natural beauty if India. In the morning we hiked 8 kilometers of the "chacka" or path that loops around the hillside. It was clear that day, so we were able to see the white peaks of the Himalayas rising in the distance. Nandini told us that it had been cloudy the past few days, so we were lucky to be seeing the mountains. One thing I also loved about our hike was the trash cans! Every ten minutes or so we would pass a trash can with some contemplative quote on it about the importance of nature, part of a regional effort to improve environmental protection. Here is a gallery of some of my favorites from the hike:

As we passed one house in the neighborhood, an older woman called out to us, asking where we were from. When we responded that we were from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, she lit up! She introduced herself as Kathryn Getter and shared that her sister is a former Ole and she spent several years teaching midwifery at the University of Minnesota. She was also an alumna of the Woodstock school, so she was delighted to meet Elizabeth. It truly is a small world!

After a quick lunch at the main Woodstock campus we embarked on our second hike to the [ ] Nature Reserve, which is the only private nature reserve in India. We were joined by a naturalist who works at the reserve who took us on a hike to flag hill, were people have hung dozens of prayer flags in the trees over the years. The naturalist shared that, formerly, the area had been a popular picnic spot and was littered with trash, so much that they removed 600kg of plastic and other refuse from the property during the process of turning the area into a protected area. We also got to check one of the camera traps that are set throughout the reserve to monitor the animal activity, and saw that there had been a gorgeous spotted leopard on the trail the night before!

That night Nandini took us down into town to do some shopping at the local bazaar. We were met with the sounds of a loud brass band marching through the streets in a procession with dancers and even someone being carried in a living shrine! We happened to be in Musoorie on the night of a festival for a certain sect of Hinduism that was celebrating the birthday of a holy man. I'm so glad that we were able to have this random cultural experience as we did our souvenir shopping. India is so diverse in terms of its religions make-up, and I wish we had longer to have learned even more about this part of the culture.

Once we made it back to Delhi it was right back on the bus for the journey to Agra, where we saw the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort of Agra. As I sat on the bus that morning, I wasn't totally sure if the five hour drive was worth it when we could have spent that time actually doing things in Delhi, but as soon as I saw the white marble of the Taj, any doubts were swept away. I completely understand why this building is one of the wonders of the world. Going inside was a surprise, for it was much smaller than I had imagined, but the intricate carvings and decorations took my breath away. The Red Fort was built by the grandfather of the man who built the Taj Mahal, and he used the red sandstone instead of marble to build the enormous fort/palace. We had free time to explore and I really appreciate the ability to get lost in the different hallways, courtyards, and chambers. It was a little peaceful bit of time amid all of our rushing around.

Our last day in Delhi was crammed with sightseeing. We began the morning at the Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India. To my surprise, India actually has the second largest population of Muslims anywhere in the world. Unfortunately we didn't have much time at the mosque, but I was glad to see the space. Then we took a rickshaw ride around Old Delhi. We rode through tiny narrow streets filled with color and life and smells of amazing street food we weren't allowed to eat and I loved it! I wish we had more time to explore. The rest of the day we saw Humayan's Tomb, the Gandhi memorial that houses his cremains, and finally the Qutb Complex.

I'm not going to write about every one of these sites because the day was such a blur, but I am so glad we ended at Qutb! The area is full of Hindu temple ruins from the 11th century and is overlooked by an enormous carved tower made of sandstone. We reached the site right at the golden hour, so the reddish stone seemed to glow. I knew that I was excited to see India, but I didn't anticipate just how much I would want to stay. So far, India is tied with Egypt on my list of countries that I need to come back to as soon as possible. Now it's on to our next month long stay in China!

Thanks for reading :)

-GMH