Bengal's light to the world

Every city and place has its unique charm on its own. Kolkata, being one of the oldest colonial and metropolitan cities is unquestionably a city of joy.  A spark of joy always engulf me when I am in Kolkata – talkative people, loudest city, yellow color ambassador taxis, mother’s house, rasogullas from KC Das, fiery eyes and tongue protruded goddess Kali, graffiti streets, rich in literature, arts, music, culture, choked crowd, open-air baths, poverty-filled streets, hardships; with all these in balance, the city and its people live in joyfulness with traces of British East India company remnants. Two streets are must to visit when you are in Kolkata, College Street and Sudder Street.

Common sight on the streets of Kolkata

College Street is known for prestigious academic institutions, countless small and big book stores, and India’s biggest publishing house. When I’m in Kolkata, I make a mandatory visit to this Boi Para, called as “Book Town” to purchase few titles after hour-long browsing. My Boi Para visit ends with customary chai in nostalgic Indian Coffee House, a colonial architectural café that attracted city’s intelligentsia like Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray.  I love the palpable atmosphere of café for endless Bengali gossips and talks.

Backpackers Haven

Backpacking experiences with like-minded vagabonds will take you to Delhi’s Paharganj and Kolkata’s Sudder Street. My next stop would be Sudder Street in Kolkatta for a leisurely stroll in evenings to have a hippie experience in this backpacker’s haven. The sudder street scenes will never evade from my neuronal networks; shopkeepers in flea market cry out for selling their colourful accessories on display, agents hawking me promising a budget and low-cost accommodations, missionaries of charity volunteers group identified by their t-shirts, dance bar girls catwalk on streets giggling making fun on each other with heavy makeup and light clothes showcasing their cleavage, drug peddlers stocking me to supply their contraband drugs and hashish at cheap rates. Sipping a madka chai in sudder street, I savour these moments.

Raised in catholic boarding school since Kindergarden, I was upraised with greater influence of Catholic Christianity faith. The catholic nuns in my hostel days talk about Mother Theresa and her services in Kolkata. I was greatly inspired and touched by the services of her Missionaries of Charity in giving the dignity for dying, compassion to lepers, AIDS sufferers, home to poor, orphans and abandoned in over a hundred plus countries across the globe. 

The modest entrance

As I stepped in Mother’s House in Kolkata, off AJC road this June, I was not completely aware of the emotions which will make me heavy and cry later. I walked into the modest entrance to the world headquarters and residential quarters for the Missionaries of Charity and has been home to Mother Teresa and her sisters since 1953. A simple building with neat floors and purely functional features. The simplicity and strength of the building depicts the lifestyle of its sisters. A sister greeted me with folded hands and gracious smile at the entrance. The lobby was neatly arranged with ornamental plants, a statue of Mother Mary and Mother Teresa. The sister guided me to the tomb of Mother in the ground floor. 

Mother's Tomb

I stepped into the room to offer my prayers to mother’s mortal remains. The tomb was adorned with fresh flower bouquets, jasmine flowers and a candle shimmering on the marble.  In the austere surroundings, I kneeled before the tomb of Mother, touched my forehead to the marbles and closed my eyes offering my silent prayers to God for giving us Mother Teresa to India. She touched the lives of dying millions people in the poorest of poor slums and making them feel wanted and special with medical help and offering them the divine smile.  Tears rolled out of my eyes out without any intention; thinking of Mother, her gallant services and selfless services to the sick and abandoned in a Hindu predominant nation, when communal tensions exploded in bloodshed once upon a time. 

Mother's Room

I spent some more time in the small museum that housed many of Mother Teresa’s possession. Her trademark white cotton sarees with three blue boarders, sandals she wore while walking through the streets of Kolkata were on display along with numerous medals and honours she received all across the world, including the coveted Bharath Ratna award and Nobel Peace Prize medal and citations. Mother’s room in first floor was kept open for visitors for viewing. It was a very small room without any fan, just a single bed, wooden desk and a paired bench. Mother used to write letters to all the branches of Missionaries of Charity, meet dignitaries and visitors in this room.  It was sobering to read, that she passed away in that very room, on that very bed on September 5th, 1997. 

I reached the main doorway of mother’s house to find out, the sister distributing flyers and mothers face imprinted silver dollars. I received the dollars and sat behind her for a conversation. She gave me short brief about various Missionaries of Charity centres in Kolkata – Daya Dan, Nirmal Hriday, Nabon Jiban, Shishu Bhavan,  Prem Dan, Shanthi Dan & Ghandhi Welfare Centre.  The nun also said that all these centres are maintained by services rendered by young volunteers from across the globe. I asked her, what would be the qualification for volunteering in these centres. She smiled at my eyes with an instant reply, “ Loving Hearts and Serving Hands”  are the qualifications for volunteering. She  probed me, do you have those qualifications? The question striked my head with a bang.   After a moment of silence, I replied in positive. She asked me to visit Shishu Bhavan by 03.00 PM for volunteer registration and orientation.  I bid adieu to the nun, thanked her profusely. As usual her reply was short holding the rosary in her hand, praise the lord !

Volunteering card 

Shishu Bhavan was few hundred meters away from Mother’s House housing hundreds of orphan children. The doors are kept open by 02.45 PM for volunteer’s registration. I was waiting there in the tin shed veranda along with couple of other new volunteers. I exchanged customary pleasantries among those volunteers from Germany, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.  A nun from North Eastern state of India, assisted me in completing my registration, verified my identity card and issued me the volunteer’s identity card.  She enquired my area of expertise, suggested to volunteer in Prem Dan centre.  All the volunteers were instructed to assemble in Mother’s House next day by 06.00 AM for prayer mass in chapel. 

Famous among volunteers

Next day, I reached Mother’s house by quarter to six. The nuns assembled in one side of chapel and on the other side, the volunteers took their seats. I joined them by holding a prayer sheet. The mass started with a prayer song by the sisters in devotion and soulful demeanour, followed by reading of Psalms by visiting priest from Holy Bible and meditation.  All the volunteers assembled for simple breakfast – fresh bread from nearby Russian Bakery, banana and a glass of milk. Being the first day of volunteering, I stood in a corner of the veranda. I was soon captivated by the volunteer community; by the warmth and friendliness of the people with their infectious smile.

Google Directions

I meet volunteers from all over the world, including French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spaniards, Germans, Americans, Canadians and Irish. Many volunteers are seasoned travellers, while others were volunteering for the first time like me. Placards popped in the crowd, with name of each centre written on the cards. I walked towards prem dan centre placard, and few volunteers followed me in suit. The volunteer who hold the card introduced as Nicholas from Mexico. He was very much cheerful leading our volunteering team by walk to prem dan centre, which was three kilometres from Mothers House. The Google maps will literally fail before Nicholas, as he took us in the narrow typical lanes of Kolkata. 

Prem Dan – Mother Teresa’s home for the sick and dying destitute in Topsia area houses 200+ male and 150+ female inmates. As I entered the home, most of the inmates were out in balcony and courtyard for breakfast. I took a bowl of rice porridge and started spoon feeding an octogenarian on wheel chair with hollow cheeks, and thin torso covered with soiled linen. His glazed eyes were trying to convey something. I cheered him up, brought him to his bed, changed his clothes, gave him the medications and laid him to rest in the bed for a while. 

Coincidental words!

Meanwhile, my fellow volunteers were soaked with sweat, hand-washing the laundry of 200+ male inmates’ clothes in the shiny pre-monsoon June morning. The team divided into sloshing clothes in soap water, rinsing and wringing the garments on the clothes line. There was a strong spirit of teamwork among us. Nicholas was found to be more witty and making fun, as usual cheering up in the laborious task. I wringed a green t-shirt on the cloth line. I was surprised to read the lines on the t-shirt; NEVER STOP LEARNING, BECAUSE LIFE NEVER STOPS TEACHING. It was rare coincidental lines for me, as I always tend to learn in any of the given circumstances of life.

Bed making by volunteers

Some volunteers went to make the bed, where as I assisted a nun who was dressing the pressure sores of bed ridden patients.  The African born nun, was a trained nurse by profession, highly efficient and skilled in her practice too. Without much pain and difficulty, she cleansed the deep wounds of the patients, dressed them with the antibiotic medications. Throughout the procedure, she fondly enquired about me, my family and my profession. I asked the nun, what made her to choose India? In affirmation, she replied that’s because of Mother and Missionaries of Charity. Orphaned by her parents, she was raised by the orderly nuns of Missionaries of Charity in Rwanda, Central Africa. Influenced by Mother and her immaculate services, she determined to become a nun to help the sick and dying. She was indeed very much proud, that she got a rare opportunity to serve in the Mother’s Headquarters in Kolkata. Meanwhile, I taught her simple physical therapy manoeuvres to stretch spastic hyper toned muscles of lower limb to a stroke patient. 

Nicholas!

Nicholas pulled me out to the courtyard, for assisting me to groom the patients. He pushed me a box of shaving set with razor and blades in my hand. I sport a beard and hardly used a razor and blades for self-grooming. I stood puzzled holding the razor, whereas my fellow volunteers cheered me in for the task. An old man in the crowd called me in a husky voice for grooming. I offered a small prayer to the lord and started my job. Rinsing the face with soap lather, and as a trained grooming expert, I removed his beard along with the white foamy lather using the sharp razor gently. Within no time, I mastered the art of it. He smiled till his ears before the mirror on seeing his clean-shaven face. After attending to three more grooming assignments, the volunteers went for a short tea break in mid-morning. 

Later, I went to the Kitchen to help the workers preparing lunch. I washed the fresh mangoes and sliced them in pieces for a fresh fruit salad with bananas. We served the patients with lunch menu of steamed rice, sambar, bajji and fresh cut fruit salad. I took a plate of lunch; started spoon feeding a fragile old man in his sixties. He spoke to me in Bengali which I could not understood completely. I replied him in Hindi, which he didn’t understood I guess. But it was a meaningful conversation between two of us. After lunch, all our team volunteers assembled in the dish washing area for washing the plates, glasses and utensils. It was again a coordinated team task ensuring the vessels are washed properly without wasting much of water. Once the plates are arranged in shelves, our day is done as the inmates return to the bed for an afternoon nap.

Sab theek ho jayega 

The inmates of prem dan come from all sorts of background. Their life stories revealed the wild and darkest side of human nature. I went into the dormitory styled bedroom in search of the African nun to thank her. I could not find her, I heard a strange voice groaning with pain at one corner of the room. I went near the bed to find a man in terminal stages of life.  His malignancy metastased to almost all parts of the body. His voice reduced to whisper, face conveying the agony and pain of his suffering. I sat near to him adjusting the intravenous lines. I hold his hands tightly to give a comfort, stroked his head gently for a soothing effect and said, “sab theek ho jayega ji” translating it to All will be fine. The man looked at me in intense, closed his eyes as tears rolled out from the corner of his parched eyes. Later he raised his frail hand to reach my chin in gratitude.   It is a sight that can move even a hard-edged cynic.

The volunteering team - The world is here!

Few hours of volunteering in Prem Dan, I was moved with intense emotions. Indeed I took many roles – a caretaker, a physiotherapist, a nurse, a barber, a laundry man, a cook, a quiet listener, a healer and more of true human being. In each of these roles, there is a sense of peace simplicity and grace.  The volunteers and the sisters radiate joy and love in all that they do, and I always pray that I can do the same. Missionaries of Charity is a quiet place; a place where the tears of the dying and the tears of the searching meet; a place where east meets west; where boundaries are broken. I was continually humbled; at the old man who thanked me for helping him eat, the smile from the old man after his clean shave, African nun’s compassion and the fragile man raising his hand in gratitude to me. 

Mother Teresa said, I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples. She indeed created many ripples throughout the world by her compassionate services.

On a closing note, I wish that everyone in the world should have a, loving heart and serving hands to make the world a better place to live. 

Love one another, as I have loved you. (St John 15:12)

High again in Bhutan!

One of the most attractive perks in my job is to travel a lot on work assignments. Official trips to beautiful locations with paid expenses are double perks. All these will never come as cake walk. One has to walk extra miles, burn midnight oil at times, and think out of the box to be considered for those trips. I should thank my organization for providing me endless opportunities at my workplace to learn and also considering and trusting me to represent them in different places.   

Druk & Himalayan ranges

I got another opportunity to visit Bhutan this February on official trip. Dreaming of Bhutan and one is already on cloud nine. This "Land of the Thunder Dragon" is unquestionably a Himalayan paradise, where religion and mysticism is the way of life. Traversing the snow-flaked Himalayas and charming mountainous terrain are real thrill with sky piercing majestic alpines dotting on the hillsides on one side and lush green valley on other side. After completing my meetings, presentations, networking sessions, official dinners in Thimpu & Paro, I got a gap day for my return flight to India. My friends in Bhutan strongly recommended Tigers Nest trekking as I was there already in Paro town. 

The crystal clear river stream

Nestled amidst this mystifying environment of upper Paro valley is the Paro Thaksang translates to Tiger Nest monastery, the bejewelled crown of Bhutan.  The Tiger Nest monastery in Bhutan is counted as one of the fascinating sights in the world due to its splendid visual appeal. Human imagination stays bewildered with the thought how this monastery could have been built at such an altitude of 3,120 metres. I started the hike to Paro Thaksang from Paro valley. It was estimated to take two and half hours to reach the destination at 10,200 feet above the mean sea level.  

School kids on an excursion

The trail started with a slow and gentle climb into the pine forest. In the midst of forests, I came across interesting Buddhist chortens. The cylindrical prayers wheels inside the chorten contain scrolls that were inscribed with Buddhist mantras.   The prayer wheels are water-powered in design, such that the natural water stream spins the prayer wheel clockwise. It is believed that the mantras inside are activated and released during each spin. These mantras are said to purify negativity, generate compassion, remove barriers to enlightenment and bring benefit to all sentient beings. 

Prayer flags 

Whenever I travel to the North Eastern states of India and countries in the Himalayas where Tibetan/ Mahayana Buddhism thrives, I’m always enchanted with the ubiquitous sights of fluttering prayer flags. They’re such blissful and mystical sights to behold, and so are the prayer flags here in this trail along with me. These Prayer flags are five colorful rectangular clothes inscribed with prayers, mantras and auspicious symbols. Each color represents the 5 basic elements: blue for space, white for air, red for fire, green for water and yellow for earth. Buddhists believe that balancing these elements brings harmony and good health to the body and the mind. 

Tigers Nest Monastery

Look deep into the nature, you will understand everything better. I stood awe-inspired in mid trek at one of the breath-taking views of the paro valley and tigers nest monastery.  I felt the surreal experience of green pine forests and beholding contour of the Tiger nest monastery parched on the distance cliff. The very first clear view of the tigers nest was a complete visual extravagance.  The trail was quiet challenging from this place, descend further through 700+ narrow steps in the valley with no handrails, cross a waterfall and ascend few hundred steps to reach tigers nest. The roof of the monastery is gold platted and it glittered in sunshine.  A mystic moment engulfed me at this moment; I was lost in the bliss of mystic surroundings. 

Surreal

An interesting story goes around this Paro Thaksang monastery dedicated to Padmasambhava called as Guru Rhinpoche in Bhutan. He was believed to be the second incarnation of Lord Buddha. His birth was pretold by Buddha. Guru Rhinpoche was born in Dhanakosha of Swat valley in Pakistan. Lord Padmasambava left to Nepal to practice secret tantric consort rituals of Mahayana Buddhism. He also introduced tantric Buddhism into Tibet. The entire Paro valley was under the control of evil demon in eighth century. Padmasambhava flew to this exact spot from Tibet on a back of a tigress. He subdued the demon using tantric Buddhism and magic dagger. Later the demon was transformed into a protective deity of the entire valley. Since then, he established himself on the summit.  Padmasambava took residence in a cave where he meditated for 3 years, 3 months and 3 days. The shrine itself, however, was first built about nine centuries later, and subsequently rebuilt many times. 

Let there be light!

It is an exhilarating experience to reach Tiger’s Nest Monastery finally.  Unfortunately, photography and videography were not allowed inside the monastery. I have to deposit all my electronic gadgets at the entrance. The beauty of the inner sanctum of the monastery is imprinted in my mind forever. The air was thin as I curved the inner complex of monastery. There were eight temples in the monastery where statues of Guru Rinpoche in his various manifestations were on display with beautiful religious paintings. The atmosphere throughout the monastery was mystical.  Next to butter altar lamp room, I found a path descending to a dark cave. The steps in this cave were made of wooden logs in between the giant rocks and deep valley. I maneuvered on those logs carefully to reach the basement of cave. The spot was breath-taking; behind me the darkest cave and in just front of me the deep green gorges and distant snow-capped mountains. I was exactly standing between the obscure darkness behind and optimistic bright light before me. I was enveloped with deep sense of calmness tranquility and peace. Trekking to this tigers nest was definitely a physical exertion, but at the end I feel it was indeed a mental relaxation sitting above the valley and clouds.  

A wish to live in the present!

While I greatly reverent Lord Buddha, I reflect on how many beliefs and philosophy resonate with me. This trail to tiger monastery was a faith to get rid of all my anger, ignorance, fury and resentments to reach Nirvana. In fact, Buddha himself has been quoted as saying, “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

The search of Shiv in me

2018 is almost over in a flash. Life has taken a roller coaster ride for me in these past twelve months professionally, socially, personally, psychologically and in all sort of …ally’s. The past week, past month, even the past year has moved on an autopilot. Sitting in a remotest colonial and picturesque tea estate in Valparai near Pollachi, I reflect how I spend my time of 2018 in twenty posts and frames.  

My job routine is always exciting with lengthy and brainstorming meetings, discussions, arguments, presentations, proposals, deadlines, negotiations, celebrations, early morning & late night airport check-in’s, and of course disappointments at times. Nevertheless, I found myself hard-pressed to recall any new skills I have learned (or) made any new decisions / choices that made a positive difference to me (or) someone.

My friends often remind me, that I prevail in mid-life crisis, till continue to search for something deeper in life with my inquisitive eyes and soul, but my life has never been stagnant. Midst of all these chores; without losing my typical 9 to 5 job, I balanced to explore new places, met interesting people, walked extra mile to serve the people at the time of their distress and crisis, also wept in tears under my blanket when I had a personal loss. On a brighter side, here’s a quick rewind to my incredible 2018 here with 20 posts and picture perfect shots.

Third week of January 2018, as the winters started receding after Maharsankranti, I took a road trip on a weekend evening to Alampur town in Gadwal district of Telangana State from Raichur, Karnataka. Alampur is a small sleepy town located on the bank of River Tungabadra.  Sacred rivers Tungabadra & Krishna are in confluence near to this town. The road to Alampur town from National Highway 44 was a scenic drive of small hamlets with paddy fields and tobacco cultivation.  This town is considered to be one of the most sacred religious place in Hindu faith with temples dedicated to Lord Jogulamba & Lord Shiva. 

These cardinal temples date back to 7^th Century was built by Chalukyas of Badami. As I enter the main temple complex of Alampur, I noticed the architecture was completely different from Dravidian style.  These temples were exemplifying Nagara style of architecture reflecting remarkable architecture skills with intricate carvings. Some of the temples are in ruins damaged, defaced and knocked down during the Muslim invasions in 14^th century. Today, these temples stand tall as an affirming glory to Chalukya dynasty. I was keen in the ruins of many shiva temples which has been thrown open to common public as monuments rather than temple. My family members are ardent devotees of Lord Vishnu. Obviously I inherited their faiths. Meanwhile Amish Tripathi and his Shiva Triology books made me a great fan towards Mahadev. Later Sadhguru and Isha Yoga added fuel to my search of Shiva within me.

I stepped into one of a biggest dilapidated shrines in the town to have a glimpse. The main dwara was adorned with fine stone carvings of Hindu mythological sculptures. The temple was dim, filled with absolute stillness.  Bats screeched in the ceiling from one corner to other. I found a Shiv lingam adoring sublimely in the middle of sanctum sanctorum made of ten feet black granite stone. An oil lamp was illuminated before Lingam. Black incense sticks were lit and flowers below the lingam spread a kind of mystical aroma in the air.  I could not move my sight staring at Shivling. I took a comfortable position right in front of Mahadev with my eyes closed for an hour long meditation alone in the biggest temple complex. It was a perfect meditative moment for me; sitting in the darkest chambers of a seventh century temple somewhere in a Deccan plateau as the gentle evening breeze from the backwaters of River Tungabadra and Krishna caressed my body.

Hindu faith worships two main gods – Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. The Vishnus are leaders who create a new way of life, lead us to a better path by blessing us with more of positive vibes and energy making them propagators of good. Whereas, the Mahadevs are like surgeons who take away the negative vibes and remove sickness, which will destroy the entire body. To have a composed life; one should have a balance of Lord Vishnu & Lord Shiv in their life.  Thoughts transcended me in this trip, that everyone should  bind  to Lord Shiv to remove the more of sickness in them in this materialistic world. With these thoughts, my first road trip in 2018 came to an end. It was a great start for me once again; riding solo to have such meditative moment.  

                                    Coming up next - Buddha in me!