Mangalore is the first of 3 ports we are to visit in India, and we were excited to be here. The port itself was another container port, and as we wended our way on our tour bus, the reality of India was apparent immediately. Sure, it is a country that is fast tracking it's way to prosperity, and it's economy is outperforming most of those in the West, but there is a long way for them to go to tackle some of the issues facing this nation of 1.2 billion. As a westerner, even one like myself who has worked for many years with India, and visited here before, there are several things that strike you, bother you, and cause you to think deeply. For me it is the garbage - it is everywhere - in the street, in the gutter, piles of it, between and in front of homes, and shops - little piles and great piles. I honestly have tremendous admiration for India and its people and know that you have to look beyond these things to the complexities and richness of this society, but I also know that most westerners stop at the garbage and get turned off. Even when you are prepared for it, it is still a shock and one wonders why their culture is so immune to what we would call filth. For it is not uncommon to see a waste bin, empty, but surrounded by garbage as if they couldn't make the effort to walk the extra step to toss it in the bin. Then of course there is the poverty. People are obviously working hard as throughout India we saw people hurrying and scurrying about, families riding on motorcycles, others pushing enormous loads on hand pushed carts, women carrying loads on their heads and no one standing around at all. It is a country where one feels the industry and growth.
Our tour took us directly deep into a place where we could leave behind this first impression of the day, into the spiritual devotion of the Indian people which defined this day for us. Barry remarked that obvious spirituality of the people in the temples we visited particularly touched him.
Eighty per cent of India is Hindu. We first visited a temple that was built in the 900's. Everything in India is crowded, and the buildings are layered into one another - new and old. We had a very good guide, who explained the significance of the different deities as we made our way in. We had been told to bring socks to wear, as shoes must be left outside the temple, and the stones pavement is very hot in the sunlight. This particular temple is built on a high area where originally there were 9 lakes at the top. We saw the vestiges of 1 which had been built into 3 small stone bathing areas filled with vividly green water. There were 3 boys swimming in the water, and another family bathing a small child, which seemed to be a cleansing before taking him into the temple and when we emerged from the temple a woman washing her laundry. We climbed a lot of stairs and came into the temple where there was a steady stream of people coming to the various stations to offer their offerings, or to touch or walk around them in prayer.
When one enters the temple there is a lot of ringing of bells, which calls the worshipper to cast out of his mind the negative and bring in the positive thoughts - like "OM" in meditation. There is also a lot of burning of things - and in this one they were burning huge logs and leaves which choked the air at the entrance. All one's senses are engaged - noise, smell, and sight.
We then went to St Aloyious College, a Jesuit college that has a church with a ceiling and walls painted in 2 years by a priest, and which they claim rivals the Sistine Chapel. Having seen the Sistine Chapel, there is no comparison, in my humble opinion, but the frescoes and paintings are worthy of a visit for sure. Unfortunately we couldn't understand the person speaking so we can't really comment on any details. The college is well attended and there were lots of students studying under trees - and as in every country we have visited we were warmly welcomed as various students waved to us and invited us to take their pictures. Lots of dogs lying on the cool marble floors everywhere - another hallmark of India - stray dogs.
Finally we went to a large Hindu temple - the largest in Mangalore - with a polished marble floor surrounding the temple itself. Although we were asked not to take pictures, at one station our guide, who had taken a particular fancy to me, and was explaining everything in detail to me, said you may take a picture here! This temple was known because a leader had taken the initiative to change the practice that only the Brahmin caste could enter this temple - and inside the entrance is an area paying tribute to him because today all people can enter and pray here. " One people and one God" . On the other side of the entrance was a group of people playing musical instruments, including a saxaphone - it being Monday. The noise in this temple was considerable, with many different bells being rung, preaching, and music - so much so that I had difficulty hearing the guide. In both temples there was a large wooden wagon covered in silver that is kept behind locked doors, and pulled out during holy days. In this temple they are raising money for a gold one. There is also a hall that has been built for weddings which are big business in India.
Our final stop was a cashew factory. Please imagine extreme heat and what I am about to describe and be grateful for the job and destiny you have in life. Although the official line is that there is no caste system, when our guide described the workers there was a subtle reference to caste. This industry is labour intensive and the workforce is entirely women, who work in this extreme heat 6 days a week for 8 hours a day, in a factory that is open to the outdoors, with boilers steaming nearby, and at boring, repetitive tasks. Each cashew fruit produces only one nut on the outside of the fruit. The shelled nuts are roasted in a steamer for 45 minutes then routed to a huge pile of them that are then passed to rows of women, via a splitter that cracks the shells. Each row of women constitutes a team. Each woman has three bowls - one for the precious whole nuts, one for broken ones, and one for shells. The job at this juncture is to remove the nut from the split shell. Then the nuts are passed to teams of women in another room who hand peel each single nut with a small knife. The women are paid by the weight of finished nuts which are weighed at a table of two men. The price for cashews compared exactly with what we had assumed was a high price in Sri Lanka - $10 for a small bag. We have a new respect for the work and cost of cashews.
We loved this day, and were glad to have begun our visit to India in this way.
Erika and Lynn left today for an overland to see the Taj Mahal, and Karen went to the markets with Leslie.
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