A Saffron Easter

I must have been around 20. A group of us left Pune by train. When we reached, instead of feeling the usual Parthi sensation, all I was preoccupied with was how I was going to manage sleeping on the floor in the big shed with all the people around and where I would be able to take a dump and have a shower in the morning.

Sheetal’s brother, Vishnu, organized this trip, and regularly asked after me to see if I was alright. I was obviously one of the outsiders, the others must have been regular sewadars.

It probably was my first ever morning waking up in Parthi and not going for Darshan. Bath, and morning ritual done without much hassle, we all got into a “Horn OK Please” truck and sat in the back, crammed and hot. The Bhajans started.

When we reached the village, we first went to its temple and attended morning bhajans. Then, I was given a broom and started sweeping the streets of the village. The doctors had placed their stall, and there was already a big queue waiting for them. After finishing sweeping the section of the street I was allocated, I went with a small group of people carrying prasadam. We were told to knock on the doors of the village houses, not to enter in, and to give prasadam to each family member. And so, many groups covered the entire village. At lunch time, the villagers invited us for lunch and everybody sat on the main compound floor of the village, and we all ate together.

After lunch, a few of us went to another village, and I was told to help the veterinarians. I said ok, but I had no idea what to do, and mostly felt awkward and bad for the animals receiving injections. Most of the animals being treated were cows.

We ended back at the first village temple for evening bhajans and then got back on the truck and sang more bhajans.

The next morning we went for Darshan.

Below, is a video of the main street of Gangtok, in little Sikkim, yesterday, April 27^th 2011:

Yona is in McLeod Ganj getting ready for Vipassana. I’m in Sikkim waking up to the east Indian Himalayan mountains everyday. It was great to travel with Yona and re-experience India with her and kind of through her eyes and words.

Also, the middle finger to the ticket counter seller in Khajuraho was priceless!