Chennai, Aruku and Dhimsa dancers

Well, Black and White: The golden era of Hindi cinema was all in Hindi but I loved every minute of it - Woman director, of course! Those of you who've known me since when, will know of my love for early Indian cinema and this was a brilliant show - snippets from B&W movies from the 1920s to the 60s, with accompanying monologues by a great actor - tall, bald and big! and four wonderful singers who performed the songs on stage as they were performed in the accompanying film clip. Had to leave just before the end to get my train - just as well - my Hindi was exhausted by then! Joke!

And just because this is India - my banana was intact but in a very squashed state; my train was an hour late and was now going from an entirely different station; and just because it's India there was no announcement, you just enquired why it wasn't listed and they told you to get a rickshaw to the other station - but just because it's India, all is forgiven because where else would there be a stall at the station devoted solely to vedanta literature!

And on to Aruku Valley...Really glad I took the time out to head for the forest retreat at Tyda. On an early morning in the hills I came across this king of the foothills posing close to his tribal settlement - this photo is for Alex and Stuart to show Billy.

The tensions that had been building along wth the humidity, started to fade.

I stayed in an eco-tourist lodge at Tyda which is in the foothills of the Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh and it was a unique and rewarding experience.

I was there on one of the nights when there was Dhimsa dancing by local Aruku tribal women. It was fantastic - very different to any other dance in India; the dancers follow a leader in a semi-circle around the dance ground.

I'm in Vizag now back on the east coast with a late night train to Puri in Orissa - resuming the yatra - after that it's Calcutta and then the cool cool hills of Darjeeling.

Hanging around in Chennai

Left Mamallapuram today for Chennai where I have a late night train towards a forest retreat in Aruku Valley in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh.

Looking to kill some time, I followed the tourist office suggestion to go to Marina beach - second longest in the world (or some such). Whatever, it is the stinkiest! Couldn't hack it so I took an 'auto' to a shopping complex, ate cheese calzone, drank the best coffee (South Indian) since I left Om ashram, and have spent the rest of the afternoon checking email! Traveller's delights!

Now it's time to head to the Musical Academy for a concert of light music. Pleasant way to spend my evening.

The only spanner is that there was a sign at the station left luggage counter saying don't leave food in luggage and just remembered I've got a banana in mine! Hope there's no little "Mickey Mouse" in there too when I get back tonight!

Tiruvannamalai

Was able to stay in Pondichery another night, so made it to the concert with the French jazz trio. Alain Brunet Trio with Indian classical musicians Manosh Bardhan who was brilliant on tabla, and Debi Prasad on sarod. He was very good too, but there wasn't really the same improvising opportunity for the sarod as there was for the tabla. I really enjoyed this concert.

Hired a bike on my last day in Pondichery - I thought afterwards, thank God it was Sunday and all was relatively 'quiet' on the roads (it's India - it will never be quiet!). What was I thinking?? I survived but how I don't know! Indian traffic just goes any which way; even the bus I was on today followed another onto the outside lane of the oncoming traffic on the highway so it could turnoff and then rejoin the highway by taking the off-ramp.

I travelled to Tiruvannamalai, where Sri Ramana Maharshi ashram is. This is a Shiva town, and it's overlooked by Mt Arunchala- a fire mountain which pilgrims cirumnavigate on the full moon which is tonight. Had to leave today because all accommodation was full with pilgrim bookings.

Sri Ramana meditated in 2 of the mountain's caves and I set off at 5.30am yesterday for the 4-hour return climb of the mountain. Met a group of Americans and Indians who live here at the base and we climbed the mountain and then spent the day together.

Sunrise over Tiruvannamalai

One of the Indians in our group described this view of the mountain on our way up as the dancing Shiva - can you see his raised left foot?

At the top

In the afternoon we went to a satsang at Werner's - a longtime Swiss disciple of Amma who spent seven of those years living underground before he realised God-conciousness. It was a great privilege for me to be part of this.

And now I've decided to have a little rest at the beach - still in Tamil Nadu at Mamallapuram. Arrived after a 3-hour bus journey which wasn't far as the crow flies, but took about 4 hours. I'm staying at the Siva guest house - couldn't resist it - just up from the beach.

Auroville

Don't you love India's slogans? Mataji and Dianne had a great time whenever we went out of the ashram checking out all the roadside slogans. But this is the best so far - it's outside Pondicherry's maternity hospital.

Went to Auroville yesterday - a Utopian New Age community inaugurated by The Mother in 1968. The Matrimandir is a huge crystalline Meditation chamber housed in a huge golden golf ball-shaped dome. Crystals are illuminated by sunlight or solar power when overcast. Didn't get inside the meditation chamber but here's the dome from the outside. It's gold plated apparently!

Pondicherry

Pondicherry tailor replacing the zipper on the bag I bought the day before in Hyderabad!

Arrived here to discover all ashram accommodation is full in anticipation of celebration of The Mother's birthday on 21st February, one of 4 occasions each year when she traditionally gave prasad. Managed to get a room at one ashram guest house, where rooms are named after development goals (I'm in punctuality), for 3 nights, and the next 3 nights at another. With an ashram guest house pass you can go to collective meditation each evening - enjoyed that!

This is the photo of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo that is in my room.

Both are by the sea; the first cost Rs100 and I've just read a confirmation email and discovered the second will cost Rs1,000! OMG!!! In luck, just managed to get another day in my Rs100 room which means I'll be able to go to the concert on Sunday night at the Alliance Francaise with sarod and tabla backing a French jazz trio.

Not quite sure where I'll go after that. I've heard from Siam confirming the dates that we can meet in Myanmar, but there is one flight only with Indian Airlines which is on Mondays, so this changes all my other flight plans. So may have to go to Chennai to get it all arranged. Otherwise if I can rearrange flights etc. from here, I may head to Tiruvannamalai.

Swami Sukhbodanand

Well, what a time I've had! Thought I'd had water in my right ear since Gwalior and as it was worse on Friday I finally went to the ENT doctor who extracted a gi-normous lump of wax! How gross, but he tells me I have oblique ear canals so this is not my fault!!! But I have to put in drops and go back next Tuesday for the other ear, so looks like I'm here for a while...

Afterwards headed off to my Tabla lesson which I arranged the other day. The music school was open and deserted, so I sat down to read the paper and there it was - a notice of a 2-day Swami Sukbhodanand workshop on Saturday and Sunday. I daren't mention that 'K' word.

Swamiji at the start of Day 2. (Apologies for the poor quality)

This was one of the best things I've done in the last few months - he made us laugh (even in Hindi!); the other people - all Indian - were fantastic and celebrative and just so lovely to share this time with. Especially Neeraja who works in the hotel where it was held.

Knowledge discourses were mixed with pranayama, asanas and meditation - And yes, we did spend the last session dancing along with Swamiji. Got his autograph for Mataji and Guruji but not sure what they'll think of that!

The next day, still waiting to visit the doctor, I went to Ramoji Film City. Now why did I do that? - Well I thought I would experience Bollywood, this was the closest it got....

and I was extremely bored waiting all day for the bus to take me home.

So I set off today with great plans to book tickets out of here, get to the doctor, load my Flickr site, replace my soap that slipped down the loo while I was showering, and so far I've discovered the Kullu mouse struck 3 times on the sleeve of the dress Lee gave me; I fell in a big black puddle that splashed gunk all over the new suit pants and dupatta I had made to go with the dress that Lee gave me; discovered there's no trains nor buses to where I want to go, and to complete my morning a rat keeps running across the floor of this cyber cafe. Let me otta here!! See ya!

Hyderabad

Took a tour around the city and met Barbara who is in the same hotel. At the end of the tour we went to Golconda Fort.





..from where you could see all around the city. Barbara's looking to the north east from the top of the site towards the Charminar and Macca Masjid;


and just for Lillian, there's me not looking to the
south with the Tank behind me.






Looking to the Tombs of the Qutub Shahi kings

The sisters

On my last morning at the ashram, Sister Charminanda was also getting ready to leave for a stay in Mumbai. I was walking along the cloister when she appeared from out of her room. As well as leading the Sanskrit chants, she is the chief morning vegetable cutter. We joined her for this at 6am each day.

In the photo above she was talking to Sister Gangamaa who was sweeping around the ashram bookshop at the time. Gangamaa Tai is lovely. She touched her heart when I told her I was leaving today. That's just how I feel about her also. Both of these sisters have been at the ashram since it was set up in 1959.


I was listening to the Dalai Lama (a chant that Lillian gave me) one morning while working in the ashram garden. Minu Tai, the guest coordinator came by. She lives in a room which was beside this garden and each morning - if there was power - she would play Shivo Ham for me on her tape deck, so I gave her my ipod to listen. She then told me the Dalai Lama had been to the Brahma Vidya ashram twice and took me to see the Buddha statue he had given Vinobaji.

Sister Nirmullah who is in this photo, was responsible for allocating our morning 'brooming duties'.
Kasey and I had spent the week removing weeds between the pavers and sweeping this patch.


She and her older sister, Shanti Tai, would sit on our stoop each evening to talk together until evening silence began at 8.30pm.

Leaving the ashram

Just arrived in Hyderabad from the women's ashram -

Goylanni, Ranganna and Dayur Tai preparing the new garden beds

Oh did I love that! Working everyday in the garden and round the place and I had wonderful satsangs with 2 of the older sisters in the afternoons.

Nirmal had been on the long foot march around India with Vinobaji. She comes from Lahore but went to Kashmir before Partition. She was a lawyer and social worker and went in 1952 to do community development work in one of Gandhi's early ashrams.

Nirmal Tai and Swasti on the stoop outside our accommodation

The other sister, Sheela Tai, is the daughter of a freedom fighter who was sentenced to death when she was 1 year old for making bombs. He was freed after 3 years though and the family went to live in Sevagram, Gandhi's ashram just 5 kms away from Brahma Vidya. Sheela also told me I must go to Rama Maharshi ashram in Tiruvannamalai - as Mataji did, and Nirmal agreed. So looks like that's where I'm off to!

The sisters' knowledge and wisdom is boundless. Once I asked Sheela a question and she responded at length and it really helped me in my quest. Afterwards she told me she hadn't known the answer but had asked God to help, and that really it was both of us who were knowledgeable together.

Sheela Tai posing below her photo of Gandhiji

Sheela Tai invited me to join her and some of the other sisters for the sunset.



Sheela is is seated in the chair nursing her cold that she also shared with me! Nirmal and Devida Tai are seated on the fence.


Nirmal Tai told me later that she drew strength from the evening and morning rays of the sun.

I went to the Sevagram ashram yesterday with Kasey on our last day at Brahma Vidya. Kasey is one of the nicest women I have met - a 23 year old Southern Californian. I just keep meeting these great people lately! I left straight from Sevagram ashram to get an overnight train south from Sevagram station - 3 hours late it was, which meant I arrived at a reasonable hour of the morning.

Here's Kasey and the delightful Padma Tai with the kitchen block in the background.

So on to Hyderabad - this is a place I've always wanted to go to so hope it tuns out ok - it is hard being back in the city but this is a nice clean and not too frantic one. Sightseeing tomorrow then a Tabla lesson on Friday followed by a tour of the biggest film city in Asia on Saturday! Looking good!