Starting Christmas night people began to leave. Marc, Pema and Champa headed out to Chennai, where they were hoping to catch a boat to the Andaman Islands. I decided to stick around until the 27th, but couldn’t make up my mind where to go, but was feeling like being on my own for awhile.
Happy New Year
I seem to be stuck in Varkala. I had only planned to be here for two or three days, and now I’ve been here five days and don’t want to leave. I have also been joined by Helena, a friend I met back in Mussoorie. It is nice to have a friend in town.
Amma
Mata Amritanandamayi, now called Amma, was born into a poor fishing family in a village in Kerala in 1953. From an early age she showed exceptional empathy for others. She began to comfort those who were suffering by hugging them. In her early twenties she developed a following which steadily grew. Her parents finally recognized that their daughter was going to be a guru, and began to support her activities. Her ashram now stands on the land where her house once was.
Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari
Just 45 minutes South of Varkala is the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram (or Thrivandrum for short). My friend Helena and I headed there on Wednesday. We arrived around mid-day, found a hotel and set out accross the city. One of our first stops was a restaurant which serves South Indian ‘thali’. After a delicious meal, and even better coffee, we were in a great mood.
Fort Cochin
On Saturday morning I finally managed to tear myself away from Varkala for good. I headed a few hours north to the city of Cochin. I took a ferry accross the bay to Fort Cochin, which lies at the end of a long peninsula. There I found well kept Dutch and Portuguese houses. Although most lodging was full, I managed to find a decent room (read ‘with mosquito netting’), and went to explore the neighborhood. I found a beautiful art cafe wich served coffee in Bodum press pots — I almost cried when I took my first sip…I guess I do miss some to the familiar things from home.
Happy Pongal
Today is the harvest festival of Pongal, which is celebrated here in Tamil Nadu. I am currently in a small town called Mamallapuram, about 45 km south of Madras, which is famous for it’s rock carving. There are temples and carvings dating from the 7th Century. Modern Mamallapuram is packed with large and small workshops where the craft of carving is still practiced. Walking along, one hears the “chink-chink” of hammer and chisel.
Mamallapuram and Pondicherry
In Mamallapuram I made friends with a group of painters from Rajastan. They have a little studio, where they sit on the porch and paint the day away. On my first night in town, we hit it off by speaking Hindi. That night was a celebration in Rajastan, and the invited me home for dinner. I spent a considerable amount of my remaining time in Mamallapuram sitting and talking with them in front of their studio as they worked. I was quite content to relax and watch the pictures slowly take shape…also, they made delicious coffee with cardamom.
Auroville
Sri Aurobindo and The Mother were spiritual teachers who settled in Pondicherry. Although their philosphy grew out of Hindu scriptues, it trancended any one religion to speak to a universal divinity.
Auroville is a large planned community started by The Mother. She meant for it to be a place where anybody could come to try to seek a higher consciousness. Its charter states:
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Pondicherry Snapshot
On a side street, next to the District Court, I found a chai and a somosa cart next to each other. I squeezed between them to join others on a bench along the wall. Over my shoulder was a small hole in the wall, where Advocates would poke there heads out and shout for tea. Then their black-robed arms would reach through to accept the chai when it came.
Hampi
I returned to Chennai before leaving Tamil Nadu. I wanted to see more of the city, since my last visit had been so short. Unfortunately, I had a fever and muscle aches, and spent most of my one full day waiting in the doctor’s office.