Day 22: Train to Gaya

We are due to leave for the station at 08.30 tomorrow. Our train is at 09.30. Hopefully, the train will get us to Bodhgaya before nightfall.

Day 21: Pilgrimage to a Holy Site

Alwar: where we currently are in India

Today, the plan is to drive out 50 km to Bairat, a Buddhist Holy Site in Rajasthan. We have hired a minibus to six of us there. It will be good to have a day together at a significant place without having to do any more events/programmes.

Our digs in Alwar

Bairat

Inevitably, in India, our 6 seater minibus is overloaded. We have picked four more friends who are coming for the day with us. We have 10 packed into a 6-seater. I asked the driver if anyone else was going to ride on the roof and everyone laughed. 

Indians don't seem to mind being packed in like sardines. The atmosphere is holiday-like.

After three hours we got to the house of the site custodian. He is a Buddhist and kindly gave us lunch and escorted around the site. It was a tough climb to get up up mountain to the ancient monk's temple complex from 1500 years ago.

What we found was like an Indian Stonehenge. It is the oldest religious shrine site in India.

What the temple would have looked like

We are now on the long trail home. Pradeep the driver is playing Indian film music.

On the long way home

As it was dark, we got home so much faster, and were in Alwar for 6.30pm. We are now at a local supporter's upmarket flat with his family for a final meal of the tour. 

What a succesful tour it has been! We did what we set out to do, and with harmony, on budget and with no major mishaps or illnesses. 

I have been delighted to see the good effects that the money I raised are being put to.

Day 20: Further Events Unfold

The village event last night went really well with over 100 attending. 

Again, it was hard to leave as folk didn't want us to go.

They insisting on dressing is all in Rajasthani turbans!

After the event

Two final events today. We are really tired now after 3 weeks of constant programmes. 

This morning we drove about 20 miles into the mountains. There was a small Tibetan vihar being built, and we met an old Tibetan monks who was having it built out of his own money. Many supporters came and talks ensued. During AB's excellent talk, some of the male audience started talking loudly to each other and smoking cigarettes! Their engagement was not there. But there were many women present who were engaged with the talk.

I felt worn out in the afternoon, so we returned to base, and I slept for two hours, and had 40 minutes on an electronic massage bed. 

That revived me and I felt equal to going out to a last evening event in Alwar. We had an early supper in a slum area. The family were so lovely.

The event went really well, and lots of folk attended. We had the event in the Buddhist slum quarter of Alwar. There are thousands of Dalit Buddhists living there in great dignity in very challenging conditions indeed.

As we wended our way through this old quarter and meeting so many friendly folk, it felt a long way from my easy life in Cambridge. These people's lives are hard, but they are cheerful.

'Dalit' is a respectful term for what used to be called 'the untouchables'. An unpleasant term to denote the outcaste community (many millions of people) in India who are so far outside India's brutal Hindu caste system, that they cannot be physically touched by other Hindu castes. Up until very recently, they had absolutely no rights whatsoever, and did the worst kinds of jobs. Rather like the blacks in the Transatlantic slave trade. Indeed, Martin Luther King once came to India to meet the Dalit community.

Through the leadership of Dr Ambedkar in 1956, they began converting to Buddhism in their millions. Thereby leaving Hinduism and the caste system altogether. Instantly, this gives Dalit more rights to education, job opportunities and a generally better life.

They also become deep practitioners of Buddhism and are a great inspiration to others, including myself.

I have worked in the Dalit community all over India for 22 years now, and my closest friends in the world are Buddhists from this community. Though I am a white Westerner, I'm totally at home here.

At the event in the Buddhist quarter

The good news for the Alwar Buddhists is they are all being rehoused in modern new flats. I saw the construction and they all move in in September. Then their slums will be demolished.

Folk told me this really was a win/win for everyone.

Finally, tractors in Rajasthan seem to be dominated by the ubiquitous Farmtrac 60, but I have also spotted many examples of the Massey-Furguson 1035 about.

Day 19: Into the Rajasthani jungle

Rajasthani firewood cutters

We had a nice meal last night at a country farm shack down a long farm track. It had a tin roof and was very basic. The welcome was warm and the food healthy. Goats were wandering around.

It's worth mentioning that the food Indian working people eat daily bears little resemblance to Indian restaurant food in the UK - which is really Bangladeshi food concocted for the Western market.

The real basic food here is all cooked from scratch: rice, veg mix (subji), dhal, chutney and some form of bread (roti, chappathi or puri). It is mostly vegan, with the vegetarian element being paneer cheese and curd (buffalo yoghurt). It is almost always tastes very hot with spices. 

For Westerners, it takes some getting used to!

This morning, we have walked uphill into the deep jungle to find a secret ashram which is run by a dreadlocked sadhu who lives here on his own, but is very friendly. He is a follower of Dr Ambedkar and says he is a Buddhist.

Sometimes our group holds retreats here. In the jungle nearby are leopards, lots of very large monkees, antelope, deer and mongeese and chipmonks - amongst lots of other animals. We saw most of these whilst at the ashram.

It is very peaceful. We are making lunch here and chilling out.

The ashram

Cooking lunch at the ashram

We have now come down from the mountain ashram, and have stopped at a local Dalit village. We are having an event at the village hall around 6pm. Then it will be food after that and hopefully home for a reasonable hour.

AB with the Dr Ambedkar statue

We are in Shapur village late afternoon and evening. I have become very popular with about 10 village kids by playing football and catch ball with them. It took them over an hour to calm down after that. The screaming and shouting was intense. They are also fascinated by the colour of my skin. I showed them photos of my granddaughters and they where astounded by their white skin. "Where you born like that?" one boy asked me.....

Day 18: Day Event in Alwar

Alwar traditional archetecture

The evening event last night was good with about 17 Nagaloka men and women alumni - all in their 30s. We introduced ourselves and performed puja. A good atmosphere in what was a very cold vihara. They all revere NM as their old teacher from years back.

Last night was very cold. The marble-floored room we three are staying in is an ice-box. It's built for hot weather and this isn't. We slept under piles of blankets to keep warm. The electricity keeps going off. We washed in freezing water this morning. However the classic India 'bread-omelette' with paratha and chai breakfast was excellent.

This is India.

By 10.30, the sun was breaking out and instantly it warmed up.

Morning in Rajasthan

Off to the Day Event at the vihar

Day Event at the vihar

Dr Ambedkar statue

Alwar market

The Day Event went very well with 50+ people. Many had travelled a long way outside Alwar. The theme was 'Faith'.

In the late afternoon we drove to a tiny tailor shop. NM wants to buy me a traditional Indian 'matching shirt-pant'. Very kind of him. Tomorrow, it will be made!

Then we went out to the mountainous Rajasthani countryside. We visited a very nice retreat centre which is multi-faith. Our community is using it for regular retreats. I enjoyed seeing this place and meeting the owner/manager from Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is a country I have never visited, but want to.

We met some Rajnesh followers, and they were very pleasant to us, sharing chai and biscuits etc.

At the retreat centre

We are now at the house of a friend, waiting for the evening meal to be served.

I am pleased that the weather has suddenly turned much warmer. It will only go down to 14C tonight. Currently we are sitting outside on charpoys (7.45pm). We could not have done this last night.

This is India.

Finally, I spotted no less than four Sonalika tractors today. It's a popular brand in Rajasthan, it seems. I have not seen it before anywhere else in India.

Sonalika DI-6Rx

Day 17: Night train (and Day train) to Alwar

 

10pm: We are at Bhopal Junction waiting for our night train. 

The send off from our community in Bhopal was wonderful. Generous and joyful. "When will you come back, Saddharaja?" one middle-aged mother asked me. "In 2027", I replied. A boxed dress shirt was thrust into my hand as we left.

10.14pm: The train arrived a little late, but we are on it, it is moving and we have berths. Mine is a narrow one along a window. A challenge to sleep here.

5am Saturday 18th January: I found a way to get some sleep and was more comfy than I thought possible. We are running late, of course - about 4 hours. We just reached Agra, and are sat in NM & NS's berth with food from the breakfast-wallahs (itinerant hot food sellers).

Dishing out the aloo-parathas (potato-chipattis with ketchup & yoghurt)

It could be mid-day before we reach Alwar. We have missed our connection at Mathura long ago, and may need to get a bus.

This is India.

11.45am We got down at Mathura (as our train was delayed by dense fog) and are now waiting for our train to Alwar. It's massively late, and is now supposed to be arriving at midday, ha ha, we'll see. Adityabodhi and I have been passing the time by doing yoga on the end of the platform! It could be evening when we reach Alwar.

1.30pm. We are actually on the train to Alwar now. It's a sleeper, so we can doze on the way. Just glad to be on a train, after all the hassle we had...

4pm: We have finally arrived in Alwar, Rajasthan. It has been a 15+ hour journey. 

We were met by an enthusiastic group of men - all in their 30s, I'd say. They are alumni from Nagaloka College in Nagpur and all living at Alwar. Most are now married.

First impressions of Alwar is just another, chaotic, crazy Indian city. I'm sure there is more to Alwar than that.

We are accommodated with a family on the outskirts. It's a big house with basic amenities. The elderly couple who own it live here with an extended family.

It is very cold here in Alwar now the sun has gone down. In the afternoon the sun is out and it gets to 22C. But evening, night and morning will be cold - down to 76C. I can easily 'do basic' in hot climates, but this will be challenging.

As always with Indian houses, there is absolutely no heating. They just put loads of clothes on and take them off as it gets warmer in the day.

I have never understood the psychology of no heating in winter. I guess the cold weather is such a short period of time, they just tough it out.

Around 8pm, the community will gather at the vihar for an evening event.

Tomorrow, we have a Day Retreat at the vihar, which is about two kilometres away.

Day 16: Total Timepass 2

This map shows where we currently are in Bhopal. Later today, we take the train north into the state of Rajasthan (the Land of Kings).

Meanwhile, there is more sight-seeing to do.

This morning, Priyanka has taken us to a kids theme park. The National Park was not open. Surprisingly, the theme park was a great experience. We rode the kids train, walked around a lovely park and took another boat ride on a beautiful lake. Then it was on to a nice restaurant at Priyanka's expense. She won't take any money. She's typically generous of our community in India.

Our itinerary today has also taken us on a cable car up a mountain, and then coffee on the terrace of an extremely luxurious hotel. This is a long way from our work in the poorer parts of Maharastra, but nice to do for a short spell! Cool saxaphone is drifting over the terrace as I write this.

Jain temple at the summit of the mountain

Bhopal mosque

Gridlock in the Muslim quarter

We then visited the majestic Bhopal Mosque in the Muslim quarter. Finally, we finished at a Buddhist vihar. Then we had a last event in Bhopal at someone's house with many folk there. We could not have fitted more in to day.

Then it was on to Bhopal station by taxi for the overnight train to Rajasthan. A full but enjoyable day.

Farewell party

I saw a number of tractors today as we were out and about in the countryside. Bhopal seems to be Powertrac country, with the 435 Plus being the most common model - often pulling massive trailer-loads.

Powertrac 435 Plus