India Luxury Tours Commendation

Commendation

Friday, January 22, 2010 2:07 PM
From: Jay Freeman

India 2010 by Jay Freeman

What is it that compels Patricia and me to return to India for a fourth time, after 15 years? The region we chose in 2010 is Tamil Nadu, a province in the south.The climate is hot and humid. The towns and cities are unpleasant places to walk about, with clouds of air pollution and sewage odours. It seems as if every form of road transport, whether it be a truck, car or three wheeled auto rickshaw, is an emergency vehicle with horns blaring every few seconds. The poverty is unremitting, with the occasional islands of luxury in five star hotels and wealthy enclaves. The population has outgrown the infrastructure. Side walks are intermittent, Toilets are few and far between and power failures frequent. Tap water is undrinkable and hygiene questionable.

To move about the visitor relies on the rented car with driver. You do not want to drive your own car in India. Traffic lights are rare in towns and villages and most intersections in the cities. So busy roads are a study in chaotic madness. The white line down the middle of a highway is only a suggestion as to how opposing traffic should be divided. Our driver, Sadiq, was often forced off to the shoulder to avoid a head on collision with large trucks and buses. Sadiq never got upset by this. It's all quite normal in India.

And yet in spite of all these inconveniences we keep returning. For India is a fascinating country, rich in history, culture and all the arts. And it is a country most educated Westerners hardly know. Our schooling is centered around the American and European experience. Yet here stands India, 1.1 billion souls, with a rich, varied and mysterious civilization that goes back thousands of years. Each previous visit intrigued us, invited our curiosity and kept calling us back for more.

We spent 16 days and many hours on the roads connecting one destination to the next. At each stop we saw many Hindu temples dedicated to either Vishnu, The Preserver or Shiva, The Destroyer. For centuries the region was ruled by civilizations such as the Pallava, Chola and Pandya. Inspired by the many Gods and legends, they built incredibly ornate temples festooned with carvings on columns, walls and holy sanctuaries. We saw the great temples at Tanjore, Mamalapurim, Trichy, Madurai and Kanchipuram.

But this visit was more than an exploration of Indian temple architecture. We also wanted to see the traditional classical dances called Bharatanatyam. There is an annual music and dance festival held in Chennai (formerly Madras), each year in December and January and we were able to see six performances. The best was a story from the Mahabharata about a king losing his fortune and his wife to another king during a game of dice. It was told through music, dance and pantomime in brilliant fashion by the Kalakshetra School, equivalent to our own Julliard School of Performing Arts. The final dance of liberation from the clutches of the greedy king was so thrilling it received enthusiastic audience applause. It brought tears of joy to my eyes, something no Western dance performance has ever accomplished.

While going from one town to the next we made stops to see markets and craft centers. We saw loom weaving and a bronze foundry where statues of Hindu Gods were produced for homes and temples. We witnessed the harvesting of sea salt, rice planting and rope making.

After crossing into the neighbouring state of Kerala we had a chance to hike in the Periyar Sanctuary, a conservation area set aside for elephants, tigers and other wild animals. We saw none but were able to climb to the top of a large hill and get a view over the surroundings. It was a pleasant break from the crowds and the hours of sitting in a car. By coincidence a solar eclipse was anticipated and we raced down the hill to get a better view through coloured plastic sheets and reflections in still water.

The harvest festival, called Pongal, was being celebrated in Tamil Nadu. Oxen had their horns painted bright colours and special Pongal food was on offer. That brings up the subject of food in general. South India is known for its spices and a vegetarian can enjoy a wonderful range of tasty dishes. We certainly did at the frequent buffet dinners served in our hotels. We ate thali meals in local restaurants as well.

The hotels were mostly part of the Taj chain and were lavish and a sharp contrast with life outside the cloistered walls. Security inspection greeted us at each hotel including an examination under each vehicle using mirrors. It's all because of last year's terrorist attack on the Taj Hotel in Mumbai. The hotel room in Pondicherry, formerly a French enclave, was not so wonderful. It was not part of the Taj chain. Wall sockets and bathroom fixtures would would fall apart in your hands. Pulling a curtain cord, resulted in the curtain coming down. And the TV was placed in such a way as you could not watch it while lying in bed. All in all it was a very challenging room.

India has adapted to the computer and internet age and since our last visit cell phones are now everywhere. In fact they have literally skipped over the land line technology. We learned there are only 40 million land lines but 510 million cell phones. Contrast this with the United States which has about 270 million land lines and about the same number of cell phones. Indian cell phones are relatively inexpensive and have transformed communication here. Our driver and guides were frequently being phoned and cell phones pop up in odd places. We have seen Hindu priests and classical dancers in costume using them.

Just before reaching Pondicherry we stopped at Auraville, an ashram founded by a woman referred to as The Mother. People from all corners of the world gather there in pursuit of peace, friendship and brotherly love. A huge golden sphere was constructed for meditation inside its hollow interior. The thing must have been at least 200 ft in diameter and took years to complete. It all seemed very laudable but a bit too abstract for my taste.

We could not help but notice the friendliness of the Indian people. They were, without exception, genuinely polite and good natured. We could not possibly purchase all the products and services being offered to us but all the sellers accepted the disappointment with grace. I cannot say that about numerous other countries we have visited. Although Hindus represent 90% of the population there is a harmonious relationship between them and the Christian and Muslim communities.

On our last day in Chennai Patricia went off to find an art gallery. After getting lost, a helpful young Indian offered to show her the way. He also offered her opium which he claimed is of the highest quality in India. Even he cheerfully accepted a rejection of the offer.

Our return journey began at 1:30am when we were driven to the Chennai airport for a 4am departure. Eleven hours later we landed at Heathrow airport, exhausted from jet lag and a sleepless night but stimulated and happy with the vivid memories we now carry with us.

Jay Freeman