POST 2

(May 30, 2010) – Now, a little over a week into my experience here in India, my head begins to settle somewhat. I’ve used a number of times, the expression that the city has ‘slowed down’ for my purposes. Images no longer whiz by, nor are rejected by an overwhelmed mind, and the defense mechanisms which had flared up on initial contact with the chaos of Bangalore now begin to unclench just a bit.

There is a great beauty to this place, although it is dulled by a relentless wear & tear. Yet even in the mass of people here there is something to behold, a beauty in the struggle – to coexist, to hash out some form of personal rhythm against the persistant beat of the city, to not only live, but live vibrantly.

On the plane ride from Toronto, I read Hermann Hesse’s ‘Siddartha’ – on recommendation from my Toronto based mentor and friend, Azmi Haq. On a number of occasions, I was forced to put the book down in order to manipulate & examine the author’s ideas before internalizing them. Upon finishing the work, I’ve begun to play with Siddartha’s concepts – of mind, of soul, and of the act of life in whole. In this first week, for a number of reasons which I will explain, I’ve been chained to the author’s conclusions on ‘Samsara’ (the ‘game of life’ – fraught with temptation – one which leaves hearts both empty and full, bonded and broken), and his exploration – through Siddartha’s character – of the wisdom in a river.

First let me start with the latter of the two, for it is in the imagery of the river that I might best describe my week-old understanding of Bengaluru. And it is from the river’s bank that I have watched this city – overwhelmed by its size and speed, deafened by its noise. Yet as one who stands at rivers edge is often consumed by, and ultimately deterred from the scene before them, my three months here binds me to stay, and in doing so affords me the luxury to become a pupil of this giant body.

As I sat on the river bank this past week, my scope retreated inwards, perplexed by the outward chaos that it had encountered. In doing so, it asked many questions…

“For one who sought to be a boatman on this massive stream, you have arrived with neither ship nor oars?”

-A fair question this was…

“And what do you know of water but from being a passenger on the backs of other ferrymen?”

-Similarly, well placed…

At this, I was forced to rise to my feet, to walk to the river’s edge. As the water ran by my feet, I followed it – as it ebbed and flowed, dove and surfaced, swirled and gurgled – till it disappeared downstream. Then my eyes returned to my feet and found new water, which danced and jumped, swept and crashed, and eventually – too – disappeared downstream. The river seemed to slow down, and as it did, it entered my mind – dancing and flowing, ebbing and crashing, much to my amazement.

This has been Bangalore over the past week… I now set for wood, and instruction on how to build a boat… :p

POST 1

‘Genesis of an Experience’

‘In the beginning’…

(May 16, 2010) - I’ve been reminded constantly, of the potential for this trip to be a ‘life changing experience’. These words carry quite a bit of weight, and thus far prove difficult to internalize. Yet if this experience does prove to be the beginning of something new, it is my intention to frame where, and more importantly how it begins. The obvious answer to ‘where’ comes easily, as I depart from Toronto, a city which I have come to know well. However it is in addressing the ‘how’, that this plot opens.

…

‘The commute’…

(May 20, 2010) – As we lift off from Brussels international airport, the plane engines roar with a focused determination. We set out to catch dusk, somewhere across South Asia. The sun has departed well ahead of us, but we will chase it down and ultimately overtake it by arrival into Delhi. This is the first time the night has not brought itself to me, but I to it.

(May 21, 2010) - The sunrise on Delhi’s airport brings with it a hue of brown behind which somewhere there is blue sky… and I thought Toronto smog was bad.

…

“In the beginning (cont’d)”…

(May 22, 2010) – From Toronto to Bangalore – I return to this writing, having landed in Bangalore yesterday morning, May 21, 2010. The trip was long. For the purpose of ‘a beginning’, I have displaced from one corner of the world to another, and after my first day, this new city has reared its head in a truly magnificent fashion.. The heart of this place, I imagine, lies much deeper. I do not yet know whether three months will be enough to explore to such a depth.

The imprint left on me from yesterday’s arrival was one of absolute chaos. In sorting through some of this chaos the next morning, I’ve distilled a number of characteristics to which my initial ‘shock and awe’ is attributed. First of these is the traffic: the speed and quantity at which this city moves is staggering and a direct representation of the dynamism of the people here. In a city of 6.5 million people, it comes as no surprise that many seem to have shut themselves off to those around them, proceeding in a very isolated fashion. Driving through Bangalore streets during rush hour presents this in full form in an abandonment of rules of lane, right-of-way, etc. that are conventional to my understanding…. Second, has been the dogs - the city of Bangalore has over 300 000 stray dogs. At night, this population is out in full swing, organized into little gangs (on average I would say of 5 or 6) based on what seems to be territory. The municipal laws that are in place for the protection and management of these 300 000 are what is most interesting. First in foremost, no dog is allowed to be killed or harmed unless in the process of it attacking a person. Dogs may be removed from the street for treatment of sickness or injury, but must be returned to the same area from which they were taken. Annual surveys on a neighborhood-to-neighborhood basis calculate the populations of dogs in each area and disperse this population evenly over the wards of the city… Third has been the number of people. This was something that I was told to expect – having thousands of people around me at a time. Walking in the streets is busy, but it has not surprised me so much as the many jobs that exist in attempt to fulfill the needs of the over 6 million Bangaloreans that live here. The supply far exceeds the demand for service, which creates a situation that is not unique to Bangalore, but is far exaggerated in the number of vendors, maids, doormen, street sweepers, etc. that line the streets. I would venture that this strongly factors into the problems of waste management, hygiene and of-course poverty in both the city and the country at large.