I was sitting down to write this blog and became very
disappointed in myself for not keeping up. Now I have too much to say. I will
give you the summary of my last few months in India.
After leaving HPSS, I went Mukteshwar in the Kumaon region
of Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand is divided into two sides - the Western Garhwal and
the Eastern Kumaon. My research has been focused on Garhwal, and up to this
point, I had not ventured into Kumaon. I got the perfect chance though. A
professor friend in Delhi invited me to come stay at his house in the Himalayas
and work on writing up my research where his friend and author wrote her two
books on Garhwal and Kumaon. I thought it would be a good opportunity to take
advantage of the positive writing vibes and get myself to focus on writing up
my research rather than collecting never-ending data and stories.
I arrived in Mukteshwar by train and then bus. I took the
overnight train which meant that I slept most of the way. However, I was awake
for the 2.5 hour bus ride. I got a window seat and enjoyed looking out the
window; the Himalayan terrain was surprisingly different than the Garhwal side.
People say that the life in Garhwal is much more difficult than that of Kumaon.
Driving through Garhwal, there are mostly steep mountains and rivers below. Kumaon,
on the other hand, is more rolling. Within an hour and a half from the train station, I could
already see the snow peaks of the Himalayas in the distance. I could not get
over how quickly the landscape had changed. The roads here are also much better
than those in Garhwal. Because there are fewer rivers here, this side was not
as badly affected by the flooding in June.
I spent about 5 days in Mukteshwar which is becoming quite a
tourist destination. There are a lot of hotels which have already been built
and are under construction. Apparently, many locals are taking advantage of the
increasing real estate prices by selling their land. This year, the tourism has
taken a huge hit. After the flood in June, the governor of Uttarakhand advised
anyone and everyone to avoid the entire state. He must have forgotten that some
places will still be easy to access and that tourism is a major part of the
state's economy.
My time in Mukteshwar was very relaxing and very productive.
The house I stayed in was beautiful! It was more of a Western than Indian
construction. I almost forgot which country I was in. I would wake up in the
morning to do yoga and write for a few hours. Then, I would go for a walk and
have lunch. The afternoons were filled with conversation and discussion about
my research. The professor with whom I stayed was a huge help in framing my
research and describing my research process. He helped me understand many of
the issues I have been confused about related to my research. Being an
archaeologist, anthropologist, and of course a philosopher, we had very
interesting conversations about the meaning of life, rebirth, and Indian
culture. We shared meals with some of his local friends in Mukteshwar as well
as two professors who were visiting from the US at the same time. Needless to
say, I was not ready to leave this productive place!
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| The neighborhood in Mukeshwar |
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| The rolling hills of Kumaon |
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| Fields in Mukteshwar |
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| The pine forest in Mukteshwar |
After Mukteshwar, I headed to Khaadi village to celebrate
Diwali with some new and old friends. I met Manoj, who I have known since my
first visit to India in 2010. We went around to villages nearby with his friend
Ranjan who runs a nonprofit organization in Khaadi. They had been involved in
successful movements in this area to protect the forests and to reduce
alcoholism in villages. I learned a lot by visiting the surrounding villages
and talking to some of the strong women who led these important movements.
For Diwali itself, we made a feast. We pulled the gas burner
on the floor and got to work making vada, potato-stuffed puri, cauliflower and
potatoes, chickpeas, and spiced buttermilk. It was delicious. We lit candles
and lined the windows of the house to invite Luxmi, the goddess of wealth, into
the home. Outside, we lit firecrackers. I watched from a distance the Garhwali
tradition/version of fireworks. Someone lights a small bundle of sticks on fire
and swings them around.
After Diwali, I headed to Kimsar/Mala Banas village for a
last visit before I left. I met Asha and Ashish at the house where I had lunch.
Then, I went with Asha and Nisha to the field to harvest the black lentils from
which the vada are made. We cut down the stalks in a beautiful setting and
caught up on our lives. Asha's mother joined us in the field. The women in the
adjacent fields joined the conversations about the latest drama on TV.
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| Bisht-ji and Nisha |
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| The very cute goat |
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| Bisht-ji's house |
When it got dark, we headed back to the house for chai. I
made them another batch of no-bake cookies, which I spoiled them on during my
last visit. Then, they spoiled me by making me the delicious puri filled with
aloo. It was made with wheat, potatoes, and oil from their farm. We sat around
the fire outside the kitchen making this food because the weather was good.
Some of the neighborhood boys came to visit. Everyone who has moved outside was
back at this time celebrating Diwali. Unfortunately, I had to leave the next
morning after breakfast. Again, they spoiled me with my favorite Garhwali
dishes - potatoes and manduwa roti (bread made from a buckwheat-type flour). The
ingredients were again grown on their farm.
From Mala Banas, I met my friend Sara in Rishikesh. I helped
her with her shopping, and we took a cab up to Mussoorie for the Writers'
Festival. In Mussoorie, we stopped in to see our previous landlord Mrs. Bhatty.
Her husband - 88 years old - died this month from prostate cancer. Her
daughters and grandchildren all came to Mussoorie to bury him (he was Christian).
Mr. Bhatty was quite a special man. He is the reason I received an affiliation
with the economics research institute in Delhi. He was not just an economist,
but also an Urdu poet and very trusting man! Mrs. Bhatty misses him very much!
My first full day in Mussoorie, I went around meeting many
of my old friends and catching up with my former teachers at the Language
School. I had a very nice meeting with the Language School Principal who has
been very helpful and supportive of my research! The next day, I made a hike to
a village nearby to finish up some of my research questions. I took some
friends along, and we really enjoyed the day. I had a productive trip! We did,
however, get a little wet on the walk back. (The hike is about 2-2.5 hours each
way.)
The next days were packed with incredible events as a part
of the Mussoorie Writers' Festival. There were poets, documentary filmmakers,
mountaineers, and so many other talented people. I had some great networking
opportunities here! It is amazing the diversity of people who came to Mussoorie
to share ideas about mountains from all different disciplines! We also enjoyed
some rock-n-roll music/Elvis impersonators from Shillong in Northeast India. I
can now boast of seeing a small, old Indian man with a voice and hip thrust just
like Elvis!
After the Writers' Festival, I made a trip to Happy Valley
and the George Everest House, which I have mentioned in previous blogs.
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| Happy Valley |
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| Hathi Paon next to the George Everest House |
That afternoon, I also got to attend a Garhwali drama. There
was a production from one of the stories of the Mahabharata performed in the
main bazaar.
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| Maze at Drama |
The next day, I ran around to some different meetings and
took a bus back to Dehradun. From Dehradun, I went to Lata for one last time
before I left. I had some research to wrap up, some friends to see, and some
weddings to attend. It was weird being in Lata at this time because more than
half of the village had migrated down to the winter housing, while I was
staying with a family in the summer village. The village seemed almost empty at
this time. It was also much less green as it is becoming winter. Lata got its first dusting of snow a couple days before I arrived.
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| My companions who rode with me to Joshimath |
[My first stop before Lata was Raji's village. We went to a
pooja for her father and nephew who died. Her mother and niece were put into a
trance where the spirits of their deceased relatives came through them. - No
this was not my first experience like this.]
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| The pooja |
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| Raji and Her Mom |
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| Raji and Me |
The weddings in Lata were especially fun. They last for
three days, so I only had the chance to attend one and a half. Both were of
young men from Lata, so I did not get to experience the female side. (There
were two more weddings happening the few days after I left.)
The first day is the henna ceremony. The women sit in a room
singing and dancing. For the last song, the groom comes in. His sister puts
henna on his hand, and they take a couple of photos. The women sing a special
song about henna. Afterwards, there are sweets and then dinner and dancing.
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| The women's sangeet at the henna ceremony |
The second day, the groom gets ready to go pick up his
bride. All his close relatives come and give him gifts. A priest is also there
to perform important ceremonies. All the males from the village go with the
groom to pick up the bride and bring her back. The groom rides down from the
village to the street on a horse. (We had a fun time rounding up the horses for
this occasion. The horses were pretty stubborn.)
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| The women singing as the men leave Lata |
[In the meantime, there are a lot of guests to feed in the
village. All the women from Lata gathered in a central location, set a quick
fire, and served everyone namkeen chai and spicy potatoes. It was delicious and
efficient. If only the women of Garhwal ran India...]
The next day, the bride and groom come back to the groom's
village. (There is celebrating in the bride's village too.) The bride is
carried up to the village on a palanquin, and the groom again rides a horse.
Then, they sit with everyone who are fed snacks and chai. Everyone takes
pictures with the bride and groom, and then we are served dinner and dance some
more. It was quite a fun event!
I came back from Lata with another researcher and his friend
from Germany. Unfortunately, their car broke down on the way back. We found a
mechanic, but fixing the timing belt took longer than expected. We spent the
night in the town in the last available hotel room. All the hotels were booked
for weddings. Then, I parted ways with them in the morning by getting on the
bus back to Dehradun.
I wrapped up my work in Dehradun quickly and said my
goodbyes.
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| My friends in Dehradun |
Then, I took a train to Delhi for a couple more meetings and
to catch my flight back home. I will stop for a few days in Amsterdam before
reaching the US. Delhi was quite a shock after spending so much time in the
mountains. The extreme pollution and crowds always make me ready to go home,
but I would be just as happy to go back to the mountains. I am looking forward
to seeing all my family and friends soon! I have lots more to share than I have
time to write in my blog, and I cannot wait to hear what you have been doing
too!
Lots of love and see you soon!
Margaret
