Lotus Bahai Temple Delhi

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The Bahai faith :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahai

Entry to the Dargah, Ajmer, India

Entry to the Dargah, Ajmer, India
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi.

The most important Muslim holy site in India. Akbar the Mughal leader used to make the trek from Agra to Ajmer every year.

Mussoorie Tibetan prayer flags

P3150041.jpg
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi.

You can find a commentary for this photo under the entry "Mussoorie" further down on this page...

beginning of the Shiva festival walk

beginning of the Shiva festival walk
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi.

The temple on the left is where the 75km walk began that I describe in the entry "Shiva festival/ b-day coincidence?" This is a good shot aswell because one can see people bathing and washing clothes, probably the 2 most frequent uses of the ghats.(though I had qualms about invading their privacy for sure)

Everything is Holy

home and nostalgic
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi.

Everything is holy

Nandu and company

home and nostalgic
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi.

Here is the group of guys from Pushkar, with friend and brahmin priest Nandu in the center, that I spent the "Ajmer Krishna festival," (see prior photo) with. This was an event leading upto Holi, an important Hindu celebration.

Chennai bound woman

home and nostalgic
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi.

Here is a photo of a friend that belongs to one of the more interesting Hindu casts. She is now a business woman, buying Sarees in the south where they are cheaper and selling them at a profit in the north. She is from Chennai and speaks 6 of the 150 or so languages in India

selling Chai

Selling Chai...Chaya Chaya Chaya
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi.

In the trains and train stations there is a constant din of sales offers. The chai-men (tea sellers) make a large part of this harmonious din. While travelling by train, the rhythmic chai-man sales offer is heard every 5-10 minutes. Chaya Chaya Chai..Tea..Chai Chai Chaya they say. So did I come to like this chai selling phenomenon that I had to give it a try myself...on the left is the kind Chaiman that obliged me...

holymen

home and nostalgic
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi.

Here are some holymen, whose actual title I have forgotten, they and young children are the only two segments of the Hindu population who are not to be cremated at death, from what I understand because those two segments of the population are pure.

La Cathédrale St. Pierre and La Faculté de médecine

La Cathédrale St. Pierre and La Faculté de médecine
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi.

So here is the imposing St. Peter's Cathedral (a favorite of mine for

quiet times) built in the 1300s and the adjoining University of

Medicine to the left...

Montpellier after 2 and 1/2 years

What a wild feeling to return to a place where one has spent some of one's most memorable times. The city of Montpellier is like a museum of memories for me, a conversation I had here, a quiet moment spent there. This morning I'll be doing some review of Montpellier history at the municipal museum (place jean jaurès) and then at the Faculty of Medicine that was Europe's first university of medicine, going back to 1220. Last evening I ate at the university restaurant where I took most of my meals during the 03-04 school year, and saw my dorms... A Friend from my Montpellier year will be arriving for a reunion of sorts on Friday, C'est la fête... Once I get home I will add some commentary to the last India photos, there have been some complaints ;-)

destination Montpellier

Thanks to everyone here in India and at home, India has really been a wonderful experience...

What to say

What to say
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi.

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What to say

What to say
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi.

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Delhi Bus

Delhi Bus
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi.

Pushkar

Pushkar
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi.

Jaipur (pink city)

Jaipur (pink city)
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi.

Ajmer Krishna Festival

Ajmer Krishna Festival
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi.

Kerala

Kerala
Originally uploaded by parisdelhi.

ode to Indian trains and to berthmates

After a long haul from Delhi I am now in Varkala in Kerala state, on the Arabian Sea. I have just arrived but I must say that singing traditional Keralan songs, w/ a frisbee for a drum, with the Indians in my berth of the sleeper car was truly a highlight. It is a different world down here in Kerala... more soon, cwt

Mussoorie

After an evening with new friends in Dehra Dun and a great time w/

Mohan and his motorbike (don't worry Mom), I ascended into the

Himalayan foothills to the hill station established by the

"Britishers," as they are called here, Mussoorie at 6000 ft. Though

the view of the snow capped Himalayas was obscured by clouds and smog

(amen for development and its discontents) an even greater surprise

revealed itself. Descending from a peak in a cable car Iconsulted a

map, trying to find that not so touristy gem that always makes a

backpacker's motor purr. To the "Buddha Temple" it was, after finally

getting the best of a rickshaw driver in price negotiations I walked

to the secluded temple. Once on the grounds I noticed that there was

also a school for young Tibetan refugees. On the peak above were

floating what seemed like a wall of prayer flags. Up at the raised

"pulpit" at the peak I met Akhil, a teacher at the school. He

explained the prayer flags to me and told me of his work and of the

school, his affection for these hills where he too had done his

studies. After some reflection time and second thoughts about leaving

that place for my next destination Akhil and I said "goodnight" and

not good bye, I like his style.

Here is the kicker, Akhil gave me his contact information, and once

back in town, after a free ride from local man, I called Akhil up with

a few more questions. The school was established in 1962 and is

funded by the Indian Gov't and recognized by the Tibetan Gov't in

exile in Dharmasala, India. Though they can't take direct donations

they would welcome volunteers and Akhil said that one could teach with

a B.A./B.S. The school year is from March to Dec. so any of you out

there that would like to spend time at a Himalayan hill station as a

teacher in a Tibetan school over looking

the green happy valley with its batheable waterfalls and snowpeaked

views, just let me know...that is if I dont take the position first...

Well i am off to Kerala at the southern tip of India in an hour. I

first heard of the state in my Developing World courses as an example

of successful social development before economic development, the only

place (in the world? or maybe just in India) with a long running

elected communist party in power, yep, I'm going pink...

cwt

PS: I think my pictures on Flickr got hacked so there is a guy with a

gun, this is not my picture!