Vipassana, near Nagpur, Maharashtra

Well... being surrounded by 70 beautiful women who are not to talk (the Noble Silence)… What can I say? I loved it!!!  :-) The intensive rainbow colour of their saris and kamiz completed perfectly the greenery that surrounded us. It was a remote countryside with chirping birds all day long, crickets accompanying you to sleep, butterflies in all colours, always present lizards... Apparently there were also snakes and scorpions but I didn't have pleasure to meet those fellows.

And trains! Frequent, fast and loud...promising the journey - meeting a long time not seen relative or friend...or visiting far away places, places to be discovered... I loved to listen out for and watch them from my tower. 

Yes, I spent most of my time on the water tower. In the morning and afternoon I snoozed there and at noon I was having a regular intake of vitamin D with the sun, just for 20 min. 

We were to remain not only silent but also without any kind of communication: gestures, touch or even eye contact. Not needed anyway. The communication is happening just by being in this community. The togetherness creates connections that are stronger with some then with the others. How? Is it the energy of every single person floating in this absolute causing the move in the energy of another creature? Is it the universal low of a tribal living? By the end of 10 days I gave the names in my head to most of my fellows and non of them was unnoticed :-)

And I never stopped talking.... in my head... We had great conversations: me, myself and I, and Violetta joined as well. We spoke English, Polish and even some French.


When the ladies started to talk, that's what it gives: 

Again I was the only white in the crowd, friendly called "English". I've always wanted to be born English mother tongue. See how India is a "dream come through" country, not only the America. 

 Another similarity with the US is that you eat food with your hands. Here you mix thoroughly the flavours of different freshly prepared dishes with rice/chapatti; in America greasy, ketchup dripping, carnivore burgers. Another reason why I'm in India...

 













My manners here are being challenged. During Vipassana I was presented with quite frequent burping, cleaning one's throat and nose in, let's say, spectacular way, equally in dining and meditation hall. I'm not there yet and maybe I'll rather focus in perfecting my eating technique rather than other habits. My way of fingering the food might be equally repulsive for them as their burping for me. First of all I still use my left hand to tear the chapatti, while it is the "dirty" hand that serves rather the other end of digestive system. Secondly, I'm not very coordinated to shoot the food into my mouth so it sometimes misses the goal... Well, I'll ask Molly Kotchamma, Lizzy's mum, to teach me some table manners. 

But what about Vipassana itself? 

At the beginning my mind was rushing like a wild horse. For the first 2 days I was trying very hard to canalise this roaring stream of thoughts. I could not stop it! I was like in surrealistic state between dream and reality. Whenever I closed my eyes (which was for about 9h a day) I felt like Alice in Wonderland: the past was mixing with the future, real with not real, joy with sadness. My mind was working also during the night and I was waking up from violent dreams, sweating. It is astonishing how we are possessed by our own mind. You think you are the master but the mind has a live on its own...

So for 10 days all I was doing was sleep, eat and meditate. Imagine the comfort of being provided with everything and all you need to do is to dive into a depth of your own mind and try to tame this wild horse. It's a hard work, I can tell you! 

Now I feel clearer in my mind. It's like somebody took off a lid that was covering my head (I'm not sure it wasn't belgian gray sky) and gave a way to an endless space where one can breath freely and calmly. I'm not sure if it is not an Indian climate rather than Vipassana... ;-) 

 
I didn't manage to follow Goenka's philosophy. It's too...flue for me. I translated it into Mindfulness terms. The technique after all is the same.

For me it was intensive crash course of Mindfulness. The conclusion I drew is one and simple - meditation is to my mind like brushing to my teeth. I need to incorporate it into my daily routine. And I manage to do since.

Nasik, Maharashtra

I have my lovely hotel in a supposedly nice spot - just above the Godavari River and ritual bathing tank...

Hundreds of Hindu pilgrims arrive every day to bathe and pray... and immerse the ashes of their cremated close ones... 'cause the waters provide "moksha" liberation of the soul...
I don't have to tell you the state of the water... I admire the devotion of those brave Hindu... 

My peaceful place turned out to be an epicenter of all the noise India can make!!! It is Ganesh Chaturthi!!! Huge celebration that goes on for 10 days... Loads of music, dancing, loud explosions, stories of Ganesha told through loudspeakers...from morning till the evening...

 Hiking in Trimbak

3 days in and around Nasik - I'm the only white so far...and must admit, I'm fed up with it! Indians don't bother to make their excitement discreet - they stare, take a picture, elbow their pals not to miss the opportunity to look at "angleze"... Where is my tolerance for India? I guess I'm so used to being here, that I consider myself at home, like I was belonging... Their smiling looks prove the contrary - I'm a painted bird here....

 
 Even those guys are starring at me...







 
But being painted bird in India has a lot of advantages. In their endless hospitality, Indians take care of me and make sure I'm well: get on the right bus, have enough to eat, taste things "angleze" might not know and they instruct me what to do, where and how :-)

And meanwhile He is becoming my very close friend :-)

Mumbai

I never get to know this city - whenever I fly in, I'm exhausted from work life in Bxl and jet legged.... So I end up sleeping till 1pm...then stroll a bit in Bandra 'cause that's where Bhavna lives, my lovely host. After 2 days I'm fed up with the city and leave... Nasik this time.

Before though we dance wild with Bhavna in a nice club where European chic mixes excellent music. Vio happy :-)

I love my iPad!!! You know how we say that a dog is a man's best friend? Well, for me it's my iPad... at least during this trip :-) It’s my diary, my calendar, my clock, camera, address book, memo book…..

The day has come...

The day has come. Mixed feelings of excitement, sadness, disbelieve...numbness...

At the airport I've realised that I have been gone for a long time now... Since I had this idea of going to India, I was actually with my one leg there :-)

Why India? 'cause Lizz is here... 'cause I love this madness... 'cause it's full of variety...full of possibilities... I must have been Indian in my previous life....

I'm leaving peacefully knowing that I have support and friendship of all of you... And I have a lovely and loving place to come back to :-)