Karwa Chauth करवा चौथ

Thursday, August 28,  I had the chance to be at the Ganges River and witness the Karwa Chauth celebration. On this day married women fast for one day while they pray for the long life and welfare of their husbands. All along the river women gathered to offer prayers and ask for blessings before they went into the water to bathe. It was beautiful to see the rainbow of saris all along the river. Together women were smiling, hugging, laughing or sitting together in prayer.
Here is the full story of Karwa Chauth http://www.karwachauth.com/karwa-chauth-story.html

Saw some street art and monkeys while walking the alleys in Varanasi as well. After I took a photo of the monkeys they stopped walking and stared at me. I don't think they liked the bright flash from the camera so I walked away from them as fast as I could. My host sister laughed at how nervous I would get around the monkeys but I didn't want to take my chances in letting them get too close.

Women's Equality Day!!! August 26

I had the idea to have a special event for the local middle school and high school girls for Women's Equality Day which Rajan was wonderful in making happen.

After school the girls gathered at Buddhas Smile School. 35 beautiful girls showed up and each had in hand the writing assignment I had given. They each wrote five things they like about themselves or are proud of. To help break the ice, I had a girl pick a random name from a cup so she would have to say something nice about that girl and then she would have to say something nice in return. Since teenager girls from any part of the word can be catty or into their little cliques, I thought this would help them see each other in a positive light. After each girl spoke, we all gave her a round of applause. This seemed to boost their confidence in speaking in front of the crowd and they would have the biggest smiles. 

I spoke to them, with Rajan translating, on the importance of supporting each other. Also made a point to mention that they receive enough teasing from the locals in their villages about going to school or not being married so they can make a difference in each other's lives by not teasing each other about other things at school. If they want to make changes in the world then they must stick together and uplift one another. Rajan also told them that God did not give them less ability just because they are girls, God made all full of potential no matter what the community says. 

When discussing the issues they face as young women trying to get an education, one girl named Jyoti said, "We are not free, there is no freedom for us; but at school we are not a burden. At school we can have hope"

Another girl said that in the village they can not hold their head high but must look down when walking because they have no authority or power there. They constantly get harassed about not being married and their mothers receive criticism as well.

As the girls spoke I was moved by their words and decided to walk over to each and every one to give them a hug. Since hugging is not a common thing here, they were kind of hesitant and looked at me like I was weird. I'm glad that by the end they were coming up to me for hugs. For me, hugging is one of the best ways for me to show my friendship, love or acceptance so I am glad they embraced it. 

I went to the market the day before to get them sweets and the girls were laughing as some of them were trying to shove huge pieces of cake in my mouth. It is a sign of respect to feed another person but the girls had a good laugh trying to fit pieces of cake the size of baseball into my already full mouth! 

Each of the beautiful girls deserves the chance to make their dreams come true and I hope that they all remain safe. Hopefully the on site girls dormitory will be built soon so they will have a safe place to come home to and pursue their dreams without the harassment of those stuck in traditions that make them second class citizens.

“Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all is a form of planning.” 
― Gloria Steinem

“Any woman who chooses to behave like a full human being should be warned that the armies of the status quo will treat her as something of a dirty joke . . . She will need her sisterhood.” 
― Gloria Steinem

 

  “This is no simple reform. It really is a revolution. Sex and race because they are easy and visible differences have been the primary ways of organizing human beings into superior and inferior groups and into the cheap labor on which this system still depends. We are talking about a society in which there will be no roles other than those chosen or those earned. We are really talking about humanism.” 
― Gloria Steinem

Tulsi Manas Temple and Pūjā for Durga

Had the amazing opportunity to visit the Tulsi Manas Temple which is dedicated to Lord Ram. The temple is built of white marble and all the walls inside are covered in verses of Ramcharitammanasa, the Hindi version of the Ramayana. At the back of the temple upstairs there is an area with figurines depicting the lives of different gods and goddesses. Before I left the temple I went downstairs to take the blessing of holy water.

After walking out of this temple, nearby there was another temple that was lit up with beautiful lights and had the soothing song of prayers coming from inside. I walked over to the entrance to see men sitting with flowers they were handing to people who were walking inside. The temple was for Durga, the mother goddess. One waved me over and I took the chance to embrace the culture even more. So I walked over, removed my shoes, let my hands be rinsed with water, grabbed a flower offering and went inside. Walking in I made sure to carefully observe how the women were behaving so I could follow their lead and not accidentally be offensive.
Once  inside I was in line to go up to the main altar. At the altar I placed down the flowers as I was given the red smudge of powder on my forehead. Then one of the men handed me a small hibiscus flower along with a small dessert. I ate the dessert and on the other side of the altar there was a man and boy handing people small bowls of more sweets, so I took one of those as well. I followed the women to the other smaller altars to touch the flowers, run my fingers over the smoke of incense or the small flames from candles. I slowly walked through the temple and felt moved at the beauty of the tradition. There was one man who stood out to me. I noticed him kneeling in prayer, his eyes closed and tears going down his cheeks. He sat there for a few minutes, touched his forehead to the ground and then stood up. Once standing, his eyes opened and I saw him release a deep breath. As he walked away he looked at peace. Whatever his worries or what brought him to tears, it was as if he left it behind at the altar or trusted that things will work out the way they are meant to be. Not all people are born with the gift of faith or are able to obtain it during their lifetime, it so it was nice to see that certainty in his face. I was honored to be able to participate in this ceremony. It was a beautiful, moving experience.

Visit to a leprosy community

Today I accompanied my host Rajan to visit one of the nearby leprosy communities. There are 35 children from this area that attend Buddhas Smile school. Rajan told me that one of the leprosy elders came to the school a few years ago and begged to let his grandchildren go to school. Since Rajan speaks Bengali, that is why they sought her school out so they could speak with her in their own language. First there was only two children who attended BSS, but now there are 35.
Getting to the community was no easy task. It is far from the school, through a few villages, across a bridge, past a dump and hidden away close to the railroad tracks. The children told us that just recently one of the boys from their community died on the train tracks. Seeing how far the village is from the school makes me deeply respect the elder who walked all the way to the school to ask for his grandchildren to attend. I can only imagine the type of stares he must have received while walking outside his community but his love for his family gave him the courage to endure it.
As soon as we walked in the elders rushed over to greet us with large smiles on their faces. The community gathered around and had us sit with them in the center of their little village. As Rajan spoke with the elders, mainly the leader who is called "Dada", I sat with the kids as they all held my hands or sang songs. I must admit that I was a little nervous on the way to the community. I had never met anyone with leprosy and my lack of knowledge on the illness made it seem a bit frightening. Once I arrived, the first thing I noticed was their smiles and welcoming eyes. It wasn't until they got closer that I could see the missing limbs or difference in skin color.
Rajan translated what the elder was telling her and he said that many people come through the community but do not interact with them. If foreigners come they make promises to help but don't follow through. Medication and medical treatment are also scarcely given to those suffering with leprosy. As he spoke about the lack of care from those who can help, I could see the sadness on his face and his voice became quieter. This community loves Rajan for giving their children hope at a better life. Since the elders have leprosy, they can't do much to help their families. Rajan treated each person there with love and acceptance regardless of them being part of the unseen, forgotten part of society.
The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted.
~Mother Teresa