Breathedreamgo » Delhi

I supported a documentary about Indian magicians in Delhi and got a magic ring!

Mariellen — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 03:17:20 +0000

Documentary made in India: Tomorrow we Disappear raised funds on Kickstarter

Last fall I was on the Kickstarter website — thinking about running a fundraising campaign of my own — and I came across an appeal from three young filmmakers in the USA, Jim Goldblum, Adam Weber and Josh Cogan, who wanted to raise $40,000 to return to India to finish filming and editing a documentary about a magicians colony in Delhi, India that was about to disappear. The film is called Tomorrow we Disappear and this link will take you to the Kickstarter description. The slum area the magicians live in is going to be razed to make room for new buildings — hence the title.

I was intrigued by the project to make a documentary in India and also by the rewards they offered. Rewards are a key ingredient of a successful Kickstarter fundraising campaign. They need to be fun, valuable and manageable. These guys had great rewards at almost every pledge level, but I chose to make the $10 pledge and get a magic ring in return.

I have followed their progress on their Facebook page and even saw a photo of them, back in New York, lugging boxes of rewards to the post office.

And today — the day after my birthday actually — when I am in the midst of a big life change and in need of some magic, frankly — I got my ring. And it’s turquoise, my favourite colour and the colour I requested! So, thank you to Jim, Adam and Josh for making this film and keeping to your word and sending me a ring. Here’s the trailer, below — watch it and you will see why I wanted to help fund this project.

P.S. They raised $61,000.

What would you do with a magic ring?

Let me know in the comments below!

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Happy birthday Delhi

Mariellen — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:00:32 +0000

Lodhi Garden, New Delhi

Delhi turns 100 as capital of India

The anniversary in Delhi is greeted with mixed feelings, but not by me

When I was getting ready to travel to India the first time, back in 2005, I had several friends warn me: “You won’t like Delhi. It’s crowded, it’s polluted, the people are aggressive, you will be pestered to distraction.” I’d heard lots of stories about Pahar Ganj, the grubby “traveler’s ghetto;” the challenges of buying tickets and arranging any kind of transportation; the scams and the con artists; the crowds and chaos.

However, my first morning in Delhi, I walked out into the warm, December sunshine, on the big, white marble terrace of my friend’s home in South Delhi and was greeted by the family, who offered me breakfast. Later, a man arrived with a huge bundle of gorgeous shawls and fabrics, and I sat on the terrace drinking tea, with the ladies of the family and shopped. It was all very civilized and I felt I had arrived in heaven, not the hell that I was promised.

That’s when my love affair with Delhi began, and it has never ended — though I have had my moments of frustration and annoyance, like everyone else; and witnessed heart-breaking scenes of poverty at the side of the road.

Pink sunset at Qutab Minar, Delhi

Celebrating the city

On December 12, 1911, during a magnificent durbar on the outskirts of Delhi, King George V proclaimed that the capital of the British Raj would be moved from Kolkata to Delhi. For the next 20 years, the new city of New Delhi was built, under the leadership of visionary architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.

So, while the anniversary of Delhi is greeted with mixed feelings by Indians — who are usually not keen to celebrate anything the British Raj created — I am quietly celebrating my home-away-from home — the city that greeted me so hospitably when I first arrived in Delhi, and continues to be my beloved home base in India. I have written about Delhi several times on Breathedreamgo. This is a blog about enjoying the cultural Delights of Delhi. And this is scenes from my South Delhi neighbourhood.

In an article about New Delhi at the time of the city’s inauguration, in 1931 (New Delhi, The First Impression) the very talented travel writer Robert Byron wrote, “The surprise which awaits the traveler on his first view of the imperial capital will be proportionate to the fixity of his previous ideas about it.” This was certainly true for me; no one told me that New Delhi is also beautiful. And gracious, historical, cultural, green, spacious and a paradise for shoppers and foodies.

To find out how to spend a day in New Delhi — the planned city the British built — read my story in the Toronto Star: Aging Gracefully: New Delhi at 100. And read on to discover my top 10 favourite things to do in Delhi.

Jama Masjid, Old Delhi

My top 10 favourite things about Delhi:

soft mornings and pink sunsets
the inspired and majestic symmetry of the planned city of New Delhi
the profusion of green: leafy enclaves, tree-lined boulevards, gracious gardens, lush parks, verdant historical sites
shopping! at Khan Market, Lajpat Nagar, Hauz Khas, Karol Bagh, South Extension, Janpath, Sunder Nagar, Greater Kailash 1 M- and N-Block markets, Aurobindo Market, etc.
ancient historical treasures, especially Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb and Qutab Minar
modern historical treasures, especially India Gate, Gandhi Smirti and Raj Ghat
spiritual Delhi, especially Lotus Temple, Sivananda Centre in Kailash Colony, ISKCON temple, and the tiny, ancient Shiv Mandir in Panch Shila Park
food glorious food — from mini-tiffin at Saravana Bhavan in Janpath to dining at one of the world’s most beautiful restaurants, Spice Route at the Imperial Hotel; from chic watering holes like Olive to paneer tikka to go
strolling in Lodhi Garden
having chai with my Indian family on the marble terrace in South Delhi

I could go on, there are many things I love about Delhi. And though the city is actually thousands of years old, and has been the capital of at least seven kingdoms, I will take this moment to wish the city and it’s 14 million inhabitants happy anniversary anyway. I miss you! Please save me some cake.

Join the fun on Twitter and let us all know what you love about Delhi / Dilli: #whatiloveaboutdilli

shopping at Karol Bagh Market, Delhi

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Donate and win hotel stay, dinner, tickets, books and more

Mariellen — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 23:47:49 +0000

Fires on the Ganges by Andrew Adams of Katha Images

Donate $10 to help street kids in Delhi

By October 26, 2011 I am hoping to raise $2,000 for the fundraising project for Deepalaya through The Intrepid Foundation. For every $10 you donate, I will enter your name into a draw. So, for example, if you donate $50, you get five ballots. I will put all ballots in a hat and draw randomly. But the more ballots you have in the hat, the more chances you have to win!

To read more about this fundraising project, please read my post Help the street kids of Delhi — and send me to India. And see below for more information about Intrepid Travel and Deepalaya.

Here’s where you can donate online. And here are the prizes, below — there are 17 prizes so you have a great chance of winning!

The Prizes

Fairmont Royal York Hotel lobby

Grand Prize

One night stay in a Gold Room at the historic Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto and dinner for two at Benihana Japanese Steakhouse. The Gold Rooms are on the sumptuous 19th floor of the iconic hotel — this is where all the celebrities and movie stars stay. From the moment you step off the elevator, you enter a world of elegant wood paneling, deeply cushioned loveseats, rich fabrics and first class service and amenities. You will have a fabulous evening, ensconced in luxury, and a delicious dinner at the renowned Benihana. Generously donated by Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Value: approximately $450.00

Second Prize

A framed print by photographer Andrew Adams of Katha Images. The print, entitled Fire on the Ganges (see above), was shot on the River Ganges in Varanasi, on Andrew’s first trip to India, 2007. Andrew is an extraordinary photographer who has a gift for capturing the beauty of India. The finished size of the print is 20 x 24 and it will be signed and matted. Generously donated by Andrew Adams. Value: $250.00

BHARATI: The wonder that is India

Third Prize

Two tickets to see the spectacular musical BHARATI: The wonder that is India at the SONY Centre in Toronto. Your tickets are for the November 5, 2011 grand closing night performance. Tickets generously donated by MyBindi.

Being Human T-shirt

FourthPrize

A Salman Khan Being Human T-shirt. Being Human is a registered charitable trust set up by Bollywood star Salman Khan for helping the cause of the underprivileged in two main areas: education and healthcare. His Being Human t-shirts are all the rage in Bollywood, where you see many stars sporting them. I’m giving away three t-shirts, generously donated by Salman Khan’s Being Human Now in Canada.

Fifth Prize

An autographed copy of the Weight of Silence : The Invisible Children of India by Shelley Seale. Shelley is a talented and passionate journalist who spent months volunteering with The Miracle Foundation orphanages in India. This book is her deeply felt portrait of the children she came to know and love. Generously donated by Shelley Seale.

Sixth Prize

I am giving away 10 copies of my book, Song of India: Tales of Travel and Transformation. (Depending on your location, you will get a hard copy or e-book version.)

Donate online here.

Intrepid Travel, Deepalaya and dreams

I dream of helping street kids in India get a chance at life. And that’s exactly what Deepalaya does. See video, below, to find out more about this worthwhile organization.

Every child deserves a chance

Deepalaya is a non-government development organization working on issues affecting the urban and rural poor, with a special focus on children. It is because “Every child deserves a chance” that the organization exists and works towards making that possible. For the past 32 years Deepalaya has been working in the urban slums of Delhi, and has also made inroads into rural development in the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Interesting fact: Deepalaya is supported by The Robert Duvall Children’s Fund. In fact, the video above is from their website.

I also dream of traveling in India: The prize for raising the most funds is an Intrepid Travel trip to India.

Anyone who is familiar with Intrepid Travel knows that it is a travel and tour company with a difference. Intrepid is known for being committed to responsible tourism; to take people “off the beaten path” and give them an authentic cultural experience in countries all over the globe; and for supporting worthwhile causes though The Intrepid Foundation, which supports projects in many of the destinations they visit.

India is one of Intrepid’s most popular destinations — the company offers many tours to India to choose from. In India, the Intrepid Foundation supports Deepalaya. Watch the video to find out more.

Donate online here.

If you enjoyed this post, you can….

Get updates and read additional stories on the Breathedreamgo Facebook page.

Buy Song of India, a collection of 10 feature stories about my travels in India.

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Thank you for reading. Please visit Breathedreamgo or stop by my Facebook page at Breathedreamgo.

Help the street kids of Delhi — and send me to India

Mariellen — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:11:45 +0000

A street corner in Delhi

Donate to Deepalaya / Intrepid Foundation

I have spent more than a year traveling in India, and months living in Delhi. I love India, and I love Delhi. In fact, I think Delhi is one of the most under-rated cities of the world. It has incredible richness of culture, layers of history in the form of monuments, gentle foggy mornings and iridescent pink sunsets, a jungle of greenery, great food, a treasure trove of shopping … and children, living on the streets. You see them at traffic lights, skinny bodies, huge eyes, wearing shabby clothing, sometimes no clothing at all. They turn somersaults, cling to their mothers, sell toys, flowers and magazines. They sleep under bridges, on the railway platforms or in blue-tarp juggis.

The street kids of Delhi always tug at my heart strings, and I sometimes find myself dreaming of finding ways to help them. I dream of giving them proper food, clothing, health care and shelter, and of educating them and giving them a fighting chance to rise above their status and at least earn a living making handicrafts, driving an autorickshaw, selling chai … and who knows what else. There are stories of former street kids who, after earning an education, had successful careers, made money, and seriously challenged the stereotypes.

What would it feel like to know that you helped a child beat the odds? You can help by donating to the fundraising project for Deepalaya through The Intrepid Foundation before October 26, 2011.

Boy selling flowers in Pushkar

You can make dreams come true

The other thing I dream about is traveling in India. You can help me achieve both dreams by donating to the fundraising project for Deepalaya through The Intrepid Foundation before October 26, 2011. Whoever raises the most money, wins Intrepid’s 15-day Classic Rajasthan trip to India, generously donated by Intrepid Travel. The winner will be announced at the Toronto Travel Massive meetup on October 29, 2011.

If you’ve enjoyed my blog, if you want to help out street kids, if you believe in dreams and dreamers …. whatever your reason, I will be eternally grateful to everyone who gives any amount to Deepalya through the The Intrepid Foundation. You can learn more about Deepalaya below, and donate directly to the Deepalaya project here, on my personal fundraising page.

Deepalaya means “light house”

Rajasthani girl

It is estimated that Delhi alone has over 100,000 street children. Deepalaya started in 1979 to help these children for whom the street is their place of work and home. The sad reality for most of these children is a life of hard labour and work in environments that no child should be exposed to, such as prostitution and drug trafficking.

Deepalaya social workers counsel these children and place them at the Home for Boys in Deepalaya Gram in a village called Gusbethi, 60 kilometres from Delhi. Deepalaya has educated more than 44,000 underprivileged children from the slums of Delhi and rural areas in Haryana. At present the Home for Boys has 52 children staying there. The school in Gusbethi imparts formal schooling to the boys and children from the surrounding villages of Tayru. The school has more than 250 children.

Deepalaya is also involved in a Vocational Centre which provides technical training for the boys and for girls from the surrounding villages of Mewat. They learn skills in tailoring, computer hardware and software, electronics, air conditioning and refrigeration. Construction of a girls’ hostel is nearing completion. The hostel will accommodate 60 girls.

Your support for Deepalaya will help to provide food and board, health care, meaningful education and vocational training, counselling and career guidance, understanding, friendship, warmth and solace for these children.

The Intrepid Foundation

All funds donated to the fundraising project for Deepalaya through The Intrepid Foundation will be matched by The Intrepid Foundation, which also covers all the administrative costs. That means, 200% of the money you donate goes straight to Deepalaya. It’s not only a win-win, it’s a give-give situation. Which has just got to feel good!

DONATE HERE.

If you enjoyed this post, you can….

Get updates and read additional stories on the Breathedreamgo Facebook page.

Buy Song of India, a collection of 10 feature stories about my travels in India.

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Thank you for reading. Please visit Breathedreamgo or stop by my Facebook page at Breathedreamgo.

Arriving in India – for the fifth time

Mariellen — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:20:57 +0000

The newly refurbished Connaught Place in central Delhi

My fifth trip to India started, as they all do, at the Delhi airport. This time, though, I arrived at the new airport, which looks like any modern airport. I was almost missing the “old shed” – my nickname for the old airport – until I arranged for a prepaid taxi and was met with the usual chaos and confusion of finding my taxi, and the usual scenes of Delhi street life and traffic on the way to my “home” in South Delhi. My driver was caught behind an autorickshaw and when he finally pulled up beside the auto, my driver let out a stream of abuse at him in Hindi. Nothing really changes in India, though a lot of Delhi was improved and refurbished for the Commonwealth Games.

My first few days in India were spent reuniting with my Indian family, seeing some friends, experiencing synchronicity and suffering extreme jet lag. During those first days in Delhi, I also met India’s most highly esteemed Vedantic scholar / teacher, Swami Parathasathy, attended the National Tourism Awards and the Tiger Conference, shopped, had an Ayurvedic treatment and had tea at the Taj Mansingh Hotel with PR director Kirti. It was a busy week and I was dog-tired – but Delhi is such a happening place, it is hard not to get caught up. It’s the political centre of the country, of course, and a cultural hub. Mumbai may have New York-like frenetic energy, but there’s enough going on in Delhi to keep just about anyone very occupied indeed. And it’s so much more pleasant to be in Delhi this year, with all the construction of last year finished and the new metro system operating.

Central News Agency, a 90-year-old book store in Connaught Place, Delhi

I also found those first few days a bit disorienting. I could see I was in India, but I wasn’t feeling it yet, so everything had a slightly unreal quality. But a series of coincidences and chance meetings helped to make me feel more at home. I felt a sense of familiarity, of course, because I have spent probably five months in Delhi, in total, and because I have been going back to the same places over six years; but more importantly, I felt part of a network, a web of friends, colleagues and connections created over the years. I felt welcomed by India, even as I was suffering jet lag and disorientation. I just allowed it all to happen, all the riot of feelings, sensory overload, tiredness, confusion. I connected to the Indian notion that I am not in control, that there is a bigger force, a destiny, at work. I find India creatively stimulating, spiritually inspiring and a great place to just BE! In other words, I just decided to go with the flow, which is by far the best thing to do while in India. You can figure it all out later if you must.

In the new and improved Delhi

On my second day in Delhi and India, my friend Venkat told me that the esteemed Vedantic teacher Swami Parathasathy was giving a series of five lectures, over the course of five nights, on the last chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. I first heard about Swami Parathasathy in 2006, on my first trip to India, from a man at Shinshiva Ayurvedic resort in Kerala. He spoke so highly about his “guru” that I felt I must one day find out more about him, and – though it took five years – it was effortless when it finally happened. Though I was tired, I decided to go and meet Venkat at Kamani Auditorium in the centre of Delhi. In the past, my decision may have been different because getting around entailed expensive, dusty and unreliable taxis, battling gridlock traffic and inhaling noxious fumes. But the shiny new metro now runs through South Delhi – it was one of the last lines to open – connecting it with the rest of the city, and travel is now seamless, smooth, inexpensive and comfortable. I was delighted to discover there is a metro stop quite nearby, just a short autorickshaw ride away, and a Ladies Car leads every train.

Women enjoying the comfort of the ladies car on the Delhi metro

The Ladies Car really is a godsend because the trains get crowded, overwhelmingly with men, many of whom stare mercilessly. It can be unnerving. Men are not allowed in the Ladies Car – they are subject to a 200 rupee fine – but of course that does not stop the odd one. One day, I asked a man to move so I could sit down. He sullenly left, due to the social pressure, but it seemed he did not want to give up his seat. Some Indian men are very courteous and some are very not. There are also seats on every train reserved for the elderly and physically challenged. Taking the metro system many times over the first few days I was in Delhi, I was bemused to see many people are not really accustomed to the modernity of it yet. They jam the doors, pushing in before people get off, and I have seen quite a few people have trouble getting off the escalators.

On my way to the lecture, I was changing lines at one of the busiest metro stops and bumped into a Canadian woman I used to work with, years ago. It was the first of a series of surprising and serendipitous meetings.

I found Swami Parathasathy to be a very compelling, charismatic, likeable speaker and obviously extremely learned. He knows the entire Bhagavad Gita in Sanskrit backwards and forwards, but what makes him such a good teacher is that he is entertaining and uses real life examples to make points. He takes both a serious and light approach to his subject – which really is a winning combination. He said that god is like the fuel in a car. And he used pole-vaulting as an analogy for increasing spiritual awareness. I liked his explanation for Namaste: he said when you bring two hands together, you are saying we are one, and I salute our oneness with god.

Swami Parathasathy at Bhagavad Gita talks in Delhi

Listening to him, and to the four women who were chanting each of the verses, I was again reminded of the spiritual truths that I find so comforting and invigorating – and that I so often forget when I am home in Canada.

Frankly, I think it must help to have a spiritual sense when you are traveling in India. It seems to me it would get tiring to constantly feel self-righteous and judgmental about the poverty, social inequity, street kids, sickly animals, mounds of garbage and everything else you see. But understanding that “god knows what’s best,” that we are all part of one god-consciousness, and that the locus of reality is not rooted in our sensual and temporal experience of life all helps to let the experience flow as painlessly as possible. Which is not to suggest resignation. Personally, I feel I have a duty and obligation to increase my consciousness as much as possible.

Swami Parathasathy founded a centre in Maharashtra that offers a three-year Vedantic course that runs without any breaks. The claim is that the program is structured so well that you don’t need a break.

Tiger Conference 2011, Delhi

A tale of two media circuses

On Monday, March 28 I found myself at the centre of Indian political life. In the morning, I attended the Tiger Conference, thanks to my friend Ananda Banerjee, at Vigyan Bhavan in central New Delhi, the leafy spacious city built by Sir Edwin Lutyens to house the British Raj. The first session was open to the media, and I registered on my way in. The small room was absolutely packed with people, which made me wonder whether the government takes tiger conservation seriously. Or perhaps they had underestimated the interest in this issue. It didn’t seem like a good sign. The first order of business was to release the 2010 census figures for the tiger population in India. The census is taken only every four years so it was a big deal. The news was good and bad: the tiger population is up, but habitat has decreased significantly. (I will write much more about this news and about my visit to Ranthambhore tiger reserve in an upcoming post.)

The world’s media seemed to be at this event, and a lot of Indian media too, of course. I finally met Canada’s Stephanie Nolen – she is the Delhi correspondent for the Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper, and a very fine writer. Here is her report on the Indian tiger crisis, The failing fight to save India’s tigers.

Dancers at National Tourism Awards, Delhi,

Later in the day, I went to the Ashok Hotel where the home ministers of India and Pakistan were meeting. There was a lot of media there, too, though all of it Indian; and a lot of militia. I was at the Ashok for the National Tourism Awards, a normally sober event that became a media circus because one of the guests of honour was the house speaker and the other was Bollywood queen Priyanka Chopra. She is lovely, but the highlight of the evening for me was a spectacular dance performance that combined six dance troupes, dancing in six styles, from different regions of the country. It was a tour de force, and I found it completely captivating. It’s also very nice to be in a large room full of people who are trying so hard to promote tourism to India and highlight the beauty of the country and the culture. This event had more than double the media of the home ministers and the tigers put together. There is nothing like Bollywood to whip up excitement in India. Okay, there is one other thing: cricket.

I landed in India just in time to witness the final games of the Cricket World Cup and watch captain MS Dhoni and his team battle their way to victory, beating arch rivals Pakistan, and then Sri Lanka on April 2 in Mumbai to win the cup. It was a thrilling moment when Dhoni hit a sixer to win the game. All one billion Indian hearts beat as one. Congratulations, team India. You deserved to win, and India deserves to feel on top of the world.

Royal Enfield motorcycle, Delhi

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Flying Qatar Airways to India

Mariellen — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 23:26:27 +0000

Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar

Qatar: The only “Q” country

In preparation for my Qatar Airways flight to India, I have been doing some research on Qatar (pronounced KAH-ter). The first thing I discovered is that it is the only country in the world that begins with a “Q.” Qatar is located on a flat peninsula that sticks out into the The Persian Gulf and is one of the wealthiest countries on earth (on a per capita basis), thanks to oil. Many people, like me, know Qatar chiefly because it is home to the highly regarded Al Jazeera news network. (If you have any doubts about Al Jazeera’s liberal reporting policies, read this article on their website, The Middle East Feminist Revolution, by Naomi Wolf.)

In my research I found out a few interesting things:

On World Travel Guide, I discovered that guests must drink two cups of Qatari coffee, neither more nor less (and must hold the cup with the right hand).
On the Lonely Planet site, I found out that Souq Waqif (the main souq in Doha) has been completely rebuilt to “look old.”
The Qatar Visitor site includes a detailed list of things to see in do in the capital city, Doha — and says that Qatar basically IS Doha, as 50% of the country’s population resides there.
Dave and Deb of ThePlanetD wrote about architect I.M. Pei’s greatest buildings and included the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha on their list.

Qatar is a constitutional monarchy. The country is controlled by Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, who deposed his father in a bloodless coup in 1995, and has brought in many reforms — including suffrage for women. Politically, Qatar is called the Switzerland of the Middle East, which I think means they try to get along with just about everyone. Certainly by winning the right to host the World Cup for 2022; by funding Al Jazeera; and by turning Qatar Airways into one of the world’s leading airlines, Qatar is working hard to transform itself from an unknown pearl-fishing centre to a leading global citizen.

The world’s five-star airline

I discovered that Qatar Airways is one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, and also one of the most highly regarded. The company’s tag line is “the world’s five star airline” — and it has earned that distinction by winning the World’s Best Business Class, World’s Best Business Class Catering and Best Airline in the Middle East for the past five consecutive years. Qatar Airways Premium Terminal Doha was named one of the world’s most amazing airport lounges by Travel Leisure Magazine. (New Doha International Airport is scheduled to open in 2012.) Qatar also has an excellent safety record and flies, among other planes, the fuel efficient Boeing 777. All in all, I am thrilled to be flying Qatar from New York to Delhi, with a short stop in Doha, capital of Qatar.

Qatar was re-launched in 1997, and currently flies a modern fleet of 94 aircraft to 98 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and North and South America. Its fleet size will surpass 120 aircraft by 2013, by which time the global network will top 120 destinations.

Qatar Airways has sponsored my return flight from New York to Delhi, India.

Thank you for reading. Please visit Breathedreamgo or stop by my Facebook page at Breathedreamgo.

South Asia travel plans for spring 2011

Mariellen — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 03:58:09 +0000

Moi at Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India, at sunrise 2006

Capturing the magic and mystery of travel in India

My first trip to India was a six-month odyssey in 2005-06 that took me from volunteering in Dharamsala in the north to watching the sunrise from Kanyakumari at the southern tip of the subcontinent. It was a life-changing trip, and I have been writing about India and the transformative power of travel ever since. Since then, I’ve been back to India three times (2007, 2009 and 2010), and shortly I will be leaving for my fifth trip. I will of course be blogging as I travel. My itinerary is below, but first a few words about my philosophy and mission.

Travel writer’s manifesto

There are many benefits to writing or blogging about one subject or place. For one thing, you gain a lot of knowledge and you are perceived as having expertise. For another, you develop contacts and build relationships. In my case, I write about India, South Asia, yoga, spirituality and transformative travel. From a strategic point of view, this is my niche. But I don’t write about these things for strategic reasons; I write about them because of genuine interest and pure passion.

Traveling in India really did change my life in many positive ways, and I have grown to truly, madly, deeply appreciate India, Indians and Indian culture, including yoga. For me, traveling to India in particular, and Asia in general, is not like going other places. I feel a profound sense of connection to that part of the world, and I tend to have charmed adventures.

For more than a year altogether I have traveled in India, mostly by myself, and I have been protected — like Rudyard Kipling’s Kim. I am extremely grateful. I don’t take it for granted and I don’t really understand it. I believe life is mystery, and that’s how it should be.

And like Kim, I move between cultures with a somewhat fluid sense of identity: I live some of the time as an Indian, with my Indian family in Delhi, and some of it on the road, where I am perceived as a foreigner. But India doesn’t feel all that foreign to me. I feel happier, more alive, and more connected to my imagination when I am in India than anywhere else.

So I write about India and I try and capture the magic and mystery I feel and perceive — that child-like sense of wonder that’s so easy to lose as we grow older — and the feeling I always get in India: that life is not always how it seems, that there is a mythical element underlying life, and we are lucky when we get an occasional glimpse.

So, keeping these principles in mind, I am planning my next trip — which includes visiting a Maharaja, stalking tigers, seeing the Taj Mahal at sunrise, and achieving a long-held dream: hiking in the Himalyan kingdom of Bhutan.

Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India

My itinerary for 2011

March

Delhi
Gujurat and Rajkot – for Mahatma Gandhi-related sites and a visit to the estates of the Maharaja of Rajkot
Mumbai
Bandhavgarh and Kanha Tiger Reserves

April

Bhutan
Rishikesh
Rural tourism in Uttrakhand
Delhi

Thank you for reading. Please visit Breathedreamgo or stop by my Facebook page at Breathedreamgo.

The Taj Mahal of hotels

Mariellen — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 21:20:11 +0000

Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai, India

My love affair with the Taj Group

Many of the 66 hotels, palaces and resorts owned and managed by The Taj Group hold a special place in India’s cities. In some cases, they are linked with the city’s, and even the country’s, history. I don’t usually stay in the Taj Group hotels when I travel, but I often visit them for tea or lunch or just to have a few minutes of luxurious calm. I also have an interest in their historical and social significance, and their business practices. I have learned from interviewing staff members at several of their properties that Taj Group has one of the best training programs in the hospitality industry in India; and my experience is that the staff seem like extremely dedicated professionals. It is not only the buildings and decor that are stupendous — the service and food is excellent too.

Read on to find out about the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, Taj West End Hotel in Bangalore, Taj Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur and the Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi — and to see some glorious photos of these incredible places.

Why the Taj Mahal hotel reminds me of the Titanic

Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai, India

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai (Bombay) reminds me of the Titanic. It is huge, impressive, luxurious, Edwardian, world famous and it suffered an unbelievable tragedy. The difference is, of course, that the Titanic rests at the bottom of the ocean and the Taj Mahal Place Hotel has risen like a phoenix from the ashes. Partially destroyed during the Mumbai attacks of November 2008, the hotel has been under construction for the last two years. It is now completely open.

There are few hotels in the world that equal the iconic status of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Legend has it that Indian industrialist J.R.D. Tata built it because he wasn’t allowed in the city’s leading British hotel. Since opening in 1903, the Taj has held both the pre-eminent social and geographical position in the city. When terrorists attacked Mumbai in November 2008, they headed straight for the Taj Hotel – knowing they were hitting a powerful symbol of Indian pride. The world watched spellbound as flames leaped from the windows of the grand building during the three-day siege.

Grand staircase, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai

I toured the hotel last winter (February 2010) when most of the public spaces were complete (only the rooms in the Palace wing were unfinished at that time) and wrote about it in my post Meeting Maximum Mumbai. I had long wanted to visit this hotel, and to see it recover from tragedy and destruction has only increased my fascination with this landmark.

Over the week I was in Mumbai, I ate lunch at the hotel three times. Three times I escaped the bustle of the city to relax in the hotel’s luxurious interior and soak up the historic vibes. Once, I had lunch at Souk with Nikhila from the public relations team; once at the legendary Sea Lounge with Syerah, a friend from Toronto in and once by myself in the gracious poolside courtyard. Nikhila gave me a tour of the hotel and at the end, we stopped at the tasteful memorial to the people who died during the attack. It was a bittersweet moment: I was sad of course, and also bolstered by the Taj’s determination to regroup, recover, renovate and refuse to be bullied or cowed by cowardly acts of brutal terrorism.

The lush, green lungs of Bangalore

Taj Mahal West End Hotel, Bangalore, India

The Taj West End is, likewise, an institution in Bangalore. I visited in February 2010, and spent a wonderful afternoon eating lunch on the lawn and touring 20 acres of gardens and greenery. You can read about my visit in my blog The passionate people of Bangalore. The Taj West End’s green space is becoming an increasingly precious and important commodity as Bangalore expands and industrializes, and morphs from a small city known for gardens into a megalopolis known for being a world leader in Information Technology.

Tamarind gola at the Taj West End Hotel

When I suggested to my host, Benjamine Oberoi of the lovely – and comparatively modest – Casa Cottage, that she accompany me for lunch, she jumped at the chance. She knew I was touring Bangalore’s most important sites, and she said I absolutely had to go to the Taj West End. Not only is the hotel an iconic presence in the city – it is where she and her husband Bhushan courted 20 years ago.

I loved the quiet grace and luxurious foliage of the Taj West End and we had a delightful afternoon. I was impressed with the food, the grounds and especially the staff. They are very proud of the hotel and uphold very high standards of elegance, service, hospitality and food. At lunch I ate an India vegetarian feast, composed of small, spicy dishes. The highlight was Tamarind gola, a palate-cleansing sorbet that tasted like tamarind and was served in a dry ice.

On our tour of the grounds, I glimpsed two women doing yoga on the lawn, a herb and vegetable garden, several deep-blue swimming pools and a romantic outdoor restaurant, with some private seating areas swathed in gauzy curtains.

I learned that the Taj West End was the first hotel in Bangalore – it started as a rooming house – and that Dame Peggy Ashcroft stayed there when she played Mrs. Moore in the classic film A Passage to India. I would love to visit again, and can only hope the grounds are never developed. Bangalore needs the oxygen.

Tea and fantasy

Tea tray at the Taj Palace Hotel, Delhi

Delhi boasts two Taj Group hotels, but I am only familiar with the Taj Palace Hotel. I went there to have tea on my way to a nearby concert last year. My friend’s family supplied the bricks for this hotel when it was built, many years ago – so it has some personal connections. The Taj Palace is located in the diplomatic area of Delhi, on about six acres – it has a spacious feeling that only Delhi, of all India’s big cities, seems to afford. Many heads of state stay here (or at the nearby Maurya). I took a peek at several of the restaurants, but I was very happy with the tea lounge – they really do offer a wide array of teas as well as treats – and you can sit indoors, in slightly whimsical/fantasy surroundings, or outside by the lawns and pool. Very civilized.

Taj Lake Palace Hotel, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

I wish I could say I visited the Taj Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur, which is probably the world’s most photographed hotel, and one of the most famous — but when I was there, I had an uncharacteristic attack of fiscal responsibility and balked at paying 2,500 rupees (about $60 CDN) for the privilege of boating out to the hotel for lunch. Sigh. However, I stayed at a lakeside inn, and had a very nice view of the hotel from my room. One evening after dark, I had just returned to my room when the sky above the Taj Lake Palace hotel and Pichola Lake was lit up by an impressive and lengthy (half-hour!) display of fireworks. By a lucky coincidence, my window seemed to perfectly frame the display, as if it was purposefully arranged to accentuate the fantasy-like surroundings and the magic of India. This is why I keep going back.

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10 top reasons to visit India

Mariellen — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:07:36 +0000

Taj Mahal, Agra, India 2006

[Note: Originally published on Bootsnall as 10 Reasons to visit India now.]

1. The Taj Mahal. Yup, it is. The world’s most beautiful building. This is one of those rare times in life when all of your expectations will be blown away, no matter how much hyperbole you’ve been exposed to about it; no matter how many pictures you’ve seen; no matter how much poetry you’ve read. Tagore had it right when he wrote the Taj Mahal is, “a teardrop on the face of eternity.” See it at sunrise, put up with Agra, do whatever you can, but make sure the Taj Mahal is on your itinerary or you will kick yourself for eternity.

2. Sensory overload. India is a place to be experienced not visited, and the culture shock that jolts your system – often into a heightened sense of awareness and perspective – is part of the fun. So, throw yourself into the mayhem and learn as quickly as you can to enjoy it. You may find that there’s a lot to be said for chaos – and a lot to be said for learning to let go and go with the flow. At the very least, life back home will seem a lot easier to handle.

Photo of Har-ki-Pauri, Haridwar, India during aarti, Kumbh Mela 2010

3. Yoga. There are many yoga teachers, schools and ashrams in India to choose from, but you don’t actually need to study yoga to absorb its essential teachings about flow, oneness and finding your inner stillness. Just about everything that happens when you’re traveling in India is an exercise in yoga. Train delay? Perfect time for meditation. Aggressive touts after you? Practise accessing your inner witness and not reacting. Dose of Delhi-belly? Go with the flow (literally) and remember this too shall pass.

4. Festivals. There’s a festival just about every day in India. You name it, and there’s a festival for it: elephants, camels, unmarried women, kites, the nectar of immortality, Krishna’s birthday, Rama’s return, etc., etc. Holi is a favourite of locals and visitors alike. Also called the Festival of Colour, people throw coloured powder at each other and eat sweets in a frenzied celebration of spring. Another favourite is Diwali. Called the Festival of Lights, it takes place in the fall. On the big night, the sky lights up in a blitz of fireworks that last hours and hours and hours and hours ….

Photo of Kanchendzonga at sunrise from Tiger Hill, Darjeeling 2010

5. The Himalayas. Many of the world’s highest mountains – including the top three, Everest, K2 and Kanchenjunga – are part of this vast range that runs along India’s eastern border for more than 2,400 kilometres. These are also some of the world’s most sacred mountains. A visit to India is not complete without a stop at a touristy hill station like Simla or Darjeeling, or a sacred city in the foothills, like Rishikesh.

6. Spicy food. If you don’t like spicy food, don’t go to India. It’s not that you can’t avoid it …. But what’s the point?! Opinion is divided as to whether the state of Rajasthan or the southern city of Hyderabad has the hottest food, but you can find hot and spicy dishes all over the country. If you’re worried, order some dahi or curd (yogurt) or a sweet or salty lassi (yogurt drink). The yogurt quenches the fire in your mouth.

7. Shopping in a bazaar or market. In India, a trip to the market (or bazaar) is much more than a shopping expedition: it’s full-on cultural immersion. The markets are incredibly lively, full of colourful merchandise and even more colourful characters. And some of them, like the medieval lanes of Old Delhi, are like a journey into India’s storied past. Go with the unhurried zeal of an explorer, enjoy the process of finding a treasure and get into the spirit of the place by haggling over the price. In India, the fine art of bargaining is part custom, part relationship building exercise and part spectator sport. Don’t let shyness or misplaced ethics keep you from partaking in India’s favourite pastime.

8. Beaches. India has 7,500 kilometres of coastline, and though not all of it is pristine, there are some wonderful stretches, especially in Goa (which tends to be touristy) and Kerala. Most tourists flock to the well-known beaches, which means it’s easy to get far from the madding crowd. Try Gokarna in Karnataka, the beaches of the Andaman and Nicobar islands, Tarkarli in Maharastha or Puri in Orissa. Wherever you go, you can find options at each end of the budgetary scale, from tiny beach shacks for $2 per night to seven-star luxury resorts that provide you with your own butler.

9. The caves of Ellora and Ajanta. Ajanta is older and full of Buddhist paintings; Ellora is bigger and features carvings and rock-cut architecture. They’re both within an easy drive of Aurangabad, a nondescript city about a nine-hour train ride inland from Mumbai. But the mere facts do not prepare you for the magnificence of these UNESCO World Heritage sites, second only to the Taj Mahal. The entire two days I spent exploring them I kept thinking, why don’t more people know about these!?

Buddhist cave at Ellora, near Aurangabad, India

10. A long train ride. Preferably overnight. Indian Railways is the world’s largest employer, and the train system in India is extensive to say the least. There are several grades of trains – the best are Shatabdis and Rajdhanis – and three main classes: first, second and third. Second class is usually a good choice with four bunks per compartment, each separated by a curtain; but an overnight train ride in first class on a Rajdhani train is a nice treat (though don’t expect luxury, especially in the bathroom).

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Top 5 myths about India

Mariellen — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 01:19:10 +0000

snake charmers in Jaipur, India

Myth #1: Traveling in India is dangerous

Before I went to India for the first time, I was warned to my teeth about how dirty and dangerous India is, especially by the doctor at the travel medical clinic. She really tried to put the fear of disease into me, and I went to India the first time loaded with precautionary supplies, pills and additional health insurance. Then I landed in Delhi at the very civilized home of my friend Ajay, who lives with his family in the Delhi equivalent of Forest Hill (one of the most upscale neighbourhoods in Toronto), and they laughed at all my stuff. When I did get sick I went to the local Max Medical Centre and after waiting about 10 or 15 minutes I got to see the British-trained head of internal medicine. The medical centre was spotlessly clean, modern and efficient, better than almost anything I’ve seen in Canada, and the visit cost 500 rupees or about $10.

At this point in my journey, about 10 days in, something began to dawn on me. I realized that many people in Canada, including me, were of the idea that India is a barbaric place. In fact, I found it to be very civilized. I no longer carry all those supplies and pills, I no longer buy extra health insurance. I practice caution, but I don’t assume the worst, I assume the best. And guess what?

This is what I have come to believe through my own experiences and those of many people I know: India will mirror back to you your own attitude, feelings, prejudices, barriers and limitations – and India will evoke your higher self, too. It can be very painful to see how impatient, judgmental, middle-class, naïve and unkind you can be! And very uplifting to discover your compassion, open-mindedness and spiritual awareness.

But I really do believe India knows best. India is like a guru who gives you the experiences you need to move you along your path. I often say that going to India is like that scene in Star Wars when Yoda sends Luke into the cave. Luke asks, “what will I find there?” and Yoda answers, “only what you bring in with you.” So if you are afraid, you will have scary experiences. And if you are open and trusting (within reason), you will find kind, helpful people who can really help smooth over the unavoidable challenges to travel in India.

Myth #2: India is a country

Pushkar, Rajasthan, India

India is often called the subcontinent, and there’s a reason. It is more like a continent or the European Union than a country like Canada, which is fairly homogenous from one end to the other, multiculturalism, natives and Newfies notwithstanding.

In fact, not so long ago – before and even during the Raj, the British colonial period – India was a nation of princely states, not unlike the city states of Italy; and before that, powerful rulers – who often attained that power through conquest and invasion – reigned over vast tracts of the country. The result is that India is an extremely diverse nation. As you travel from one part of the country to another, you meet people with very different linguistic, cultural and even ethnic backgrounds. In the south, the people are descended from the Dravidian culture. In the north, which was subject to many more waves of invaders and conquerors, the people are of Aryan descent. Rajputs from Rajasthan are about as similar to the Christians of Goa as an English peer is to a Greek fisherman.

There are 14 official languages – each state has its own official language – and just about every religion the world has to offer. Four of the world’s great religions were born in India – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. Today, the vast majority – about 82% – are Hindus, but with a population of 1.2 billion, that still means that the other religions are well represented. Islam, with 12% of the population, has 144 million followers.

So don’t expect the food, language or customs to remain static as you travel. In the north, wheat is commonly eaten as bread (naan, poori, roti, parantha, chapati, etc.); in the south it’s all about rice. In the north many people speak Hindi – but in the south, very few.

Fishermen in Kerala

Myth #3: Yoga is a system of exercises

Yoga was lost in translation. It did not survive the transatlantic voyage. What we have in the west is but a shadow of yoga’s full stature. You are forgiven for not knowing this; I also did not know until I went to India to study yoga.

Shiva, god of yoga, in Rishikesh, India

Yoga is one of the six schools (darshanas) of Hinduism, and one of the four that adhere to the advaita tradition. This is the belief in one truth, one consciousness, and all is god. Beneath the apparent duality of life – which is illusion, maia – all is one. The point of yoga is to still your mind so that you can become aware of this truth, and act accordingly.

If you did not get this idea from going to a yoga studio in a western country, you would not be alone.

In the classical system of yoga, known as Raja Yoga, there are eight limbs. One of them is asana, or the physical practise of postures. The point of the postures is to create and maintain bodily health so that you have the vigour to follow the other seven limbs, such as meditation.

In one of the most important books of yoga, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, asana is mentioned only three times, while meditation is mentioned many times. Meditation is one of the primary tools for achieving the awareness of truth – thus it is far more “important.”

My teacher in India, Swami Brahmdev, does not teach asana. He answers questions during satsang, chants during evening meditation and founded and runs a beautiful, peaceful, garden-like ashram for people who want to live in a spiritually focused environment. There is an asana teacher at the ashram, but the ashram does not revolve around asana practise. Not at all.

Myth #4: India is poor

Many people in India are materially impoverished compared to middle-class Canadians, but that does not make them poor. I have become very leery of labeling others as poor, disenfranchised and marginalized. I know this is a politically correct thing to do, but it sticks in my craw. Seriously, how dare we? How dare we be so judgmental? And doesn’t that just serve to make so-called “poor, disenfranchised and marginalized” people into victims, further exacerbating any problems they may have? I personally like to believe in my own abilities to survive and overcome, and I resent anyone who tells me I am a disenfranchised woman.

pilgrims watching the sunrise in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India

I have to say my mind was really turned around on this issue by my teacher in India, Swami Brahmdev who said, “Do not judge someone as poor. You do not know how rich a person is inside.” He then went on to tell us about the sweet contentment of the “poor” man who sells vegetables to the ashram and who leads a very simple, but satisfying, life.

In fact, generally speaking, I find the people of India to be on the whole much more content, much warmer and more generous than the materially richer people of the west. I now feel that western spiritual poverty is just as unhealthy and probably a lot more destructive to the planet than material poverty. If everyone on the planet lived that way a middle-class Canadian lived, the world’s resources would be used up by the next Commonwealth Games.

Myth #5: Hinduism is a religion

Krishna at Sivananda Ashram, Kerala, India

Hinduism is the world’s oldest extant religion and has a billion followers, which makes it the world’s third largest religion. But Hinduism is not strictly a religion, as we think of it in the west. It was not founded by one person, it does not have a core doctrine, there is no central authority, it does not require followers to accept any one idea, and no on can agree on when or even where it began.

The origins of Hinduism are lost in time, and are highly disputed. Scholars now believe Hinduism arose as long ago as 10,000 B.C. The earliest of the Hindu scriptures – The Rig Veda – could have been composed before 6,500 B.C. But the word Hinduism itself is not to be found in any of the scriptures. It was named after the people of Sindh, who settled between the rivers Indus and Sindh in what is now Pakistan. The Persians named people of Sindh “Hindus.”

Hinduism is a way of life – known as Dharma, the law that governs action. It is essentially a conglomeration of diverse religious, philosophical, and cultural ideas, beliefs and traditions. “It is characterized by the belief in reincarnation, one absolute being of multiple manifestations, the law of cause and effect, following the path of righteousness, and the desire for liberation from the cycle of births and deaths.” http://hinduism.about.com/od/basics/p/hinduismbasics.htm

The principal deities of Hinduism are Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, sometimes referred to as the Hindu Trinity. Brahma is thought of as the creator, Vishnu as the sustainer of life, and Shiva is associated with dissolution and death. But many Hindus regard their gods and goddesses as manifestations of the Supreme God, Brahman — and there are as many as 30 million manifestations. After a visit to India, Mark Twain wrote: “India has two million gods, and worships them all. In religion all other countries are paupers; India is the only millionaire.”

India’s gifts to the world

Sri Ramakrishna, a 19^th century mystic highly revered in India, captured the spirit of Hinduism by saying, “there can be as many spiritual paths as there are spiritual aspirants and similarly there can be as many gods as there are moods, feelings and emotions within the individual believer.”

me in Kerala

Mythologist Joseph Campbell (who I consider to be one of my most influential teachers), expressed the essential difference between the philosophy of Hinduism and the monotheistic religions when he wrote: “The first principle of Indian thought, therefore, is that the ultimate reality is beyond description. It is something that can be experienced only by bringing the mind to a stop; and once experienced, it cannot be described to anyone in terms of the forms of this world. The truth, the ultimate truth, that is to say, is transcendent. It goes past, transcends, all speech, all images, anything that can possibly be said. … it is not only transcendent, it is also immanent, within all things. Everything in the world, therefore, is to be regarded as its manifestation. There is an important difference here between the Indian and the Western ideas. … Hinduism believes in the omnipresence of the Supreme God in every individual. There is no ‘fall.’ Man is not cut off from the divine. He requires only to bring the spontaneous activity of his mind to a state of stillness and he will experience that divine principle within him.”

Finally, historian Arnold Toynbee wrote my favourite description of Hinduism, which sums up what makes it so attractive to me: “There may or may not be only one single absolute truth and only one single ultimate way of salvation. We do not know. But we do know that there are more approaches to truth than one, and more means of salvation than one. … This is a hard saying for adherents of … Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but it is a truism for Hindus. The spirit of mutual good-will, esteem, and veritable love … is the traditional spirit of the religions of the Indian family. This is one of India’s gifts to the world.”

sacred cow in Haridwar, India

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Breathedreamgo » Delhi

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Moi at Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India, at sunrise 2006 Capturing the magic and mystery of travel in India

Travel writer’s manifesto

Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India My itinerary for 2011

March

April

The Taj Mahal of hotels

My love affair with the Taj Group

Why the Taj Mahal hotel reminds me of the Titanic

The lush, green lungs of Bangalore

Tea and fantasy

10 top reasons to visit India

Top 5 myths about India

Myth #1: Traveling in India is dangerous

Myth #2: India is a country

Myth #3: Yoga is a system of exercises

Myth #4: India is poor

Myth #5: Hinduism is a religion

India’s gifts to the world

Moi at Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India, at sunrise 2006

Capturing the magic and mystery of travel in India

Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India

My itinerary for 2011