Category Archives: Personal

The nostalgia is real

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At the beginning of this semester, around February when it was bitter cold, and in March when I had midterms and projects for 3 weeks straight, I was hype for this semester to be over, but now that this is my last passion post, the nostalgia has started. It’s crazy to think that a whole year of my undergraduate career has finished.  (And to be honest, what have I accomplished…I feel like a potato). As much as blogging was a hassle this year, I am SO glad I have this website to look back upon chronicling my freshman year. I always dread any assignments because I really hate the idea of a number value being assigned to my work, but I appreciated blogging because it took me away from reality for a little so I can research something, or talk about my own perspective. In light of perspective, I am going to deviate on this post a little bit and reflect, because you don’t get a lot of time for that in college and I think “last blog post of the year” in college – when everything is semester based – merits that much.

Anyway, I tried to make sure that each one of my posts was inspired by something going on in my own life, and while these are subtle hints to me, this blog is somewhat of a timeline of my experiences with the immigrant life in my freshman year of college. In fact, I just scrolled back through this semesters posts and I can remember exactly why I posted each one. Furthermore, I am happy to have switched to this RCL section, because I made friends with more Schreyer freshman so much so that my roommate for next year is in my blogging group! S/o to blogs. S/o to the random group generator. I have also been able to work with yet another fabulous professor and I can see the changes in my rhetorical developments just through my blog. I looked at last semester’s posts and cringed a little bit.

Coming to college with all of the GPA pressure, and pressure from my family members was a little difficult at first. I’m not gonna lie, I still find it really hard. Each semester is like a marathon! You’re always finding a balance between your health (sleeping, partying, fitness), grades and your social life. Today I’ve slacked realll hard on the fitness part, but my car broke down so I’m just going to give myself a break. Either way, it’s been a pleasure blogging with you all this semester.  I can’t believe how much I’ve grown since move-in day till now.

TBT to August 20th! I remember saying bye to all my friends just the night before. Little did I know what being a student at Penn State Schreyer Honors College even meant...

TBT to August 20th! I remember saying bye to all my friends just the night before. Little did I know what being a student at Penn State Schreyer Honors College even meant…

S/o to my parents though for helping me get here. I guess my dad's a lil too happy for me to get out of the house tho.

S/o to my parents though for helping me get here. I guess my dad’s a lil too happy for me to get out of the house tho.

 

Kama Sutra explained

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There’s a lot of ancient hindu texts that have been studied for their philosophy. The kama sutra is so sensationalized but apparently it’s way more than a sex guide. “Kama” means desire, one of the four goals of a Hindu life (dharma – ethics, artha – wealth/livelihood, kama – pleasure, moksha – liberation). Sutra means “thread”. In reality this is a text written as sanskrit prose and poetry about their understanding of the nature of love and relationships.

There is an uncomfortable chapter on sex positions…but the other parts are just plain weird! The sections that stand out are those on “acquiring a wife”, “privileges of the wife”, “other men’s wives” as if there is some sort property or ownership. Sometimes it speaks of a chief wife, etc.

When I searched hard about this on the internet, I couldn’t find very many scholarly articles, but wikipedia seemed to cite a few. Because it was written so long ago, it is hard to say what dynamic in society inspired such a text. It is estimated to have been written in 200-400 B.C.

It first became famous in Western culture when explorer/geographer Richard Burton published it in English. He liked to dabble in international affairs. Either way, that original translation is what made it out to be some sort of sex book. Upon further research, it’s kind of just a weird interpretation of what a marriage should look like? For example, it tells you that you can’t marry a women who smells bad, a leper or a fortune teller. The fortune teller one seems kind of random…

The Western translation made for very bad comparisons when in reality I think this book may have been trying to explain confusion. I suppose in such a society where kings rule, classes don’t speak to one another, and interaction between people only happens for business, men were just confused? More research on the Kama Sutra actually confused me even more, because really it’s just a book on how to attain pleasure of the senses. It’s not a tale of passion that I thought it was, but is really just a “how to” book.

But, I do see why India is such a patriarchal society. The whole book is written in perspective of what the MAN has to do for “love” (in quotes because the book is weird af and idt it describes love). I really hope Dr. Babich isn’t offended, but for example, a sex position where the woman is in control is called “woman plays man”, as if she’s playing a man’s role! There are some subtle and not so subtle connotations when you get down to the nitty gritty of the Kama Sutra, which explains why it isn’t just some sex book but a book on how the idea of desire fits into Hindu society. So much of it has to do with how a man attains a woman, what kind of woman makes the perfect wife, etc, which gives me the idea that patriarchy was instilled in these people from the WAY beginning.

 

I’m seriously so confused about the Kama Sutra…

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So I’ve been kind of confused about this for a while, because India is a VERY conservative country. I’m sure you have heard about the recent film “India’s Daughter” which was banned from playing in India. It highlights the horrible rape culture that is inherent there in many rural parts. It may have been outlawed because it gives women some importance, but also because it could promote more angered violence against women, for which I see the logic in banning it. It’s mortifying to read what these people wrote. In 2012, the rape case in Delhi was sensationalized, and there’s an infamous interview with the bus driver, Mukesh Singh, who simply kept driving as the boys who dragged this girl onto the bus took turns. Can you believe that? “Took turns.”
Stories like these seriously concern me about this patriarchal, and misogynistic society. I mean, it exists much more mildly than this in America. Recently, the PSU frat KDR’s illicit facebook page of women’s naked pictures posted without consent rocked waves in national news. They are frankly treating women like cattle encouraged by the unfortunate misogyny that has existed forever now (quite literally). Wherever we are in the world, the culture exists. It has changed now so that at least women are able to vote, and women are able to work, etc, but there is a double standard when it come to sexuality.
In the interview, Singh said “You can’t clap with one hand – it takes two hands. A decent girl won’t roam around at night. A girl is more responsible for rape than a boy … about 20% of girls are good.” My only response to this is “WTF”. Yeah, it is unsafe to roam around at night boy or girl, but only a girl has to worry about this act of violation at night. Anyway, this girl wasn’t even alone. They beat up her male friend before they could get to her. I don’t understand what could have motivated a group of people to act so horrendously so much that they had their original goal in mind, that they beat up a friend to get to a girl to drag her onto a bus and “take turns” on her. There has to be some real, messed up logic that can motivate someone to so meticulously commit a crime. I really hope that in the time I’m alive, I can make some change.
In India, this sort of misogyny is instilled in very rural communities from the minute someone is born. Proper education is one way to fix this problem, because in those societies, even women accept their role as “less than man”. Often times the caste system is also enforced in these rural places, and there is some correlation with a “lower caste” and poverty. Therefore, to begin with within the caste system, these people are considered to be of little worth, and with that, women are considered to be value-less. Perhaps its this ideology driving this messed up logic.
So back to my original blog post title. Why does the kama sutra exist in Hinduism (Which 90% of Indians practice)? If women are so degraded, how can sexuality even be safe for them? In my next passion post, I’m going to research this more. I want to see if this patriarchy started, or is instilled, because a religion that promotes sexuality is not the basis for a misogynistic society. That’s a logical fallacy. So, readers, I know this was kind of heavy, but I’m sure the next post will be a little more interesting.

The Festival of Colors

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I don’t know if you guys saw, but there was a snapchat story for “Holi” in India the Friday before Spring Break (March 6). Holi is an annual festival, but the date on the gregorian calendar changes every year because Indian holidays go by the lunar calendar. This year it fell in early March, so it was too cold for me to celebrate with friends and family over break, but India had a lot of fun.

from https://vikasacharya.wordpress.com/2015/02/04/holi-the-festival-of-colors-india/

from https://vikasacharya.wordpress.com/2015/02/04/holi-the-festival-of-colors-india/

Holi is the ancient Hindu festival of colors that celebrates the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, end of winter, and for many a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair ruptured relationships. Holi also has a symbolic value because it celebrates the Hindu legend of one triumph of good over evil.

Courtesy of my Insta from a few years ago

Courtesy of my Insta from a few years ago

Side note – the Hindu religion has many stories, as do other religions so this story is just ONE of many but it happened to manifest as a holiday. I wanted to say this to avoid confusion that the people in this story are the only people involved in Hindu history.

Holi, is short for Holika, an evil sister of an evil King Hiranyakashipu. “According to legend” this kind had been blessed by a spell that made him indestructible, and with his immortality he grew arrogant and commanded everyone to worship him like God, which he was not. His own son did not stand for these evil ways, and was loyal to Vishnu, an actual Hindu god. At one point, evil aunt Holika “lured” the son to “sit by a fire” and somehow ended up burning herself, and at that point, the king was vulnerable enough for Vishnu to get rid of him, making good triumph over evil. The color is for enjoyment and play with friends and family. Really, this festival just means to spread some good vibes! I mean, all of India on one day is literally throwing powdered color at each other for the entirety of it. And no, this is not like the color run, the color run is LIKE Holi. The colors have a spiritual purpose.

From https://vikasacharya.wordpress.com/2015/02/04/holi-the-festival-of-colors-india/

From https://vikasacharya.wordpress.com/2015/02/04/holi-the-festival-of-colors-india/

The snapchat story pained me this year because I really wish I could’ve played with friends and family! I’ve only been in India once when I was really young, because I had the choice to skip school for a month, but now that I’m in college, it seems the only time I can be in India for Holi is after I graduate. I have spoken before in my blog about how India spreads such good vibes and spirituality, and a day dedicated to playing with color is exactly why I love it so much! Literally anyone on the streets in your neighborhood is your friend, and there’s a cloud of color everywhere. In America, my family friends try to celebrate but it will never compare. However, I am glad to have found such close friends my age who I can share these first-generation immigrant moments with. We love America and the perspective that it has given us, but we love to celebrate our ethnic traditions as well!

Holi in America with my good friends. I miss you guys!

Holi in America with my good friends. I miss you guys!

Indian food!

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My mom's mom's side of the family owns somewhat of a farm, and this food is the most natural and delicious it gets. During winter break, I literally watched the people pick the tomatoes, lemons, and wheat off the farm and cook it into something delicious.

My mom’s mom’s side of the family owns somewhat of a farm, and this food is the most natural and delicious it gets. During winter break, I literally watched the people pick the tomatoes, lemons, and wheat off the farm and cook it into something delicious.

I love Indian food, and I miss it so much in college. No offense, but the dining hall food is pretty bland. When I was at home, I did get a little sick of eating the same food every day, but I would honestly take that over anything now. Every time I go home I always bring back food to eat for lunch and dinner because I miss it so much! I was browsing around Facebook the other day, and found an article explaining the “science” behind why Indian food is so good. I do agree that the taste is very bizarre and unfamiliar for people who have never had it, but I guess there is a science to flavor. I don’t cook very much, but it looks hard, because every time I try I have no idea where to start.

There is this nifty chart that explains how certain flavors may overlap, but its really hard to read. Either way, good thing scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology in Jodhpur did the research. Here is their actual research. They analyzed popular Indian recipes and all their flavors. They actually found that Indian recipes had the least amount of over lap between their flavors, which maybe proves why they are so delicious, or at least intriguing flavors? Who ever thought you could quantify flavor.

Either way, here is a good example that the article explains. Take a recipe with 4 ingredients: coconut, onions, chile peppers, and spices.

Four ingredients

If you’ve ever taken a stat class, this graph tests the commonalities between the chile and the coconut.

flavor overlap

Basically, they found that if a recipe has a certain flavor, it is very unlikely that it will have another flavor in the same group. Cayenne is a curry base in a lot of Indian food, and based on this study, the curry base would only be created by ONE spice that contains cayenne. Red curry, green curry, and massaman curry is all relevant to a curry base. From personal experience, I have always experienced green curry, and thats just because of where I’m from in India. I’m from the West coast so the food is less gravy-based and more fried and dry. It’s weird to think how usually when making or conceiving an idea for a dish, you would think to combine similar flavors. But Indian cuisine is quite complicated. Apparently the average dish contains 7 ingredients, and based on this study the ingredients don’t mix. Like the other day I ate strawberries and nutella, but I guess that’s not suppose to taste good??? IDEK, I’ll probably go eat more of the combination today. Either way, this was quite an interesting study!

I can’t wait for spring break. I now need to think of all the foods that I want to eat that week. This post has made me FAR too hungry. But until next time!

~~~ Apurva

Pressure

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Being a Schreyer scholar, and being in an honors class, I’m sure many of us have experienced times in college that are extremely stressful. We are under pressure to get all A’s because we can’t eradicate our dreams of med school, or we are under pressure to please our parents, or under pressure to not fail this one class that we are convinced is trying to make us fail, in order not to lose our scholarships. My academic performance literally does not compare to how well I did in high school. I don’t know what happened, but something is not right for me in college. I’m really sad to see myself in this place, and put myself under even more pressure by the fact that I want to please my parents. No, they do not expect me to be a perfect child, but I come from a line of success, and I would hate to disappoint.
My family is filled with geniuses…and its really kind of scary visiting India. My dad’s dad was a professor, so other than the United States where education is so expensive, professors don’t get paid much at all in India.

Brief pause to discuss education — As a side note to that, I think that a majority of our tuition should be going to our professors. I know universities are endowed too, and have income from besides the students’ tuition to pay their employees. Educators are not valued enough, and maybe thats why some so grudgingly treat their students like numbers at a university as big as penn state. These are the people shaping the thoughts of future citizens and by default future leaders of America. The social contract theory states that there is a distinct relationship between the thoughts of the public body and the resulting ricochet of ideas the government produces. Our professors are shaping the future democracy of the free world that is America. They are too often viewed as people who produce people to boost industry, and workers for industrial and corporate America.

Okay back to my original post. My point is that my grandfather was not paid a lot for his genius. I mean, let’s be real. He was born before India was even the republic of India. I’m sure poverty, making a government etc are larger concerns for them than education reform. And my grandpa understood this. He is so insanely intelligent that he understands his place in this world and accepts it with full responsibility that he still has an intellectual contribution to make. And while my description may appear a little idealistic, he approaches it more existentially (like he has no purpose in the world, but he accepts that his being is doing is what he believes). He never felt that his intelligence was put to real use, so as of right now, he is a very simple 80 year old man who writes books for fun, and lives in an Ashram. He has given up every ambition and just basks in his own intelligence. Anyway, my dad was quite the opposite. He knew the steps it took to be successful. He knew that he would have to pass grade school with flying colors, get into the best college of engineering in pune, and then get his masters from the best engineering school in India. Let me explain. IIT, the indian institute of technology, is an extremely well known and difficult to get into engineering school in India. My cousin from that side of the family goes there now, and out of his friend group, everyone went to IIT except for the “less smart” friend…Who went to MIT, in the states. Either way, my dad did all these things and achieved his dream: getting a working American visa. Now he did everything in his power to give me the opportunities that he may not have necessarily had due to his dad’s somewhat bleak approach on the interweb of opportunities, fate, hard work, and intelligence.

So I’ll say this again. I come from a long line of success, and honor. I would hate to ever disappoint my dad in any way. I hope that I can redeem myself here, but coming from an immigrant family also involves a lot of pressure. I cherish the values of honor and culture that I can draw from my heritage, and while I’m eternally grateful for what my parents have done for me, I have no idea how to please myself with such high standards to live up to.

This is my immigrant perspective for this week. I have a feeling that a few other schreyer scholars may put themselves under similar pressure. While it may not have the same roots, I feel you. Hopefully, there is a way to overcome our troubles fellow try hards.

Fusing their way to diplomacy ft. India and Sri Lanka

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Do you like my joke in the title? Get it? Like fusion. Like nuclear fusion.

Sri Lanka and India have taken steps to diplomacy with an agreement for installation of russia nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu, in the south of India. Sri Lanka is a concern for India’s nuclear plans as well, because it is a mere boat ride across the Palk Straight off the south west tip of india.

Nuclear power is a very controversial topic in today’s world. I’m sure cold war ideology being wary of nuclear power has died down, but I suppose the dangers are still apparent. Although the risk is extremely low for a nuclear fall out, there is a possibility, so I understand people’s concern. Last year in physics I learned a lot about nuclear energy and the exact nuclear reactions that were involved with creating power. The energy efficiency is incredibly high, so it makes sense to combat the world’s obscene energy usage and energy wastage with nuclear power. There is also the concern that fossil fuels are releasing toxic chemicals to the ozone layer, endangering our societies skin. But then again, nuclear power results in radioactive decay which can take thousands of years to be safe to touch again.

There are procedures for disposing of this, and while I already mentioned the risk is very low, Greenpeace France is very concerned with the building of nuclear powerplants and actually launched a campaign against it. Last year, I wrote a letter to Greenpeace France telling them about what I had learned in my physics class. Surprisingly, I got a response. They proceeded to quote my letter line by line explaining why each one was “a lie”. In America, it is more acceptable to use nuclear energy, even though every citizen may not agree.

Globally, the thoughts on nuclear energy vary. I have never heard a specific stance by either India or Sri Lanka. I hope that both countries aren’t just using the building of this power plant as a reason to rejoice. India is very densely populated, and it surprises me that they are so quick to build a nuclear reactor. I just hope that there is no haste because of ulterior motives (diplomacy with Sri Lanka).

I am sure there is tension over who gets monopoly of the waters between the two countries. Most parts of India that border the waters are “warm” year round, so fishing is a big business, which I’m sure is the same for the island country of Sri Lanka. The article I read cited a “fisherman problem”. I really hope that these are the correct steps to diplomacy between two neighboring countries, and not just a hasty way to achieve a convenient diplomacy.

PSU Plague 2.0 Strikes…& I seek reinforcements from herbal remedies

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So the PSU plague has hit us all again. First a weird mutation of it got my roommate. She was coughing, sneezing, super tired and with fever. Even if we share the same box of a room somehow (and luckily) I got a different version…Either way, the PSU plague and all its cousins are back at it. I suppose our immunity takes a little bit of a tumble every time we come back to a place we share with 45,000 people…and germs we share with 45,000 people…As a side note, a friendly reminder: Sanitize, people!

(However, I get really mad when people yak about how people should skip class if they’re sick. I’m sorry, but all my classes have mandatory attendance, and that goes to a whole other level of who to blame. But, if I go down, you go down with me!)

Anyway, I learned a few things from my grandma and my mom that have helped me combat it so far. Ayurveda is a 5000 year old traditional hindu type of medication. While I have no idea how these people discovered that it worked, I can tell you a little bit about its history, and how modern science has proven some of it to work.

-

It has 8 branches:
1. general medication (kayachikitsa)
2. pediatrics (kaumaara bhrtya)
3. surgery (shalya tantra)
4. ophthalmology (salakya tantra)
5. ailments caused by what can’t be seen, or in other words, microorganisms (bhuta vidya), but its cute because bhuta means “ghosts/spirits” so they assumed that what can’t be seen is a spirit
6. antidotes to poison (agada tantra)
7. rejuvenation/anti-aging (rasayana tantra)
8. sexual health (vajikarana tantra)

Ayurveda’s defining quality is that it is a holistic approach at homeostasis, and it strives for a balance between three elements (dosha) both physically and physiologically:
1. Wind, aka impulse principle (vaata)
2. Heat, aka metabolism (pitta)
3. Fluid, aka carrying of nutrients (kapha)

dosha

It achieves this homeostasis through various assessments.
There are a lot of different vocab words for how they consider each aspect of the human body, and the practices are quite regimented as well, but I won’t get into it. Basically, it is very similar to modern medicine (declaring of all tissue types, etc), and having a procedure for its practice (diagnosis, treatment, etc). Within these classifications, there are sub classifications.

Branches 1, 4, 5, & 7 are all relevant when being a college student, I think. It’s always nice going to India and seeing the realities of ancient traditions manifesting and hearing the wisdom of these fables of sort and learning that at times, they actually work. On my past trip, I made it to the market in the mountains and there were hundreds of natural remedies picked straight off the farm sitting in front of me. I took it upon myself to learn a little bit before coming back to college.

1. Treating a sore throat/A facial
Turmeric is spice made from turmeric root of a plant in the ginger family. It tastes kind of peppery alone, but a spoon of it in a glass of milk with sugar will not only soothe a sore throat but might also help cure it (depending on why its sore). Also, it can be put on skin issues because its antiseptic. The active ingredient curcumin is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and an anti-oxidant.

turmeric

2. Digestion
Ajwain seeds contain a high amount of thymol which release gastric juices from the stomach. They are kind of spicy, but since I’m so use to it I just eat about 1/4 of a teaspoon of them raw…

ajwain

Ajwain flower

4. Iron
Because a lot of Indians are vegetarians, they need to seek out small doses with high iron content. Cardamom is a huge source of iron in Indian cooking, and often times its brewed in with tea!

cardamom

5. Anesthesia
Clove bud oil is about 80% eugenol, a compound that causes anesthesia. Usually people eat these when you have a tooth ache to numb the pain.

cloves

6. Eyesight
While most people know carrots are the key to good eyesight, I’m assuming no one has heard that saffron can improve eyesight as well. My mom always use to give me hot milk with a few sprigs of saffron (it is the filment of the saffron flower) and sugar (probably just to get me to drink milk) but sold it to me by saying I’d be able to get rid of my glasses. I couldn’t find that compelling evidence online, but its an amazing spice and smells delicious, so it needed a place in my post.

Saffron Harvested In Kashmir

saffron

saffron flower

While I can’t remember any more, I thought I’d share how turmeric is my key to making it through the Penn State plague. I hope no one else has to carry around a box of tissues like I do :/

Happy 68th Birthday India!

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Independence day for India is August 15, marking independence from the British rule, and the partition of Pakistan and India as official countries. So while it’s 68th birthday past a few months ago, its relative “youth” dawned upon me on my visit. For example, America has been around for almost 250 years at this point, so I would expect it to have its government organized and uncorrupted. It is understandable that India is quite the contrary. While movies like “Slumdog Millionaire” shined a negative light on the country. While yes the “slums” do exist the government needs an avenue to start to even put a dent in this problem.

However, any action will only be successful with a proper dynamic within the government. Last week’s passion post was about how I felt like I had been deceived by the country’s unusual choice of leaders, etc. I used the example of how one of the people in office did not even hold an Indian citizenship. Now when I visit this young country, I do see reform happening.

I fleetingly asked myself the question that if in some future, I decided to live in India, is there a difference I could make? Well, frankly, the answer might as well be no (for now). I discussed Indian politics with some members in my family and the system is quite complicated. There are as many parties as you want, not 2 opposing parties like in the US, and there isn’t necessarily a system where one party holds the “majority” (like in congress or the house here). The prime minister has to jump through many socially political loops. While that exists in all politics, I can understand why the idea of “connections” is extreme for doing well in Indian politics. Even besides that, the prime minister governs a billion people who speak 14 different official languages, (200+ unofficially). That’s a sixth of the world’s population! There has actually only been one prime minister who could speak all fourteen and I can’t imagine doing the job that he did. At least he could personally communicate with every state in India.

Life there is so different and although all first semester I blogged about my passion being India, I am a little ashamed to say I didn’t know as much as I thought about it. Sure, I understood the culture, the people, the country’s ideals, but I didn’t understand the life of the common man. I can attest to my sudden realization because I am now living alone in college. My cousin’s college selection was even limited, because why should he go to a state that speaks another language? While I hoped to make somewhat of a local dent in India’s success, I realized I don’t know the life of a common man there. However, hopefully after some time I will find myself living in my favorite place for some time.

I somewhat ironically say a belated “Happy Birthday” to India. I can understand why I have been “deceived” as I called it, considering it is still such a young country. The government is making moves to fix what the world views as its problems. Theres the obvious poverty, and from what I’ve noticed, corruption. The new president, Modi, is making moves (to put it simply). He has a very positive image, and he uses it strategically. Protest and public display is a very dynamic method of sending a method in India. Modi can be seen “sweeping the streets” granted for two minutes, with him endorsing his plan of “Swachh Bharat Abhyan” which means “Clean India Plan”.

Modi

When you think about it, a cleaner India will at least lay a framework to solve perhaps the dirty water problem that primarily affects poorer sectors. This will fix “poverty” in context of lacking resources. Recently, he is trying to make it illegal to have female fetuses/babies killed (as grotesque as that sounds…sorry). Although it is extreme, his campaigns have more of a social agenda than practical one. Modi’s politics is seriously bringing India into a new light. I have heard about him not only on my trip to India, but also in various clubs here at Penn State. I am happy to see this country I love so much moving in this direction. I appreciate its growth and what its done in its 68 years of existence so far. Perhaps Modi’s somewhat extreme promotion of certain issues is exactly what this country needed to leave its “youth”.

Deception

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Over winter break I was able visit India, the inspiration for my blog. I went to Pune, Maharashtra, which is on the west coast of the country. While the 36 hour journey was painstakingly uncomfortable to say the least, it was all worth it in the end. India inspired me to write this blog, and write about international mindedness in America. I needed this trip as another spark of inspiration, another reminder of my privileges, and of course for its vibe/weather. While the 80 degree weather did make it easy to enjoy, there were many fulfilling parts of my journey. I was able to climb mountains, watch sunrises from temples on these mountains and seriously connect with my family. Because it is a metro area, there are always ways to appreciate the community even on a short visit. Attached are pictures of sunrise from the mountain temple. I want you all to see because while in person it was moving and beautiful, hopefully I was able to capture at least some of my awe in digital form.

When I speak of this sort of “spiritual awakening”, I will try my best to explain. The people there seem to have an inherent appreciation for nature, which in turn contributes to a calmness or spirituality. There are small superstitions (although that word has a negative connotation, there is no other way to describe what I am about to) which are inspired by occurrences in nature. For example, it is important for the doorway of a house to be facing east, the way the sun rises, to let the positive energy of the sun into the home. While yes it was beautiful to see the sunrise from a mountain in a holy place, it was even more powerful in a place where its energy is so respected. There were people meditating up there while taking in the sun’s energy, and it was just a really great place to be after a hard first semester.

This is one of the many positive energies that I love about India, but its “glory” I guess, can be deceptive. I learned some weird controversial things about one of the most famous and esteemed people from India: Gandhi. I realized that although he doesn’t have any direct heirs, his family adopted Indira Gandhi (née Nehru) ‘s lover, Faroz Khan, a Muslim man. Then taboo, and a marriage that could not be accepted in the country, Gandhi adopted Faroz in order to change his last name, and that is how the Gandhi name is now in Indian politics. Indira gandhi, for those of you who don’t know, is an honored name for the Republic of India. Despite having descended from Nehru, the first prime minister of India, she had some very exciting accomplishments herself. However, her son, Rajiv Gandhi, somehow managed to “pick up” a Greek waitress on his exploits in Europe, and even while she didn’t have Indian citizenship she was given a position in the government. Meanwhile, Rajiv’s daughter is married to one of the most controversial and corrupt real estate “swindlers” in India and still maintains a position in the government. While I understand that these are normal things that happen in any society, I don’t appreciate that a country I love so much is represented by such unprofessional people simply because of their name. I even heard scandalous stories about Gandhi himself. Because he is such an insanely sensationalized person in India, it was really hard to find evidence of whatever social crime he was accused of doing but I managed to find disturbing articles about how he needed to prove his celibate life by sleeping naked next to his naked niece. I don’t know how he found time to think of such convoluted and weird practices while gaining independence from the British, but this is something I read to be true.

It was a rude awakening for me to learn that the world’s perception of India as “impoverished, corrupt” etc, may in fact be due to the world’s perception of its greatest conquest: Gandhi. Personally, it still presents the same aura that I described earlier from when I was watching that sunrise, but when comparing its nitty gritty infrastructure to America, for example, the free world, I realize the gaps in my grand perception of the country.

ParvatiParvati