By bluerasberry on 2007-05-02
As I was saying, we left Varanasi on Friday. We bribed someone at the train station Rs 40 to get tickets for us from beyond the counter so that we would not have to wait in line. Nandan gave the guy Rs 200 and said that he would be back. Even though he looked like […]
Posted in animal, India, museum, religion | Tagged ghost, giraffe, Islam, Lucknow, palace, peacock, sickness, tiger, zoo
By bluerasberry on 2007-04-24
photo taken from U.A.B.B. Sahib Originally uploaded by bluerasberry. This post will include historical info with my itinerary of my travels around Amritsar with my guide, Nirgun. I stayed at the Udasin Akhara Brahm Boota Sahib. “Udasi” refers to the sect of Sikhs who recognize Guru Nanak’s son Sri Chand as an avatar of Shiv. […]
Posted in India, religion | Tagged Amritsar, gurudwara, history, Sikhism
By bluerasberry on 2007-04-13
This post is a recap of the past few days. On Monday, April 9, I went to the Varanasi train station with intention of getting a ticket to Phugwara in the Punjab to meet Miss Seema at her home there. Nandan took me to the train station. The rickshaw man pulled into the outgoing traffic […]
Posted in legal, religion | Tagged deed, food, gurudwara, Jehovah's Witness, ritual
By bluerasberry on 2007-04-03
Before I start passing on partly unsubstatiated rumors let me say that my studies are going well and that within the last week I have found a surge of speaking proficiency from within. I have begun daily study with M.N. and he presses me to speak and write without preparation or my books. I find […]
Posted in computer, India, religion, rights | Tagged blood, death, food, gay rights, Hinduism, Islam, marijuana, ritual, scam, Sikhism, sport, water, youth
By bluerasberry on 2007-03-29
aftermath of a yagna Originally uploaded by bluerasberry. Yesterday was the last day of Navratri. For some reason, it was also Ram’s birthday, despite Navratri being a movable (lunar) holiday. The picture here is of what was left after the yagna. A “yagna” is a fire ritual. A pandit came to our home from Bihar […]
Posted in India, religion | Tagged etiquette, Hinduism, ritual, Varanasi
By bluerasberry on 2007-03-25
Ashu begins as a beggar On Friday March 23 I returned to Varanasi from Azemgarh. I had gone for Ashu’s janeu. There were I think ten of us in the van and the trip took two hours. As usual, I slept most of the way and had no regard for crammed conditions. Puja was beginning […]
Posted in festival, India, religion | Tagged death, Hinduism, medicine, ritual, youth
By bluerasberry on 2007-03-16
Some relative of the family is getting his janeu soon and the plan is to go to a village area some hours away to attend the function. I hear that about five hundred people and more than one full carload of Varanasi candy will attend. I am speaking just a little Hindi and I started […]
Posted in drug, education, religion | Tagged alcohol, Hinduism, ritual
By bluerasberry on 2007-03-06
I went to the Monkey Temple today and enjoyed it. Today is Tuesday so there was a big crowd there. Tuesday is Hanuman’s day. The monkeys here were nicer than ghat monkeys, but they still harassed people. The monkeys would put their hands out to beg for treats and if people tried to feed them […]
Posted in education, India, religion | Tagged data, death, Hinduism, monkey, ritual, temple
By bluerasberry on 2007-03-05
Yesterday was Holi and I had a blast. I had little idea of what to expect, but as the holiday approached I began to realize that this was a major festival. For about three weeks now I have watched as piles of sticks and burnables have piled to over ten feet high at crossroads and […]
Posted in festival, India, religion | Tagged Holi
By bluerasberry on 2007-02-14
Mr. Upadhyay always tells me new things about the importance of learning. He still studies for hours every day and he makes a point to learn a few things by certain times of day. One thing that he has repeated to me is that I should have a “lust for learning” and that increasing one’s […]
Posted in education, India, religion | Tagged magic