Juxtaposition: It's an SAT word that has crept its way into the modern vernacular, and a term that has run through my mind repeatedly since I’ve been here. In my three weeks of Indian travel, I’ve explored almost every amenity top to bottom; from the hospitality of a Muslim home, to the pampering of a five-star resort; from air-conditioned, first-class beds, to open-air, third-class benches. I have seen extravagant estates neighboring sewage-ridden slums, and Porsches fording rivers of trash. While the gap between rich and poor may be growing everywhere, nowhere is it more apparent than in India.
And nowhere is a society more heterogeneous. There are so many different cultures coexisting here that attempting to fully comprehend the relationships between them is impossible. In school, you are told about the Hindu Trimurti…Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva…the three most famous gods. There is no time to explain that there are literally millions more deities, worshipped in countless ways. Millions more of the subcontinent’s citizenry are Muslim, and further millions follow the Buddha, who lived and died here. Even more millions are Sikh, Jain, Baha’i and Christian, each practicing in their own unique ways. For someone raised in the predominantly Protestant American South, seeing elephants painted into a Nativity scene is something else. Furthermore, the lines between these faiths are often blurred, hosting a hodgepodge of ways to seek the divine. Compound that with a complex history spanning from the present back to the dawn of civilization, and you have a country full of mysteries that can never be fully explained. I have only spent my time in one section of this enormous nation, and have only realized that the more I learn, then the less I know.
India is the best and worst of travel all-in-one. It has at times been a frustrating challenge, and at others an utter delight. To tell the truth, I’ve enjoyed it much more than I expected, and it remains a place where I’d like to return someday. I have made so many great memories that I wonder if my brain can retain them all. For those of you considering a visit, all I can recommend is if you want a travel experience that will truly change your perspective of the world, and of life in general, then come here.
Soon, I will board a flight to yet another exotic destination and yet another new continent. Based on what I’ve read, my ability to post new blog entries may be limited while I’m there. But, I will check in whenever possible, undoubtedly eager to tell you of my exploits in Ethiopia.
Before I sign off, I’d like to thank my readers for the kind comments and questions. Currently, I’m unable to post comments on my own entries, but I will try to answer questions whenever and however I can.
