Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Try the tradition
It’s difficult to explain what I thought about India. It’s really difficult to see the poverty. But at the same time, I can say that this is the country that I most liked to find out about on this trip. Why is that? I had to have some moments of reflection about it. I think that I was kind of disappointed with the world. Please, I don’t want you to think that I’m not enjoying this trip! This is still my perfect dream coming true. But because of the globalization, internet and everything that makes the Earth seem smaller than before, the big cities are becoming more and more similar. You can be in Sao Paulo or Shanghai, but you will always find Italian restaurants, hip hop clubs, denim jeans, etc. It is not easy to maintain the tradition nowadays. India has a strong sense of tradition. This brings a magic and interesting spirit to the country. When I went to visit the India Gate, in the centre of Mumbai, I received a blessing from a Hindu guy. He drew a “third eye” on me and gave me a wristband, that I’m not taking off until the end of the trip. Of course I had to give him some money, but that really doesn’t matter. I loved the experience. Unfortunately, the night scene is western style. But in Mumbai I went to some really nice clubs, like Toto Garage Club, a bar that has the decoration imitating a garage. After there, we went to Blue Frog, a club with live beat box music and good vibes. But how did we get from one place to another? Rickshaws, with a picture of the Buddha in its decoration. Yes, we have bananas (I hope you know this expression). But we have more Masala (typical food)! Try it!
Indian Spirit
One thing that I always liked to do when I’m on a bus is watch the people walking on the streets. What are they thinking about? Where are they going? How are their lives? The difference is that I usually have these moments in the traffic at home in Sao Paulo, and this time it was doing a tour in Mumbai, India!
The scenery that I see through the window is almost chaotic, horn noises constantly, and hardly any pavements. I saw a girl dressed in a sari, the traditional Indian costume, without shoes and with her feet deep in a hole of brown water. Our guide explained to us about Karma – a Hindu and Buddhist expression. According to some beliefs karma is a reflection about what a person did in a past life, . The difference is that in Hinduism, the ideal is the total purification and not being born again; and in Buddhism the man shall born as many times it’s necessary for him to achieve the enlightenment – the truth of life. Wow! In Mumbai, which is not a super structured city and I’d hurt my toes lots of times kicking rocks on the streets, something captivated me. I think that what I really liked was the cultural shock. I asked an Indian lady why some women use everyday the sari, while others wear jeans and Western clothes. I thought that had something to do with if the woman is married or not, but I was wrong. She explained to me that it is a question of opinion. Lots of women prefer to maintain the tradition. And that was exactly what I wanted to see around the world. In India I was able to feel the energy of a people that love their history, their religion, their music. On the first night that I went out, I had lots of fun. I was still stunned with the city and I couldn’t believe when I saw this super fashionable club in the middle of the small and disorganized bazaars. Among music from the 80’s, traditional rocks and electro-pop, the DJ played lots of Indian hits. Super uplifting; everybody was singing, jumping and with the arms in the air. Good vibes! By the end of the first song I was already involved by the energy of the crowd. This place is called “Poison”, and that night was a “Bollywood Night”. I’d never heard about this Indian cinema industry, but it seems that they are a huge success in Asia, North America and Europe. Super fun, I loved it. They have lots of unbelievable special effects and dance scenes during all the film. In fact, this is a unique category. Like this country: it’s unique, it’s India.
The scenery that I see through the window is almost chaotic, horn noises constantly, and hardly any pavements. I saw a girl dressed in a sari, the traditional Indian costume, without shoes and with her feet deep in a hole of brown water. Our guide explained to us about Karma – a Hindu and Buddhist expression. According to some beliefs karma is a reflection about what a person did in a past life, . The difference is that in Hinduism, the ideal is the total purification and not being born again; and in Buddhism the man shall born as many times it’s necessary for him to achieve the enlightenment – the truth of life. Wow! In Mumbai, which is not a super structured city and I’d hurt my toes lots of times kicking rocks on the streets, something captivated me. I think that what I really liked was the cultural shock. I asked an Indian lady why some women use everyday the sari, while others wear jeans and Western clothes. I thought that had something to do with if the woman is married or not, but I was wrong. She explained to me that it is a question of opinion. Lots of women prefer to maintain the tradition. And that was exactly what I wanted to see around the world. In India I was able to feel the energy of a people that love their history, their religion, their music. On the first night that I went out, I had lots of fun. I was still stunned with the city and I couldn’t believe when I saw this super fashionable club in the middle of the small and disorganized bazaars. Among music from the 80’s, traditional rocks and electro-pop, the DJ played lots of Indian hits. Super uplifting; everybody was singing, jumping and with the arms in the air. Good vibes! By the end of the first song I was already involved by the energy of the crowd. This place is called “Poison”, and that night was a “Bollywood Night”. I’d never heard about this Indian cinema industry, but it seems that they are a huge success in Asia, North America and Europe. Super fun, I loved it. They have lots of unbelievable special effects and dance scenes during all the film. In fact, this is a unique category. Like this country: it’s unique, it’s India.
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