The last two months have been spent gallivanting ... first in the UAE for a week and then as a TA with a study-abroad programme in North India. It's been exhausting, but fun; and I've encountered things relevant to my research in the most unexpected of circumstances--cantankerous men placing some Muslim reformist groups on the same continuum as the Taliban, Mahatma Gandhi's grandson giving a speech at the Aligarh Muslim University in which he speaks of Sufism as the only hope against religious extremists, tour-guides at various Indian monuments praising the Mughal emperor Akbar for his syncretic religious beliefs... It's amazing what you hear when you're actually listening. Aside from sweet serendipity, which seems to be the mainstay of us Anthropologists (can serendipity be serendipity if one looks forward to it?), there have been other interesting moments worthy of mention.
- My students ask me odd questions about India: "Are AA batteries available here?" and "Is there a pharmacy in Agra?". Add to this a student who brought along a 4 month supply of shampoo with her to a land that gave the world the word 'shampoo' and you have me rolling in laughter.
- I avert disaster by pointing out to my student that when she says the Hindi word for "bangles" it sounds more like the Hindi word for "pussy".
- I saw more horny animals in the past six weeks than I care to remember (is it mating season?)
- On my 27th birthday I went to a monkey-infested temple in a gorge, climbed up Jaipur's highest mountain wearing a sari and flip-flops, watched the sun set from a Sun Temple at the peak of said mountain, descended its slopes singing Clementine, got a delivery of roses and chocolate cake from my man across the oceans, then went to dinner where there were live ghazal singers, was then surprised by my students in the hotel bar where I imbibed some awesome scotch, and then danced to Bollywood music till the wee hours. Life can be sooo good.
- I communed with elephants and swayed with some snake charmers (don't let anyone tell you there aren't any of those in India).
- (Very) Briefly drooled over a poster of a hot guy in my room only to realize moments later that it was Jesus.
- Grooved to some amazing Qawwals at the Salim Chishti shrine in Fatehpur Sikri...that white marble island of tranquility in an ocean of burning red sandstone.
- Bathed in the icy waters of the swift-flowing Ganga at dawn and felt the rising sun warm me. I was thus technically sinless for at least a day.
- Heard peacocks call out to each other across a desert valley.
1 comment:
That really was a hot Jesus; I don't blame you. That said, I still hope your purifying dip in the Ganga came after the drooling.
Also, I feel rather that I contributed (in a spiritual/morale/encouraging sense rather than a financial one) to your birthday delivery :)
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