Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, and Movies

This past Monday was yet again a holiday at Akshardham - and quite a respite, to be sure, from the 34,000 people that flooded Akshardham the day before. That's not to say the day didn't begin early. Since it was officially the New Year's Day, the morning began with a mahapuja (large/great worship ceremony) at 7:00 AM sharp. The puja lasted an hour, after which Saurabh (who volunteers at Akshardham on Saturday and Sunday) and I decided to head out for a bit of Delhi sightseeing. As we were going to visit the Lotus Temple, Mr. Kiran Wadhwana said he'd give us a ride. We accepted, but didn't realize the ride included lunch at his house - not that we mind home-cooked meals.

Needless to say, lunch was delicious, but the Lotus Temple was closed on Monday. So Saurabh and I headed for the nearest Metro stop to hitch a ride to Chandni Chowk. That stop happened to be at Connaught Place -Delhi's Concentric-ringed market. Nearby was the Jantar Mantar, an old astronomical observatory with an oversized sundial. Entry for tourists was Rs. 150/-, and believe me, this place was TOTALLY not worth it. Especially since they charged another Rs. 100/- to bring in a camera. Luckily, my Nikon hid well in my pocket and I brought it in. Not that it would have been worth the effort. The place was so ridiculously boring, I didn't even take any pictures. We spent about 5 minutes before decided our Rs. 20/- for entry was a waste and left. On the way out, I overheard a tourist say, "Man, after Akshardham, everywhere else seems like a total rip-off!" Damn straight.

A quick jaunt on Delhi's suprisingly clean, efficient, yet obviously crowded metro brought us to Chandni Chowk. Chandni Chowk is a very large, very crowded market in a predominantly-Muslim section of New Delhi. Access by road is near next to impossible because of the traffic, and getting there on foot requires a walk through lots of stall-filled back alleys. We quickly realized why vehicles in Chandni Chowk are an absolute joke because we walked the entire length of the market (1 Km) before most cars had managed to move 20 feet. We didn't spend much time in the shops, though - we were headed to Delhi's largest Mosque - the Jama Masjid.

Like an idiot, I had decided to wear shorts and had to enter the Masjid wearing a lungi, or wrap-skirt. Oh well. I had brought my small Nikon and had hidden it in my pocket. And like an idiot, Saurabh, after seeing the camera at Jantar Mantar, when asked if either of us had cameras, pointed to my pocket and said, he's got one in his pocket, causing me to have to part with Rs. 200/-. So I took pictures. Unfortunately, the Masjid, though old and quite large, wasn't photogenic enough to get Rs. 200/- worth of good pictures.

Our backside exit from the mosque took us through a mosquito-infested streetmarket that had Saurabh and I praying to avoid the Dengue plague rampaging through Delhi. We ended up on a side road and walked about 10 minutes back to the Metro stop at Chandni Chowk, and hopped back onto the metro to Connaught Place - the large concentric-ring market. We found a Costa Coffee shop and stopped for a cup. Mine cost Rs. 75/-, which was pretty cheap in dollar terms ($1.50) considering the size of the smoothie I ordered, but considering that Saurabh only makes Rs. 300,000/- per year, a Rs. 75/- cup of coffee seems pretty damn expensive.

We were quickly running out of daylight and options, so we decided to kill 3 hours by watching a Hindi movie. Now if you know me, you know I can't stand these movies, but I will say that Lage Raho Munnabhai is actually a good movie. Long, but good. I find it ironic though that Sanjay Dutt plays a gangster who engages in good acts (called Gandhigiri in the movie), while in real-life, he is a known philanthropist who is currently on trial for co-conspiring in the 1993 bomb blasts in Mumbai. The theater itself was a whole another story. It was a drama-theater that had been converted into a movie-theater. Sound was stereo, and came from two horribly undersized speakers all the way in the front of the theater, while the crowd sat in the back in the balcony. For you Houstonians, think sitting in the upper deck of Jones Hall and watching a movie that is only half the width of the stage in front of you with the sound coming from computer speakers placed on the stage. Yeah. An experience, for sure. The respite was that afterward, the only place left open to get food that was edible (and wouldn't give me diarrhea) was the Domino's Pizza next door. I will say cheese has never tasted so good.

I think I'll go to the Tex-Mex Restaurant in Connaught Place next - I hear they've designed it like a barn.

Annakut

So I realized that I never did finish the previous post about Annakut. To ring in the Indian New Year, the Lord is fed a very tasty and very large meal. In fact, the Annakut at the Swaminarayan Temple in New Delhi consisted of over 1,100 unique vegetarian dishes, from appetizers to main entrees to a whole assortment of deserts. All in all, about 1,300 thalis were used, filling the floor of the temple itself. The pictures speak for themselves.

Oh, and for those of you who wonder what exactly it is that vegetarians eat - feast your eyes on the biggest all-vegetarian meal EVER.

Diwali and Annakut Festivities!

First things first - new pictures are up.

This past Saturday, India celebrated the end of the year with Diwali (or Deepavali, depending on your choice of spelling), the festival of light. Because the auspicious Hindu days follow the lunar calendar, the exact Gregorian Date changes every year; this year Diwali was celebrated on October 21st - the end of the lunar month of Ashwin. One would think that on such an auspicious holiday, people would go to the temple, but such is not the case. Diwali is a time for prayer and reflection with the family, and so most families celebrate Diwali at home. Attendance at Akshardham was poor that day - maybe 2,500 people at the most. The day got significantly more interesting after I left at about 6:30.

Cousin Akshar and Jayu mama picked up me from Akshardham and we headed to Bengali Market to buy some firecrackers. My grandfather had said "no firecrackers this year" but Akshar kept nagging his dad until Jayu mama relented. Of course, when we got to the market, he only wanted the most expensive fireworks (though in dollar terms they're really not that expensive!) but thankfully his dad put him in place. Every few seconds though, in the middle of the roundabout in the center of Bengali Market, someone would explode a hydrobomb firecracker. They don't do anything pretty or fun. They just explode. With an enormous bang. The ones going off about 50' away in the roundabout created shockwaves powerful enough to knock over empty cups and make your hair fly around. That's not to mention render you temporarily deaf, only to regain your hearing in time for the next bomb to go off. Anyway, I digress. Akshar settled on a string of 500 blackcats, a few chakras (the ones that spin and spray sparks), and some fountains. A bit of bargaining brought the price down by 50% (gotta love India) and a quick "Namaste, and Happy Diwali" to the store manager (a friend) brought the price down another Rs. 15/-.

We got back home soon thereafter, and I met Nirja mami's parents for the first time since my janoi ceremony (the sacred thread ceremony Brahmin kids participate in to symbolize the start of their religious education) back in 1993. They are incredibly progressive parents for their 70-something years of age - they hail from an era of Rajasthan that was largely patriarchal, with males being the primary breadwinners and females being relegated to housewife roles. Yet my mami's mom is a retired secondary school principal, and her father is still a professor (an Ph.D) of classical Sanskrit. No wonder their daughter is so freakin' intelligent...

After a significant amount of clamor that it was getting late, we piled into Jayu mama's tiny Maruti Suzuki and headed off to Nirja mami's sister's (Vasudha and Bhusan Nanavati) house. Of course, that little tiny car seats five at most, and there were 8 of us. So it took Jayu mama two trips to get us there. The Nanavati's house is, for lack of a better word, AMAZING. It's spotless, well-decorated, and very homey. (Why am I not visiting here more often?!) At the doorway, one of their two daughters, Bhavika made a rangoli that was absolutely beautiful outside her front door. I took a picture of it. Then Raghu (the little cousin) came charging up the stairs and couldn't slow down in time to stop himself from running through the rangoli and, because it's made from powder, it scattered and went everywhere. And Bhavika was sad. I explained to her though, that the Rangoli is made of powder only to symbolize the impermanence of the physical world, yet the devotion and patience that it takes to make one are the eternal attributes we must cultivate in our souls.

By the time Jayu mama had arrived with the rest of the family, the entire city was erupting with fireworks. While Diwali refers to the lighting of oil lamps, the industrial revolution and a strong sense of one-up-manship has made even the poorest of the poor spend a few rupees on sparklers at least. We were waiting for them to arrive so that Nirja mami's father could start the puja (worship ceremony). On Diwali, the Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped. She is the goddess of prosperity (the same Lakshmi from the Birla Mandir), and Indians worship her and ask her to come visit their homes. The puja begins with the tying of a nada chhadi, strings, around the wrist as a symbol of participation in the puja and as a simple reminder afterward toa red-dyed bundle of try to remain pure at heart. An invocation and the Shanti Paath verse praying that God grant eternal peace to the one praying, to one's fellow human being, and that eternal peace reign throughout the world are recited to begin the puja. Ganesh is then propitiated, followed by Lakshmi herself. The Diwas themselves represent the light of knowledge, both mundane and spiritual. The diwa symbolically dispels the darkness of ingnorance and evil from our lives, so they are lit and put throughout the house.

The story goes that Lakshmi arrives at the home of the ones doing the puja on the back of an elephant carrying the prosperity for the family for the upcoming year. After Lakshmi is propitiated, firecrackers are burst and devotional songs are sung loudly to scare away Lakshmi's elephant so that she stays and keeps the wealth at the house.

So firecrackers we did. Lots of them. There were fountains, bottle rockets, chakris, sparklers, and the pretty ones that explode high in the air into a ball of colors. And one of the Nanavati family cousins brought TWENTY-FIVE hydrobombs. Yeah, I thought they were loud from 50' away. Ten feet away is a million times worse. And he wouldn't stop blowing them up, just one after another after another after another. He finally quit when the neighbors came out to the windows and started yelling that 10 hydrobombs were enough. Poor Akshar was so excited to light up his 500 blackcats that he didn't shoot off any other ones because he was busy protecting his blackcats so that no one took them by accident. He was furious that almost immediately after setting off his grand finale, someone down the street set off a thousand blackcats. One-upped, he stormed off upstairs blaming his dad for the fact that Diwali was "no fun if you don't spend any money on fireworks."

Raghu, on the other hand, was scared of the sparkler in his hand, but Bhavika's older sister Poorva helped him conquer that fear and by the end of the evening, he was lighting up the big fountains. He showed off his impressive English skills once again by informing me that I had a girlfriend and that she was American and lived in the United States and that George Washington was the first president. Impressive indeed.

Then came dinner. An oh-so-sumptuous dinner. And we ate. A lot. And thinking about it is making me hungry. And it's late. So I'm going to get some dinner.

Birla Mandir and Birthdays

Well I finally got to do some sightseeing last monday around New Delhi. My cousin Akshar and I visited three sites around Delhi in a few hours before coming back home to go to his cousin's (my 2nd cousin, once removed, I think - every one is an aunti/uncle anyway...) birthday party.

Our first stop was the Birla Mandir, first built in the 17th century but revamped almost entirely in 1939 by the Birla industrial family of India. A Vaishnav Temple, its main sanctum holds the gorgeous murtis of Laxmi and Narayan. Its shikhars (spires) rise over 110 feet into the air and the circular ribbed motifs are apparently a traditionally Orissan design style. The history of this mandir is particularly interesting. Its inauguration was done by none other than Mahatma Gandhi, but on the condition that everyone, regardless of caste, creed or color should be allowed to enter. The entry gate plaque makes this very clear. The walls on the inside contain quotations from the scriptures of India spaced every few feet apart. They come from the Upanishads, Vedas, Puranas, and the Geeta as well. The temple complex itself is actually quite large - it has a number of sanctums. Besides the main sanctum of Laxmi-Narayan, there is a Shivaling, a murti of Vishnu standing atop the earth with his Sudarshan Chakra, and Hanuman and Ganesh. (Note: All the links will take you to pages describing these Hindu deities, if you're interested.) Akshar and I did Laxmi-Narayan Dev's, Shiva's, and Ganesh's puja and then headed out. I wish I could have taken pictures of these murtis for you all to see, but cameras weren't allowed inside.

A stone's throw away from the Birla Mandir is the Kali Bari Temple. This temple is dedicated to Kali, or Shakti. In a tradition that I'm not entirely certain is in conformity with the scriptures of India, the (rather unnatractive) murti of Kali is served meat and liquor, which is then offered to devotees as prasad (food/drink that is offered to God and so considered holy). Nevertheless, the temple has an interesting aura. The murti of Kali has incredible eyes - they exude a power (or Shakti) that is befitting of Kali's legacy. I won't lie though, it didn't feel like a benevolent power though. Kali seems to be a God that devotees worship out of fear. It's not that they are literally scared of Kali's wrath, but that they worship that power. Over time, Kali's role as a ferocious, fear-inspiring deity, known for wrathfulness has been replaced by a more benevolent perception. But for all of those who think that the domain of God is too masculine, hear this - almost all Hindus offer obeisance (though usually not the meat and liquor) to Kali in some form or fashion, most commonly as the Goddess Durga.

The final tour stop of the day was to Humayun's Tomb. It has been declared a Unesco World Heritage Site and is actually fairly well-preserved. Humayun was a Mogul Emperor, and like the Taj Mahal (though Humayun's Tomb is a precursor to Shah Jahan's 1632 masterpiece), this large, traditional Mogul edifice is a mausoleum for him and his family. Though the grounds were very pretty, the highlight of the visit was the entry. See, NRIs (non-resident Indians) and non-Indians are charged more for visiting tourist attractions. In fact, almost every one (except Akshardham) charges tourists and NRI's 10-25X more for entry than they do for Indians. So my cousin and I went, and I told him to pick up my ticket because he speaks proper Hindi (and as long as I keep my mouth shut, they don't know that I don't). Except that I was wearing shorts and an Express t-shirt which made me look distinctly like an NRI. While my cousin is picking up the ticket, the gate guard, trying to be wise, decides he's going to test my Hindi. As I approach the gate, he asks, "Kya time huua?" (What time is it?) as he points at my wrist with his right hand which is nonetheless adorned with a gawdy (probably) fake gold watch. "Pone tin," I answer, adding "sahib" for good measure. I guess it's a good think I learned to tell time the day before. And in we go having paid Rs. 10/- for my ticket instead of Rs. 250/-. Did I mention that the giant cargo pockets on my very American shorts got my little Nikon Coolpix camera in for free too? Hehehe...

I have to write about Ishita's birthday party still, but I've typed too much, so I'm done for now. Pictures of these trips will come soon, promise.

And Katabatics Takes the Lead!

I was just informed that Indian Katabatics is now the top hit on Google searches for "Katabatics" and "Arpit Dave." Obviously not many people type either of these into their browsers...

Bush's Coup on God's "Benevolent Dictatorship"

This article showed up in the Times International of New Delhi today. Seems we were blind to the fact that, all this time, Bush had greater plans than just becoming Hegemon of Planet Earth.

The German "Indologists"

One would think that a group of erudite scholars on Hinduism would understand that a religion that refuses to adapt to society will eventually stifle itself out of existence. One would also think that a similar group of people could appreciate a revival of the ancient traditions that they have dedicated their lives to studying.

Apparently not the case.

I had the opportunity to take a (self-proclaimed) group of "scholars of Indian studies" on a visit of Swaminarayan Akshardham. Considering that their scholarly interests were the ritual aspects of Indian culture, the religious symbology, and the Vedic Civilizations, I figured they'd have a field day here, seeing first-hand all these aspects alive today at Akshardham, crafted and designed by those vested over generations in the culture. I expected a genuine curiosity at this contemporary attempt to capture some of the ancient Indian culture.

Being met with more skepticism than would come from a journalist, atheist, or Marx himself was, to say the least, a bit surprising. As the executive decisions came down on what to show them, I knew this was going to be an interesting visit: First, the Vedic Civilizations exhibit, then the Abhishek Puja and Monument. At the third exhibition, I could see a few of them looking at the boat-ride with what appeared to be the are you kidding me? look on their faces. And as they sailed away "along the banks of the River Saraswati," I hoped they wouldn't openly ridicule it as soon as they got out. I made sure they didn't have their chance. "So many people think that the ancient civilizations were backward and barbaric," I started up right as they disembarked, "but, as you can very clearly see, they were nothing of the sort." I was met with murmurs of agreement. Some unintelligible chatter in German in which I heard the word verkitschen (worthless) followed, then they shuffled out behind me toward the Abhishek Puja*.

There, I played on their interest in rituals. "The Abhishek Puja is a simple ritual aimed at making the average person spend at least some time thinking about the well-being of others and of his own soul. It allows participants to engage in a very personal form of bhakti, or worship, that resembles the love and affection that goes into the act of bathing one's own child. The Shanti Path Sanskrit verses that are recited are prayers to God that He grant eternal, lasting peace to your soul, the souls of your loved ones, those of every living being in the world, and that his grace and compassion reign supreme over the universe. As you pour the water over the murti, make a well-wish on behalf of another - if you do so sincerely and pure-heartedly, the belief is that God will make it come true."

A reply from one of the group came quickly: So if it doesn't come true, does that mean I'm not pure-hearted?

I laughed, thinking he was joking. No, seriously, does it mean that I'm not pure-hearted? What? Are you kidding? A scholar on religious ritual of all people is attempting to take a matter of faith literally. "No, it just means that it may not be in God's greater plan," I deflected, "It's the thought that counts, anyway - we're just trying to get people to spend a couple of minutes considering their own spirituality." I prayed the monument would be my respite - it's hard not to be amazed by it.

Apparently that wasn't in God's greater plan, either. As I explained that this whole 100-acre complex project was started and finished in 4.5 years, I was met with "Well, you used cranes, right? That'd make it easier." And the comment on the intricacy of the carvings all around and up into the domes was met with "They're too far away," "They don't speak to me," (no shit, Sherlock, they're marble), and then the most telling comment of the afternoon, "I like the carvings in Somnath better."

Somnath?! Okay, the Somnath Temple carvings are THE EXACT SAME STYLE of carvings as in Akshardham! See for yourself (Somnath is in the middle):

My suspicions that the only "credible" or "real" monuments of the ancient Indian artisanry to them were the ones that were old were confirmed when I read one of the comment sheets after the guests left - "I'll be glad to be in Varanasi tomorrow."

Now I sincerely hope these scholars aren't guilty of believing that only old things are really traditional. Archaeologists would love to be able to reconstruct what ancient Roman temples looked like. Marine biologists are amazed when they find "living fossils" that give them insight into what the ancient creatures looked like. Swaminarayan Akshardham represents the revival of an architecural tradition that hasn't been used in over five centuries. It's a living fossil of architecture, yet because it's not old, it seems to be less valuable. Oddly enough, I think it is, in a sense, more valuable BECAUSE it is so new. The whole conceptualization, design, and construction have been meticulously charted and recorded - and can be studied. It's like being able to watch evolution happen.

On the other hand, I can understand to an extent the "kitschy" perception of the boat-ride. New media are always rejected at first, but over time, become accepted as ways of transmitting messages to a populous. Roman Catholics rejected sculpture and painting as methods of transmitting religious messages and stories because the 'traditional way' of doing it was through long hand-written books that only monks could read anyway. Eventually, Michelangelo, da Vinci, and other great artists brought about a new "tradition." In this day and age, 'traditional' means prayer in quiet repose and didactic presentations by ministers and priests. Even Lakewood Church experiences a rejection of non-traditional ways. But as the author of the preceding article puts it, "Much criticism of Christians by other Christians comes from differences in priorities." I definitely think the "difference in priorities" comes into play at Akshardham as well. Nevertheless, I'm willing to bet that in 50 years, the use of technology to present morals and values messages will be the 'tradition' and society will simply start rejecting the next new thing.

I guess its to be expected then that these scholars, who make careers out of studying the old ways would lack the interest of studying something new. It's just disappointing that a living past stands before them, but they won't see it until it, too, becomes old.

*holy bath ritual where sacred water is poured over the murti of God.

New Pictures and Mail

I've added a few new pictures of my Guru, Pramukh Swami Maharaj. I took these pictures on September 7th/8th, during the Chandra Grahan, or lunar eclipse that lasted from 11:30 PM to 1:30 AM. Eclipses are inauspicious occasions that are passed by spending that time in the worship of God, hence the late-evening session where I took these pictures. Pramukh Swami Maharaj, now 86, had just recently recovered from a bout with a cold and was his normal, joyous, smiling self again, much to the pleasure of all the devotees present.

Scroll down the page to the Flickr Box where My Latest Pictures are, or click here to see them in a new page. I apologize again for the tediously slow addition of photos to this page. That I can't bring my gadgets into Akshardham, and the ridiculously slow internet access here means that I can't put up pictures regularly. I'm sure this frustrates those of you who know what an insatiable shutterbug I am, but please bear with me. Once I begin travelling, you'll get more than you bargained for. Promise.

Also, for those of you that would like your own picture of Swaminarayan Akshardham, the bookstore has recently obtained postcards - beautiful ones - and I will send you a postcard if you will email me your address.

A Bit of Political Commentary...

I don't mean to use this blog as a place of political commentary, but I can't resist this one.

Does anyone else find it odd that we went to war with Iraq because we THOUGHT they had WMD's and urge only sanctions upon North Korea, who very obviously DO have them? Is it just me or is this logic a bit backward? And isn't it a bit strange that we won't let anyone else have Nuclear Weapons but we're allowed to have 5,735 of them?

Maybe some people will leave comments on this one.

If You Only Look for the Bad Parts...

Today was my first experience with a visitor who really spent his entire time at Akshardham looking for the things he didn't like about it. Even my speech at the beginning on how our goal is merely to share our culture, religion, and values, not to force them upon anyone didn't work.

After explaining about Pramukh Swami, BAPS, its social service focus, Lord Swaminarayan, and the basic purpose of Akshardham, this guest folded his arms, sat back in the chair and asked his first question: Does your guru support the caste system? I was completely taken off guard. It took me a second or two to regain my footing to answer his question. I was amazed that he came all the way to India and was willing to write off his entire visit to Akshardham if my answer didn't fit his sense of social justice. Because clearly, the caste system is TRULY representative of India. Just like the Crusades are of Christianity and Jihad is of Islam. After I gave him the answer to his question ('No, he has never supported a class system based on birth'), he seemed to calm a little an open up.

Turns out though, that was only the beginning. After the first exhibition, he emerges, again withdrawn, arms folded across his chest. I ask the group what they thought of the exhibition. Everyone gushes about how the values are so simple yet so universal and how the exhibition is done so tastefully. He says, I didn't really like the exhibition.

Me: Well, what did you find unsatisfactory about it?
Him: I was disappointed by that scene where Swaminarayan is appointed as head of the fellowship and makes the wish that any pain that his followers may suffer come onto him.
Okay. What was disappointing about it?
It's sort of a shallow statement. It's not physically possible to feel someone else's pain, so it's kind of a dumb thing to say. It's like saying 'if I win the lottery I will give you half'. It doesn't really mean anything.
Sir, has your son ever broken his arm?
Yes. But I don't wish that his pain came to me.
But you do wish that he wouldn't have to suffer?
Of course.
But he still suffers pain, right?
Yes. There's nothing I can do about that.
Yet your wish is sincere. You make it because you care, whether or not it can come true. And if it COULD come true, you WOULD want it to. It's NOT a shallow wish! Such is the compassion of God, sir, that He wishes the whole world's pain upon himself, and if he could in this world, he would.

Met with silence, I prayed that was the last of it for the evening. That wasn't the end of it, however. After coming out of the last exhibition on the Vedic culture of India, the group is again fascinated by the history, the depth of knowledge in ancient India, and technological advancements. He says, Your exhibition misrepresents Buddha. I replay the exhibition in my head, trying to recall where Buddha is. His sculpted image is depicted in the Guru Tradition hall, alongside the other well-known great gurus of the Hindu belief system. He is seated in the traditional posture found in Buddhist monasteries (a Buddhist crafted the sculpture!), and the exhibition says about him, "The tradition of following a spiritual master originated in India, who gave the world the great Buddha, Mahavir, Adi Shankaracharya..."

Me: What do you believe is misrepresented about him?
Well he's included in a hall with a bunch of other gurus, none of whom were as important as he was.
I respectfully submit to you that his importance among the other gurus depends on who you ask, but there is no doubt that to leave him out would definitely be a horrible misrepresentation.
But he has a billion followers.
Yes, but that's not the point of the exhibition. This exhibition was about Vedic culture and civilization. The Guru Tradition was an integral part of that culture and so all the major gurus of the time are acknowledged. The emphasis is not on any one of their individual teachings, just that India has spawned all these great religious traditions preaching peace, harmony, and humility.
I see...

Shortly thereafter, our visit to Akshardham ended, and he left. For the first time, I felt really bad that despite my best efforts, a visitor had left not feeling even a little more optimistic that there really are people fighting hard to bring peace and order to the world.

There's an old parable about a worm and bee and about how the bee visits the worms house and it is full of dung and smells like faeces. The bee invites the worm to visit his rose garden, but the worm is reluctant. He thinks that his dung house is the best there could be. After some coaxing though, he relents. But he rolls two small balls of dung and stuffs them up his nostrils. When he arrives in the rose garden, the bee asks what he thinks. It's quite colorful, but it still smells like shit. Puzzled, the bee noticed the two balls of dung. So he picks up the worm and dunks him into a puddle. The dung comes out and the worm is amazed how beautiful the roses smell...

I guess we can't change everyone.

Top Five...

... Reasons why Akshardham is NOT Disneyland:

5. Is "the Happiest Place on Earth" even if the kid ahead of you doesn't get candy.
4. Only the occasional small field mouse here.
3. No gigantic stuffed striped tigers accused of molesting little kids.
2. Works hard to reach the depths of your soul, not your savings account.
1. No scantily clad fairies to arouse the passions of 5-year-olds.

Thanks to Mary for the post idea.

New Bhajan

I've posted a new bhajan from the Swaminarayan.org website. Composed by one of Lord Swaminarayan's 500 paramhansas (renunciates following the strictest vows), Premanand Swami, this bhajan extols the glory of Ghanshyam, the childhood name of Lord Swaminarayan. It's slow, unhurried tempo is very soothing and in this case, the bhajan is sung by Yogicharan Swami, a master of Shastra Sangeet, the most elaborate and difficult classical Indian singing style. Just click play in the Widget Box player, and the song should start momentarily.

The Widget Box

Thanks to the readers of the blog that pointed out that the audio in "The Latest Widgetry" panel is not functioning properly. The song is a bhajan (devotional song) from Guru Nanak, the guru of the Sikhs - Sumiran Karle (working mp3 link) - and one of my favorites. It's not supposed to sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks are singing it, but apparently, the Google MP3 player doesn't do variable bitrate MP3's well.

I will try to fix this and will attempt to put up other songs for you all to be able to listen to.

The YouTube.com widget doesn't work like I expected it to. I wanted to put the actual trailer, but apparently, it only puts a link to it, so it's coming down until I can find a better solution. Until then, you will be able to watch the trailer at www.mysticindia.com.

More later.

What IS Swaminarayan Akshardham?

So I've been asked recently to explain a little bit more about Swaminarayan Akshardham and just what the hell it is that I do here all day long. I think the website is a good resource but maybe not really interesting enough to pore through for a while, so I'll do my best to explain as briefly as I can and still do some justice. This post will be about Akshardham itself.

Swaminarayan Akshardham is a cultural complex that pays tribute to the art, culture, values, and heritage of India. It is made up of a few principal parts:

The main monument itself, seen here at night, is a revival of the ancient tradition of temple-building. The structural design of the monument is based not on modern architectural texts or design methods but according to the age-old shilpa shastras, which contain the formulas, ratios, and methods for assembling a monument like this. The foundation of the monument is complete steel-free. It utilizes no rebar for foundational reinforcement, but instead relies on ~1,000,000 cu. ft. of concrete, laid in eleven separate rafts to support the massive structure. The monument itself, constructed of Rajasthani pink sandstone and Italian Carrara marble is assembled without the use of metal, as well, relying on plugs and keyholes carved into the stones to hold the structure together like a massive jigsaw puzzle. The amount of detail and intricacy must be seen to be believed, but the pictures I have uploaded should give one a small idea of what I am talking about. Over 300,000 pieces of stone were hand-carved in the most amazing detail - over 20,000 individually carved figures cover the entire internal and external facades of the monument. Inside are the murtis of Swaminarayan and His spiritual successors, or Gurus, as well as the murtis of Radha-Krishna, Sita-Ram, Parvati-Shiva, and Laxmi-Narayan. From a philosophical standpoint, their inclusion, along with the 248 murtis on the outer mandover (wall) makes good on Akshardham's promise of paying tribute to all of Hinduism.

The three exhibitions make up an integral part of the story of Akshardham. The first exhibition, Sahajanand Darshan, also called the 'Hall of Values,' depicts the core values of Sanatana Dharma (lit. 'eternal righteousness'), or what has come to be known as Vedic Hinduism via audio-animatronic displays that tell the life-story of Swaminarayan. Swaminarayan, in his time, was widely believed to be the embodiment of these basic values of ahimsa (non-violence), seva (selfless service), humility, and devotion. The story of Swaminarayan continues in the second exhibition, Neelkanth Yatra, which is the destination release of the internationally acclaimed large-format film Mystic India. See the trailer here (.wmv, 2:56) or here (.mov, 1:37), which some of you got to see at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The version at Swaminarayan Akshardham is slightly different, primarily in that it focuses more on the story of Neelkanth, the child yogi (ascetic) who, leaving his house at age 11 to begin a 12,000 Km pilgrimage that would take him to the farthest reaches of India, would eventually come to be known as Lord Swaminarayan. Just watch the trailer. The last exhibition is the Sanskruti Vihar, a cultural exhibition in the form of an indoor boatride through 10,000 years of India's Vedic heritage. Visitors are transported to ancient Vedic markets, the world's first internationally attended university - Takshashila (or Taxila), and through a chronicling of the "ancient discoveries and inventions of the great rishi-scientists of India" (quoted from Swaminarayan Akshardham). These discoveries include revelations in atomic physics, astronomy, precise calculations of pi, the development of the Pythagorean Theorem five centuries BEFORE Pythagoras. These three exhibitions give visitors a view into the history, values, and traditions of India.

The Musical Fountain Show tells the Hindu story of the life cycle of the universe and our lives through water, sound, and light. The combination of these elements imbues the show with a deep symbolism that takes the full length of the show to explain! And the Gardens of Akshardham contain over 900,000 trees, plants, and shrubs that were all grown in-house to transform the barren 100 acres of land upon which Akshardham is built into a green oasis amidst the concrete-filled Delhi. Cast bronze statues in the Bharat Upavan garden depict the heroes and heroines of Indian folklore and the Indian revolution. Lotuses growing in small ponds in the Narayan Sarovar (a small moat-like lake surrounding Akshardham that contains the water of 151 holy lakes and rivers of India) add to the tranquility and serenity of the entire complex.

The Picture Problem

So, I've now been asked numerous times why, in the course of being in India for almost a month now, I have posted only 5 pictures. While I do have a computer at my desk, I am not allowed to bring anything INTO the Akshardham complex with me, other than my room keys, and some money. That, unfortunately, excludes gadgets which I might use to upload pictures that I take as well. I'm currently in the process of trying to get the security clearance to bring in my photo organizer so I can upload pictures as well.

Others of you have wished to see more pictures of Akshardham. I have uploaded a few more of the file photos of Akshardham that you might not be able to find on the Akshardham website itself.