An Adoptee in India, part 3

Tags

adoptee, Bollywood, Chennai, Hinduism, India, Novel-in-progress, St. Thomas, Tamil Nadu

Author’s Note: I grew up hearing about India from my adoptive Dad, who served at a military hospital during WWII. I’ve written one novel, Beast of Bengal, set in the northern part of the Subcontinent. My sequel, Arundati, starts in southern India, Mahabalipuram. This continuing “travel blog” covers highlights of my recent sojourn. India is like no other place in the world, and the places I visited transformed the plot of my novel. My heroine, Arundati, was literally “reborn.”

Saturday, 12/14
We met with  our guide, Charles, for breakfast, and by 8 were on the road. A tour of

Ceremonial dance paying homage to Lord Shiva

Chennai and cultural immersion in the ongoing travelogue by our leader. Tamil, explained Charles, is the land of the Tamils. Chennai is the Bollywood of India and at 9 million (counting the greater area) is the 4th largest city in the Subcontinent. Brits established the city, then called Madras, in 1639. Before the Brits, however, Scots arrived in 1524. In 1995, the name was changed to Chennai. It comprises 500 square miles.

Religion: 20% Christian, 15% Muslim, a sprinkling of Jews, Sikhs and Buddhists. The diversity of India theme continues to be a major thread of Charles’s explication. There are more than 1,600 dialects, 22 languages. Charles said more than once that Chennai has an 80 % literacy level.
In addition to the movie industry, Tamil Nadu is location of Bangalore – India’s Silicon Valley.

We passed the train station, a massive Victorian-style building and learned that there are 15 million train commuters. Also passed Fort St. George and the Anglican Church of South India, the University of Madras. A brief visit to an Armenian Church built in 1712, a white-washed complex of church and other buildings, crypts, gardens and dismal accumulations of bricks and rubble from ongoing efforts to restore and maintain the buildings. So moist on the brick walks, covered with a sheen of green mold, that walking was a bit slippery. The smell of mold filled the air!

After lunch, on to St. Thomas Cathedral, where the saint is buried. He came to

Santhome Church, where St. Thomas was buried

Kerala in 52 A.D., preached the Gospel to fishermen. In 1984, the cathedral became a basilica. Rumbling along, we crossed the Adayar River to the “other” Chennai. Pitiful slums, full of garbage and miserable, mud surrounded dwellings. Lots of mutts (they all seem to be the same brown smallish dog): they’re ubiquitous, tiny children, always people cooking. It seems the women are working extremely hard.
Charles and James continued their overview of India briefings.
The Hindu Trinity: Brahma the creator, Vishnu the protector (10 incarnations), Shiva the destroyer (married to Parvati). Ganesh is the son of Shiva and remover of obstacles. Main texts of Hinduism:  Vedas (which include the Upanishads) and the two epics (Mahabarata and Ramayana). Kolon are the designs outside entrances- sometimes white, other times in vivid colors. Karma: the law of cause and effect. Each action, it is believed, has a reaction.

I was amazed at the diversity of India’s religions!

An Adoptee in India

Tags

adoptee, Chennai, Learning and Discovery, Mahabalipuram, Nandi, Researching a novel, Shiva, Slumdog Millionaire, Southern India, Tamil Nadu, Travel

Garlands at a local market near Chennai.

NOTE: Life imitating fiction! When I set my novel-in-progress in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India, I never imagined that I would be able go there. The dream became a reality. In a recent journey to southern India, I found myself on the Bay of Bengal’s shore looking at the spot where my protagonist Arundati is discovered by Richard, the character who would become her adoptive father. Following is the first installment of my “travelblog.”

Indian Sojourn – Week One

Dec. 13, 2013- Sitting in the Delhi Airport, I feel totally prepared for whatever lies ahead.
The part of India I most want to see – Mahabalipuram – will be the first site we visit, so I’m particularly excited about this. A fairly grueling journey so far, beginning with a 3 p.m. check-in at La Quinta in Albuquerque. Tried in vain to sleep but the illusion that I’d take a “power nap” quickly vanished. At 9 p.m., left for the airport and the overnight trip to JFK airport in New York. Arrived after a few hours at 6 a.m. (4 my body’s time) and joined some other lobby dwellers, growing very cold and uncomfortable. Finally at 1 a.m. met up with Marilyn and Jim from Monterey, identifiable by their Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) jackets, and we went to our waiting gate. All of Friday was spent in travel…another blurry stop in Delhi, just waiting, finally boarding a second Air India flight to Chennai.

Nice group of fellow travelers. Marilyn and Jim, Mae Nan, Veena, Daphne, David and Jeri, Rebecca and Bob, Irma and Jim, Dalida and Mario. Easy to be with, somewhat of a relief. I wasn’t the only solo adventurer! Fortunately, Charles our trip leader has an apprentice guide, James, who is also quite good to talk with.
The pre-trip (to Sri Lanka) folks joined in and we comprised 16. Some down time in our hotel rooms. Spent time getting chargers to work (they did!) and using my Steripen, a device that electronically purified water for tooth brushing. Small victories, but they mean a lot on this on this first solo journey to the other side of the world.

Chennai is considered the musical and cultural capital of southern India.

Gathered in the lounge for a briefing in the Chennai Park Hotel, a former movie studio. Chennai is the center of Tamil film industry. A. H. Rahman, creator of Slumdog Millionaire, calls Chennai home. Garish, flamboyant and brainy-looking movie posters adorned the walls. Everything all marble, mirrors, glass, and gleaming. One weird thing happened. I didn’t realize that one has to leave the room key in a slot to keep the lights on, so I thought I’d lost my OAT bag (couldn’t see anything). I had to fetch Charles, who told me how to keep the lights on and find my bag, which – thank goodness, was right on top of the dresser. After this rocky beginning, slept very well (thanks to melatonin I borrowed from Marilyn). Foolish of me not to bring any – this will be the last time for such an omission. Fortunately, I didn’t rake myself over the coals about this.

Look for “An Adoptee in India” continued in future posts!

Mahabalipuram: Hanging out with Nandi, the bull of Lord Shiva