Our plans to go to Varanasi went sideways as we were not able to get on the train. We were on the wait list however with summer holidays in India, being on this list is pretty much useless.
So, we scrambled and made a quick decision to head north to the Punjab region and then further on to the Himilayas. This decision proved to be well worth it for a number of reasons. First, in Vancouver, with our large Punjab population, getting to see where they are from and experience their regional foods and traditions are insightful. Secondly, it seems that in this region, they are more accustomed to foreigners so we are not subjected to stares, touts, etc. as we had previously experienced. Thirdly, we are in Chandigarh, the capital of the region where it is unlike any city we have been too.
Chandigarh is an experimental city built in the 1950s by a French architect. It is very well organized for living, traffic, and green space so for the weary traveller, it is a welcoming calm oasis. It is here that I met Mr. Narinder Singh. When we arrived at our guesthouse, Narinder struck up a conversation with us right away. He is a jolly retiree who's hobby is to just help out tourists. He welcomed us with a necklace of marigolds and a petite scented rose bud. We made plans to meet him for chai tea the next morning. He brought us to a local diner, explained what each menu was, showed us a rooftop view of the city, and taught then grilled me on Hindi.
The special thing about him is his sincerity. I could look into his eyes and see the pure goodness of his soul come through. I feel grateful to have met someone with such a unique gift. We ended off our visit with a hug and his signature wish of good luck to me as his "daughter" after only knowing me for a short time.
The next part of this blog is the polar opposite of the above. In one of my earlier entries, I made a statement about not being surprised about the poverty. I still stick by this statement in general with child poverty being the exception. In most of the places we have visited, there are children under the age of 10 who freely wander the streets barefoot with tattered dirty clothing. Some have a garbage bag slung over their shoulder, some carry their baby brother/ sister, others have one limb intentionally chopped off to help them beg better, etc (you can gain more insight on this by reading "A Fine Balance by Rohinton Minstry"). In our side of the world, most children are in school. These kids are not and are destined for a life of poverty. It's so sad to see. I am not the social crusader type but I think it's important to be aware. When I look at all that I have, I know that it will be difficult to complain about what I wish I want but can't have. When I was growing up, my parents would always reference the starvation in Ethiopia when I left a bite of rice on my plate. In the 80's, that was the social cause. Well, my reference now are the impoverished children in India.
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