INDIA 2013 - Preserving Our Heritage Blog

My Trip to India Oct 10-Nov 7 2013

Those who know me well know how long it has been that I've dreamed of returning to India. I grew up there arriving in 1959 and leaving in 1976 (with about 5 years int the States). Most of the time I spent going toWoodstock School in the foot hill of the Hymalyas in a town called Mussoorie.

While I was somewhat curious to head "home" to see my old stomping grounds, my main purpose was to begin a journey of understanding my ancestral connections to India and to discover what India has become.

Yes, I found there are a lot of changes in India, but in truth the most remarkable thing was how "familiar" it was to me.

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Published on: November 13, 2013

Trees And Flowers

india-2013 Trees And Flowers

To explain the multiple pictures of plants on this blog post:

in high school our art teacher, Frank Wesley, taught us the Kangra Valley art form. One of the remarkable features of this art form is the incredible detail of nature: trees, plants, animals, birds, rivers, clouds, etc. Details of clothing, architecture and the human body also are incredibly detailed. Often these are miniatures yet a single loose strand of hair is captured if you look closely.

My heart resonates with this art because it captures my wonder with the abundance of the life that we all are richly given if we but just look around us and observe the subtle details.

Published on: November 7, 2013

Lanavola Nov 4

india-2013 Lanavola Nov 4

It was refreshing to get out of the heat, noise and pollution of the city and retreat to the hills around Mumbai for a day

http://kdham.com/healthcare/ayurveda/

It is Swami Kuvalayananda, whose efforts are chiefly responsible for the worldwide spread of Yoga.
It is due to his efforts that this ancient discipline of Yoga became more acceptable to modern mind, trained on scientific and rational guidelines.
It is a fact that due to his scientific work, Yoga became more widely acceptable and accessible in the field of health & healing.

had a wonderful full body massage at the naturopathy/ayurveda center

Maharstrian Truck Sto[

Published on: November 3, 2013

Back To Mumbai

india-2013 Mumbai Nov 3-6

Delhi airport

Flew from Delhi to Mumbai. Security found it interesting to find donkey and cow bells in my carry on. It caused much discussion and speculation. The thought of turning them into wind chimes simply did not make sense to them.

taxi drivers having lunch

pigs on the beach

Published on: November 3, 2013

Diwali Mubarak

Diwali india-2013

Once again I am losing track of time. Let's see I think it is the end of Sunday here and the beginning of Sunday back in the US. Divali is in full force and one loud patakar went off near my ear and I am having some difficulty hearing. But that is still such a minor consequence. I had a lovely visit with our dear family friend, Rakesh, in Delhi and a delightful surprise visit with Jan Elder Aijian at the National Art Museum on JanPath. I also had a delightful short visit with Doma on JanPath! (pictures to come, hopefully)

I realize that there is so much that I experience that I haven't taken pictures of or written about. Some of it is because it is so deeply personal and I do simply take it in and enjoy. Some people who I will not mention names but I've spent the last month with her, think I spend way to much time blogging and taking pictures. But the task of a good blogger is to keep her audience engaged. Forgive me if I haven't been as engaging as I could be if I had more time to devote to doing it well, but I've truly enjoyed sharing my journey with you all.

NOw back in Mumbai for the final stretch. I am not even going to try to capture the lights of Diwali on my limited capacity camera. Sorry, but the darkest night of the year is well lit here in India. (perhaps it is visible by satellite somewhere) Trust me it outshines Christmas in the US.

Tomorrow we will go to a smaller Maharastran town, Lanavala after making just a few more little purchases. We hope we can squeeze in a massage at the Ayurvedic Center. Get me all nice a mellow (like I really need that) before flying back to the US.

My internet access may be a little sketchy till I get to the US but I will take questions and request. Hint I'm not going to any of the main tourist places, so don't ask about that. But for instance anything about food, occupations, transportation, dwellings. I can always try to capture the one tiny example in this land of lavish extremes and complexities.

Also since I have been posting on my Samsung phone on inconsistent wifii the photos occasionally get mixed up. I'll do the editing later when I can.

Meanwhile I look forward to another great night of sleep in Muggy Mumbai!~

Published on: November 2, 2013

Meeting Good Friends In Delhi

FRIENDS IN DELHI india-2013

Rakesh

Jan

Doma

Published on: November 1, 2013

Delhi Nov 1

FRIENDS IN DELHI india-2013

IIT guest house

new paint fir Diwali

Nova lox and aloo parata and lamb sausage at the Imperial Hotel

Wonderful time to text in the middle of an intersection

Published on: October 31, 2013

Final Scenes Oct 31

india-2013 Mussoorie Oct 31

this alley shows up in my dreams as a path that i never went on before now. Now that I think of it these two men look very familiar ...I must have known their father