Photo credit: Consuelo Naranjo/The Beacon
Consuelo Naranjo/Columnist
Sun block, light clothes, an armament of anti-malaria and Imodium pills fell into a big, black luggage and became part of my hasty packing. Deep breathing and western expensive meditation techniques helped my heart calm down minutes before the flight to the unknown began. Could the land of a million faces and a thousand religions allow me to escalate the ladder of spirituality? Purportedly, the most adventurous live the “eat, pray and love” story inside the magical land of India; nevertheless, I discovered that this myth always diverges.
My fascination for this place had grown through the years. I was hoping that this land of faiths would allow me to discover my inner-self and, finally, I would stumble onto the absolute truth. I was fantasizing with the idea of praying with the Muslims, reading with the Christians, meditating with the Jains and sharing a meal with the Hindu-vegetarians.
Traveling and daydreaming may look manageable while you are sitting in front of fast speed Internet, enjoying an air-conditioned room and drinking from uncontaminated water sources. India’s promise of colors, food and culture traps you; indeed, it trapped me. Two months back, while working on some articles at the FIU newsroom, my everlasting search for God, Allah, Ehyeh, Hare Krishna and the Divine had an unexpected twist when a small black and white ad from the Religious Studies department offering a lifetime journey to study Jainism, an ancient religion originated in South Asia, caught my attention. Call it miracle or destiny but in that moment I knew that this unforgettable trip would change my life completely.
According to Guy Trebay, The New York Times columnist and well-known traveler, India is a compelling and bewildering country that may guarantee misery for those first-timers and unprepared travelers. I was one of them. Unbearable heat, overwhelming traffic, and an ongoing horn-honking cacophony received me in Delhi after more than 24 hours of air and road traveling. “The Lonely Planet- India Edition” became my bible and travel guide. Although I am originally from South America and I have traveled around the world while embracing dissimilar cultures, I have to affirm that there is not a place in the world like this country where “Slumdog Millionaire” is the daily scene and the typical dancing Bollywood movie becomes a fairy tale.
While walking around the colorful busy markets surrounded by the deep and distinct smell of exotic spices, I saw naked children laying on the ground asking for money. I could not comprehend how I would ever be able to find spirituality around grief; where religion, like every other society, has become a business. Finally, I realized that there is not time for enlightenment when food is almost extinct; supernatural Goddess cannot protect you from bad karma or from a caste system that has transcended hundreds of years. According to the World Bank, India is one of world’s fourth recent growing largest economies; however, for more than 400 million of India’s people – or one-third of the world’s poor – still live in poverty. And, many of those who have recently escaped poverty (53 million people between 2005-10 alone) are still highly vulnerable to falling back. . Boundaries between social classes are throbbing and 33 percent of the population lives with $1.25 per day.
Despite the extreme cultural shock, life in the modern and hasty city of Delhi grew some hope inside my thirsty desire for peace. Meanwhile, surviving in this concrete jungle dominated by hungry males and where female light skin birds like me had everything to lose, I realized that India enchantment is dissimilar for everyone. I did not find what I was looking for, although, for sure, I found what I needed.
consuelo.naranjo@fiusm.com
Enlightening read; looking forward to the next article.