Hi everyone, we have finally arranged our next move. We are due to leave this evening on the 23.55 train to Chennai arriving there at 14.20 11 th Nov, we then take the train at 19.45 to arrive at Trivandrum at 11.20 on Friday the 12th. A very long journey indeed but the most economical one by far. So today our mission is to colllect as much edible food as we can find to take on board, generally this amounts to only crisps and fruit! We have booked economy sleeper which means no a/c and no bed roll. As it was so very cold on the last train we decided that would be the best 'class' to travel.
Well did I tell you the beauty of Varenesi, it is a city of very old buildings all extremely close together, reminding me of Victorian London, creating a mass of narrow alleys through which cows, motorbikes, pushbikes, goats, dogs and literally hundreds of people all sieve through avoiding, where possible, the caramel coloured pats spewing from previously sealed wads, the pungent exhaust fumes and the touching of the many beggars.
The 'burning ceremony' continues relentlessly twenty four hours a day with bodies being paraded through the streets held high by the family, only the males of course as the women are considered too emotional to attend. These bodies, wrapped in many layers of varying coloured cloths with tinsel and flowers topping the package, are laid upon makeshift wooden stretchers to take the weight of the body, which at times is carried several miles terminating the journey at the burning gat. The deceased person has normally passed that day however if the family were more spread out (normally only the more wealthy) then a vehicle is used, the body laid on the top and the family collected en route, this sometimes requires the body to be laid on ice for up to two days prior to the burning. Once arrived at the said gat the stretcher is laid on the ground, a fire of wood is carefully prepared by 'a boy' , the rich use sandalwood but the masses any old wood. The men then go to the barber where their heads are shaved leaving only a tiny ponytail on the crown in memory of their lost one. They then return to the corpse, lift and hold in the river, this river being of course The Ganges, a holy river and considered to be so very precious. This dunking is the second element, there are five as follows: earth, water, air, fire and sky. The sky under which they burn is representative of heaven and eternity a spiritual conception. The corpse is then placed back on the soil where the flowers, tinsel and many covers are removed leaving only the cream coloured shroud that encloses the raw body. These wraps are now no longer required therefore, naturally they are thrown in the river (where else would you place them!) The stretcher carrying their loved one is then placed on top of the carefully prepared fire, the men withdraw and collect on the nearest wall or space where they squat and observe the fire. A boy regularly attends ensuring any limbs that slip are placed back on the flames. There is no crying or wailing. The bullocks also attend these ceremonies finding the discarded flowers particularly yummy. The family spend the next fifteen days at their home fasting and in mourning. There is a particular ghoulish attraction to watching this ceremony,naturally photographs are not allowed out of respect for the dead, unless of course you pay a 'guide' then respect goes out of the window. When the fire has died down the ashes are collected in a sieve and placed in the Ganges where the boy allows water to flow through until they are no more. The gold exposed by this process is of course retained. Incidentally not everybody is dealt with in this fashion. There are some who are considered to be too pure for burning and they are wrapped, a rock tied to a foot, taken by boat to the centre of the river and thrown overboard. These consist of children under ten, pregnant women, Sados (holy men) and cows!
So I hope I have begun to paint a true picture of this city. I can't help thinking if it were lifted from here, cleaned and placed in England it would be considered so special.
There are numerous opportunities to make a fortune here. They are just not geared up for westerners. There are many rooftop restaurants, in fact they are nearly all on the roof as that is they way they live. They have no real kitchen or bathroom, instead they wash themselves and their clothes at the same time on the roof using the nearby hosepipe water supply. All the females of the household are present and all the children, a child matures at about 12 years and are then expected to work . They play an equal part in the running of the household and if Father has a shop or stall they are often selling goods from there. Few attend school as they have no money to pay for education.
It is difficult and very time consuming to put photos on this blog but I have many capturing the atmosphere of life in India.
Well I think it will be several days before I am able to blog again so until I reach the south (Kerala) take care.
Love you xxx
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