ganga

rishikesh, india

were the river not considered sacred, it would still be a sight to behold. the ganga, or, as we're led to believe it is called in the west, the ganges, makes its first appearance in the limelight in this beautiful hill station six hours north of delhi. and it is beautiful. i have been told that during other times the water is transparently blue, but it presently looks like the world's widest, smoothest coffee-flavored milkshake is winding its way between the humble, fertile foothills of the himalaya. when seen with the morning or early evening mist as it shrouds the distant banks, it is easy to understand why so many come here.

because of its positioning between the himalaya and the plains of northern india, rishikesh has been a prominent site of pilgrimmage for many hindus. believing that a dip in its holy waters can cure or cleanse a person of all past sins, the banks are lined with several ghats dedicated to various deities. while this sacred bathing can be done anywhere along its thousands of kilometers, methinks the pilgrims wise for doing so here. downstream, the sacred meets the industrializing and the ganga becomes one of the world's most polluted rivers. its closest approximation to freshwater might be in and above rishikesh, so the metaphorical flow from vishnu's feet will soon meet the ingrown toenails belonging to yours truly.

strange bedfellows
it has almost become a rite of passage for former soldiers in the israeli army to come to india, specifically the north. for one, india is affordable. for another, the quiet mountains and abundance of mild euphorics offer a welcome contrast to what must be years of taxing service. it is not uncommon to see hotels with hebrew welcome signs and to find israeli dishes on many menus. it is also not uncommon to see swastikas. actually, they're everywhere. the symbol itself dates back thousands of years and is seen as a symbol of good luck in hinduism. it adorns temples, paintings, front doors, and often is painted onto foreheads. one could never expect a culture to change its iconography for its misuse in distant lands, but i can't help seeing black-and-white, reel images of marching german soldiers each time i see one. pretty sure i know how the israelis feel, but still they come.

salty beef
the sight of free-roaming cows is not new. they were everywhere in west africa, though they were being tended to, so seeing them in the streets has not been a shock. what i did notice the other day was that many of these cows have gray hairs. as in, they are old. while we like to pump 'em full of 'roids and get them on our value meals tout de suite, the cow enjoys a sacred status here and gets to live without seeing the knife. i have seen more than one receive chapati from a local, but they tend to subsist as scavengers of human trash from what i have seen. still, the gray hairs have got me thinking. i don't really want to see this, but i find myself curious as to what happens when a cow dies of old age. are they euthanized before that time? are there special civic squads to provide it a decent burial? i am especially curious because i've noticed that the piles of sacred fecal matter don't seem to disappear too quickly and am pretty sure that a thousand pound rotting bovine would smell far worse (and be worse to step in, of course).

sample conversation involving myself and street/train food vendor
me: hello, what is that?
them: [unintelligible]
me: hmmmm.....what's in it?
them: [unintelligible]
me: okay.......how much does it cost?
them: [heavily accented] ten rupees
me: that sounds good, i'll take one