from khicheri to kali

kolkata--> munger--> kolkata

even as i was taking the taxi from jamalpur station to ganga darshan ashram, i couldn't stop smiling this giant crazy smile. as i was serving breakfast the next day, swami taponiddhi kneeled down and whispered, "so you've come home". and it really was a feeling of homecoming, with so many brothers and sisters. new connections, old connections... all within a zone of peace and beauty. of course it can still get my goat like nothing else ("what do you mean i have to shift rooms less than 24 hours after arrival? and i have to mop the floor? how dirty do you think i made it in less than a day? o nevermind...") but that's part of it too. love. o so brief! one week at ganga darshan is not nearly enough. just enough time to remember how much i love that place, and then to be whisked back to the filth! not that i mind the filth so much, but after sitting on the lotus it's hard to dive back into the mud.

and now a day in kolkata spent doing errands and being very materialistic (most of the things i bought were necessary...). i even ended up in a big shopping mall while looking for sun hats (not possible) and got really freaked out trying to imagine who's buying a rolex in india. i had hoped to go to dakshineshwar mandir (made famous by the great saint ramakrishna) , but not enough time and stamina. at least i had time for a short visit to sri aurobindo's birth place, which is special as well. i really do enjoy this city in all of its grime and clamour... i love the goats grazing on the maidan, i love the crows, the cats... even the hoardes of ambassador taxis belching out diesel fumes. and it has been home to so many great souls! both sri aurobindo and ramakrishna, as mentioned, and also the poet tagore, mother teresa... i feel that there's a hidden grace here.

goodbye india, once again. i will be back soon.