My time in India has ended. My next destination is Egypt. Since this is almost the halfway point in my six-month journey, I want to give myself a check-up. Mind While my ultimate purpose is to rethink and rewrite my course on Moral Responsibility, I have not wanted to confine myself to observations solely relevant …
Continue reading 35. Experiment in Mind, Spirit, and Body: A Check-Up
Do not read this blog if you are sensitive to off color language. Brought up with Midwestern reserved sensibilities, I certainly am self-conscious about the following language. I pay attention to where I place my feet. When I walk at Stone Mountain Park, I am aware of most rocks and tree roots. Since I have …
I noticed the same response of several hotel employees: “It is my duty.” In Kolkata’s Jameson Inn, I thanked the front desk clerk: “You all were very helpful in our checking in at 2AM.” His response: “It is my duty, sir.” When I thanked Vikram at the Ratan Villa for providing such a wonderful meal …
Continue reading 31. “It is My Duty” and “I Will Help You Get There”
Warning: Long Blog After several weeks of voting, on March 11th the election results in five Indian states for each state’s assembly have been released. Besides determining which individuals and parties hold power in each of these states, these results are a harbinger of the 2019 India-wide election for the Lok Sabha, the lower house …
Continue reading 29. Modi and India’s Election Results on March 11th
While in Kerala, my first rain in 70 days. 2. First overnight train ride where I didn’t share a 70-passenger coach with 69 others including crying babies and shouting 2AM boarders moving into the berth across from me. 3. First time I ordered a 100 rps chai and meal from “Meals on Wheels.” I drank …
Continue reading 28. My List of Ten Firsts for Kerala and Goa
“Lions, Tigers, Bears, Oh My” exclaims Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. If I change the list of animals, I exclaim the same thing in India. My brother and I have a very recessive "animal attraction" gene. I do not love animals. My brother and I never had a pet; I don’t think either of …
If a person asks an Indian “what do you think about your country?”, then at some point in the conversation the person mentions corruption. In my limited conversations and reading, I’ve heard or read about the following examples of abusing power. At Khajuraho’s Isabel Palace Hotel, a hotel employee tells me his experience of applying …
Continue reading 26. Stories about Abusing Power Indian Style
Darjeeling is the “Queen of the Hills.” It was one of the most famous of the British hill stations, places developed as respites from the hot climates. At 6700 feet, Darjeeling is still overshadowed by Mt Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest peak at 28,169 feet, which is a few miles north of Darjeeling. Like most …
Continue reading 25. Darjeeling’s Toy Train and Tea Plantations
The Ramakrishna Mission is a middle-aged Indian religious service organization. Over the years, it has impressively tried to put into practice the practical philosophy of Swami Vivekananda. Vivekananda wrote: “Do you love your fellow men? Where should you go to seek for God- are not all the poor, the miserable, the weak, gods? Why not …
Continue reading 24. Ramakrishna Mission: Notes and Observations
Thomas Merton, the great Roman Catholic poet, contemplative, and social critic, creates one frame for viewing Kolkata. This evocative paragraph about Kolkata comes from his 1967 Asian Journal. “Calcutta, smiling, fecal, detached, tired, inexhaustible, young-old, full of young people who seem old, is the unmasked city. It is the subculture of poverty and overpopulation.” He continues …
Continue reading 23. Framing Kolkata through Four Feminine Figures
Journeys: Explorations in Body, Mind, and Spirit 