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Location: Bissingen an der Teck, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany

Laughing all the way...

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Eureka!


Dear anonymous commenter,


Your excellent questions have restored my faith and purpose in writing this blague! I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. If I had your mailing address I would be delighted to send you a token of my appreciation...do you like Indians?


You inquired;


“As for the tight jeans, isn't that a problem given the modest culture? Aren't you inviting problems and accentuating your western-ness in a negative way? I thought women were supposed to hide their bodies. Why is the store selling such things in a holy city?”


First, let me clarify that I didn't buy my trendy jeans in the holy city of Rishikesh...I bought them in the master-planned community of Chandigarh, a city that cannot be considered the least bit holy as it doesn't have a single holy cow.


Second, I assure you that I wouldn't consider wearing my jeans here in the kesh. I wear salwar suits (traditional Indian dress) about half the time and the other half I wear ankle length skirts, loose-fitting tops and shawls or scarves on my head.


That's why I don't have a pair of jeans here in India, and that's why I needed to buy some. 'Cause next week I'm headed to the uber-civilised E.U. and I'm unlikely to blend in if I'm dressed in my holy - or should I say holey - Indian garb.


Now let me just add that many tourists come to Rishikesh for a few days only and it is not uncommon for these people to wear tank tops and/or jeans. It all comes down to personal preference. I prefer to observe a modest dress code for several reasons: First, because I live here and dressing modestly shows respect for the local culture. Second, because the Indians in turn have more respect for me. And third, because I already get enough attention as it is - staring, questions, photo requests - and I have no desire whatsoever to exacerbate it by displaying more of my body.


You are right that wearing revealing western clothes invites problems, more so for a single woman. Every now and then I'll notice a western woman with her boobs pushed up as if she's part of the buffet table. Once, I stopped in front of a particularly offensive bowl of cleavage and asked the owner incredulously, "what are you thinking?" to which she responded with a blank look. Clearly they have no idea how their actions negatively affect the rest of us.


Of course, just six hours away in the capital city of Delhi, you might as well be in LA.


. . . . .


“Another question I had was about the "caste system." Is this based upon your income or status or how? Also, where do you fit in this scheme, and why?”


Volumes upon volumes have been written about the caste system, but I will only paraphrase from Swami Dharmananda's book the following (grossly simplified) summary;


The ancient sages of India recognized four natural castes, or four natural stages of human evolution: the Shudras (manual laborers), the Vaishyas (businessmen), the Kshatriyas (soldiers and rulers) and the Brahmins (the intellectual and spiritual). Originally, these distinctions were supposed to reflect the innate qualities and abilities of individual people, but at some point in history they became assigned solely on heredity alone, which Swamiji calls "a flaw that has to be removed."


Shudras represent the lowest level of human evolution and are concerned only with satisfying the basic, physical urges for food, shelter and procreation. They are generally satisfied with their lot, lead a routine life with no higher aspirations and accept whatever comes their way as fate or destiny.


Vaishyas are those people who are no longer satisfied with just the basic needs and now desire to enjoy life and its pleasures. "Their motivation is ownership, seeking enjoyment and cultivating the first seeds of wisdom."


Kshatriyas are those people who have discovered that "even after fully satisfying the pleasure sensations, one doesn't experience total satisfaction." They begin to question the purpose and meaning of life and their motivation is to seek power, either externally or internally.


Finally, Brahmins are those who seek only intellectual or spiritual growth. They discard all worldly ambitions, lead a simple life and don't crave for material wealth, sense pleasures, power or self-glorification. They make intellectual, spiritual or artistic growth the sole motivation of life and should be the teachers of society.


. . . . .


The caste system as it currently functions is difficult for many to comprehend or appreciate, probably because it is based on a philosophical abstraction and abstractions rarely reflect the reality of individual human beings. More simply put, most people do not fall neatly into one category alone. And from my personal experience, the system is usually just another opportunity for discrimination.


One's profession is the simplest and most straightforward way to learn someone's caste; for example, a chai walla (tea vendor) is a Shudra. I know this because some of my Brahmin friends were openly disgusted when I told them about my chai walla friend. They advised me that he was probably not an honest or good man because, well, he's just a chai walla. And it's pretty obvious that if someone is sweeping the streets or cleaning the toilets, they belong to the Shudra caste (Note: I've never actually seen anyone clean a toilet in India, but if I did, I would assume they were a Shudra).


All priests are Brahmins but not all Brahmins are priests (Venn Diagram, anyone!?). I know that Brahmins often wear a string diagonally across their chests. I'm sure there are a million ways to identify people by their caste and if I stay a few more years, I'll probably clue in on more of them.


Westerners do not technically belong to any caste, but because of our light skin and relative wealth we are definitely considered upper-class. We are treated with respect and often get special privileges (i.e. moving to the front of any queue, even at the emergency room) because we are foreign and "rich."


As confounded as we are by the Indians, they seem to be equally confounded by us. It's all part of the charm and madness, the love-hate relationship, the eternal failure to communicate.. I may be considered "upper-class," but I cook my own food, clean my own room and wash my own clothes (in a bucket), all things an upper-caste Indian would not likely do. So upper-caste is not the same as upper-class.


Last weekend I visited my friend Andrew, a Kiwi who lives in an English-style manor with a full-time cook and driver. For a few days it was as if we had stepped into an Edith Wharton novel, one of those turn of the century high-class British society dramas I delighted in as a teenager. I lived it up, sipping tea from a cup and saucer while lounging on the sofa under the air-conditioning, trying to decide where the driver should take us next and repeating "a dingo ate my baby" 27 times in my best British/Australian/New Zealand accent. But I digress..


The short answer is that the Indian caste system has two aspects; the beautiful philosophical theory and the current distorted implementation. As it manifests here today, the system is based on birth, is profoundly unjust, and does not apply to foreigners.


In the states we have racism, in Mexico we have class-ism and here we have caste-ism. Looks like everybody has to hate somebody.


. . . . .


“Thank you for sharing your life with us. It is fascinating reading and it takes me away from my "hamster wheel" existence.”


NO, thank you! Your questions give me respite from that dreadfully endless monologue in my head... I mean, do you really need to know details about every single disease I've had in the last year?



And about that hamster wheel…it’s been pointed out to me that my treatment of the subject was inadequate and possibly offensive. I fully intend to revisit the issue, as well as address a few other loose ends, before I officially go off the radar next week.


until then, this is LMA signing out,

HARI OM



Late update:


I’ve just noticed the following, beautifully complimentary explanation of the caste system posted as a comment and would like to reproduce it here:


“The caste system in its true form is recognition of one of the timeless and fundamental realities of life. We are all unique individuals with innumerable differences, yet we are all interconnected and equally important in the grand scheme of things.


There is great beauty in this. Each one of us has unique roles to play and contributions to make. One person may be a teacher, another a soldier, a politician, a factory worker, a spiritual renunciate, a cleaner, a business person. No one contribution is more or less important than another. The true caste system recognises this and gives people the honour and dignity they deserve. We all have a role to play and this role is supported, respected and valued.


Unfortunately, humans being as they are, the caste system has throughout time been abused and distorted into a thing of ugliness. Groups of people have used it to suppress and control other groups of people based solely on a claimed "birthright". (There's nothing new here, we also have racism, sexism...). This is plain and simply wrong.”


Well said! Thank you, A

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Love the dialogue folks this is better than sitting in the classroom..Thanks...

21:18  

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