by simonetta | Jan 1, 2021 | India
The first time Afrika and I went to Varanasi I chose a room north of Assi Ghat. It took three days to find it, trudging around under the hot sun because I refused to stay in a touristy guest house. Nothing new, it was my modus operandi: get a temporary room until I found the perfect one, especially when I wanted to settle down for a couple of weeks. Since real estate searches provided an opportunity to become acquainted with the surroundings, by the time I found it I already knew a few shortcuts, local beggars and shopkeepers, and felt at home.
by simonetta | Nov 15, 2020 | India
I went to Madurai because of its patron goddess, Meenakshi, a fierce, unmarried, meat-eating warrior considered to be a manifestation of Shiva’s wife Parvati. Her name meant ‘fish eyed’, probably due to a pair of large and brilliant eyes which never closed, giving her the power to watch over her devotees without interruption.
According to Tamil lore, her story started with a complicated ritual performed by the king of Madurai, her father, in the hope it would help his wife bear him a son. Instead, he got a girl with three breasts, though the Brahmins predicted that one would fall off as soon as she met the man of her life.
by simonetta | Sep 15, 2020 | India
I was on a bus in the Orissa backlands, so far away from the one small town mentioned in my map that I had no exact notion of my geographical position. On my lap was Afrika, the small intrepid dog who followed me around the world protecting our bags. Her paws were on the windowsill, and she was looking at the scenery with some interest, her head darting to and fro to follow this or that detail.
As far as I knew, the road went through and in between the various parts of a large Wildlife Sanctuary,
by simonetta | May 15, 2020 | India
It was evening time, and I was tired from walking through the main shopping district in search of someone who could fix my Walkman. To make matters worse, I was carrying a heavy load: my small dog Afrika safely tucked away in the bag. Six kilos, not a feather.
Shops were overcrowded, sidewalks nonexistent, and the traffic was disorderly and intense, with bullock carts, bicycles, scooters, cars, and trucks all mangled together honking their own hand-powered horn.
by simonetta | Mar 15, 2020 | India
It was a hot morning, and I was sitting with my small dog Afrika by an open-air chai station in the Calcutta Maidan. We had arrived ten days before, but five were spent in the room due to some contaminated food I ate on my first lunch. Everything still baffled us – people’s clothing, face markings and jewelry, shops and touts, wandering cows and their excrement, holy trees and ancient shrines, political and Bollywood posters, plus the beggars of course, pestering me every inch of the way.
by simonetta | Jan 15, 2020 | India
My first journey to India started in 1992, arriving to Calcutta by plane from Bangkok. I had been warned that Calcutta was one of the dirtiest and hardest cities to visit, but I liked catching bulls by the horns and landed on the evening of a hot November day.
In the airport, the line of foreigners in front of the passport control table just didn’t seem to move. I was tired, and I knew that my small dog Afrika needed to pee. I waited, and waited, then edged my way in.
Recent Comments