The Real Stuff

Now lets finally get to the real stuff.

Originally when the British colonizers came to India, they thirsted insatiably for wood and teak – for shipbuilding, housing construction, etc. Among the reasons for colonization like spices or cotton or indigo, wood is much lesser known one (this was surprising to me)! So they established the Forest Department to regulate the forest industry so they could ransack the forests of the indigenous people for commercial use. In 1960, the Indian government took over the Forest Department after Independence. In 1860, about half of India was forestland. Now after the global demand for resources and India’s “development”, only 9.8% of India is called forestland, out of which 60% is cultivated land and not the jungles we think of when we think of “forest”. But farmers who have been cultivating agriculture for generations now have to pay the forest department in illegal taxes to use that land because it is wrongly labeled forest land when it is actually agricultural land.

So let’s talk about the conference. The conference at Banjaar was on addressing land displacement.  The conference brought together activists from all over India engaged in land displacement struggles in various parts of the country. Some were middle /upper class people who joined the cause, others were individuals whose entire lives had been personally affected by displacement or the threat of displacement. We met a scholar astute in energy policy who vehemently opposes India’s investment in nuclear energy. I talked with an activist/doctor from South India, another from the Sonbhadra area where I am going now and will elaborate more. Many worked against nuclear plants, coal companies, thermal plants, cement corporations encroaching on their land etc.

For some very basic background info:

The entire legalization of property was a concept alien to tribal communities. Though they relatively designated that Aashna’s land ends here and your land starts there, the idea of someone owning a piece of land through legal documentation wasn’t fathomed, because honestly how can a human “own” a piece of the natural world? The conference talked about the Commons, where communities whose livelihoods revolve around natural resources and forests for shelter and food have this space available for all. The transition of land from Commons to commoditized property by privatization disempowers a huge majority of the rural community. In the name of development, the government uses the ancient Land Acquisition Act, passed during British rule, based in imminent domain to usurp tribal land and hand it over to private companies. The people who have inhabited the land for generations and depend upon it for their livelihoods don’t receive adequate compensation or proper rehabilitation. There has been some effort to address this cause through the Forest Rights Act. However, there are still numerous problems at the core of the crisis hasn’t been addressed nor is the implementation adequate.

The introduction to the conference written by the Programme for Social Action based in Delhi stated, “The Forest Rights Act passed in 2006, though came late, is part of this process of recognition. Communities across India have been resisting against “land grab”, private control over Commons, and forest peoples are relentlessly fighting for the implementation of FRA. While the thirst of capital for minerals and fossil-fuels magnifies, so does the resistance to protect these vast tracts of land that are under forest cover and inhabited traditionally by adivasis and other forest dwellers dependent largely on forest produce”.

Interestingly, fisherman call for regulation of the fishing industry, those who use forest resources want to regulate jungle traffic. Why? Because overfishing and overgrazing –

any depletion of the resource that is fundamental to their own existence only hurts them, and they obviously know this. Certain tribal knowledge, wisdom of the natural world that has been accumulated and perfected for centuries, is deemed useless by the capitalist profit maximization by the modern world. Whereas the Brits were able to extract every last ounce of a resource of a coastal community and then move on, surpassing villages, districts, even nations, the locals didn’t have that luxury. The same situation occurs now –globalization is not a recent phenomenon… international corporatism is the second wave of Western colonialism.

Now for something interesting:

An thought-provoking story about tigers demonstrates the need to pay attention to local, native knowledge. Forest officials want to create distinct tiger sanctuaries, forcing humans to move outside of tiger areas to their own colonies. However, there is a deep sense of coexistence and symbiosis between the two. Those who are willing to listen to what the indigenous community says will understand that without humans, the tiger will starve to death. Why? Tigers have a horrendous sense of direction. They can’t locate watering holes by themselves, so instead they follow human footsteps. The tiger will follow a shepherd and his sheep to the watering hole, keeping a safe distance behind them. Why isn’t the shepherd shit scared? A freakin Shere Khan whose hungry and thirsty is lurking in the shadows. Because the man knows that the tiger will not attack him. If he was in a field, then he and his sheep might be in mortal danger. But the tiger’s survival depends on his human comrade so he won’t charge. The friend who told me this warned me not to romanticize the tale. Yeah its kinda beautiful, but he’s right. It’s a simple, obvious fact of life that those in power don’t give a damn about.

Anyways, I’m writing this as fast as I can! We are on our way to the train station for an overnight train to Sonbhadra! They’re yelling! Gotta go…

Pics of the First Leg

Banjaar

White People

Buddhist Temple (DL)

Mcleodgang

Hike in Banjaar

Himachal

Dharamsala and DL

We were planning on visiting Dharamsala and Mcleodganj (Where DL and many Tibetan exiles lives) after the conference on the 27-28 since a couple months ago. Unexpectedly luck followed us there, and we discovered DL was giving a rare, twice a year teaching on the same days that we were in India, in Himachal, and in Dharamsala! Coincidence? Doubtful. Its more likely that the Dalai Lama and I share a special, unbreakable connection…

As we were driving through the narrow streets of Mcleodganj we noticed a long line of white people. They were a special kind – the spiritual seekers with dredlocks and flowing Indian tops adorned with a “free Tibet” pin. I immediately realized it was the registration line for the DL teaching on Dependent Origination hosted by Winter Lotus, an organization of Vietnamese monks. After my mother and I did some instrumental “ghoos-ing” (skipping line), we stood next to a fascinating couple from New Zealand who had been traveling through India for 8 months! They were very eager to talk about our experiences in India and our opinions on its rapid economic changes yet fundamental social institutions that remain the same. We asked them about Srinagar, Kashmir and Darjiling, places we had never gotten the chance to see. The couple were inquisitive about India’s messy democracy and the Baba Ramdev/Anna Hazare movements, and we shared perspectives and questions. It was fun! Mcleodganj, though in India, looked like an international town.

After waiting for an hour, we got our IDs. We walked on the streets and then visited the DL temple. While many Hindus offer prepared food, milk, coconuts – all kinds of elaborate dishes to the idol of god, the Buddhists simply put packages of cookies in front of Buddha and a photograph of DL – stacks of Oreos, Parle G, Chips Ahoy – nonperishables! We then ate some Tibetan food, did ordinary touristy stuff, etc.

The next day was the teaching. Crowded with Spanish, Chinese, French, British, American, and Indian people, the entire temple was filled with an eclectic international mix of curious students. We found a spot so that we could see DL in the midst of Vietnamese monks wrapped in their traditional red garb. There is a lot to be said about the Buddhist religion – a culture that allowed the monks to sit happily next to laymen, even laywomen! For many other religions this gender equality would be unheard of. Moreover, the Vietnamese monks, for whom the lecture was meant for, smiled and invited me to take their positions on floor so I could see DL. I talked to one, who was studying Buddhist philosophy at Delhi University. Quick anecdote, a freaky Tibetan nationalist (who probably wishes the DL was more forceful on Tibetan liberation from China) with a blonde afro (Don’t try it Jalen) and yellow sunglasses pushed the DL as he was leaving the podium after his lecture probably to embarrass him. The bad guy was shoved by the security guards and landed at my feet! It was ridiculous. Probably the only minute DL stopped smiling.

Anyways, Buddhism is a phenomenal philosophy, and it is astounding that Gautam Buddha was able to articulate the human condition with accuracy, insight, and empathy thousands of years ago.

Speaking of Buddhist philosophy, let me share some of the basics of Buddhist tenets that DL taught. If you are already familiar with Buddhism, you can skip the next couple of paragraphs, but the lecture ‘s content was so timely –it resonated with the purpose of my trip and really moved me. I saw and heard DL in ATL four years ago, but he lectured on Free Tibet. So I was lucky to listen to him discuss the intellectual core of his religion.

All religions aim to alleviate suffering and enable its practitioners to achieve peace of mind by emphasizing compassion, love, and hope. “Hope is a song in a weary throat”, right? DL upheld that the main purpose of religions is not to debate each other in facts, but to engender happiness to humanity.

In Buddhism, humans must achieve self-lessness, in the sense of detaching from “I” as an individual and letting go of our physical and mental quirks, must haves, etc.  Understanding that there is no self and overcoming the ego through developing knowledge means we can let go of our self-existing identity, which is incompatible with reality. As Buddha said, the master of self is yourself. Suffering is not God created but a manifestation of the mind, so taming the mind is the way to conquer it. Therefore we outgrow our existence for us, not for the benefit of a Creator or higher being. Buddhists don’t believe in an atma, a soul that feels pain and pleasure, because pain and pleasure don’t come from permanent or created causes. Buddha says we suffer because of ignorance. That word isn’t the perfect translation of the Sanskrit, because the enemy is not stupidity but an unwillingness to be aware of truth. Dependent Origination, understanding the natural flow of causes and results, is how we eliminate suffering by eliminating our fixation on intrinsic existence.

My dad has always passionately agreed with his namesake (holla to Ms. Fishman?) so Buddhist tenets have been dropped once in a while in my upbringing.

Mahayana Buddhism specifically emphasizes others. Here is the Prayer to Generate Bodhichitta:

With the wish to free all beings I shall always go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, until I reach full enlightenment. Enthused by wisdom and compassion, today in the Buddha’s presence, I generate the mind of full awakening for the benefit of all sentient beings. As long as space remain, as long a sentient beings remain, until then, may I too remain and dispel the miseries of the world… to be a Buddha to benefit all.

And the Trip Begins...

Hey everybody! First off, I must apologize for posting five days late. But hold on! I have a legitimate excuse – today is the first day since we landed in Delhi on the 23^th of June that I have been able to spend an hour writing at the activist group Delhi Forum office with wifi. Our trip has been so jam-packed and finding internet connection is not so easy. So a little disclaimer, for the next two weeks I will be in smaller villages and most likely won’t have frequent internet connection. Anyways…

The fourteen hour flight from Newark to Delhi finally ended (I watched Rachel Getting Married, excellent movie, and read and slept). After spending a night in Delhi, we flew to Chandigarh (about an hour in flight from Delhi) the next morning to drive to Banjaar in Himachal Pradesh for the conference.

Chandigarh serves as the capital for both the states of Panjab and Haryana. The entire expansive area of Panjab that existed prior to 1947 was divided between Pakistan and India during Partition, and then further divided into three distinct states in India. A driver was to take us from the airport in Chandigarh to the conference in Banjaar, a smaller town eight hours away surrounded by forests, waterfalls, and countless species of animals in the state of Himachal Pradesh.

 After the conference, my family and I wanted to experience Dharamsala area, the Buddhist temple in Mcleodganj, and of course the Dalai Lama’s teachings which all can be found in the state of Himachal. Though the driver who picked us up (who, of course we had never met before) was only going to drop us off at Banjaar and then return to Chandigarh, we discussed him staying at the conference and then taking us to Dharamsala for a few days. In a no hassle – anything is possible fashion unique to only India, we stopped by the driver’s house right on the border of Panjab for an hour while he gathered his things and straightened his affairs. He invited us in for chai and cookies and we met his brother in law and small talked for a few minutes. The generosity that flows intuitively and naturally from ordinary individuals is omnipresent here but always seems to astound me.  

Though originally we were told the ride to the conference in Banjaar would be 4 hours, it turned out the narrow, bumpy roads that never ceased twisting and coiling extended the journey by another 4 hours. The car hugged the edge of the cliff. A small accident and we would have plunged into the rocks and stream below! We were traveling along a deep and narrow valley, along a mountain range that forms the second layer of the Himalayas. I have never seen more pure water in the stream below nor more handsome people on the side of the roads. We finally arrived at Sairopa National Park, a beautiful area left un-destroyed by tourists and commercialism. The next day we hiked up a makeshift path usually frequented by locals to a breathtaking waterfall two kilometers from the street. Easy? No! The rocks were all pretty much on top of each other, and we huffed and puffed up the tiny path… running on a treadmill for exercise seemed so absurd to me at that point. For energy we plucked some tangy orange apricots from a tree halfway to the falls. The climb was painful—Miley Cyrus has no idea what she’s talking about. But it was so worth it! The waterfall and the rocks below were gorgeous, and not a single human being was in sight besides the three of us and the guide.  The water came from the melted snow atop the Himlayas, so you can imagine how bitterly numbing it was. My parents impulsively plunged into the cold water fully in their clothes, splashing and begging me to join them. I felt like a grandma sitting on the rocks yelling the water was too freezing, so I reluctantly bathed in the icy Himalayan falls too. It must have been a sight, the three of us crazy fools shivering and yelling in the water. It was great!

I will write about the conference in a day or two, after talking about it with a few friends. But remind me if I forget! Because that is the crux of the trip so far… I just haven’t had the time to sit down and think and then write about it!

Hi all! I am leaving for India tomorrow and anticipating the 6 week long journey with a lot of excitement and a little bit of nervousness. I thought I would blog some of my experiences, thoughts, or moments I would like to share with friends and family as a way of updating others about my trip but also forcing myself to write about it. To give you all a brief itinerary of my first week, my family and I will be flying in to Delhi. The next few days we are going to a conference in Banjaar (close to Shimla) to listen to grassroots activists discuss development projects in Himachal Pradesh and their adverse effects on the livelihoods of many. For those of you who didn’t take a class in Indian geography, Himachal Pradesh is actually quite close to the Chinese border. (See map below)

Then, we are touring the beautiful state, and I will be sure to post pictures. The Dalai Lama is going to be teaching in Dharamsala the same days we are visiting the city and I am sooo excited to see him! I nearly had a heart attack when I found out he will be some feet away from me. He is my idol.

Anyways, then, after being Delhites for a few days, the trip really begins. We may go to Uttar Pradesh, maybe to Bihar, maybe to Gujarat… the rest is up in the air! I don’t know how we are actually going… by plane or train or car (or motorcycle?), but we have a few contacts in the area and hope that the background research, activist friends, and circumstance all come together to create an awesome trip. UP and Bihar are areas as foreign to me as to many of you all… I have never been to these areas nor speak the language. At least Che and Alberto knew the continent they traveled intimately. But I guess that is the fun of it!

I aim to write a little something every other day, and hope you all find at least a few thoughts interesting. I wish you all great summers!