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Bombay, India \u2014 26 June 1975
\nThe real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes. \u2014Marcel Proust<\/p>\n
We arrived in India at 7:00 AM. On final approach, I pointed out to Charles the hundreds of shacks, surrounding the airport. Endless clothes lines strung across roof tops to dry laundry.
\n\u201cWelcome to Bombay, gateway to India,\u201d the flight attendant announced.
\nWe pulled our belongings from the overhead bin, and waited for the cabin doors to open.
\nExiting the plane with us was a beautifully dressed Indian woman, in a sari which appeared to have gold threads woven into it. \u201cBe careful in the terminal,\u201d she said in a thick British accent. \u201cThere are bands of thieves who steal valuables. Keep your suitcases close to you at all times.\u201d
\n\u201cIn the airport?\u201d I questioned.
\n\u201cYes, It’s terrible. Crime in India is out of control. The government needs to do something about it.\u201d \u201cOh, thank you,\u201d I said, \u201cwe’ll be careful.\u201d<\/p>\n
With only ten minutes to catch our scheduled flight to Madras, we stopped at the airline desk to ask them to hold the plane for us.
\n\u201cWhat is your final destination?\u201d the airline clerk asked.
\n\u201cColombo, Sri Lanka,\u201d Charles answered.
\n\u201cI’m sorry,\u201d the airline clerk said. \u201cIt’s not possible. You’ll need to collect your baggage and pass through customs.\u201d
\n\u201cCustoms?\u201d I asked. \u201cWe’ll never make the flight.\u201d
\n\u201cI can book you on the next available flight to Madras in two days time, and on to Colombo,\u201d she said.
\nWe wondered aloud how to contact our friends in Trincomalee. No clue how to let them know.
\n\u201cSurrender to fate,\u201d I said.
\n\u201cNot much we can do,\u201d Charles said. \u201cBook us on the next available flight out.\u201d
\n\u201cSince the delays are Air India’s fault, we will book you into a luxury hotel and pay your expenses,\u201d the clerk informed us.
\n\u201cWhere will we be staying?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cThe Taj Mahal Palace Hotel,\u201d she answered.
\n\u201cThe Taj Mahal?\u201d I asked. \u201cFabulous!\u201d
\n\u201cIt is,\u201d she said. \u201cIt’s been renovated and is beautiful. It’s Bombay’s first harbor landmark and the first licensed bar in the city.\u201d
\n\u201cSounds great.\u201d Charles smiled.
\n\u201cIt’s legendary,\u201d she said. \u201cAsk the hotel staff to tell you about its history. The ballroom has a gorgeous view of the Gateway to India.\u201d
\n\u201cExciting,\u201d I said. \u201cThanks!\u201d I turned to Charles. \u201cTime to see the sights of Bombay.\u201d
\nCharles nodded.
\n\u201cBut for now, all I want is a shower and a comfortable bed,\u201d I announced.<\/p>\n
With our tickets re-booked, we followed the crowd into the baggage area.
\nAfter two frustrating hours, we found our luggage and proceeded through customs.
\nWe lugged our heavy suitcases along a long corridor in the direction of the exit. Charles walked ahead of me, trying to locate a bank so he could change money. Seeing none, he suggested I stay with the luggage while he explored.<\/p>\n
I pushed our suitcases close together and stood waiting for him to return.
\nDisembarking passengers thinned out. All at once, the terminal seemed eerily empty.
\nOut of a side corridor, three young Indian men appeared, moving toward me.
\nI quickly straddled the suitcases and sat, legs dangling across them.
\nApproaching, they asked if I wanted help moving them.
\n\u201cNo, thank you!\u201d I said, firmly. \u201cI’m waiting on my husband.\u201d
\n\u201cWe help you,\u201d one young man said, reaching for a suitcase.
\n\u201cNo,\u201d I shouted, looking around the terminal for help.<\/p>\n
I noticed a sea of orange robes heading my way. A group of young women chanting and dancing in brightly colored orange saris.
\n\u201cHare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama,\u201d their chant grew louder and their dancing got wilder as they neared.
\nThe three young men backed away and disappeared into a dark passage.
\nWhen the dancers reached me, they smiled.
\nOne introduced herself as a devotee of Krishna, and offered to sell me a booklet to benefit the starving children of India. Others continued to chant and sway.
\n\u201cWhere are you from?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cNew York,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd you?\u201d
\n\u201cI’m from LA. Why are you in India?
\n\u201cWe’re here to sell our books and spread the word about Krishna Consciousness, and build a temple to honor our Swami, Srila \u2026 \u201d
\n\u201cThere are thousands of starving children in New York,\u201d I said.
\n\u201cWe worship the Hindu god Krishna as the one Supreme God,\u201d another young woman chimed in, ignoring my comment.
\n\u201cSo you’re missionaries?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cWe’re evangelists. We believe in reincarnation …\u201d one follower wanted to explain their beliefs, but another interrupted, while others continued to chant.
\n\u201cI believe in reincarnation,\u201d I said. \u201cBut I don’t think I need to sell it to others.\u201d
\nThey kept chanting and dancing around me.
\n\u201cHow many times do you have to chant this?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cSixteen,\u201d a young woman answered.
\nI shook my head in disbelief. Where the hell is Charles?
\n\u201cWe’re vegetarians, and abstain from worldly pleasures,\u201d the young woman said.
\n\u201cDoes chanting help?\u201d I asked. I must have looked confused.
\nAnother young devotee explained they practiced being celibate.
\n\u201cNo drugs or alcohol,\u201d another chimed in. \u201cThe temple will be our heaven on earth when it is completed.\u201d
\nThey tried again to sell me the book.
\n\u201cNo. But thanks,\u201d I said, my eyes searching the corridor for Charles and grateful for the diversion which drove off apparent predators. What was taking him so long?
\nWhen the Krishna believers realized I had no intention to purchase a book, they moved on.<\/p>\n
I looked again for Charles and sighed, relieved to see him coming back. His smile told me he had found a place to exchange money.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bombay, India \u2014 26 June 1975 The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes. \u2014Marcel Proust We arrived in India at 7:00 AM. On final approach, I pointed out to Charles the hundreds of shacks, surrounding the airport. Endless clothes lines strung across roof tops to dry … <\/p>\n