Holy Ganges

This past week was perhaps one of my favorite in India thus far. I went with four other girls from my program to Varanasi to spend the week interning (really just observing) at an NGO called Kiran Center. Kiran Center is a village for the education and rehabilitation of differently abled children that was founded in 1990 by a Swiss nun (think Mother Teresa who also rides a moped, so cool). It was the happiest place I've been in India. Since we've mostly been learning about and seeing all the flaws in the Indian healthcare system it was so refreshing to be in a loving, positive environment with kids for a week! I'm seriously considering going back someday to volunteer...

Varanasi was also wild. It is one of the holiest Hindu cities in India and sits literally right on the banks of the Ganges. We stayed in a lovely guest house and woke up every morning to the sun rising over the river -- is this real life?

Man who helps prepare Hindus for morning prayer (powder on foreheads, hair cut, etc)

Toothless woman selling flowers!

Front gate at Kiran Village

The beautiful campus

Kiran provides education, physical therapy, vocational training, and outreach to surrounding villages. I could really go on for a long time about how wonderful this place is, but I'll refrain. If you're interested, check out their website: http://kiranvillage.org/joomla15/ or ask me about it when I get home and I'll tell you more!

Man making orthotics 

Adorable girl on one of many yellow Kiran buses

Everyday at 3 pm we would ride the buses with the children back into Varanasi -- so fun!

 

The last morning we woke up at 5:30 am for a sunrise boat ride on the Ganges...

Sunrise, sunrise

All along the river are steps, called ghats, where people bathe and perform morning/evening prayers 

No boat ride is complete without men in a boat trying to sell you a DVD of the river you're on...

I apologize if these next two photos are a little too much information for some people, but I find it pretty interesting...Since the Ganges is so holy to Hindus, many will come to Varanasi to die, and then will be cremated on its banks. The ashes are then pushed into the river (hence, no swimming for me). There are six special cases (pregnant women, children, Sadus, Monks, lepers, and cobra bite victims) that are not cremated but instead have rocks tied to them and are sunk in the river. Apparently the rocks don't always stay attached, because we saw a floating body on the boat ride...As with everything else in India, privacy is a lost concept, so cremations happen in the open for anyone to watch. The body is wrapped in cloth and then arranged among piles of wood before being burned. 

The main burning ghat (cremation ghat)

Just to the right of the man standing with the stick is a cremation in process, and in front of the two men with their arms around each other is a pile of ashes. In the background you can see all the wood piled up

While it may not seem sanitary to us to bathe in the Ganges, it is part of daily life for many Hindus and they believe it will cleanse them of all sins.

Now I'm back home, sitting on the living room bed watching 'P.S I Love You' on the new flat screen tv with the family. The sharp contrasts in India never cease to amaze me! Also, India won the cricket world cup! I still have no idea how that sport is played, but gooo India!! 

Sending extra special thoughts home today and truly appreciating the gift of life. 

namaste,

katie