After leaving the school we went to a coir factory. Here the fiber from the coconut is processed, turned into rope and then weaved into rugs. The rug weaving is done using only a hand loom. This requires great strength to work and is very strenuous work. The coir rope is very strong, long-lasting and also resistant to odors and bacteria. Almost every rug we saw in Kanyakumari District was made from coir. A small amount of nylon is incorporated into the rope but this is a new addition. The women cutting the stray fibers and the men working the looms all seemed incredibly proud of their work. They greeted us with large, warm smiles and were excited to show us their handicrafts.
The fiber is dyed to vibrant red, blue, purple, yellow and orange all using natural dyes. With the exception of the nylon, everything used at this factory is local and sustainable. The small amount of energy used comes from a generator on site. Also, nothing is wasted. Any scrap fiber cut off of the rubs is used to make scrubbers or cleaning supplies. Any stray branches are used to make brooms. If anything is left over that can’t be used to make a product, it goes into compost. In general, the community is very good at minimizing their waste; they reuse whatever they can and what remains is left for nature to reuse. The US on the other hand, we have forgotten a lot of that traditional wisdom. We are an incredibly wasteful society. And we love landfills.
Waste. It covers the streets of India. Everywhere one goes, there is an infestation of refuse. Strewn across the busy streets, it decomposes right there in plain view as animals of all sorts ingest it for their daily meals. Trash cans do exist and are politely labeled, “Please use me.” But even in the immediate vicinity, garbage litters the streets. It seems that the refuse bins are used only by tourists, but why? Why is there so much trash on the streets? Have the streets always looked this way or has the trash situation changed in recent years?
These were the questions that came to my mind as I traveled around
I asked Lakshmi, the teacher who showed us around, “Why do people just drop their trash on the ground? Why don’t they use the trash cans?” She replied that there has long been the mentality that what comes from nature goes back to nature.
Up until recent years, all of the refuse they produced was biodegradable. Thus, if they dropped in on the ground it would just serve as food for the animals and decomposers, who would break it down, returning its element to the natural cycle of life. They didn’t see the need for removing the waste from the community because in their minds it is not waste. It is simply material that will be used by another life form in their community. To them, the animals that feed on the waste, the flies and worms that decompose it, the forces that break it down, they are all part of the community and they are all involved in the cycle of life. Removing the waste and concentrating it in one area outside of town (i.e. at a landfill) disrupted the natural cycle of the community.
I can definitely see the logic behind this, especially as I study the challenges associated with landfills. Landfills contain such a vast amount of waste that it takes decades for it to decompose. There is so little oxygen available and few decomposers present that the decomposition process is very slow. It also leads to the production of methane gas and hazardous leachate (the fluid that comes out when water enters the landfill), two problems that must be dealt with to maintain the health of the environment. On the other hand, if the waste is distributed around the surface, there are plenty of decomposers present and oxygen is readily available so methane and leachate are no longer a problem. Yes, there may be the problem of rats which may carry vectors for disease, but I’ve seen more rats digging through the garbage bins of
The problems with the Indian system, as the teacher explained it, are related to overpopulation and the recent introduction of materials that the natural cycle has no mechanism for processing. The former problem creates a concentration of waste that is too great for the natural forces to decompose aerobically, so the putrid smell associated with anaerobic decomposition arises. This also leads to slower decomposition and the waste remains longer than it should.
The latter problem is another big one. Going back 15 or 20 years, plastics were virtually nonexistent in
Plastics are such a big problem because unlike the rest of the traditional refuse, plastics do not biodegrade. There is no mechanism in the natural cycle to deal with plastics and return the elements to nature because true plastics are entirely synthetic materials, not based on any material or molecule found in nature. Over hundreds or thousands of years the molecules do break down, but this a very slow and sometimes toxic process. Thus, the Indian mentality of just dumping waste and allow nature to take care of it is not a good way to deal with plastics. But the arrival of plastics is so new to
In light of these issues surround plastics, some regions of
India’s plastics dilemma.
My guess is that most of you aren’t very interested in waste management. It’s an important part of how our society functions, however, and I’m personally fascinated by it. So it’s good that I’m pursuing Civil and Environmental Engineering for my graduate studies.
So after the coil factory, we went to the location where the coconuts are processed to removed the fibers. This area was a wide, open space with several ponds. The ponds were filled with coconut husks (the part covering the shell), soaking up water to soften the fiber. Several men were working in the ponds, tossing the husks out once they were sufficiently soaked. It looked like a fun job. They get to sit in the water, swim around collecting husks and toss them between one another as they sing and hum their favorite tunes. It was really hot out, but I bet the water keeps the workers nice and cool.
Next we went to the beautiful Muttom Beach! The sand was a mix of wonderful colored grains! I sat staring at this magnificent metamorphic rock for several minutes (I’m such a rock nerd J ). I dragged my feet through the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and felt completely at peace.
There were clear reminders, however, of a time when this area was not the least bit peaceful. This region was hit hard by the 2004 tsunami. There were still visible foundations of building destroyed during the disaster. Our hosts showed us a video from the tsunami. It’s shot from Kanyakumari, but I’ll talk more about the video later.
Then we returned to the house for a tasty lunch of chutneys, stews and chipati (wheat tortilla) all served on a large banana leaf. Everything is eaten with the hands so there are basically no dishes to wash!
Next we were off to Kanyakumari, the land’s end, and one of the most beautiful places in the world. We drove to the end of the last road in India, literally the land’s end. The new took a ferry out to Vivekananda Rock. The beach along the ferry port was covered with colorful fishing boats and a group of young boys were busy playing cricket.
The rock is named after Swami Vivekanada , a man known for bringing yoga, vendanta and hinduism to the West and also revitalizing these practices in India. “He awakened and inspired great many souls that followed his precepts. His most famous statement was "Arise, Awake and stop not till the goal is achieved." Today many people of different nationalities, religions, races, colors, sects and creeds follow the teachings of Vedanta he introduced in late 19th and early 20th centuries and he is most popular among young adults. Present day youth and many aspiring souls seek inspiration from his teachings and messages even to date. While still alive, Swami Vivekananda proclaimed that though he would leave his body like discarding his clothes but would continue to work towards the upliftment of all humanity. After departing from his mortal coils, Swami Vivekananda is believed to have interacted with great souls to fulfill his work. He gave a new direction to religion by transcending ritual concepts of religions and promoted formless and nameless meditative practices like Raja Yoga and Spirituality. Swami Vivekananda is regarded as one of India's foremost nation-builders. His teachings influenced the thinking of other national and international leaders and philosophers, like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King”
“In 1888, Vivekananda left the monastery as a Parivrâjaka—the Hindu religious life of a wandering monk. These monks are without fixed abode, without ties, independent and strangers wherever they go. His sole possessions were a kamandalu (water pot), staff, and his two favorite books—Bhagavad Gita and The Imitation of Christ. Narendranath traveled the length and breadth of India for five years, visiting important centers of learning, acquainting himself with the diverse religious traditions and different patterns of social life. He developed sympathy for the suffering and poverty of the masses and resolved to uplift the nation. Living mainly on Bhiksha or alms, Narendranath traveled mostly on foot and railway tickets bought by his admirers whom he met during the travels. During these travels he gained acquaintance and stayed with scholars, Dewans, Rajas and people from all walks of life—Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Pariahs (low caste workers), and Government officials.”
He began his wandering in Varanasi, a holy city in Northern India. After years of wandering, he reached Kanyakumari on foot on Christmas Eve 1892. He meditated for three days on the last big of Indian rock and it is here that he had is greatest revelation. "At Cape Camorin sitting in Mother Kumari's temple, sitting on the last bit of Indian rock - I hit upon a plan: We are so many sanyasis wandering about, and teaching the people metaphysics-it is all madness. Did not our Gurudeva used to say, `An empty stomach is no good for religion?' We as a nation have lost our individuality and that is the cause of all mischief in India. We have to raise the masses.” After this he was motivated to uplift the poorest people of India and spread the wisdom of Vedanta to the west.
Two memorials stand on Vivekananda Rock, one for the swami and one for Mother Kumari. There is a great amount of mythology surrounding this area. It is believed “to be part of the land which was created by Parasurama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Banasura, the king of demons, propitiated Brahma (the creator). When Banasura asked for a boon of immortality, Brahma expressed his inability to grant such a boon, but gave him an option to choose his own manner of death. The asura wished that if at all he had to die, let his death be at the hands of a virgin. Brahma said ‘thathaastu’ (so it be). Armed with this boon, Banasura started harassing the Devas and torturing the saints and rishis, causing them endless misery. Unable to bear this agony, the Devas, rishis and saints appealed to Mother Earth who in turn sought the help of her consort, Lord Vishnu who is the protector of the universe. On the Lord’s command, the Devas propitiated Parasakthi who alone was capable of destroying Banasura. The Devas performed a yanga which was so powerful that the Goddess was much pleased. She promised to annihilate Banasura. As ordained, Parasakthi in her reincarnation came down to earth as a virgin known as Kumari.
But in whichever reincarnation she took, Parasakhti always tries to rejoin her husband Lord Shiva through marriage. So Kumari did penance so that she would try to marry Shiva and he was pleased and agreed to marry. The proper time before dawn was arranged for the marriage and it was insisted that the auspicious time should not be missed. Elaborate arrangements were made at Kumari’s place to celebrate the marriage. The Lord was staying in Suchindrum and his party started from there well in advance with pomp and pagaentry. Meanwhile, the marriage arranger Narada was prompeted by the Devas to do something to stop the marriage because once it was over, Kumari could not be a virgin and Banasura could not be killed.
Narada assumed the position of a rooster and waited at Vazhukkamparai. When the marriage party reached there, Narada crowed loudly. Shiva heard this and assumed that the auspicious hour for the marriage had passed. The wedding party decided to return to Suchindrum, greatly disappointed.
As the bridegroom’s party didn’t turn up, the disappointed bride vowed to remain a virgin. All he items collected for the marriage turned into sand and pebbles resembling rice. The multi-colored sand found abundantly on the sea shore at Kanyakumari is attributed to this inccident.
Banasura heard about the beauty of Kumari and wanted to marry her. She bluntly declined his proposal. The demon decided to win her by force. A fierce battle ensued and in the end the Goddess used her Chakrayuda and killed Banasura. All the Devas were watching this and were delighted and sang hymns in praise of Devi Kumari”
On Vivekananda Rock, there is a natural projection on the rock that resembles a human foot. It is said that this is where Kumari did penance for Lord Shiva and a mandapam has been erected surrounding it.
The Vivekenanda Mandapam is a beautiful building, and Indian architectural masterpiece. The stone is exquisitely carved and a large bronze statue of Swami Vivekanada stands tall inside. There is also a small mandapam adjacent to the large one where we went to meditate.
A large “Ohm” sign stands at the front of the room and the peaceful sound rings through the room. I sat for about ten minutes, peaceful with my own thoughts, until it was time to leave. The last ferry was departing and we had to return to the mainland. My reflections were mostly around sayings by Swami Vivekananda. I’d like to share a few of them with you. These quotes define my experience in India, which was a truly deep and spiritual journey.
“There is a common platform, a common ground of understanding, a common humanity, which must be the basis of our work. We ought to find out that complete and perfect human nature which is working only in parts, here and there. It has not been given to one man to have everything in perfection. You have a part to play; I, in my own humble way, another. As with individuals, so too with races. Each race has a part to play, each race has one side of human nature to develop. And we have to take all these together.”
“I have divided myself into God and me; I become the worshipped and I worship myself. Why not? God is I. Why not worship the self? The Universal God- he is also myself. It is all fun. There is no other purpose.” Vivekananda 2:471
God is the universe, immense, uncountable, untouchable, unknowable. It is not “one” god, it is everything, including me and you. It is the web of life and matter that connects everything for it is all apart of that same one. One universe. One world. One people. One love. Anyone who tries to say otherwise is a fool. Plain and simple. Any one that claims knows the truth, that their god is the one and only god, that their creation stories are the only valid ones (and they are just stories, not facts), that their path is the only path to god and that all other traditions are false, is incredibly misled about what god is. These are the reasons that I never say I believe in god, because saying that has the connotation that I believe in the Christian path, which I do not. I believe in something much bigger. I suppose it shall be called the forces of the universe.
The following is from the introduction to the Tirukkural, the Tamil holy scripture. “Fr. Beschi came to Tamil Nadu as a proselytizing missionary and he had the unshakable conviction that all pagans were destined to go to hell. After translating the Kural and steeping himself in the lofty and enobling sentiments of Tiruvalluvar, Fr. Beschi felt constrained to concede that the tongue of Tiruvaluvar, that sand these aphorisms, could not have gone to hell, even though, being a Pagan, he must have gone to hell.”
“We should never try to be guardians of mankind, or to stand on a pedestal as saints reforming sinners. Let us rather purify ourselves and the result must be that in doing so we shall help others.” –Vivekananda 8:20
“After every happiness comes misery. They may be far apart of near. The more advanced the soul, the more quickly does one follow the other. What we want is neither happiness nor misery. Both make us forget out true nature; both are chains- one iron, one gold. Behind both is the Atman, who knows neither happiness nor misery. These are states, and states must forever change; but the nature of the soul is bliss, peace, unchanging. We have not to get it, we have it, only wash away the dross and see it.
Stand upon the self, only then can one truly love the world. Take a very very high stand, knowing our universal nature, we must look with perfect calmness upon the panorama of the world.” Vivekananda 7:11
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