Friday, June 01, 2007

A Religious Experience

MAY 28, 2007 -- One night in Jaipur we attended evening services at a Hindu temple. It was about 6 p.m. when we arrived, and although the sun had not set, you could no longer see it. A front had blown in from the dessert and the sky was a hazy grayish-white. Dust and debris kicked up in the wind, making it hard to keep my eyes open at times. It felt like God was pointing a blow dryer on us. Families hung out around the temple, waiting for the service to begin. The entire temple and surrounding grounds were made of white marble; it looked like an ice castle.
Hinduism, which encompasses 330 million gods and goddesses, is a very tolerant and inclusive religion. Rather than condemning those of other faiths, Hindus embrace any human effort to know and connect with the divine. Our guide Amit pointed to two carvings on the temple's pillars: Madonna and Child, and Jesus Christ. It's all good, say the Hindus.
At 6:15 our group entered the temple with the rest of the worshippers. (No cameras allowed.) To my surprise, there were no pews or even floor pillows. It was a stark-white marble room from floor to ceiling. At the opposite end of the room was a heavy red velvet curtain. A horn blew and the congregation gathered at the curtain, which slowly parted, revealing gigantic gold statues of Vishnu and Lakshmi. At their feet were several yards of flowers and lit candles. A man began beating a drum and cymbals as another man faced the gods and offered up a glimmering plate of eternal flames, which he slowly circled over his head and then out in front of him.
The congregation sang along to a soundtrack that piped in from some loud speakers overhead. This continued for about five minutes, maybe longer. Then another man on the stage turned to the congregation and flicked holy water from a silver cup into the crowd. Amit later told us that this gesture symbolizes the congregation's receiving of the Hindu gods' energy. In case you're wondering what it feels like to receive energy from a Hindu god, it feels a lot like cool water hitting your tired, hot, grimy skin. It's pretty awesome.
The singing, drumming and flame-waving continued for a little longer and then it was all over. Our group retreated through the doors of the temple and meandered over to a corner of the common area outside. As we waited, a little girl in a yellow dress approached me. We made small talk, which sounded a lot like the transcript from an English 101 language lab exercise.
Girl: "Hello."
Me: "Hello. How are you?"
Girl: "I'm fine. Thank you. Are you Hindu?
Me: "No. I'm only visiting."
Girl looks confused.
Me: "I'm from the United States."
Girl: "Ohhh..." She looks at the man standing near me. "Husband?"
Me: "Oh, no."
Girl: "Father?"
Me: "No. I'm alone here. I don't have any family."
Girl suddenly looks concerned for me.
Me: "I mean, I do have family. In the United States. I have three sisters. Do you have brothers or sisters?"
Girl: "No. No brothers. No sisters. What's your name?"
Me: "Katie. Kathryn. What's your name?"
Girl: [Insert an Indian name that begins with a 'D' because that's all I heard.]
Me: "How old are you?"
Little D: "I'm fine. Thank you. And you?"
Me: "No. How old? Your age?"
Little D: "Oh! I am eleven. And you?"
Me: "I am 36."
Little D looks me over, unabashedly assessing my 36-year-old face and frame. She then looks at my camera. "Photo?"
Me: "You want me to take your picture?"
Little D wobbles her head yes.
I take her photo and then show her the image on the LCD. My friend, Joy, offers to take a photo of Little D and me. We pose for the camera together and Joy takes our picture. By now, we've attracted attention. A group of teenage boys cruises over to check out what's going on. They don't really say anything to me; they just giggle and rib each other and stare at me and the other Westerners in our group. Finally, one of them - the speaker for the group - asks me, "Where from?"
Me: "The United States." (Side note: I always want to follow that with "I think Bush is an idiot." But somehow I think that this crowd doesn't really care about politics.)
The Speaker: "You Hindu?"
Me: "No."
Everyone is looking at me, anticipating something. My mind races over ideas of how I could entertain this impromptu audience. "Want to take some pictures?" The boys smile and nod. They huddle together and I crouch low and begin snapping away as they pose and joke and give me their studliest boy band album cover stances. Joy asks me if I'd like to get in one of the photos. I hand her my camera, stand in the middle of the boys and pull Little D next to me. I love this shot.
"It's beautiful! Look at all your faces! You all look so great!" I tell them. The boys take turns looking at the image on my camera. They're smiling, laughing. We're having a blast.
The Speaker: "What's your name?"
Me: "Katie. Is everyone here from Jaipur?"
They all wobble yes.
Amit suddenly appears, trying to pluck me from the crowd. He says it's time to go. I tell the kids I have to leave. I bow my head and say Namaste. They do the same. I turn to Little D who has been quietly by my side, watching me this whole time. I give her a big hug and we exchange: "It was nice to meet you." I want to stay longer with her, but my group has gone away. I have to catch up. As I'm running through the crowd to find my group, I hear a boy calling behind me, "Miss! Miss!" I turn around. It is The Speaker. His face is one big smile.
"Thank you, Miss, for showing us such a good time." The Speaker sticks out his hand for a firm shake. The perfect gentleman.
"Of course, of course," I tell him. "Thank YOU."
We part and I leave the temple feeling recharged, hopeful -- and ever mindful of God's grace.

No comments:

Post a Comment