Incredible India - Insight

"So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked." --Mark Twain

In the next few posts, i'll be going back in time to my 25 days in India.
The architectural journey my school embarked on began in the the south, travelling by rail and bus up north, stopping in nine cities out of seven states.
India is made up of 26 states in total, home to 1.1 billion people, divided by 14 official national languages (on top of multiple dialects), 7 major religions, and 6 main ethnic groups.
Its Caste system can be categorized into 5 main groups - the Priests, the Warriors, the Merchants, and the "Untouchables" (now called "Gods Children" thanks to Mahatma Gandhi).
With 5000 years of history and such diversity in a country, it is difficult to showcase with my limited pics & talent the spirit and reality of India. But spirit and reality India certainly has, an overwhelming, mind-blowing, conscience-stinging sense of it.
Concurring with those who've travelled to India before, one can never be physically-mentally-emotionally prepared enough for India: it is a world of contradictions....where logic takes a whole new dimension, and truth stares back at you much more vividly than you'd ever bargain for.
I've been physically-mentally-emotionally challenged by India...it has taken me on a roller-coaster ride where I was moved, exhilarated, puzzled, saddened, frustrated, amused, awed and provoked (in thought only). We were all spent, and ready to head home.
For now.
There's no doubt in my mind that i will head back there someday...not just to rediscover India, but through it to rediscover me.

Disclaimer

The contents of this blog are not meant to represent the blogger in her entirety; the blogger reserves the right to inform fully about herself in view that it may be of no relevance but a distraction. This blog is created for the sole purpose of allowing the blogger to express and share her personal views towards life in a macroscopic scale, and may touch on issues in relation to Mother Earth, Nature, Science, Humanities, Sociology, Philosophy, Art & Architecture, History, Politics, Religion and anything in between.
The use of, or inference from, newspaper or magazine articles, books, photographs, inspirational quotes, stories told, and observations made is done through personal interpretations and hence not liable for any copyright infringement.
The format of the blog is in the likes of a private journal or diary; it strives to be narrative, analytical, perceptive and objective, with no intentional interest in participation of existing political or religious games.
The blogger's ultimate goal is to play a tiny part of mankind's potential roles in the world, by bringing some light into issues close to the heart and providing a forum for those who care and wish to "pass it on".

Dear Visitors:

i've finally done it...my virgin blog.
Aint too impressed by the format n all, but who am i to say...will try to figure out how to tweak it. In time.

What finally made me set one up despite my distrust with the virtual world?
Sigh.
Cos i need a voice! I have so much to say, so much to share; with people i know, and people i dont. But i have a problem: my potential audience may not be ready at times...most of the time.
Still, my heart is bursting with stories to tell, messages to share, questions to ask, pleas to urge, issues to discuss...

So if u please, listen; if u can, think...and if u will, join in...

Letter to the Tenants

Dear sirs and madams,

we may all harbour different viewpoints and credibility towards what's happening in the world today. But one thing remains the same: we're all living on the same planet, n this is the only home we have. Pointing fingers, deciding who's superior n who's not, n thinking how irrelevant our existence is towards climate change is not going to change the fact that our home is being threatened. Pretty soon, we may start a civil war on mother earth.

We may not be scientists, environmentalists or political leaders, but we are the earth's tenants, each n everyone of us. So minuscule or insignificant our efforts of living more responsibly each day may seem, but it's the spirit that's important. The spirit of repaying the land we stand on, the spirit of passing down the same spirit onto the next generation, so that appreciation for what we have is strengthened, not eroded.

I will do what i can, so long as i'm living on this planet. I'm sure all of us will too. But lets do it sooner rather than later.

Sincerely,
ming