Letní škola v Indii / Summer School in India
Author: Tereza Braunsbergerová, Andrea Černá, Michaela Kotrbatá, Nela Riegerová
Published: 1 May 2021
Summer School in India
India – the second most populous country in the world. A land we had the privilege to visit thanks to the summer school programme – an experience we will never forget. Three blondes and one redhead set off to explore a different world. Not a single day of the six-week stay was ordinary. Before our departure, we had been warned from all sides about the various dangers of this country. We expected an unpleasant smell to knock us down the moment we stepped out of the airport. We feared frequent theft and harassment from men. Fortunately, we encountered none of these.
For the first time in our lives, we felt like Hollywood stars. Everywhere we went, we were literally surrounded by locals. They stared at us as if we were celestial beings. Many wished to talk to us, shake our hands, or at least take a selfie. Queues would often form just to take photos with us – queues it was nearly impossible to escape.
The first shock came with the local traffic. For us, used to pedestrian crossings and regulated transport, it was a tough nut to crack. Timing the right moment to step into a road teeming with cars, rickshaws, motorbikes, cows and dogs was at first beyond our abilities. When we saw the sheer number of cows, we couldn’t help but ask: “Where on earth did they all come from?” Cows – or more precisely bulls – are homeless due to modern technology and their decreasing use in agriculture. As a result, they are left to roam the streets.
If you wish to travel anywhere, equip yourself with a loud horn. In India, the volume of your honking determines not only who has right of way, but also serves to greet oncoming vehicles, announce your presence in bends, or scare cows off the road.
Three weeks in the city of Bhubaneswar taught us that giving someone an item without instructions is often pointless. The city was designed by a German architect, who introduced Western infrastructure – but the locals have interpreted it in their own unique way. You’ll find functioning traffic lights and zebra crossings, yet no one pays them any attention.
In Bhubaneswar, one of India’s poorest cities, a local man invited us to his home. After some initial hesitation, we accepted – and had no regrets. Wandering through narrow alleys, we encountered real poverty for the first time. We handed out sweets to children playing on rubbish heaps and looked around in disbelief. The world around us felt utterly surreal – something we could never have imagined.
We had the opportunity to witness funeral rites in Varanasi. Hindus view death quite differently. In their culture, death is not seen as something negative – on the contrary. Death is considered a step towards a better life through the attainment of samsara, or rebirth. Every Hindu dreams of being cremated in Varanasi and having their ashes scattered in the sacred River Ganges, which is believed to cleanse one of all sins and grant moksha – liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
Varanasi – A Sacred City of Fire and Water
Varanasi is a place where over 400 people are cremated every single day. Families transport their deceased loved ones here from afar, sometimes after several days, and many incur lifelong debts just to afford the funeral rites. All of this is done in honour of the sacred Ganges, where the deceased receive a final ritual bath before their ashes are scattered into the river. However, if the deceased is a pregnant woman, a holy man, a child under twelve, a person bitten by a snake, or someone afflicted with leprosy, the body is placed directly into the river without cremation. Sacred cows, too, are cast into the river. Varanasi is a place where Hinduism intersects with Islam and other faiths. Despite differences in belief, mutual tolerance prevails.
After Varanasi, our journey took us to Jaipur, known as the Pink City. The buildings were painted pink in the past to honour a visit from the British monarch. Jaipur was the perfect place to purchase traditional jewellery, garments, and local delicacies. The shops were located close to one another, each bearing a number for easier orientation during shopping. We then headed to Agra, the city that is home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World. From our perspective, the Taj Mahal truly lives up to its title. Our time in Agra left a lasting impression. After landing, we took a local bus from the airport to the city centre. As soon as we disembarked, we were surrounded by taxi drivers, each eager to be the one to drive us. The taxi driver we eventually chose stayed with us throughout our stay in Agra, becoming both driver and guide. One of us fell ill in Agra, and it was this very driver who took her to hospital, helped with all the paperwork, accompanied her to the doctor’s office, and even reminded her several times how to take the prescribed medication correctly. This kind Indian man also drove us from Agra to Delhi, from where we headed towards the cooler climes of the northern mountains.
We took a short flight from Delhi to northern India, specifically to the region of McLeod Ganj, which serves as a kind of suburb of Dharamshala. This area was unlike any other we had seen in the country. Suddenly, we found ourselves in an oasis of tranquillity, surrounded by the Himalayas, fluttering prayer flags, and smiling monks in red robes strolling peacefully through the streets. Since the early 1960s, this region has served as the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile and the official residence of the Dalai Lama. Thousands of Tibetan refugees followed him here, forming a large and vibrant community.
Though McLeod Ganj itself is relatively compact, it offered us a great deal. We enjoyed several hours of early morning yoga overlooking the Himalayas, which were veiled in mist but retained all their charm and mystique. After this daily ritual, we set off to explore the natural and cultural beauty of the region. We first visited waterfalls and tea plantations, and then focused on the local culture – primarily Tibetan, although we also discovered a small Christian church. One of our earliest visits was to a Tibetan children’s village, which functions as an educational community for underprivileged children and Tibetan refugees. The number of children continues to grow each year. The village provides not only education and Tibetan language instruction, but also teaches children traditional dances, customs, and self-sufficiency through activities like cooking and cleaning. To our surprise, we arrived just in time for a school performance, where children of various ages sang and danced in traditional dress.
We couldn’t leave without visiting the Tsuglagkhang temple complex, which includes the residence of the Dalai Lama himself. There, we witnessed animated debates among monks, filled with laughter and emphatic handclaps. We explored the local temple, viewed rescued Tibetan artefacts, and admired a gilded statue of the Buddha. The complex also houses a museum dedicated to the period following the Chinese annexation of Tibet up to the present day. Many Tibetans respond to the ongoing crisis through public acts of protest – in some tragic cases, self-immolation in public spaces.
After our brief taste of Tibet, we returned to Delhi – this time by bus. The journey took just under ten hours. It wasn’t particularly demanding, as we travelled overnight, and the time passed surprisingly quickly. So quickly, in fact, that we hadn’t even managed to book accommodation as planned. At 4:30 in the morning, we found ourselves standing beside a main road in Delhi, surrounded by taxi drivers eagerly awaiting the address we would give them. Fortunately, Delhi is a vast city full of hotels. In one of them, we found some friends from our summer school, and decided to join them.
We were welcomed in Delhi by one of the countless Hindu festivals – drums, processions, and painted cows pulling carts bearing statues of Hindu deities. But our first real destination was the Qutub Minar, the tallest minaret in India, partly constructed from the ruins of demolished Hindu temples. We also visited Humayun’s Tomb, which served as the inspiration for the construction of the Taj Mahal. The resemblance is striking, although this tomb is built from red sandstone, contains more burial chambers, and – to our delight – is visited by far fewer tourists. We couldn’t resist visiting the famous Red Fort either, although we must admit it left us rather underwhelmed. Compared to other forts we had visited, it was unfortunately a lesser experience.
As our journey progressed, we gradually became more confident travellers – even bargaining at the markets no longer posed the challenge it had at the beginning. It was often difficult to gauge fair prices. Indian vendors are not shy about inflating prices for tourists, sometimes even doubling them. In the end, you realise you’re only haggling over a few rupees. Still, the principle of being charged more simply because we were tourists didn’t sit well with us. On our final day, we were helped by local Indians who negotiated prices for us quickly and efficiently, with no need for endless back-and-forth. To round off the day, they invited us to an excellent restaurant where we could sample traditional Indian dishes – and a wealth of desserts. Let’s be honest: by that point, we were longing for European cuisine again. Indian food is incredibly spicy and heavily seasoned, which can become overwhelming after several weeks.
This journey left a profound mark on us. India is a breathtaking country where every single day offers something extraordinary. Its diversity knows no bounds, and one never ceases to be amazed. Despite the widespread poverty, we did not encounter a single situation that would have made our travels unpleasant. On the contrary – the people were unfailingly kind and willing to help us in every situation.
This experience was truly priceless. Not only did we have the opportunity to immerse ourselves in one of the world’s oldest cultures, but we were also reminded of the immense comfort in which we live, and the trivial concerns that often preoccupy us in contrast to the lives of many people in this country. The insights we gained are difficult to put into words – and we would not hesitate to embark on such a challenge again. India is a land that is culturally distinct, profoundly different – and that is what makes it so beautiful.
India, thank you – for the generosity we encountered, for the friendships forged, for the knowledge gained, and for the enrichment you brought to our lives.