Our time volunteering at the Sacred Heart Ashram was nothing short of inspired. The people we met and became close to during that week: the Montanans who we volunteered with, Fathers George and Johnny, Brother Maneesh and all of the amazing residents defined kindness, dedication and good humor. The Ashram provides 300 needy people a home in a communal arrangement. An institution of that size brings images of deprivation and sadness to mind, but the Sacred Heart Ashram was all together different. It was a bastion of positivity, energy and happiness.
The Ashram organizes the residents into separate areas: children, both orphaned and parented, live together in one area, the adults are segregated into men´s and women´s homes. All of these people living on the same grounds gave rise to an incredible support network where there were plenty of mothers, fathers, grandparents, sisters and brothers to go around. As we wandered the grounds, we watched people talking and laughing together, sharing what they had and giving as they could. Kids were passed from arm to arm. No one lacked a playmate or confidant. The young men visited the older men bringing them energy and vitality. The place was staggering. The residents seemed to live a life that was more complete than most of us. The Fathers run the place on a shoestring but have created the most warm, safe, nurturing environment I have happened upon.
The vitality of the place was most apparent in the final celebration night that we shared with them. About once a month a community member sponsors a dinner for the Ashram and to celebrate the Ashram throws a good old fashioned talent show. On our last night we had the opportunity to participate. Our Ashram friends dressed a few of us in Saris and formal dhotis.
Then we all, 300 of them and 12 of us, crowded into the men´s area for three hours of fabulous showmanship.The young women performed traditional Indian dances, a little girl sang a precious duet with Father George, Brother Maneesh performed a rollicking Malayalam song, and 16 year old Vinod performed the best, get-outta-your-seat-and-cheer Bollywood dance number I´ve ever seen. He was hip thrusting and struting his stuff right in front of the life size statues of the Virgin Mary and Mother Theresa, priceless. In one of the raucous numbers we looked over to see the septuagenarian nun next to us grooving in her habit. Around 10 pm the show wound up and the limp kiddos in laps shook off sleep to stuff their bellies. A bunch of us catapulted onto the stage to dance and laugh for another half hour until the smell of Chapati and chicken curry tugged us off the dance floor and into the food melee outside.
In the end as I look back over the trip I see the peaks and not the valleys, there were so many great moments. The Ashram, the amazing overnight boat ride with our Montana friends on the backwaters of Allepey, the kind hosting of our friend Jameer in Fort Cochin, the life affirming hiking at Honey Valley Estate in Madikeri are all happy memories.
Finally the crowning glory...surprisingly, the four days we spent in Mumbai. The city itself was a treat. We crushed into the trains with half of India, walked the wide sidewalks, appreciated the beautiful historic buildings, and lingered in the public spaces. But the reason we loved Mumbai so much was the people. We caught up with Canuche´s friend Rigzen from Ladakh and our dear friend Scot´s sister Lindsey and her fabulous circle of friends, and then there were all of the kind strangers who helped us navigate that big crowded city every day.
In the end the people of India won me over. I think my challenges in India were rooted in our cavalier approach to planning this leg of our trip. India wasn´t a country that I could simply wander through and enjoy, but it enveloped me once I tapped into the pulse of its people and pursued the beautiful mountains. Despite my earlier rants, I can imagine returning to India to volunteer, to explore her mountains, to eat more spicy food and chiefly to enjoy the lovely people.
In the end as I look back over the trip I see the peaks and not the valleys, there were so many great moments. The Ashram, the amazing overnight boat ride with our Montana friends on the backwaters of Allepey, the kind hosting of our friend Jameer in Fort Cochin, the life affirming hiking at Honey Valley Estate in Madikeri are all happy memories.
Finally the crowning glory...surprisingly, the four days we spent in Mumbai. The city itself was a treat. We crushed into the trains with half of India, walked the wide sidewalks, appreciated the beautiful historic buildings, and lingered in the public spaces. But the reason we loved Mumbai so much was the people. We caught up with Canuche´s friend Rigzen from Ladakh and our dear friend Scot´s sister Lindsey and her fabulous circle of friends, and then there were all of the kind strangers who helped us navigate that big crowded city every day.In the end the people of India won me over. I think my challenges in India were rooted in our cavalier approach to planning this leg of our trip. India wasn´t a country that I could simply wander through and enjoy, but it enveloped me once I tapped into the pulse of its people and pursued the beautiful mountains. Despite my earlier rants, I can imagine returning to India to volunteer, to explore her mountains, to eat more spicy food and chiefly to enjoy the lovely people.
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