Tagged: india
Two Days in Hell
Bollywood Fades
Reflections on Existence, Whatever That Is
I am unaware if this is how it starts, but if my memory serves me right, I’ll begin.
People intertwine with us, as humans, they become part of who we are. Friends and lovers. We choose things together and i agreed to tour a Bombay slum.
These loved ones, with whom i travelled take the train, then are briefed as we walk across that bridge into the darkest despair. Almost a symbol for the depression.
The bridge.
That woman with the child, screeching in her burka for rupees, almost harmonizing with his cry.
In and out of holes really. Inhabited holes for whatever reason. Holes you wouldn’t want to spend ten minutes in, let alone a lifetime. An existence without space, without air, without choice.
Slaves.
Faces you want to love and care for, like lovers or like friends, but the best you can do is just smile then walk away;
or cry.
Eyes i still see when reflecting my existence, whatever that is.
My Thoughts as an Earthquake Survivor
Waking up to find the earths surface had split and devastated again. To wake and read the news about Nepal, in horror from my comfortable bed in my comfortable loft with blue sky and spring stillness. Two people reported dead, only knowing this would rise and rise and rise with such violent geology. Like the tsunami toll rose on boxing day, from the screen in my guest house in Amritsar.
The sick and sinking feeling as the horror unfolds. As an earthquake survivor i can feel my heart in my mouth, hear the screams, feel the panic and see the rock falling as if it was yesterday, only now in Nepal, still in the middle of a disaster. I am feeling it with them, the pain and chaos.
The majesty of mountains always comes with danger. My journey into Sikkim almost three years ago was short lived due to the seismic shift as soon as we crossed the border. Rocks falling, cars falling into rivers and absolutely nowhere to go. Stuck between crashing, tumbling peaks and a one thousand meter drop into the river. Thankfully we escaped (hello to the Indian Army) and a driver called Danny, but the horror will always be with me.The horrors they face now, as the loss of life moves towards 2,000 people. One hundred and eleven died in Sikkim.
Why do these huge disasters happen in countries that have such poor infrastructure, where the majority of the people live well below the poverty line.
Thank goodness for International aid, and charity and human kindness. In a world of decreasing community, as we zone out to flat screens, many people watching other people’s lives instead of living their own. Donate if you can.
I am praying for the suffering to subside, as the sun will have left for another day. I hope people have food, have shelter and know that people are on their way. I have room in my house for at least fifty people who need shelter. I have enough lentils to make enough Dal Bhat and loads of tea. If only passports and a private jet were more attainable.
