Chennai, INDIA - Have you ever just sort of floated face down in a pool - suspended ... silently? Your arms and legs float away effortlessly and you try to pinpoint the actual feeling of weightlessness?
That's what I was doing for a bit Sunday afternoon in a pool just outside of Madurai. For 300 rupees you can spend the day lounging and drinking Kingfisher at the 5-star, Gateway Hotel.
Relaxation, I have found is hard to find in an Indian city. The constant honking and movement of people, pollution and mud, dogs barking, babies crying, beggars and junk dealers - trains, buses, crows and cows, stomach cramps, sweat, heat, sweat. A nice pool in the sun atop a mighty hill overlooking the countryside was a good attempt at finding relaxation.
While face down in the pool, between breaths and in the middle of a tranquil moment my mind replayed the events at the Pandi Kovil (a possession temple) that I visited a few hours before ascending (or descending) into the gates of the Gateway Hotel. Pandi Kovil (rural Madurai area) is where many years ago locals accidently dug up a Buddha statue. They converted it into Pandi - gave it a mustache and a snarling mouth. It is believed to possess women enabling them to speak out against abusive and traumatic situations at home.
I'm still not sure what to think about all of this. And ...
There was that photo of this guy (a Dalit priest? I don't know. I don't ask enough questions these days) who was holding a dead chicken and staring at me as I was leaving the temple site. His glare quickly changed into a smile and I asked if I could take his photo. Here's the result:
So the guy doesn't have a head ... neither does the chicken. I'm sure there's a good scientific explanation to that.
I particularly enjoyed the women cooking pongal. It was a ghostly experience watching them group together around a small fire and cooking pots. The grey smoke wrapping around them between me and the black rock temple walls.
Ahhh. Enough thinking. Another day is almost here. Check out the video by clicking here.
namaste
