However, I did get invited to conduct in a sort of festival commemorating the life of a Chennai musician named Handel Mandelay who was vital to the Chennai musical scene for many years. In fact, his contributions were so substantial that he was awarded the title "Sri Padma" for his service to India. This is like getting a "medal of honor" it's a big deal. Musicians from all over Chennai gathered to form a large choir at an old church (St. Andrews) which is referred to as the "Kirk". It was indeed an honor to be allowed to conduct the choir in Mozart's "Ave Verum". I felt very warmly received.
The next, Randy took me out to meet his mentor Jayrosh and his wife Joyce. A remarkable man, Jayrosh is a Dalit (an untouchable) who has overcome his caste to achieve wonderful things. He himself was mentored as a child and given and education. He rose through the many layers of society and the academic world, served as head master for a school and retired after serving in the administration of the CSI (church of South India). In his seventies, he speaks with great passion and conviction and is an inspiring man to meet. Additionally, though they do not have children of their own, Jayrosh and Joyce have, in turn, taken in some twenty kids who have gone on to become doctors, teachers and businessmen and women. The believe in the value of education and are passing on the blessings given to them. Their last son is just finishing his MBA. What a treat to talk to them and visit them in their home!
My last stop in Chennai was at the Temple Mount; the site where St. Thomas was actually martyred. There is a small chapel there as well as a school and religious community. The top of the mount also offers an impressive view of the sprawling city of Chennai and slightly cooler temperatures! It was great to spend a few moments there to gain some orientation to the area.
My flight to Bangkok was supposed to take place that night. It did, but I was not on it. The story is quite long, but suffice it to say that because the first leg of my flight from Channai to Mumbai (Bombay) was delayed, I did not make the flight to Bangkok. The net result was that I ended up spending a day in Mumbai on the nickle of Jet Airways. I arrived at the hotel at 4am and fell asleep watching a channel on TV which was like local cable of sadu's (priests) in some temple making offering...live. When I awoke at noon, I was in a nice hotel and it was a warm, sunny day, so I decided to tour the city. Taking a cab around I visited various municipal sights, the Arabian Sea and the Mumbai home of Ghandi with its accompanying museum. I also visited an area which is an enormous outdoor laundry run entirely by Hindu men who wash the clothes for some of the twenty million residents of the gigantic city!
Still, undoubtedly the highlight of the day was to visit the temple of Ganesh. In the pantheon of Hindu gods, this one is my favorite. The elephant headed deity is the god of prosperity and good fortune and one of his tusks is broken off for him to use as a pen to write with. He was on the dashboard of the car I was in and the driver Kumal said he would take me to the temple.
As we approached, Kumal had me take off my shoes and socks. He dropped me at the corner and said, "walk down this street. No camera, just go in and return in 15 minutes". I stepped out on the hit concrete and padded my way down towards the temple. About half way down, a holy man dressed in orange with a long white beard and painted forehead approached me smiling and wrapped some brightly colored jute around my wrist. He tied it off, smiled at me and sent me on my way, without asking for anything. I felt happy about this and continued to the temple which had a very strict security system to protect it against terrorism.
I entered the temple complex and there were vendors selling various forms of offerings (poojah) with most of them selling moda (a type of sweet made from sugar and grains with some nuts and coloring added) or Jasmine flowers, the scent of which made the air heavy and wonderful. I then entered the temple proper and saw a large tabernacle with an alter and a small and elaborate Ganesh in the center. A crowd was around the altar and two sadu (priests) were taking the offerings and giving them to Ganesh and then returning them. Several rows up were a gallery of spectators watching the whole thing and TV cameras! This is what I was watching on TV last night! I was motioned by a young monitor in a uniform to approach. Not sure of what to do (I did not have any poojah). I made an offering and dropped it in the slot on the marble altar. The sadu approached and touched my forehead putting a bright orange spot in the center. He then motioned for me to put my forehead on the altar (which I did). When i came up, he smiled and wrapped a beautiful orange scarf around my neck, welcoming me and thanking me for coming! He then gave me some muda (candy) to eat. It was delicious, but I saved one.
I exited the temple area, smiling and feeling great. The young monitor came up to me and smiled. He said, "you are from America"? I said, "yes", and he said, "I need a job"...."a job?" I said. "Yes" he said, "help me get a job". Unsure of how to react to this, all I could do was smile and tell him I would pray for him. In spite of the job request (which was odd) I felt great. I smiled as I strolled down the street, blissfully oblivious to the many people asking me for money. Other people actually motioned the beggars off. It was as if they were saying "give this guy a break, he's been to the temple, let him enjoy it". And I did.
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