Sarnath/The Ramayana

That was a paraphrasing of my entire thought process, but I do want to get onto other topics! Okay, what’s next on my list? That’s right, Sarnath! This should be pretty short:

This past weekend, we took a field trip with our religion teacher to Sarnath, the place where the Buddha gave his first sermon. It was boiling, and I was glad I happened to have my umbrella to use for a little bit of shade. Most of the buildings that were once there (mostly monasteries and stupas) had been torn down by a ruler of Varanasi who wanted building materials for a mansion, including the grand one built by Emperor Ashoka. There was still one large stupa that had been overlooked and bore the marks of several centuries of decoration. While it was originally just brick, the stupa now has layers of incised and decorated stone on top of the brick. On the way back to the bus, our teacher bought us some crackers as a snack. I ended up being the one voted to hold everything, and as we were walking down the street, several hungry-looking children followed us and asked me for food over and over. I didn’t know what to do and felt horrible and helpless. I know that giving money to children really does not help them, but food? We had so much extra, and I’m sure no one would have minded giving the biscuits away. But still, giving food to one person can be dangerous, as there are so many who have so little and they may swamp you. I have no solution or any well-fleshed ideas, but I do know that it is awful. India can be beautiful and majestic, but there is also a part that people do not want to talk about, and coming face to face with that reality is a shock, to say the least.

Okay, topic three. The Ramayana. The Ramayana is an Indian epic that tells the tales of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, as he travels the world and fights demons with his brother, Lakshmana, and his wife, Sita. Last night outside of our program house there was a performance of one of the scenes from the Ramayana, where Rama strings, shoots, and breaks a bow that no one else had even been able to lift, and wins Sita’s hand in marriage.

The actors were all men, and dressed in fancy-looking costumes. There were some small thrusts, but mainly they were in the field within a fence strung together that morning with bamboo and rope. People crowded around outside the fence and inside the fence as well. It was not the sort of performance that we have in the states, with a seated audience and a formal stage. There were children throwing flowers at one another and playing tag through the middle of the scene, and a man stood by each of the speaking actors, reading the lines to them before they projected out to the audience. This seemed to be the norm, however, and no one was fazed. There were people there with lighted toys and masks and ice cream and snacks, and I bought a “feast bar” that ended up being pretty good. It was certainly not what I had expected, and I did enjoy being part of the crowd.