Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Sue, Wednesday
When we first came to Benares in 1992, Col and I were both heartbroken when we came face to
face with the pollution load of domestic sewage going into River Ganga. This morning we went
out with Gopalji on the water sampling trip downstream along the 7km stretch of religious bathing
ghats. The Swatcha Ganga Research Lab has been monitoring river health since 1992. As the
population of Benares increases, so does the pollution load going into the river. The worst
moment was to see the pipes dumping thousands of litres of raw sewage right in the main
religious bathing ghat – RP Ghat (see photos).
At this moment I was reminded of what it was like on the Northern Beaches for Sydney during
the 1980’s. Raw sewage flowed straight onto the beaches and they were putrid. A massive
community campaign resulted in the building of a deep ocean outfall – with the promise that this
was the first step.
The impact of the deep ocean outfall was immediate. One day we were swimming in sewage.
The next day the water was crystal sparkling clean. It changed overnight. It was remarkable. So
I tell our friends at SMF this story to remind us all that once the sewage interceptor and AIWPS
sewage treatment system is constructed, we can expect the same overnight miracle. Ganga will
flow blue and sparkling again. We need to remind ourselves of that when we feel that we are
drowning in sh-t.
I am also reminded that the promised “this is the first” has not eventuated and 20 years later the
deep ocean outfall remains. How is it that a rich city like Sydney can settle for this? Out of sight
is out of mind.
More on the AIWPS to come.
Sueji 16 March 2009
face with the pollution load of domestic sewage going into River Ganga. This morning we went
out with Gopalji on the water sampling trip downstream along the 7km stretch of religious bathing
ghats. The Swatcha Ganga Research Lab has been monitoring river health since 1992. As the
population of Benares increases, so does the pollution load going into the river. The worst
moment was to see the pipes dumping thousands of litres of raw sewage right in the main
religious bathing ghat – RP Ghat (see photos).
At this moment I was reminded of what it was like on the Northern Beaches for Sydney during
the 1980’s. Raw sewage flowed straight onto the beaches and they were putrid. A massive
community campaign resulted in the building of a deep ocean outfall – with the promise that this
was the first step.
The impact of the deep ocean outfall was immediate. One day we were swimming in sewage.
The next day the water was crystal sparkling clean. It changed overnight. It was remarkable. So
I tell our friends at SMF this story to remind us all that once the sewage interceptor and AIWPS
sewage treatment system is constructed, we can expect the same overnight miracle. Ganga will
flow blue and sparkling again. We need to remind ourselves of that when we feel that we are
drowning in sh-t.
I am also reminded that the promised “this is the first” has not eventuated and 20 years later the
deep ocean outfall remains. How is it that a rich city like Sydney can settle for this? Out of sight
is out of mind.
More on the AIWPS to come.
Sueji 16 March 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Jodi
Mornings start early with the sound of bells ringing and clanging, greeting and awakening mother
Ganga for the day. After a week I am used to this enough that I can hear it but still sleep. I wake
up as the light starts to appear and watch as the dawn turns to day. Ever so slowly pinks turn to
oranges and reds as the sun rises over the river. The colours are intense in the thick air pollution
and it takes some time for the sun to eventually poke through it and hit the river. This conflict of
deep beauty and huge pollution/devastation is present in every aspect of India… Already people
are heading down to the river to take their morning holy dip, their voices and prayers carry up
and in my window. For me the morning is a time a reflection and quiet contemplation. Thinking,
writing, listening to music, being still. Hopefully the power comes on in time to heat the water for a
shower (usually there isnt enough pressure for a shower so a morning wash is usually a bucket
of water with a jug), generally it does.
We head over to one of the other buildings at 8am for breakfast which is lovingly prepared by
Umeshji as are all of our meals - unless we decide to give him time off (or that we cant eat
another curry!!) and eat out. After breakfast it is usually time to catch up on some of my work
back in Oz. The work day doesn’t start until late here so it works well to get other stuff done in
the morning. It has been amazing this trip to have wireless internet. My morning of work is filled
with skype calls and emails. Funny being so far away in such a different world but still instantly
connected to home. There was a time when a postcard was how you stayed in touch and
usually you would make it back home before it arrived!
Around 11am Mahantji has come down so we will go and sit with him to talk and plan the future of
the SMF. This will get us to lunch time.
After lunch we will have some time to rest, the combination of early starts, lateish nights and
constantly breathing the air pollution and dust here is exhausting. For each of us this is
something different. Reading, sleeping, sitting and watching the river, doing more work. Angie
heads of for her dance lesson at 3pm and comes back exhausted. Some days the afternoon
means a trip out. Down to Assi for fresh lemon soda, out to Mishraji’s house for a visit, a walk
down the street or to the post office. Yesterday it was to the tailor to drop of some clothes to be
made and today the plan is to head to Godolia to do some shopping. Hopefully this will mean a
boat trip down the river then walking through the busy markets, shopping and bargaining our way
through the many requests to come and see my emporium or my silk shop…. Eventually we will
find ourselves on a cycle rickshaw back to Tulsi Ghat (home).
Late afternoon and into the evening….. Some more time with Mahantji, dinner, talking with RK and
Pandeyji…. There are a few music events on this week which is a nice way to end the day. The
lawn outside our room is transformed into a concert space filled with hundreds of plastic chairs
and people. Some nights will include a trip to temple with Mahantji before eventually making it
back to bed and falling asleep awaiting the chiming of bells to indicate a new day is beginning…..
Power has come on time to check if the water is hot!!
Jodi
Ganga for the day. After a week I am used to this enough that I can hear it but still sleep. I wake
up as the light starts to appear and watch as the dawn turns to day. Ever so slowly pinks turn to
oranges and reds as the sun rises over the river. The colours are intense in the thick air pollution
and it takes some time for the sun to eventually poke through it and hit the river. This conflict of
deep beauty and huge pollution/devastation is present in every aspect of India… Already people
are heading down to the river to take their morning holy dip, their voices and prayers carry up
and in my window. For me the morning is a time a reflection and quiet contemplation. Thinking,
writing, listening to music, being still. Hopefully the power comes on in time to heat the water for a
shower (usually there isnt enough pressure for a shower so a morning wash is usually a bucket
of water with a jug), generally it does.
We head over to one of the other buildings at 8am for breakfast which is lovingly prepared by
Umeshji as are all of our meals - unless we decide to give him time off (or that we cant eat
another curry!!) and eat out. After breakfast it is usually time to catch up on some of my work
back in Oz. The work day doesn’t start until late here so it works well to get other stuff done in
the morning. It has been amazing this trip to have wireless internet. My morning of work is filled
with skype calls and emails. Funny being so far away in such a different world but still instantly
connected to home. There was a time when a postcard was how you stayed in touch and
usually you would make it back home before it arrived!
Around 11am Mahantji has come down so we will go and sit with him to talk and plan the future of
the SMF. This will get us to lunch time.
After lunch we will have some time to rest, the combination of early starts, lateish nights and
constantly breathing the air pollution and dust here is exhausting. For each of us this is
something different. Reading, sleeping, sitting and watching the river, doing more work. Angie
heads of for her dance lesson at 3pm and comes back exhausted. Some days the afternoon
means a trip out. Down to Assi for fresh lemon soda, out to Mishraji’s house for a visit, a walk
down the street or to the post office. Yesterday it was to the tailor to drop of some clothes to be
made and today the plan is to head to Godolia to do some shopping. Hopefully this will mean a
boat trip down the river then walking through the busy markets, shopping and bargaining our way
through the many requests to come and see my emporium or my silk shop…. Eventually we will
find ourselves on a cycle rickshaw back to Tulsi Ghat (home).
Late afternoon and into the evening….. Some more time with Mahantji, dinner, talking with RK and
Pandeyji…. There are a few music events on this week which is a nice way to end the day. The
lawn outside our room is transformed into a concert space filled with hundreds of plastic chairs
and people. Some nights will include a trip to temple with Mahantji before eventually making it
back to bed and falling asleep awaiting the chiming of bells to indicate a new day is beginning…..
Power has come on time to check if the water is hot!!
Jodi
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Benares - 12 Mar 09
Benares Blog - 12 Mar 09
Day 3 in Benares and I am starting to feel like my feet are back on the ground again – the
spacey exhaustion of jetlag starting to fade. It is spring here and the ancient bunyan tree at Tulsi
Ghat is bursting into life. After coming here for 17 years there is a natural sense of home and
familiarity, underpinned by the evident changes - everyone is one year older. The first noticeable
difference is that a whole new ghat has been constructed south of Assi Ghat (previously the
most southerly ghat). A clear indicator of rapidly expanding urban sprawl.
I begin writing to you from an internet café at Assi - sitting on the roof of the café sipping on a
mocha surrounded by the gentle chat of western seekers. Angela discovered the café during her
8 month stay last year.
It has been nearly 18 months since we were last in Benares for the 25th Anniversary
celebrations in November 2008. Since then the world has changed and so the focus of our early
conversations with Mahantji have been on these changes.
What has happened with the Clean Ganga Campaign?
What is happening in the wider world?
What does this mean for the work of the Sankat Mochan Foundation (SMF)?
Our days start to settle into their own rhythm. Arising early with the dawn for quiet time with the
River (Darshan). Dawn in Benares has a beauty that needs to be seen to be believed.
We gather at 8am for breakfast and a morning check-in then head down to the office to check-in
with Australia.
Our morning meeting with Mahantji begins at 11am – after he has completed his morning puja (3
hours of spiritual practices and meditations including a holy dip in Gangaji). Dr VB Mishra, or
Mahantji as he is affectionately known, is Founder and President of the Sankat Mochan
Foundation. He is also retired professor of hydrological engineering, Mahant (head) of the Sankat
Mochan Temple and keeper of the tradition of Tulsidasji (one of the most important spiritual
traditions in northern India).
We dive into rambling dialogue - freely ranging between deep matters of the heart, the potential
benefits of the carbon capture technology of AIWPS (the sewage treatment technology the
SMF have campaigned for since 1997 and are now charged with implementing in Benares by the
Government of India) and the searching for answers to the deeper questions we ask about the
future needs and directions for Swatcha Ganga Abhiyan (Clean Ganga Campaign).
Around 2pm we adjourn for lunch and a little free time before we once again meet with Mahantji
for a further 3 hour session late in the afternoon - by the end of which our bodies are feeling like it
is 1.30am and time to rest. Once we get past this jetlag, we will also take evening trips to Temple.
Yesterday I ran through a brief Pulse of the Planet presentation with Mahantji – briefly updating
him on the state of the planet – climate change, peak oil, peak food, water crisis, global financial
crisis. Like many others, he was deeply shocked by the information and we talked at length
about the process of moving from overwhelm to passionate action. We also talked about our
need to understand what all of this meant for our work for Gangaji.
This dialogue dug fertile ground for creative thinking and for the next 2 hours we bounced off
each other and new strategies started to emerge … potential for a youth leadership program like
Youth LEAD; the importance of facilitating inclusive and diverse participation; making Tulsi Ghat
climate friendly; and the ever present big question – how can the SMF grow to carry this huge
new responsibility of implementing the design and construction of AIWPS (Advanced Integrated
Wastewater Ponding System) for sewage treatment and resource reclamation.
Yesterday was the Festival of Holi. For the morning up until midday young boys roamed the
streets raging attacks with coloured water accompanied by much laughter and squealing. Most
of us kept a low profile – except for Angela who took on the local children in a very wet and
colourful charge (see photos). In the evening many came to share their greetings with powdered
colour. It was a beautiful scene as a full moon shone bright on Gangaji.
So for now we will continue our evening dialogue. I will have to get back to you about AIWPS,
Darshan, Puja and Tulsidasji.
Namaste,
Sueji
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