25 July 2016 Amritsar. My glasses have steamed up, going from the air conditioned room to a table outside. Michael is bringing pranthas [they were yummy] . . . Back in the A.C., waiting a bit to go back to the Gold Temple. Saw it all lit up last night. Hundreds, thousands of people circumambulating at 10:00 p.m. on a Sunday night. Sat for a bit and two young men asked if they could talk to me. We chatted. They said their uncle lived in the U.S. but they didn’t know where. I said a lot of people from the Punjab lived near Sacramento. They said, that’s it, Sacrament. Small World. We are back in India, so to speak, where it is so hot, food runs right through me. Going back to the Temple and the memorial where British troops shot down hundreds of defenseless people. Then return to air conditioning. Last night, since they had beer available, I had a beer and “something fried,” namely pakoras (they were good) but that wasn’t such a good idea. J Running on empty . . . So, we went to the Gold Temple, waiting in line to go inside: worth it to see Guru Granth Sahib, that is, their holy text. Turns out all the singing and chanting over the loud speaker wasn’t taped, but was live, sung from inside the temple itself. We had some chai, sitting near where volunteers feed thousands of people for free, day and night. Thought about it compared to Loaves and Fishes (the homeless services project in Sacramento). One difference is that rich and poor alike eat there, in part because it is a holy site. There weren’t any class or caste distinctions. Everyone is directed to a place on the floor, covered with long mat runners. But the sound of metal plates clanging against each other was deafening. That and the metal chai/water bowls. Still, it was impressive. I like the idea of people eating together, without distinction of “serving the needy.” Comments are closed.
|
Author Rebecca Moore is Professor Emerita of Religious Studies at San Diego State University. She is currently Reviews Editor for Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions and Co-Director of The Jonestown Institute. Archives
December 2021
CategoriesContact:
[email protected] |