Happy Pongal!

Our last full day before traveling was spent celebrating Pongal (which means "overflowing" in Tamil). This South Indian festival is an opportunity to thank the Sun God for a bountiful harvest. 

We started off the day by stirring a pot of "sweet pongal" until it was overflowing. Kristi and I got to try some sugar cane as well.

Then our group took a trip to the flower market, where vendors sell flowers from all over the world. Raj got us jasmine flowers for our hair!

In the afternoon, we traveled to Alagarkoil ("beautiful temple") Residential Campus of Mahatma School by invitation of Mrs. Premalatha. They once again treated us as honored guests, and proved how much the Indian culture values hospitality and welcoming people.

We started off by playing some fun games (including pop the balloon and musical chairs). Then we were taught some dance moves by students from the school.

I took a break to get some additional Henna on my arm and was impressed at how easy they made applying the intricate designs look.

During the meal, we were spoiled with delicious food that proved just how fruitful this year's harvest was.

Towards the end of the day, we had the opportunity to see some very talented dancers perform for us. There was also a piñata.

The University of Iowa students participating in this year's Winterim were able to experience the perfect Pongal thanks to our Indian friends! Will definitely remember their kindness after returning to the USA.

Happy Pongal!

-Amanda

Rickshaw Ride

Ever wondered what it is like to ride a rickshaw or drive in India?

Here a little sample of ride.

-Aaron H

Second Mini- Vacation

Today our group took our second mini-vacation to Munnar, Kerala. Munnar is located deep in a valley between mountains, its filled with luscious jungle like forest, and a variety of animal reserves, that definitely make you reminisce to watching the Jungle Book while you were little. We woke up, ate breakfast, and all piled into our caravan of vans to begin the journey.

After hours of driving across bumpy and twisty roads through the mountains, we arrived at our destination in Thekaddy; The Elephant Court resort. It was by far the most luxurious resort/hotel that I have ever stayed at. As soon as we walked into the open lobby, we were given a beautiful greeting with bindis dabbed onto our foreheads, accompanied by gold and white shawls placed on our shoulders, which is considered a respectful welcome in Indian culture. The lobby was filled with beautiful crafted furniture, and there was a fountain where elephants trumpeted water into a little pound. The rooms were bungalow-esque and provided us with one of the best views to date. I personally enjoyed the fact that there was a small sign inside the room that advised guests not to leave the door open, because monkeys tend to wander inside.

Once eating lunch and checking into our rooms, we once again piled into the vans and headed to the Elephant Park, aka the activity that I have been looking forward to the most! I have always had a deep passion for animals, so being able to be up close and personal with an elephant has always been nothing more then a pipe dream to me, but today it came true! Once arriving to the park and purchasing my ticket, we waited and waited, until finally a beautiful Indian elephant emerged from the thicket. The elephants here are much more speckled then I have seen previously, which makes them extra special! After waiting anxiously in line, my turn had finally arrived to hop on an elephant. Mary, Nell, and I, all had the pleasure of riding Moti, a large male. We then were guided through the jungle by the elephants handlers. Although enormous and incredibly intimidating, elephants are incredibly gentle beings. I feel so blessed that I had more than one opportunity to experience one of the most majestic animals on this planet.

After leaving the Elephant Park, we headed to Navarasa Kathkali Centre in Thekkady to watch traditional South Indian dance. It was very interesting, to say the least. The dancers, both of whom were male, were decorated in extravagant costumes and completely painted faces. The dancers spent a majority of the time dancing with their faces and eyes. It was quite entertaining in an interesting kind of way. Once the dancing was over, we walked next door to the Kadathanadan Kalari Centre to watch a martial arts show. The show consisted of sword fighting, physical combat, and jumping through rings of fire. There is nothing more nerve wracking than watching two men sword fight no more then 10 feet in front of you. The amount of times I cringed and closed my eyes are too high to count. It was incredibly dangerous, but exhilarating at the same time.

Everyday here in India is a daring adventure, whether it be boarding a rickshaw to head downtown to the temple, or simply trying to cross the street. I never thought I could love a place this much, but now that I’ve spent the last two weeks here, I never want to leave. If I could transport all of my friends and family from back home to Madurai, I would live here forever. The people, culture, and nature will make you feel more alive then you ever thought possible. Sadly though, this is not the case. I am sad to be leaving here in a week, but my India story is just starting. Leaving here just means that there are more opportunities for me to return, that there are more chapters to my story. Stay tuned, because the next chapter of my India story will be (fingers crossed) very soon.

-Ashley

January 2-3rd: A Resort Weekend Excursion

Hello! I'm Caitlyn and I blogged about our weekend excursion to the Estuary Island Resort in Poovar!

Our group left for our first weekend excursion on Saturday.  Our destination: a beach-side resort near the southern tip of India. We were all excited for some beach and relaxation time. It turned out to be that and much more. The trip, however, got off to a somewhat rocky start. The anticipated 3.5 hour drive turned into more than 8 hours, including stops. While the extra few hours was a little frustrating, the view on the drive was unbeatable. Lush mountain tops, colorful towns, and (surprisingly) a wind turbine farm kept us engaged. We were split into a caravan of several large vans, and the students each van had an equally entertaining story of the ride and the bonding experience they shared.

When we finally got to the resort, the sun had just set. It was an absolutely beautiful campus settled deep in the jungle. It was on a river that met with the Arabian Sea. Fittingly, the resort was called Estuary Island. With two pools, a hot tub, and a dozen hammocks among palm trees and sand, we felt like we were in a movie. Unfortunately, we couldn't see much of the grounds because of the darkness so the group settled in to a meal at the river-side bar and restaurant for dinner and socializing.

On Sunday morning, some of us woke up early to watch the sun rise over the water. In the background, we heard the early-morning chanting of devoted Muslims in prayer. It was a beautiful way to start the morning. After taking many pictures and laying in the hammocks, we had breakfast and then went on a boat tour of the river. In little boats that sat 7 people and the driver, we cruised through small nooks of the river and saw plants, animals, and people of all kinds. A particularly memorable moment was seeing an old man standing in the river with his cow, cooling it off by splashing water gently on its sides.

The last stop of the boat tour was the beach that separated the river from the sea. It was perhaps the most beautiful view of the weekend. The beach bustled with local people selling fresh coconuts and pineapples, offering horseback rides, and chatting with the tourists. Our group took countless pictures by the water, with the waves washing over our toes. We had several Indian families ask to take pictures with us, and we enthusiastically obliged!

After the beach, we reluctantly loaded the vans to head back to Madurai. The drive back was just as beautiful, but we were all exhausted from the long weekend. Lots of us spent the drive sleeping.

Perhaps the most important lesson of the weekend was to expect the unexpected. It seemed like everything was a surprise, and it all went swimmingly. A perfect way to kick off a week of hard work at Aravind.

Our love goes to everyone at home! We are all thinking of you. Wish us luck this week!

Curry on.

-Caitlyn 

New Year, New Blessings

For Hindus, the religious new year is celebrated on Diwali. This occurs sometime in November. So although our Hindu calendar had already begun its new year, Hindus still gathered in temples all around the world on the 1st of January to give thanks for the previous year and pray for prosperity in 2016.

As a fellow Hindu, I was grateful that they had planned to tour one of the most esteemed temples in India on the first day of the new year. Starting the new year with any God's blessing is known to be incredibly auspicious, especially when received at a holy site like the Meenakshi Temple.

The Meenakshi Temple is dedicated to a goddess named Meenakshi, also known as Parvati, wife of Shiva. The story of Meenakshi and Shiva is incredibly compelling and more dramatic than any Scandal or Grey's Anatomy episode. Now I would tell you the story, but I would rather share my reaction and experience at the temple since that's something you can't find on Wikipedia :).

In anticipation of our visit, I showered early in the morning and threw on a traditional Indian dress: this is typically how Hindus prepare for a visit to the temple. On any given day, the Meenakshi temple expects approximately 15,000 visitors. While on Fridays, it expects an incredible 25,000 visitors. That's more than the population of the town I went to middle school in! Visitors comprise of men, women, and children. However, this temple is especially known for answering the prayers of women seeking to receive a good husband or a child. I was definitely not praying for either of those on this special day, sorry mom!!

As we approached the temple, it was hard to overlook the architecture. Each statue hand-carved and painted. So beautiful. So detailed. Each one representing a god or goddess. It is unfathomable to imagine just one of these towers being made, yet here are three gorgeous handcrafted towers. The tallest being 170ft high. After removing our shoes and entering through the gates, the selfies and pictures were imminent. By now, many of us have found our personal photographer within the group. My photographer, Amanda, is incredibly understanding of how un-photogenic I am and is still able to take awesome shots of me. I try to reciprocate by taking subpar pics of her. So as I am directing Amanda on a pose...BAM. I'm hit with a splatter of something wet. My reflex to look up led to a stare down with a bird that proudly looked down at me and its poop. As I wiped it off my arm, a passerby says "it means you're blessed!! You're lucky." So remind me to buy a lottery ticket when I get home guys.

Anyways, the next part of the tour made the bird poop all worth it. Now let me preface this with my declaration of love for elephants. My mom swears I was an elephant in my past life because of the joy I feel when I see a cute picture, gif, or YouTube video of an elephant. So you can imagine the glow on my face when I saw this dark, beautifully dressed elephant walk towards us. He was present in the temple to bless those that could pass on 20 rupees. And by bless, I mean that he would lay his trunk on your head FOR JUST 33 CENTS!!! I would've given that man all my belongings for that experience, so that was definitely a steal. Everyone got an opportunity to be blessed by the elephant, or as I would say, Ganesh. Elephants represent Lord Ganesh to us, who is known as the remover of obstacles. His statue was present throughout the temple, along with Parvati and Shiva.

The shrine of Meenakshi was restricted to Hindus only and had produced a line estimating to be at least 1.5 to 2 hours long. Although I wasn't able to get Meenakshi's blessing this time, I could still feel her spirit through the stories told by our tour guide and the wall carvings in the halls. I knew I would have to make another visit soon, and no mom and dad, not just for the elephant! But to get the blessing of one of the few major female deities to have a temple devoted to her.

As we exited, I felt strongly connected to my Hindu roots and happy to see my classmates, who have now become friends, become so engrossed in the Hindu religion and mythology.
  
Swati Panchal