Four Tigers and Stolen Biscuits

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This past winter break I got to travel to India. I usually go every couple of years since my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and extended family all still live there — and this time I couldn’t help but notice all the bits and pieces that I’ve been trying to lift from India and in some small way bring to New York.

Tiny Rituals

I come from a deeply spiritual Jain tradition — my grandmas at least are especially strict — and, while I’m less close to all of the practices — one in particular stood out: going to the temple in the morning. Every morning right at dawn, my grandma walks down the street to an 800 year old temple. Though she spends 2 hours while my grandpa sends 2 minutes, they both say the same thing when I ask them how it makes them feel.

“Man halka hota hai” (My mind feels lighter)

To bow your head and leave it all up there — to let go a little bit — brings a sort of rest and levity that I think the city longs for. I don’t see New Yorkers going to temple/church/etc en masse (nor is that what I’m pitching), but I think about how countless other traditions have used Nature as the big thing to bow down to (e.g. pouring libations into the earth). I spend the rest of the trip wondering if there’s a way to wedge some form of these tiny routines into New York life in a way that’s light, easy, and secular.

Wildlife

One of the highlights of my trip was getting to go to Ranthambore Tiger Reserve. Won’t bury the lede any further — we saw four tigers — but I was more struck by the wildlife on the busy streets outside the park walls. In literally a twenty minute span before entering the park, amidst traffic and market stands, I saw a monkey (come into our jeep and snatch my brother’s biscuits mid-bite), a bull (eat a leftover apple on the street), a pig (oink around), a peacock, a stray dog, and a camel.

I don’t want to paint a caricature of India — that’s a select moment and not at all representative — but the proximity to so much wildlife in and around everyday life was still special. When a huge bull walks past you (or when a monkey steals your biscuits from under your nose), it’s so much easier to feel aware and a part of animal life more broadly. I can’t help but imagine what it would feel like to live in a New York where it wasn’t so rare to see the hawks, foxes, deer, frogs, coyotes, and more native to the region.

Mitti, Dharti, and Zameen

All of the above roughly translate to “dirt” — but often those words are used in a way that’s closer to fatherland. There’s this shared attitude of “this is our land” that extends to a familiarity with everyone from the local food stand guy to the taxi driver and on up. New York has this in spades too — and I’m just calling out that it feels, well, good. I want a lot more of it, and I think it’s possible.

Till next week!
Mayank