India: A feast for the senses

It’s a land of contrasts, contradictions and conundrums but amid the chaos, the magic and mystique of India has charmed and enthralled travellers for hundreds of years, former Dubbo journalist LISA GRIPLAS included.

SOME countries are an absolute delight to travel; a walk in the park. Some countries appear to seamlessly function, with rules and regulations simply aiding progression. And some countries leave little to the imagination. India is not among them. The Subcontinent is land of rich history, where traditions – and traditional values – compete with modern-day practices. It’s a land full of colour and religion – a multi-sensory feast for the eyes, ears and nose. But underneath all the chaos, through the haze of pollution and in the moments of rare silence, lies a magical country that has enticed trade and charmed travellers for hundreds and hundreds of years. As the great Mark Twain once quipped: “India is the cradle of human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great-grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most astrictive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only! “

Long before the East India Company and British colonisation, India was ruled by dynasties fuelled by the mighty Ganga and Yamuna Rivers. It was, and still largely remains, the land of epics and legends with two of the world’s greatest epics – the Ramayana and the Mahabharta – finding their birth on Indian soil. The virtues outlined in these great stories were revived in modern times by Mahatma Gandhi during India’s struggle against British Colonisation. Now known as the Father of the Nation, Gandhi believed more than anyone in communal harmony, where all races and religions would be threads to form a rich social fabric. The images of the revered leader sitting in his room in nothing but a loincloth and spinning cotton on a traditional spinning wheel, or charkha, symbolised self-sufficiency and was a nod to earlier times of interdependence among the cotton growers, manufacturers and general civilians. “Agriculture is India’s number one industry, followed closely by the handloom sector. It’s a very important part of our heritage; a lifeline to the country,” explains Satya Parkash Thakur, chairman of the Bhuttico Weavers Co-operative Society and a man whose efforts to work alongside government ministers ensures these traditions stay alive. Since 1944, Bhuttico has been keeping Himalayan traditions alive in line with the latest trends from India and abroad. Starting out with just 12 weavers and the vision and leadership of the late Vedram Thakur, the society now boasts 200 on-site weavers plus many more living high in the Himalayas in the surrounding villages. “We can’t compete with machines or power looms, but we are part of a very important industry and ensure that the history of hand looms continues.” Bhuttico remains a dynamic business that maintains a unique position as a market leader in the shawl industry, producing the famous Kullu shawls, along with scarves, stoles, western and traditional apparel along with socks, ties, purses and other accessories all made from Australian wool. The highly skilled craftsmen and women often spend their entire eight-hour workday on one single shawl. Other, more complex pieces, can take as long as 45 days. With embroidery so intricate and delicate, it requires the same artisan to work on the product as changing weavers partway through can result in imperfections. Seasonal fresh fruits such as pomegranate, Kiwi fruit, persimmon and pear are grown in the orchard, with botanical dyes also extracted for use in some of Bhuttico’s product. It’s this holistic approach to work that has seen the co-operative survive for more than 60 years, preserving the ancient art of hand weaving and acting as the responsible custodian for its army of artisans. But what of other traditions struggling to compete with modern beliefs? Consider arranged marriages, which statistically may have better odds of success and see the coming together of two individuals based on the common values shared by their families. Yet as the world becomes a much smaller place and adult children may (God forbid) have differing views and values from their parents, what happens to those who wed under arranged circumstances? Adultery? Misery? A life of falsity? To a humble foreigner, who is able to look on and judge and then

“Underneath all the chaos, through the haze of pollution and in the moments of rare silence, lies a magical country.

walk away, perhaps some traditions aren’t worth fighting for, or perhaps, just like in many of the greatest love epics in both the Eastern and Western worlds, if you fight for one thing, you fight for love. If it weren’t for love, India would be without it’s most iconic monument and tourism drawcard: the mighty Taj Mahal. At more than 70 metres tall beside the banks of the Yamuna River, the Taj Mahal was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his third and favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died during the birth of their 14th child. Constructed entirely out of white marble and precious gemstones, today it is considered the jewel of Muslim art in India and is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. The calligraphy on the Great Gate of the mausoleum reads: “O Soul, thou art at rest. Return to the Lord at peace with Him, and He at peace with you.” Today, the remains of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal rest peacefully next to each other, with their faces turned to the right… towards Mecca. This, however, could be where the love story ends. Rumour has it that upon completion of the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan ordered the hands of his sculptors and architects cut off so that they would never be able to build a monument as magnificent and beautiful as the Taj again. He even had their eyes pulled out so they would never be able to witness anything bigger and more beautiful than the monument they had built during their lifetime. Believe what you will, but it’s myths and epics such as these that have helped form the basis of the subcontinent and the great land known as India.