pragmatically optimistic…

two weeks ago, dennis (a.k.a. bollywood haraszko) and i took an ambitious weekend jaunt up to amritsar in punjab.  this town is home to the most sacred of sikh holy sites, the golden temple (harmandir).  muslims strive to make the pilgrimage to mecca at least once in their lives.  in much the same way, sikhs seek the soothing, melodious prayers and cleansing waters of the golden temple.

there’s nothing like last minute planning.  multiple layover flights, limited seating, overbooked trains, expensive tickets.  yes, both dennis and i have a knack for postponing travel decision-making.  this time, we lucked out.  just a one-stop flight to delhi followed by a 6 hour train ride.  who could ask for more?  we left our apartment in mumbai around 6 am and stepped off the train in amritsar around 11 pm.  sleep was deep, heavy.

we wanted to see the sun rise over the temple.  at 5.45 am, the two of us crowded on the back of a bicycle, hoping this 5’5” indian dude (who weighed no more than a buck twenty-five) could pedal the three of us to salvation.  fifteen minutes later, we were washing our feet at the temple’s northern entrance (darshini deori), wearing bandanas on our heads (required when entering a sikh temple), beginning to hear faint echoes of music.  much to our surprise, the temple was comfortably crowded (yet peaceful) even at 6 in the morning.  bearded men in turbans strolled past. people bowed, chanted in prayer, bathed in the lake’s holy waters.   

the golden temple gets its name from the 100kg of gold leaf that cover its large dome and roof.  it is surrounded by a rectangular, man-made lake, the amrit sarovar.  brilliant polished white marble slabs create the edge of this lake and, after forming a 20-foot wide perimeter around the lake, fade into the white walls of magnificent, dome-laden buildings.  truly, it is a blessing to walk around this site bare-footed, ground smooth and solid beneath one’s feet. 

only one path leads from the marble walkway to the temple.  it is called the guru’s bridge and it is most always crowded with sikh’s patiently waiting to enter.  we stood on the bridge for about an hour, quietly shuffling forward in the crowd, holding leaf plates full of prasad.  i found myself kneeling in front of the door to the temple, moved by the people and intensity of prayer, music, worship around me.  i entered, listened to the rhythmic readings from the guru granth sahib, and retired to the surprisingly empty third floor (or roof) of the temple.  here, i sat down for a while, thinking of mostly nothing except the aesthetic and spiritual beauty surrounding me.  magnificent, it was.

we soon returned to the outer perimeter of the lake and, before leaving, enjoyed a free and filling chapati and dhal meal with about 300 other visitors at the temple’s canteen.  sure beat grape juice and unleavened bread.  later in the evening, bollywood and i journeyed about 25 miles west to the pakistan-india border to watch a rowdy daily closing of the border ceremony.  think high-school pep rally, mosh pit, buckingham palace guard, and the macarena all wrapped into one event.  good to experience once, i guess.  the trip back to mumbai was long and uneventful.  it felt good to be back in the choking smog, blaring horns, and humid heat of mumbai.  this, i write with a half smile.  chaos it may be, but mumbai is a familiar, lived-in disheveledness that, for a short while longer, i enjoy calling home.