I spent the last week of November thinking about Bombay.

I only have two posts about India here and I blame myself for my laziness, incompetency and perfectionism. If I delay my travel writing, I always end up losing the feeling of being there, the posts become mundane reports or encyclopaedic entries. So when I know too much time has passed since my travels to write about them, I end up trying harder, reading vigorously and spending more time on the piece which delays it even further until I totally lose my inquisitive tourist’s touch. So I could not write about Bombay, Jaipur, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Delhi, Varanasi, Goa, and Lucknow yet. All of these locations deserve a post of their own.

My two posts about India were the most important two pieces regarding my travels: the unforgettable wedding of our friends Aparna & Pratap and the heavy presence of religion one feels in India (this post is in Turkish).

But before I take this opportunity to write about the Bombay I remember and cherish, I need to apologise to sensitive Indian readers for calling their financial capital Bombay instead of Mumbai. There are two reasons for this:

1) I cannot get used to Mumbai because when I discard the name Bombay, I feel like I am getting rid of the colonialist associations of the name. I am not oblivious to the effects of colonialism however Bombay is not Delhi; it owes part of its charm to her colonial past.

2) Being Turkish, I have seen a my share of name changes of cities, towns, villages, streets, parks, an airport, a football stadium and more; I do not like it when people try to rewrite history with nationalistic motives even if the original name is given by and is the derivative of a word in the language of one the colonialists in Bombay’s past.

Of course I must add that a similar situation exists in Istanbul. Indian nationalists claim that Mumbai comes from the Goddess Mumba, their Turkish counterparts claim that Istanbul comes from “Islam bol” meaning “abundance of Islam” whereas the word Istanbul is derived from a Greek phrase “is tan poli” meaning “going to the city”.

Getting back to the last week of November 2008, the locations of the shocking terrorist attacks were familiar to me from our four days in Bombay in December 1999. And I have always thought of Bombay as India’s Istanbul. As I followed the news I could not help but think about the two cities and their appeal and their problems.

The Hotels
When we were in Bombay, we stayed at the Royal Bombay Yacht Club right next to the Taj Hotel. We had “high tea” in the hotel as was recommended by the locals. I also saw a beggar that I cannot forget right next to the Gateway to India just meters (or yards for the Indian readers out there) away from the Taj: he was a teenager who had no limbs and was lying face-down on a piece of wood with wheels, under the hot sun.

The Istanbul equivalent of the Taj Hotel would be the Çırağan Palace Kempinski. It’s an old palace somewhat tastelessly redone after it was burned down, but owing to its appearance from the outside and its perfect location, is the most popular high end hotel in town.

The Taj Hotel in Bombay
And This Is Just The Backside

The Taj Hotel is a beautiful building inside out, built out of spite after one of the Tatas was denied entry to a hotel operated by the English because he was an Indian. We were told that the engineers building it held the plans upside down: the side overlooking the sea looks like the back entrance, the gardens and the better looking entrance open up to a small street. There was a street vendor at the back entrance during our visit cooking tasty looking chicken and lamb at the back of a pick-up truck. One of my regrets about our time in India is heeding Seha’s advice and not eating there.

Oberoi Hotel I barely remember because we only passed in front of it a few times going up Marine Drive (probably towards Chowpatty Beach). This bay (Back Bay) is sometimes called The Queen’s Necklace because it looks like one at night with the gentle curve and the streetlights. Sometimes coming back home from work, when I look at the shores of the Bosphorus from one of the two bridges, I remember Back Bay, Chowpatty Beach, Malabar Hill.

The Oberoi is like the Hilton Hotel in Istanbul. Important yet ugly and out of place.

Victoria Terminus Train Station
The train station (formerly called Victoria Terminus) was one of the touristy places we visited. The area around it was so crowded that I felt claustrophobic and at home at the same time. It was interesting to see the commuters with their food in metal cases still using the old train station like it’s supposed to be used as opposed to Sirkeci Station in Istanbul, the last stop of the Orient Express. Sirkeci Station is barely used now because Turkey turned its back to rail travel in the 50′s, I wouldn’t be surprised if it has been privatised and turned into a restaurant.

The area around Victoria Terminus reminded me of the Saturday afternoons I used to spend with my dad loitering around in Eminönü, just meters (yards) away from the Sirkeci Train Station.

It’s Usually More Crowded

Eminönü has been the shopping district of Istanbul since the Byzantine times which makes it the busiest part of the city for the last 1500 years. My father and I would start in the Mısır Çarşısı (The Spice Market) and look at the birds, dogs and cats, fish, spices and teas, monkeys, cheese and sausages, hamsters, dried fruit and nuts. We’d have lunch in Pandeli which brings back images of aubergine and tender meat, and elderly waiters with pristine white shirts. And finally we’d walk up the street towards Süleymaniye, the most magnificent of the mosques in the city. I remember my father buying me toys and trinkets from the little shops in tiny and crowded streets: balloons, Chinese toys made from cheap plastic, a small radio, a green ring connected to a small rubber ball hidden in the palm used to spray water to the face of the unsuspecting onlookers.

My grandfather had a little shop in Eminönü when I was 3-4 years old. My oldest memories in life could be when I would be going there to visit him with my grandmother. We’d take the dolmuş (a shared taxi traveling on a set route) to Kadıköy from Şaşkınbakkal, the boat from Kadiköy to Eminönü. On the way back, I’d always get a treat of seeds to feed the pigeons in front of the Yeni Camii Mosque. I was always quiet and timid in my grandfather’s shop, a small place full of rolls and rolls of cloth at the end of a dark, dismal arcade. I adored my grandfather but I never liked his shop. I don’t really remember why.

Leopold Cafe
Leopold Cafe is another typical tourist spot. We had stopped there for some food just because it was a must in our tourist’s itinerary. I remember buying Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children from one of the bookstores in Colaba close to the cafe. I don’t remember what I ate there, the food should have been bland but the aura was interesting – old but not yet out of place with others like us reading Lonely Planet India sipping chai (spiced sweet tea).

The Istanbul equivalent of Leopold Cafe is difficult to pick. We don’t have a tradition of old establishments. Orhan Pamuk’s latest novel The Museum of Innocence talks about the bourgeois life in the 70′s. The protagonist Kemal’s modern day equivalent would not be able to dine in the places that Kemal and his fashionable friends frequent. Okay, there might be a few old meyhanes (slow food meze and rakı places) or restaurants serving simple home style food but that’s about it, and they were never tourist spots.

The Interior Looks Better

Because picking a place similar to the Leopold Cafe is hard, I’ll pick two instead. One would be the Pudding Shop in Sultanahmet Square. This was a meeting place of the hippies on their way to India in the sixties. The hippie trail to India began in Istanbul because Istanbul is the invisible membrane between the west and the exotic east. But today, the Pudding Shop is just another pudding shop and there are no hippies around.

My second pick would be Reina, one of the club/restaurant complexes on the Bosphorus. This is where Turkish businessmen bring their guests to show off the beauties of Istanbul the easy way – without the hassles and the complicated history of the ancient peninsula. It’s the symbol of 90′s decadence with the gorillas at the door sniffing you before they let you in with disgusted looks and valets charging more than a full meal in the Pudding Shop just to park your Ferrari in the parking lot next to the club. You’d see more fake organs with fake tans than anywhere else in Turkey if that’s your thing, but view of the sea at night is fabulous.

The Trapped
I was glued to the tv/computer screen during the Bombay attacks because a friend of mine was one of the hotel guests trapped in the Oberoi. She ran to her room after spotting two terrorists and locked herself in the bathroom. She kept contact by mobile phone calls and text messaging, we could hear the gunshots in the background when we called her.

For hours we waited to hear some good news from Bombay. We did not know a lot and in some ways this was fortunate because had we known the horrors going on in the corridors we’d have a lot more difficulty trying not to think about what could have been happening. Only after having read the eyewitness accounts, I was able to fathom the extent of her bravery. 40 hours later, we knew that she was safe with the commandos but still it was an hour before she got out. Possibly because no one knew what was going on in the hotel.

Now following up on the news and comments (one of my recommendations by Mohsin Hamid is here and another good one by Arundhati Roy is here) I am convinced that the terrorists are accomplishing one of their goals: the Indian subcontinent is getting more and more unstable. For this, I blame both sides.

The subcontinent is one of the most interesting and beautiful places in the world and Indian democracy as demonstrated by resignations of those who felt responsible (something that would be unthinkable here in Turkey) has been setting a good example to the rest of the world when the future looks bleak for those of us living in countries still struggling to find their path.

I sincerely hope it stays that way.

İlgili Yazılar / Related posts

• Shalimar The Clown, Salman Rushdie (1)
• The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Michael Chabon (2)
• Literature Meme, Midnight’s Children (3)
• Gospel According to Jesus Christ (İsa’ya Göre İncil), Jose Saramago (0)
• Aparna Weds Pratap (1)

Indian weddings are the closest that I have seen to the 40 days and 40 nights weddings of fairy tales. In Pratap’s case, the various functions took 3 days and 3 nights plus a reception at the his hometown Delhi. Everything except the reception was organized by Aparna’s family. The functions described below were all in Mumbai (aka Bombay), and were on December 12^th, 13^th, and 14^thof the year 1999. Traditionally, the night of dances (Sangeet) and the day of henna (Mehendi) were only attended by women, but this is no more. History is repeated once again in India, men have invaded.

The Sangeet
Sangeet is the night of dances and music. In our case, the venue was Aparna’s parents’ house on the southern tip of Mumbai. There was a buffet in the garden with an excellent grill front of which I camped and devoured everything that came my way. Since I was standing right there everything had to go thru my inspection! The chicken tikkas (skewered chicken) were divine. Of course to go with the dancing, a lot of beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) were provided, and were put to use.

As you can see from the pictures, both the men and the women were dressed in the traditional Indian costumes with the women in sarees or lengas, and the men with kurtas and pajamas. The house was decorated with orange flowers all over inside out. There were so many of them that the whole house smelled like a flower field.

Namaskar

The events of the night started off by a young cousin-brother (male cousin in Indian English) of Aparna’s performing a traditional Hindu dance. He scattered flower petals as he gracefully moved to the slow music, stopping occasionally to bring his hands together in front of him towards us in salutation (namaskar), as he danced, the clock approached 12 o’clock likewise, bringing two arms to greet a pretty indian December night.

Later on, the relatively younger family members divided in two, the bride’s side versus the groom’s side (since the groom was away from home, some transfers were allowed), and started singing and dancing in turns versus each other. As expected regardless of culture and geography, the women were better prepared than men (the bride’s side was mostly women), and beat us by far. They were also better equipped with the Indian drum (dholak) that is played from both sides, with each side banging to a different tone since one end is of monkey hide while the other is of cow hide.

The bride’s side called family members one by one up to the stage to dance for a few seconds while they cheered. We as the foreigners shared the dance floor with an oriental gentleman.

Later on, Aparna’s cousin-sisters performed a song and dance number that made fun of her and how she would act in different situations like when Pratap’s around as opposed to when Pratap’s mother is around.

As You Can See We Were Outnumbered By The Women

Towards the end, the DJ took over with his flashing colorful DJ lights, and played some Hindi songs as well as the latest disco hits. With the influence of plentiful drinking, the dance floor was packed. Aparna’s cousin-brother made sure the flower petal rain was ceaseless.

The Mehendi
The next day, we woke up pretty late, exhausted by the sangeet activities. The henna artists had already started on all the ladies by the time we made it to Aparna’s house. At the entrance, I was given a bracelet of Jasmine flowers, and Seha was given 7 (needs to be an odd number) glass bangles which were not supposed to be taken off, but need to break off. According to tradition, the longer they last, the stronger the wearer’s relationship will be. Seha’s bangles lasted about 4 weeks, but since we have no frame of reference, we do not know how long our relationship is destined to last, I’d appreciate the input from experienced Indian ladies!

Again, in the garden, there was a fabulous buffet, this time with Mumbai specialties of a brunchesque flavor, and (again) a bar. But before we sat down to eat, Seha started to get her hands worked on – which meant that I had to feed her the whole day.

Obviously, The Masterpiece Was The Bride

And that was the role of the men during mehendi. Pratap helped Aparna eat, since she was painted from her elbows to her fingertips for about three hours. Her henna was the most intricate, with peacocks, Pratap’s name jumbled, as well as a picture of herself on one hand and a picture of Pratap on the other. She also had it done on her feet, and considering how detailed her dress and jewelry were, there was no way she could have eaten unless the groom helped her.

In the meantime, the Indian Navy band was playing. They looked like the British Armed Forces Bands with bagpipes and the red plaidish details on their uniforms. I should also mention that Aperna’s dad is still in the Indian Army (stationed in Kashmir), and Pratap’s dad is retired from the Indian Navy.

Hennaists And Pratap At Work

After all the henna is done, women have to keep it moist with lime juice for a few hours. The tradition is that the darker the henna looks after the paste crumbles off, the more your mother-in-law likes you.

The Reception at the Cricket Club of India
At the end of the day, there was a dinner/reception at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai hosted by one of Aparna’s uncles. The cricket club is the exact replica of the Lords Cricket Ground in England, and is looked after really well. Inside there was a huge portrait of Mr Tata, the Parsi businessman who is the founder of Taj Hotels as well as Tata motorized vehicles both of which you would see everywhere in India. The story is that he founded the first Taj Hotel after he was denied admission to one of the European hotels because he was a native. For those wondering, he is a chap with a very long beard.

After we toured the club, we had the reception in a nice room, followed by another buffet dinner outside. That night, Pratap was dressed in a suit, but Aparna still wore a pretty dress and a lot of jewelry.

This reception ended early, around 12, so we had time for a nice chai (tea) and lassi (diluted yoghurt drink, very much like the Turkish Ayran) at the Taj Hotel Mumbai which would also be the location of Pratap & Aparna’s bridal room.

The Turban Ceremony
The day of the religious ceremony and the actual wedding dinner, there are two more things to be done before the groom can proceed to the wedding. One is the face masking (vatna) ceremony. The groom’s face and upper body is covered with a mustard colored, yoghurt textured mask, turmeric paste, which is said to cleanse, soften, and lighten the skin. Obviously, this was one of the most entertaining events for the guests (mind you not the groom), because we got to plaster Pratap’s face with the mixture, and he was nicely covered up in less than a minute. Aparna’s sisters and cousin-sisters joined us. Pratap hugged everyone who participated in his painting but Seha and I managed to escape.

After his bath, Pratap was ready for the turban ceremony (sehra-bandhi). For this, a priest and an apprentice priest were present. Pratap’s parents, grandmother and sister all sat down on the floor which had some coconuts, rice, garlands, and Pratap’s turban. The priest and his apprentice recited some Hindu prayers in Sanskrit and performed the rituals. The turban was blessed by the elders, the reduced milk ball sweet with saffron (laddoo) was offered to guests, and Pratap’s dad placed Pratap’s turban where it was to stay for the rest of the evening. After this, his head was covered by strings of flowers which in essence formed a veil of flowers. He was complaining that the tight turban and the smell of the flowers were giving him a headache. We threw rice at him for good luck, health and prosperity, and we gave him an asprin for the headache.

Uncle Whig putting on Pratap’s turban, Auntie Whig and Ami (grandmother) are watching.

After Pratap was ready to go, the men (I, Pratap’s father, uncle, and cousin-brother) wore our turbans as well (prepared by Auntie Whig), and we were ready to head off to the wedding dinner and reception to be followed by the Hindu wedding ceremony.

The Wedding
We drove to the location of the wedding (Mumbai Navy Mess.), but left the cars at the outside gates. There, a horse drawn chariot was waiting for Pratap. Kanika (Pratap’s sister) fed the horses with some horse food that she had brought. Meanwhile the procession band, a band of about 15 musicians playing trumpets, clarinettes, drums, and cymbals was warming up. They wore red uniforms with flat hats, and around them were a couple of guys carrying huge lanterns. When everyone was ready, we started the march to the wedding area. We probably took 45 minutes for a distance of 2 kilometers because we stopped every few minutes and danced to the tunes of the band. We were joined by local kids on the way who pointed at me, an obvious foreigner in indian clothing, gaped and giggled.

Pratap On His Carriage, Safe Behind the Flowers

Vivek (Benni), one of Pratap’s friends from IIT, told me the songs were wedding songs from Hindi movies, and they had names like, “We Will Take the Bride!”, “My Friend is Getting Married”, etc.

In the meantime, Pratap was sitting on the chariot, awaiting his fate and did not appear to be nervous at all. Towards the end, he even descended from this chariot and joined us!

Finally we came to a halt when we saw the bride’s side waiting for us at the entrance. Aparna was nowhere to be seen (she was not supposed to appear until Pratap took his place on the stage). Slowly the two sides approached each other in battle formation. The band started playing again, and when we got together with the bride’s side, we danced as one big group.

The priest arrived and the formal meeting ceremony (milni) began. The males from both sides “met” by putting garlands around each other’s necks, and shaking hands and hugging. The priest said prayers at each “meeting” and got donations. I “met” with one of Aparna’s uncles and was lifted up among cheers!

We entered the lawn where the wedding dinner was going to be served. About 50 tables were set on grass right by the beach. On both sides there were two huge buffets serving vegeterian food and non-alcoholic beverages (as is the tradition in Hindu weddings). There was a platform with flowers and little palm trees at the front for the couple. We took Pratap there, and as his friends, kept him company until Aparna ascended to the throne of the platform.

At this point, the boys from the bride’s side were supposed to take off Pratap’s shoes and hide them to ask for ransom at the end of the day. However, Pratap’s friends were alert and only one shoe was stolen. Towards the end of the evening, though, after the “operation other pair”, the other shoe was taken by force to where it belonged: the bride’s side.

The priest came to the platform, recited some prayers, after which we took our seats, and Pratap and Aparna started accepting gifts and best wishes from all the guests.

Around 12 AM (with military dicipline as we were told, because normally the dinner goes on until 2 AM), the wedding moved to the temple. There, a seating area (mandap) was set up with flowers, cushions, and a pot for the holy fire. The families from both sides sat down with the priest. After some prayers, Pratap and Aparna offered each other sweets. The holy fire was lit, and clockwise, they walked around it 4 times, Aparna in front. After that, they sat down again, this time Pratap had Aparna on his right (which was the sign that they were officially married). This was followed by another stroll around the fire (3 more times) with Pratap in front, leading the way. The number seven signifies marriage which is said to be a bond which lasts seven lifetimes.

Finally, the priest started preaching in Hindi. It was translated to us that he told them to be patient with each other, to love each other in health and in sickness, not to divorce over stupid and inevitible things like snoring (as the western couples do). He told Pratap to tell Aparna nicely and not to scold her if she puts too much salt in the food, etc etc.

After all was done, the ceremony ended with the Om Shanti prayer which also happens to be a Madonna song from her latest album, Ray of Light.

Before the couple left to go to Pratap’s parents’ house, Pratap had to bargain with the bride’s side to get his shoes back. As is the Hindu tradition, they shook hands over an odd sum of money.

Pratap’s parents and family quietly left the temple to go to where they were staying so that Pratap could take Aparna there. Aparna’s family had a very sad farewell… Amid silent tears (of which Pratap shed none for those wondering), the couple got in the car, which was pushed out of the parking area by the couple’s friends.

While Pratap was taking Aparna to where his parents were staying, we as the friends, headed off to their honeymoon suite for some practical jokes involving sharp objects as well as some inflatable objects, and greeted them there on their first night with a herd of about 20 people. We ate the fruits, opened the champagne, and finally left them to get some rest before their honeymoon in Goa.

After the honeymoon, they headed to Delhi for a reception since Delhi is where Pratap is from. However due to our tight travel schedule, we had to miss that section of the wedding.

Our experience was unforgettable. We’d like to thank Uncle and Auntie Whig, Ami, Kanika, Mr and Mrs Gulati, Captain Gulati, Mr. Batra, Samantha, Vivek, Manoj, Nalkur and all other wonderful friends and family of the Gulatis and the Whigs for their hospitality. We congratulate the bride and the groom, thank them for sharing their happiest day with us and wish them a long and healthy life together.

İlgili Yazılar / Related posts

• The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Michael Chabon (2)
• Shalimar The Clown, Salman Rushdie (1)
• Literature Meme, Midnight’s Children (3)
• Gospel According to Jesus Christ (İsa’ya Göre İncil), Jose Saramago (0)
• Bombay and Istanbul (2)

Hindistan dinin sikilip suyunun cikarildigi, insanlarin din icin hayatinin son dakikasina kadar somuruldugu bir ulke. Icinde dini bir ikon veya yazi olmayan cati alti yok. Ozellikle eski sehirlerde her baktiginiz yerde, her duvar deliginde bir dini sembol var. Bindiginiz her tasitta ya bir put, ya bir yazi var. Gozunuzu kaparsaniz, girdiginiz cogu kapali mekan – hatta bazen sokaklar – tutsu kokuyor.

Dinle cok arasi olmayan bir kisi olarak, olayin iyi tarafindan bakarsam, Hindistan’da herkes dindar ama kimse baskalarina karismiyor. Hatta bazen bazi dinlerin ozgurlukleri, bazi dinlerin ozgurluklerini kapsasa bile! Cogunluk hindu olmasina ragmen Hindistan 110 milyon musluman ile dunyada en cok musluman bulunan ulkelerden birisi. Budist, hiristiyan, musevi, sih (Sih), ceyn (jain) ve hatta zerdüşt bile var. Hintliler ulkelerine milattan onceki yillarda gelip hala var olan musevi cemaatiyle, Iran’da muslumanlarin baskisi sonunda kacip gelen zerdustlerle, bircogu (kast sistemi yuzunden) hindu dininden donme hristiyanlarla gurur duyuyorlar. Bizim gazetelerde de zaman zaman cikan “Istanbul’da dinler ve kulturler uyum icinde!” cinsinden haberler orada da cikiyor, ustelik hakederek! Pakistan kuruldugunda bircok musluman oraya gocmus olmasina ragmen, Ramazan’da ezanlar duyuluyor, bircok mahallede camiler ve etrafta gezen Osama bin Ladin sakalli adamlar var.

Karşılıklı Saygının Sınırları
Insanlarin diger dinlere tahammulu enteresan cunku bazi dinlerin bazi kurallari baskalarini killandiracak cinsten. Mesela ceyn dininin iki mezhebi var, bir mezhebe mensup papazlar bembeyaz giyinip, agizlarinin onune cibinlik gibi birsey takiyorlar ki, sinek yutmasinlar; yururken onlerini supuruyorlar ki yanlislikla bir bocege veya hasarata basip oldurmesinler. Ceyn dininin diger mezhebin papazlari ise dunyevi seylere onem vermediklerinden ustlerine kiyafet namina bir sey giymiyorlar, dolayisiyla bir ceyn tapinagina girerseniz, dal-tasak tabir edilen sekilde gezinen adamlarla burun buruna gelme ihtimaliniz yuzde yuz. Hatta biz oradayken bir dini vecibe icin butun papazlar (15-20 kadar) tapinaktan cikip yandaki arsaya gittiler ve (neyse ki) bagdas kurup sarkilar soylediler. Simdi bunu koyu bir musluman gorse, “benim bacimin namusu, benim anamin abdesti” diye nasil saldirip oralarini buralarini koparmaz anlamiyorum. Bu ceyn dininin uyelerinin hayvan yememek disinda, toprak altinda yasiyan bitkileri (“patateez, sovaaan” gibi) de yemediklerini de eklemek lazim. Sebep ise bu sebzeler topraktan cekilip cikarilirken gereksiz yere boceklerin olmesi.

Baska bir enteresan sey, zerdustlerin olulerini gommek veya yakmak yerine tutup Towers of Silence, (Sessizlik Kuleleri) denilen kulelere akbabalar ve digen oluyiyen kuslar yesin diye birakmalari. Mesela bu Towers of Silence civarindaki evlerin balkonlarina akbabalarin agizlarindan cesetlerin el parcalari, ayak parmaklari falan dusebiliyor. Salman Rushdie’nin Midnight’s Children (Geceyarisinin Cocuklari) kitabinda, esas oglanin babasi yururken gokten inen bir Osmanli tokadi gibi bir kopuk el dusuyor suratina, sonra adam kendine gelip hayatini degistirmeye karar veriyor!

Benzer sekilde icme suyunu Ganj Nehri’nden alan bir aile isiniz mesela, suyunuzun icinde yakilmis hindu cesetlerinin kulleri, ayaklarina tas baglanmis ve suya atilmis cocuklarin ceset parcalari (10 yasindan kucuk cocuklar olunce gunahsiz olduklari icin yakilmiyorlar) bulunabilir. Ustelik bu hindularin ayni kutsal su icinde ibadet mahiyetinde yikandiklarini, dislerini fircalayip, gargara yaptiklarini da unutmayin.

Fakat gordugum kadariyla Hindistan’da bu tur insan sivilari pis sayilmiyor. Yoksa Fatehpur Sikri sehrindeki Kabe’deki camiinin tipkisinin aynisi olan Cuma Camii’nin avlusundaki havuzda durgun suya yanindaki adam sumkururken, otekisinin mesh edip, gargara yapmasi normal sayilmazdi herhalde. Rehberimize “Islam’da durgun su ile abdest alinmaz” diye ukalalik yaptim ama, “Yooo, o su durgun sayilmaz, her yagmurda yenilenir” cevabini alinca sustum oturdum oturdugum yerde. Ayrica sehirler dahil, etrafa birkac dakika baktiginiz zaman iseyen bir adam veya pipisi disarda bir cocuk gormezseniz sasirmaniz lazim.

Kavga Gürültü
Tabii dini kavgalar da yok degil, ama bence olmasi beklenenden daha az. En buyuk kavga zamaninda musluman mogollarin (Mogol-Turk hanedani) hindu tapinaklarini yikip yerlerine diktikleri camiiler yuzunden cikiyor. Hindistan’in su anda iktidarda bulunan partisi BJP (bizdeki MHP’ye tekabul etmekte) bu camileri yikip yeniden tapinak yapma hikayesi ile oy avlamaya calisiyor. Tipki bizimkilerin Aya Sofya’yi yeniden ibadete acmasi gibi. Gene benzer bir sekilde bu adamlar okul kitaplarini islerine geldigi gibi degistiriyorlar. Zamaninda dava arkadaslarini guzelligiyle bastan cikariyor dikkatlerini dagitiyor diye musluman bir kadini silahini cekip dan diye vuran bir adam simdi BJP’den milletvekili ve milli egitim bakaninin yardimcisi. Tanidik geldi mi?

Varanasi sehrindeki Mogol imparatoru Aurangzeb tarafindan yapilan cami simdi 24 saat ordu tarafindan korunuyor, cunku caminin yanindaki boga heykeli, orada eskiden tanri Şiva’ya adanmis bir tapinak bulundugunun ispati ve hindu milliyetcileri camiyi havaya ucuracaklarini soylemisler. Tabii caminin avlusunda gezinen maymunlar bu konuyla ilgilenmeden Şiva’nin bogasinin ustune cikip oturuyorlar.
Maymun deyince, Hindistan’in dindarligindan gelen baska bir acayiplik etraftaki hayvanlar. Inekler kutsal, fakat kutsal olmayan hayvanlar da dokunulmazlik sahibi. Şehirlerin sokaklarında insandan fazla hayvan var. Mumbai (Bombay) ve Yeni Delhi haric her sehirde yollarda inek, okuz, maymun, kopek, kedi, keci gorduk. Mumbai ve Delhi’de bile yer yer inekler, her yerde kopekler vardi. Tabii butun bu hayvanlar yerlere sıçmakta ve işemekte de ozgurler. Hintlilerin bir kisminin (buyuk bir kisminin) ayakkabi kullanmadigini da vurgulamak lazim. Herhalde serin kis sabahlari bu boklara basinca ayaklari isindigi icin hic sikayetci degiller, yere bakmadan yuruyebiliyorlar.

Goa eyaleti Hindistan’in gerisine en az benzeyen yer, cunku 1960′lara kadar Portekiz somurgesi imis, orada bile deniz kenarinda kumsalda otururken yediginiz karpuz kabugunu cope atmazsaniz basinizin dibinde bir inek bitiyor ve karpuzunuzun artiklarini mideye indiriyor. Arabalarin ustunde hindu tanrilarinin isimleri yerine “Isa yakinda geri gelecek” gibi ozlu sozler yaziyor. Adamlarin tipleri hintli ama isimleri Roberto De Souza!

Gene Goa eyaletinde Aziz Francis’in yillar once oldukten sonra mucizevi bir sekilde bozulmayan cesedi de var. Cesedi gormek nasip olmadi ama her 10 senede bir sokaga cikartilip tur attiriliyormus. Bir keresinde de bir deli kadin isirip ayak parmaklarindan birisini koparmis!
Hindistan’da bir sure kaldiktan sonra ister istemez hindu dinini ogreniyorsunuz. Din cok enteresan cunku yunan mitolojisini aratmayan bir mitolojisi var ve din-mitoloji el ele kol kola.

Ganeş: Şişman ve Neşeli Tanrı
Mesela Mumbai’da her yerde fil kafali sisko tanri Ganeş’in heykellerini (putlarini) veya resimlerini gorursunuz. Hikayesi soyle: tanri Şiva’nin karisi Parvati, bir gun banyo yapacakken kapida durmasi icin oglunu gorevlendirir. Oglu ise eve yillar sonra donen babasini tanimaz ve eve almaz, tabii baba da oglunu tanimadigi icin yol hasretiyle gormek istedigi karisini gostermeyen bu adama sinirle saldirir ve kafasini koparir, evine girer. Vahim durumu goren Parvati cok uzulur ve Şiva’ya hemen ogullarini geri canlandirmasini emreder. Şiva ise adamlarini bulduklari ilk canlinin kafasini getirmeleri icin yollar. Adamlarin ilk gordukleri canli bir fil oldugu icin, Ganeş’in kafasi bir fil kafasidir. Ganeş resimlerinin altinda da hep bir minik fare gorursunuz, o da Ganeş’in taşıtıdır (butun hindu tanrilarinin birer hayvan vesaiti de var). Ganeş sans, bilgi, guzel sanatlar tanrisi, hindular bir ise baslamadan once bismillah der gibi ona tapiniyorlar.

Ganeş’in hikayesi cok sacma gibi gelse de, her hindu buna inaniyor. Isa’nin olu diriltmesinden, suyu sarap yapmasindan veya su ustunde yurumesinden de cok daha sacma degil herhalde!

Bu kadar cok tanri ve put olmasina ragmen, hindulari dinlerini tek tanrili oldugunu soyluyorlar. Guya butun bu gordugumuz bilumum tanrilar, tek tanrinin degisik sekilleriymis. Hiristiyanliktaki gibi bir uclu inanc da var. Uc ana tanri: yaratan (Brahma), yokeden (Şiva) ve koruyan (Vişnu) tanrilar.

Bazen inanclarla gunumuzun dunyasi cakisiyor tabii, hindu inancina gore ermis olmanin yollarindan birisi sati olmak. Sati kocasi oldukten sonra kendisini onun yandigi atese diri diri atan kadinlara deniyor. Bu kadinlar islamdaki sehit mertebesine benzer bir mertebeye ciktiklari icin etrafta turbemsi tapinaklari var. Ama bugun artik bu yasaklanmis, ve bazi hindular kime ne isteyen istedigini yapar mantigiyla yasaklanmasina karsi, ama tabii bazi tutucu cevrelerde atese atlamayanlara kocasini sevmeyen es olarak bakilip olmeden cehennem azabi cektiriliyor.

Sri Lanka ve Budizm
Hindistan’dan sonra 4 gunlugune Sri Lanka’ya (Seylon veya Seylan) gittik. Orada da muthis bir dindarlik hakimdi. Bizi gezdiren arkadasimiz Navin yolda giderken gordugu bazi tapinaklarin onunde durup dua etti ve bagis verdi. Yol kenarindaki tapinaklara arabadan cikmadan bagis verilebilsin diye konulmus metal kumbaralar da cok pratikti. Sri Lanka’nin cogunlugu budist ve Hindistan kokenli, Hindistan’dan gayriresmi yardim goren bir hindu azinlik var. Tamil Tigers (Tamil Kaplanlari) denilen bir de teror orgutleri! Ara sira haberlerde “Ayrilikci Tamil gerillalari sekiz binayi havaya ucurup, iki tane de tren kacirdi” seklinde isimlerini duymus olabilirsiniz. Orgut cok guclu, adanin kuzeyini ele gecirmis durumda. Biz o sebepten kuzeyi goremedik. Sri Lanka’ya gitmeden bir hafta once cumhurbaskanlarina suikast duzenlendi, kadin az kalsin kor oluyordu. Biz ordayken de bir bombalama, bir de trene saldiri olayi oldu. Unutmadan bir detayi da yazayim, Sri Lanka cumhurbaskaninin annesi de basbakan. Asil hanedan boyle oluyor galiba.

Sri Lanka’da heryerde devasa Buda heykelleri gorduk. Bazi yenileri de insaat halindeydi. Budism Hindistan’da cikmasina ragmen ordan cok dunyanin diger yerlerinde tutulmus. Hindular budizm olayini pek onemsemiyorlar, Buda’nin kendi tanrilarindan Vişnu’nun dokuzuncu reenkarnasyonu olduguna inanarak budizmi kucumseyerek mesrulastiriyorlar. Budistler ise “yok oyle sey, tanri Buda sahsina munhasir bir tanridir” inancindalar tabii.

Buda’nin hikayesi kisaca soyle: Buda (Siddarta) milattan once 556 yilinda dogmadan once babasina oglunun ya cok buyuk bir hukumdar, ya da bir peygamber olacagi soylenmis. Baba da hukumdar olsun peygamberlikte para yok diye oglunu hic saraydan cikarmamis. Fakat bir gun nasilsa disari cikan Prens Siddarta, ilk kez dunyanin acilari ile karsilasmis ve bu acilari nasil yok edecegine kafayi yormaya baslamis. Bir gece karisini ve kundaktaki oglunu birakip cikmis ve bir Bo agacinin (ficus religiosa) altinda 40 gun oturup ermis. (Bana kalirsa budist bagdas kurma pozisyona – lotus pozisyonu – gecmesi 40 gun almistir, zira cok elastisite gerektiriyor.) Sonra da ana felsefesi her turlu acgozlulukten ve istekten arinmak olan budizm dinini kurmus.

Budizmin butun onemli yerleri Hindistan’da. Hatta bir budizm hac yolu var. Buda’nin gittigi yoldan gidip onemli yerlerdeki tapinaklari ziyaret ediyorsunuz. Biz Sarnath’taki tapinaklara ve harabelere gittik. Burasi Buda’nin ilk konusmasini yaptigi yer. Mogollar tas ustunde tas birakmamislar, musluman dusmani rehberimiz de bunu birkac kez ustune basarak soylemeyi ihmal etmedi. Hindistan’da gordugumuz en bakimli, en temiz yer burasi idi. Sebebi de Hint hukumetinin eline birakilmamis olmasi tabii. Bir budist dernegi temizliyormus. Ciplak Ceyn rahiplerini de burada gorduk.

Hinduizm
Hindistan’in coguna hakim olan hindu dinin en guzel ozelligi diger dinlerden insanlari kendi dinlerine inandirmaya kalkmamalari. Hindu inancina gore herkes hangi dine dogmussa o dinde kalmali. Fakat butun dinler dinsizlikten iyi oldugu icin, dinsiz bir insani orijinal dinine daha bagli bir insan yapmak sevap.

Tabii bir de yillarca Ingilizler tarafindan asagilandiklari icin bizdekinden daha abarti bir bati kompleksleri var. Bu kompleks dogrultusunda surekli olarak bize kendi dinlerinin ne kadar iyi bir din oldugunu kanitlamaya calisiyorlar. Ve bizle konusan insanlarin cogu bizi hiristiyan sandiklari icin hiristiyanlik ile hinduizm arasinda paralellikler kurmayi cok seviyorlar.

Aslinda hint mitolojisi ve bizim tek tanrili uc dinin ortak hikayeleri de az degil. Sozkonusu dinler icinde en eskisi hinduizm oldugu icin insan sanki digerlerinin hikayelerinin ondan ciktigini dusunuyor. Mesela Hz Ibrahim ve oglu hikayesinin biraz degisik bir versiyonu onlarda da var. Harischandra tanri Varuna’ya eger ona bir ogul verirse, ona oglunu hediye edecegini soyluyor. Baska bir hikayede tanri Rama uc gun dua sonunda (Musa Peygamber’den daha gucsuz yani) Hint Okyanusunu ikiye ayirip ordusunu geciriyor. Zaten Hintiler Hz Isa’nin nerede oldugu bilinmeyen yillarini Hindistan’da gecirdigini iddia ediyorlar.

Hinduizm’de ideal insan her turlu istekten arinmis insan. Nietzche’nin Übermensch dedigi ustun insan gibi yani. Zaten bunun icin ideal bir hindu omrunun son kismini haci olarak isteklerden arinarak geciriyor.

Bir de tipik, zamanindaki Hint uygarliginin ne kadar super oldugu hikayeleri var. Hint mitoloji/din kitaplarinda (Mahabarata ve Ramayana) balistik fuzeler, nukleer bombalar gibi daha yeni kesfedilen silahlarin bulundugunu hemen anlatiyorlar. Bizdeki Cebelitarik’ta sularin karismamasinin Kuran’da yazili olmasi hikayesi gibi.

Kisaca hinduizmin kast sistemine de deginmek lazim. Uc ana kast var. Rahipler (brahman), savascilar (şatriya), ve tuccar/ciftciler (vaisya). Bu kastlar kendi iclerinde klanlara da bolunuyorlar. Bir de kastlarin disinda kalan ve dokunulmazlar (untouchable) veya ezilmisler (dalit) denen insanlar var. Bu dokunulmazlar zamaninda (hatta hala) en pislik isleri yapan kisiler. Zamaninda diger kastlardan insanlar bunlara dokunduklari zaman, hatta bunlarin golgeleri ustlerine dustugu zaman abdest almak gibi bir dini temizlenisten gecmeleri gerekiyormus. Simdi eskisi kadar ayirim yok, devlet de dalitlere bircok imtiyaz tanimis. Universitelerde kontenjanlari var, devlet memurluklarinda kontenjanlari var, simdi de diger kastlardan olan insanlar da bu tur kotalari esitsizlik olarak goruyorlar.

Gunumuzde de evlenirken kastlar onemlice. Bizim dugunune gittigimiz arkadasimiz Pratap artik hic onemi olmadigini soylese de, kendisi de yeni esi de ayni kasttan, hatta ayni klandan. Konustugumuz baska birisi, ailesinin ilk uc kasttan birisiyle evlenmesine karsi cikmayacagini ama dokunulmazlardan birisiyle evlenmesinin mumkun olmadigini anlatti. Kizkardesi de bir Sih ile evlenmis, ailesinin cok hosuna gitmemis ama kabullenmisler.

Sihler kafalarina sarik baglayip sakal birakanlar. New York’ta taksiciler arasinda bol bol gorulebilirler. Idealen saclarini hic kesmiyorlar ve surekli olarak yanlarinda tasimak zorunda olduklari bazi ziriltilar var. Bir tarak, bir bicak, bir kilic, bir igne gibi, bir nevi at-avrat-pusat meselesi. Agra’da tren istasyonunda bir tanesini gorduk, esek kadar kiliciyla ve mavi elbisesiyle salina salina yuruyordu. Gayet de korkunc bir herifti. Kimse de “kardeşim hoop o kılıçla trene binemezsin!” demedi.

Sih dini islam ile hinduizmin sentezi dediler bize, ama soyle bir sentez: islamdan tek tanri inancini, din icin savasmayi ve et yemeyi almislar. Bence islamla pek alakasi yok. Sihler Hindistan’i istila eden muslumanlara karsi savastiklari icin hala bazi hindu aileler ilk erkek cocuklarini Sih olarak yetistirlermis.

Hindistan’da dikkatinizi cekecek baska bir sey ise sadhu denen kendini dine adamis adamlar. Hindu hayat tarzinin son safhasi dunyevi hayattan cekilip bir lokma bir hirka seklinde yasamak. Bu adamlari heryerde goruyorsunuz. Genellikle acik turuncu kiyafet giyip upuzun sac ve sakallari ile ciplak ayak geziniyorlar. Tapinaklarda yemek yiyorlar ve durmadan dua edip dini yerleri ziyaret ediyorlar. Olene kadar ailelerini islerini birakip daimi haci oluyorlar yani!

Varanasi
Ozellikle Varanasi (Benaras) sehrinde, ki bu sehrin hala icinde yasanan en eski sehir oldugunu iddia ediyorlar (Diyarbakir ile karsilastirmak lazim), her kosede bir sadhu var. Bu sehrin ozelligi en onemli kutsal sehirlerden birisi olmasi, kutsal Ganj Nehri’nin kiyisinda, ve bir hindu icin olunce yakilacagi en prestijli olu yakma yerleri burada, buradaki bazi yerlerde yakilanlar cennete bilet kestirmis oluyorlar. Nehrin kiyisinda sabahin 6′sinda sabah sporunu (yoga) yapanlar, disini fircalayanlar, kahverengi su icinde sabah banyosunu yapanlar, meditasyon yapanlar, camasir yikayanlar, iki dua edip para alan rahipler, alna renkli toz (tika) surup para alan rahipler, mum ve cicek satanlar, gargara yapanlar, acayip hint halterleri ile vucut gelistirenler, cins cins turistler, balikcilar, cins cins turistlere incik boncuk satmaya calisan cins cins seyyar saticilar, kayik gezisi yapan turistler icin kayikli saticilar, olu yakicilar, olu yakilirken para karsiligi sure basina para alan duacilar, olunun sonuna kadar yandigini (para karsiligi) kontrol ediciler, olu yakarken kotu kokmasin diye tozlar ve bezler satan dukkan sahipleri, ve daha daha seyyar saticilar ile karsilasmamak imkansiz.

Bir diger imkansiz sey ise daracik sokaklarda hayvan bokuna basmadan yurumek. Ama butun bunlar dindar hindulari bu sehre hacca gelmekten hint meraklisi batililari da hacca gelmis hintli gormeye gelmekten alikoymuyor tabii. Rehberimiz bu adamlarin Ganj Nehri’nin pis suyunu likir likir icip hasta falan olmadiklarini soyledi. Tanrilari koruyormus. Bence Hindistan’da gordugumuz en ilginc ve en pis yerdi burasi. Cok tavsiye ederim.

Dinin, din turizminin ve din somuruculugunun dunyadaki merkezi Hindistan iste boyle. Maalesef vakit darligindan batililarin akin akin gelip paralarini oluk oluk akittiklari gurularin tarikathanelerini goremedik. Aşram denilen bu muesseselerin en unlulerinden birisi Pune’deydi (Poona). Mumbai’a birkac saat mesafede. Fakat iceri girip bir gormek icin AIDS testi, ozel ders gibi zorunluluklar oldugundan vaktimiz olamadi. Merak edenler icin AIDS testinin sebebi su: sayin guru (ki kendisi bilimum tanrilarinin rahmetine kavusali 10 yil kadar olmus), ermenin evrelerinden birisinin vucudun onemsizligini kavramak oldugunu dusundugu icin, cinsel ihtiraslardan arinmak amaciyla cinselligin sinirsizca yasanmasi gerektigine inanip, batililara seks turizmi ve ermisligi bir pakette sunmus. Tabii ki basta Amerika olmak uzere butun bati ulkelerinden insanlar buraya akmislar. Simdi ise guru yok, ama tarikat Adnancilar veya Rasputin’in bagli oldugu yasak Khylysti mezhebi gibi seksin dayanilmaz cekiciliginin yardimi ile unlendigi icin, gecmisteki basarisini koruyor.

Bir dahaki sefere artik.

Aralık 1999,
New York

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