Varanasi / Sarnath on all Indian television channels over the weekend Obama . Obama, as he visited the tomb of Humayun in Delhi Mogulköngis, Obama visit to the village and Michelle and Barack, as they perform in the midst of children a Bollywood dance. Not bad, the arm rotation, they really have on it - whether they are well trained before?
For weeks, we can truly say was the front page Indian newspapers with the upcoming visit of U.S. President filled. Just hours was analyzed his visit program, fanned the security effort and the organizational details and speculate what this visit to India. Much has been said about the unique partnership between the oldest democracy in the world and the largest democracy in the world ...
I linger in the moment in my guest house in which I since 27 November live. I live in a small room on the roof terrace overlooking the countryside. The Guest House is located in Sarnath, a quiet and leafy suburb of Varanasi. While Varanasi, with its famous steps at the Ganges, the Ghats, the holiest city of the Hindus, is Sarnath is known as the birthplace of Buddhism. Across the street from my Guest House is Buddha's first sermon have held. Under a bodhi tree, you can read it today on tablets in different languages. Throughout Sarnath are many Buddhist monasteries - a Tibetan, a Thai, a Cambodian, Japanese, ... Each Buddhist country seems to be represented. In January, the Dalai Lama for a few days to Sarnath and I hope that I can watch one of his speeches. In Sarnath
is also the office of Human Welfare Association, a local NGO that works in the villages of the region. The HWA is made especially for silk weavers the region that produce the famous Banarsi sari. Global competition for many of these weavers in recent years has caused problems. The HWA is committed to fair pay for their hard work on (a sari takes ten days to be woven and embroidered by hand) and helps to distribute the saris as quality products under its own brand.
In these villages it is far from natural to send their children to school. Especially girls often prefer to keep the house and brought up in the first place to the mother and housewife. There is real grassroots work, people in their traditional village structures of the importance of education to convince. First, the parents were skeptical, but after the first success stories - young women who now have a small family income - is beginning to change the setting.
Supported by Terre des hommes, HWA has in many villages, so-called "non-formal education centers" established, where children study of workers and peasants basic things. In addition, training centers were set up for women, established self-help groups, children's parliaments and information points.
In recent days I have visited many of these villages and looked in the schools. The children sit on the floor, his eyes riveted on the teacher or the teacher and stand up when a visitor comes into the room. This is a British boarding obedience probably a Relik the colonial period. Educational possible to draw the blunt memorization of English words in doubt, but the kids put a tremendous eagerness to the day. It is a real joy to watch, as I proudly present the poems and songs they have learned. About half of them are Bollywood songs and songs that are about love of country - or mother country "Bharat Mataji" is the "dear mother India."
Which brings us to the next topic - my Hindi. I would like to learn in the next few weeks as much of the language and hang several hours each day over the "Teach Yourself Hindi" book, I have bought me. It is not easy. Although I have the alphabet on it, but it takes five minutes, until I deciphered a sentence in the newspaper. Well, soon hopefully better ...
If I want to work in the villages, Hindi, however, indispensable. I would like to teach at one of the village schools and learn about the structures and problems of rural India. Dr. Rajanikant, the founder and director of HWA, has suggested to me: I can see my stay here as a study and learn in interviews and "case studies" about the Indian society. Gandhi once said: "The true India is to be found not in its few cities but in its seven hundred thousand villages. If the villages perish, India will perish too. "
Even today, at the time of explosive population growth (India will overtake China in the foreseeable future) and more and more Millonenstädten live, 70 percent of Indian population in the villages. Many might say that under medieval conditions. Life revolves around the harvest. A few buffalo are the proudest possession and the best life insurance. The cow is seen as a being that gives life and is replaced by giving the people their milk (and cow dung, used material and dried for fuel and construction). Against this background, the way is the clichéd-famous in the West to see Indian worship of the cow.
Friday was Diwali, the Indian festival of lights that celebrates the return of the Hindu god Rama and the victory over the demon king Ravana in front of thousands of years, and thus the victory of good over evil. Diwali is a mixture of Christmas and New Year. The houses are dressed in tacky multi-colored lights and all the last days it was a single Geböller in the streets.
I verbacht the holiday on the Ghats of Varanasi (Benares) and easily observed only human. But the Ghats are probably one of the best places in the world - has always been the life here has remained constant: the bathing of the pilgrims, the small boats and barges in the water, the traditional cremation by the river, the ancient temple. But the buffalo herds that her cool dip (temperatures are often still too early November to the 30 degree) wash and laundry, the clothes in the muddy water.
Many historians see Varanasi as the oldest city in the world. Mark Twain once said after his visit to this city: "Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together."
