The end of the "fun"

After a very very long time, I have come back to my blog. I was encouraged by my friends, my students and colleagues to continue what I have once started. I am not good in writing and I am not good in finishing up what I ever have initiated. I will try my best and summarize my experience with India, in India and my arrival to Europe after all the struggle and happiness I had experience in this dynamic place.

Varanasi is a city situated in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh, 80 km near the border of the state Bihar. The Hindus consider it as one of the most holy places. The banks of the holy river Ganges offer an opportunity to observe amazing sunrises (if the pollution and humidity allows), a unique experience of all the possible human activities starting from brushing the teeth, over having bath and urinating, ending in worshiping God in a smelly and dirty water. That realistic view would surely hurt the emotions of those ones who associate Ganges with God. Highly contaminated water causes a lot of diseases and still there will be hundreds or thousands individuals who would deny the harming effects caused by disastrous environmental damages. Factories release their waste water into the river, the surrounding houses their bathroom and kitchen water has no other choice but running in to the flow of the holy stream.Humans have bath in the river along with their animals.

Holy bath

Coming back to my 3 months stay and "academic" experience as a guest teacher I have to mention that my initial excitement ended in a strong disillusion. The wish to teach German in a friendly environment was never fulfilled. My Swiss colleague and me created two separate wings in the "political" spectrum of the German department at Arts faculty. Me, being the one who didn´t simply follow the instructions and restrictions of the Head of the German department, and my colleague, being the other side, actually the right side, of the front. 

The students unfortunately were more or less forced to accept the will of the "Führer". Any sign of disagreement would cost them probably their very unstable seat in this very sad establishment. I wonder what would have happened if I simply had acted as an obedient individual who keeps the mouth and eyes closed. Would it have meant that I was able to adopt to a system which created more fear then a feeling of achieved knowledge? I would haven´t faced so many hostile moments, caused by my antagonistic attitude towards the authorities. My European and probably too selfish Ego didn´t allow me to stand still and obey someones self created rules.

The BHU (Benares Hindu University) is situated in the largest campus in Asia and hides really beautiful and clean area. In comparison to the city of Varanasi, the BHU campus is significantly cleaner, less polluted, spacious and not controlled by omnipresent policemen (by the way I had the feeling the the only three authorities in Varanasi were the policemen, the priests and the street gangs "offering" the best deals to the western tourists).  One could find quite places to sit, to read or to drink of the very strong milk teas even in the Shiva temple inside the campus. I preferably enjoyed staying outside the temple area and simply sit down under any of the huge treas. While being watched by many many mostly female students I tried to ignore the fact that any action I carry out would be watched, discussed and repeatedly brought back to me couple of days later. 

Krishna, a very nice student who cycled everyday from Sarnath,
a place 14km far from Varansi, and back. (image courtesy: Tobias Hitsch)

Despite all the troubles I faced I have met very friendly and genuine students, travelers and musicians. I needed time to discover though who were the (subjectively) right people to spend time with. I realized only after those three months that big lies can be hidden even behind a child´s face.

I left Varanasi in March 7, 2010 with mixed emotions and a strong conviction that I would probably never come back again. 

I

Banaras Hindu University November 29, 2009

July 2009 I came across an employment ad on a position of visiting fellow in the German Department of the BHU (Banaras Hindu University) in India. I decided to apply for this position. I received an answer of the Head of the German department that my application came too late but that he would put me on a waiting list. September 2009 when I was in Turkey I received another email from the same guy asking me whether I am still interested in that position. I was surprised and shocked. After informing my mother who became even more shocked (this time rather negatively) I decided to take this job. And only November 2009 my "employment" was confirmed. Only 3 weeks remained and I had to apply for a visa, collect all my savings, buy a ticked, an insurance and confirm my Indian trip to my parents. They were not happy but I decided so I just left Germany November 29. I landed in Varanasi December 1.

Landing in Varanasi

After a very long stay in Dubai airport I took my another flight to New Delhi, arrived there in the night and searched for a hotel. I was asking some one at the information counter where some cheaper hotel is, he looked at me, then at his small room (hotel information counter) and asked me whether I would be satisfied staying one night there on the ground. I was too tired to agree so I just smiled and asked for a "real" place to sleep. :-)

He gave me some options and I tooked the most convenient one and left with a prepaid auto (auto rikshaw). The hotel was situated in a very dark part of Delhi. I left my luggage in the room (with warm water) and went out for a tea. It was about 10pm and everybody I met was quite astonished to see a girl walking down the street without anyone accompanying her. I woke up very early the next morning and left for the domestic airport. I landed in Varanasi 12.30 pm. It was sunny and hot day, two nice students were waiting for me. They took me by a rented cab to the Banaras Hindu University. We walked through the fields, the entire city, entered the BHU through its famous main gate. Immediately after I had met Dr. Natarajan, my boss, my guides took me to the place I was supposed to stay for the next three months with my colleague Nicole Kreuzer from Switzerland who was hired for the same position as I was. I met her later. I just wanted to get rid off my  heavy luggage first and take a bath after that long trip.

The house looked wonderful from outside. My first impression was clouded up by entering the room I shared with my colleague. It was an empty place furnished with two recently bought beds and two chairs. I was not worried though because I knew that I could get used to anything. I was just very surprised because I was told I would be staying in a university guest house. I assumed it was only an interim option :-)