I am in my second week here in India. I am learning a lot about India’s political, economic, cultural, and historical background as I adapt to my new environment. My favorite aspect of India currently is the colors popping out at me everywhere I look. The women strolling along in their saris…each one different and beautiful. Varying shades of orange, blue, green, purple, pink. Some fringed with gold, some fringed with silver. The gold bangles on their wrists and the silver rings on their toes and ankles. This display of color is not only for women. The men in their lunghis also boast a variety of colors and designs. The houses the men and women come in and out of poking through the lush green coconut and banana trees are many colors and shades. Even the mud here seems to be more colorful and vibrant. All this abundance and variety of color also represents the variety and abundance of languages, religions, and customs here in India. Some would maybe think all these colors on the clothing, houses, buses, etc would clash. In contrast, they all seem to blend harmoniously just as the diverse array of languages, religions, and customs seem to. There is an element of understanding and compassion for one another here that one would be hard pressed to find elsewhere. It truly is beautiful.
In the coming week I look forward to exploring more of Prashantagiri and doing water testing with Jenny. Until then I will continue to be amazed by the colors and people I encounter every day.