Oh Taj Sublime

After leaving Agra Fort we had lunch at a restaurant in a hotel with which Rao Travel has an arrangement. The food and service were quite good. Simar and I shared our table with a gal from Iran and a guy from South Africa, each traveling solo. Regrettably I didn't write their names down on a napkin and have forgotten them.

The bus dropped us about 200 yards from the entrance to the Taj Mahal, the rest of the trek was accomplished by camel or horse buggy. We jumped on a horse buggy. It was so tipsy I thought I would slide out the back right onto the road. The camels fascinated me - never have I seen one outside a zoo. In fact I can say that about India in general...never have I seen so many zoo animals out in the streets among the humans...cows and sheep and goats, of course, and monkeys and kingfisher and cobras and now camels. Where is the wise elephant of my dreams...perhaps around the next corner...

Admission for Indians into the Taj Mahal is a whopping 30 rupies (about 6 cents). For me, the non-Indian it is a shocking 750 rupees or $16! (The Empire State Building costs the same.) The queue for nationals was endless yet there was no line for foreigners. I approached, received a warm greeting and was welcomed inside. The guards stopped Simar in her tracks. She's got a look that can pass for many nationalities and has said she's often asked if she's Israeli. The guards refused her entry in my queue and she obediently headed to the long line of Indians. Seeing her go, a deep voice rose up in my belly and I surprisingly blurted: "Wait! She's with me. She's mine." The guards turned to me equally surprised. I reiterated calmly and firmly: "She's with me. Come Simar. Come." They let her pass. As we walked together, I shot her a glance and a smirk. "I feel like an imperious white woman during the height of colonialism."

We arrived at the Taj at the peak of day. It was a scorcher and there were many people there. I had to wet my scarf and wear it on my head for air conditioning. And I vowed that the next time I visit the Taj I will leave Delhi at 3am and arrive at dawn, or wait until dusk when the shadowplay is grandest. Ashwin told me the Taj is at its ethereal best on the night of a full moon. The grounds are amazing, all the buildings so beautiful - the stone, the carvings, the details...

No matter where we've all grown up in the West, we've heard of the Taj Mahal, seen an image of this great wonder of the world, a tomb erected in the name of true love. But until we lay our eyes upon it we cannot fully fathom its incredible beauty and majesty. It is something from dreamworld and completely breathtaking.

So Simar and I spent an hour there, strolling under shade trees and slowly making our way inside.

I let a song go out of my heart (albeit sideways):

And someone answered:

The view to the north, west and east.

Auf Wiedersehen Taj!

Day Trip to Agra

I've known all along that I wouldn't have much time to travel and see other parts of India on this maiden journey, but I quickly decided that a day trip to Agra to see one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal, was a certainty. I booked my bus passage through Rao Travel and in the last minute Simar decided to come along.

I recently met a really sweet taxi driver named Ravi on one of my many trips between Zorba and the Embassy and elsewhere and have been calling him often. He picked me up at Zorba at 5:00 am this morning. The bus left an hour later from the neighborhood of Vasant Vihar which is where my pianist Arjun and his family live. The bus was comfortable with mostly Indian tourists aboard and soon we were out of Delhi and stopping for a road-side breakfast.

Our first stop in Agra was the very impressive Red Fort, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Red Fort and the Taj Mahal bear testimony to a civilization which has disappeared, that of the Mogul Emperors. Agra's history goes back 2500 years but only during the rein of the Mughals did it became more than just a provincial town.  This 16th-century fortress of red sandstone was built in 1565 by the Emperor Akbar on the right bank of the Yamuna. Within its 2.5km-long enclosure walls it contains many fairy tale palaces such as Jahanguir Palace and the Khas Mahal, audience halls and two very beautiful mosques.

The Emporer Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal, was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb in Agra Fort from which he had a view of the sublime building he erected for his deceased wife, Mumtaz Mahal. There in the distance it shimmers.....

Chhartarpur Temple

Delhi has many wonderful temples and historic sites. I have not yet a chance to really visit them. Seems my time is spent in the streets and in the homes of India. But I heard there was a temple near Zorba and our Ghitorni stop on the Metro line. The station was two stops away at Chhartarpur. On my way into town to do a little more shopping, I decided to pay it a visit. It might even be more interesting being way off the beaten tourist path...

In my travels on the elevated subway, I've been spotting several huge statues sprinkled throughout South Delhi. Today on my way to the temple I passed one of them - Hanuman - the mighty monkey deity - a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana. Hanuman aided Lord Rama in his expedition against evil forces and is one of the most popular idols in the Hindu pantheon. Believed to be an avatar of Lord Shiva, he is worshipped as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance and devotion.

The Alexander Technique

One of the great perks of being at Zorba is taking part in some terrific workshops. I’d already learned an Aryuvedic Yoga Massage with Swami Khirad. This weekend I learned the Alexander Technique as taught by Ashwath Bhatt (second from left), also a trained actor. 

The Alexander Technique is a system taught to improve posture and movement, and to use muscles efficiently. It takes its name from F. Matthias Alexander who, in the 1890s, developed its principles as a personal tool to alleviate his breathing problems. He credited the technique with allowing him to pursue his passion for Shakespearean acting. The technique involves the re-education of what Alexander called "The Use Of The Self", a re-education of our reactions to internal and external stimuli.

We learned concepts such as end-gaining and inhibition. End-gaining means to focus on a goal and lose sight of the process of getting there. In simple walking, for instance, we have only the destination in mind and lose awareness for how our body actually walks. By bringing inner awareness and outer focus to walking, we can correct posture, breathing and body alignment. Inhibition describes a moment of conscious awareness of a choice to interrupt, stop or entirely prevent an unnecessary habitual "misuse." A freer capacity and range of motion result and we experience this more as a state of "non-doing." In stagecraft, I myself teach a concept I call self-collection which is very similar. It is a moment of gathering myself up before entering a character and a song and bringing awareness to my body, breathing and intention.

Ashwath taught us with great humor and sensitivity. I picked up several games and connection exercises from him that I think will be fun to incorporate into my teaching, beginning with my own upcoming workshops in stagecraft at Neemrana Music Foundation and here at Zorba. Ulla Matussek came out form the Embassy each day to join us. We became a tight little group working in this nurturing oasis of nature.

Indian Wedding

Indian Weddings are astonishing. Celebrated for days on end with lavish sets, costumes, fanfare, ceremony, I was lucky to experience one right next door.

For weeks in the adjacent farm, builders had been erecting a structure nearly a NY city-block in length. The peace I’d known in my first week at Zorba was soon dashed by the sounds of hammers and drills that went well into the night. The Friday before the wedding, when we were all assembled for the Alexander Technique, the Ring Cermony was taking place. The volume of noise and music was so high it made our building pulse and the window glass rattle. That night I packed up my bedding and slept in the Heart. The mosquitos were buzzing but it was better than the din. They finally quit their partying at 5am. Nobody in our group got any rest and arrived on Saturday morning fairly fried and so Ashwin went to have a chat with his neighbor. He returned with an invitation for two. We got dolled up in our finery and attended the wedding on Sunday. Being inside the complex was amazing...it was jaw-dropping what all had been created there in three weeks time... a long entryway with hundreds of votives, tropical garden, a gazebo, a main hall, a dining hall and a room for the ceremony. 

They say, "the uglier the bride the bigger the wedding" and since this was mammoth, I was surprised to finally see a fairly pretty bride. Turns out the groom's father is some huge media personality and very rich. I kid you not: champagne and cognac flowed on dozens of trays for over 400 guests all night long. 

I kept leaving Ashwin to go explore and that is how I came to be in the street when the groom arrived. Not sure how it happened but I wound up as part of the groom's party as the pictures and videos reveal. Nobody asked me to leave. I chuckle to think that he'll see me there in all his photographs.

The food was incredible, so much so that Ashwin and I missed the marital ceremony because we were grazing. There was a gourmet spread of veg and non-veg offerings, and the richest and best black daal and chicken butter masala of my trip thus far. The delicacy of the night...goat's testicles. Wheeee, I already had one in my mouth when the handsome man on line behind me told me what it was. Gulp. Smooth and buttery, actually...yummy.

Long live this prince and princess!

Have a look:

Berlin Night

Tonight we celebrated Berlin Night with a selected audience at the German Embassy. We began by reprising our afternoon tea set, songs from the Weimar Republic, with Felix Hofmann at the piano. After a break, I took the stage again with two lovely Indian jazz musicians I’ve found in Delhi and am coaching in the art of cabaret accompaniment - Arjun Gupta on the piano, Nikhil Vasudevan on drums. Sweet.

With vintage posters adorning the walls, silent films playing in the banquet room and sumptuous food and beverages, people were transported to the great city, past and present. Songs included “Life’s A Swindle”, “Mack the Knife”, “Beware of Blondes”, “ Lou Lila”, “Falling in Love Again” and “Tea for Two” in the first set, and “Speak Low”, “Koffer in Berlin”, “Night and Day”, “Libertango”, “I Let my Daddy Do That”, “In the Still of the Night”, “Mood Indigo” and “Lili Marleen” in the jazzy set.

Wunderbar!

The Ruins of Hauz Khas

This is Simar. She is one of the directors here at Zorba with whom I already had contact from New York. She is a beauty with big expressive eyes, a waterfall of long black hair and a free and generous spirit. I've named her Shopping Girl, not because she's a shopping freak but because whenever I'm shopping with her I have extraordinary luck. Having an insider is really the best way to go. They know where to take you and how to handle people once you're there. 

On Monday, we ventured to the old runs of Hauz Khas in central Delhi. In the 13th century, this was an institution of higher learning. Today it forms a rough-and-tumble park and lake where lovers kiss in rocky crevices and now and then a chanteuse drifts through and plays her voice against the ancient stones.

Afterwards, we explored the nearby shops of Hauz Khas, very rustic and not so much geared to tourism. There in a boutique I scored:  two stunning raw silk garments. One is an ivory skirt with sumptuous beadwork, matching top and scarf. The other a black raw silk skirt with a flare-out at the ankle and gold trim. When I emerged from the dressing room, Simar and the proprietress both let out a "wow!" and I took them both. Each is a one-of-a-kind piece that will no doubt make an appearance in this blog at some point.