Photographs and memories

Old neem tree in the garden of the Auroville community Verite (meaning TRUTH)

Typical family scene on the way home from Pondy

Being here, there are so many opportunities each day to witness interesting and extraordinary moments.  With an eye for things that might appear unusual or out of the ordinary to the average person back home, I've taken a few snaps to share with you here in my blog.  This random catalogue of images in no apparent order or context is a mosaic of memories...

Eating South Indian Vegetarian Thali (dish of varied curries with rice) on Banana leaves at Suguru in Pondy

Muslims ladies enjoying the seaside air in Pondicherry

Beach babies... mother selling tourist trinkets in hot afternoon sun.

Pondy canal, littered and motorbike friendly (too friendly?)

At Auroville, citizens of the ashram are experimenting with solar panels for heating water and  pumps.  Here is a solar hot water heater.  People can take warm water directly from this tank out in the yard if they want to fill a bucket for a bath.

    

This is the water treatment process for Sadhana and all the Auroville communities.  The final stage includes special light beams and peaceful music being played to the water.  Happy water makes happy people, they say.

1100 year old Temple carving at Tiruvanamalai... she is very proud of her bust, apparently

Filling trucks with water for shipment to parts of the city (Bangalore) where people have none.  The day I took this photo I read an article in the Deccan Herald about the city of Bangalore chopping down 600 trees to expand city roads in one neighborhood.  Bore wells and truck tanks can't replace a healthy water table made possible by trees.

Mountains of sugar cane on trucks on the way to market.  

Healing bed at Swaram... built upon a harp like instrument and calibrated
for maximum healing vibrations!  Grant is getting good, good vibrations.

Our national pride... sour cream (American Style Cream) and
onion chips.  Right on the shelf near Indian Masala Spicey Lays.
Indians call these wafers and french fries are 'finger chips'

Cowboy art has arrived in Auroville.  Found this deer skull
and wagon wheel hanging at Swaram.

Yesterday at the Beach, it became clear that the small spot of sand and sea right in front of the Auroville Cafe was a unique patch of India... trash free, plastic bag free, excrement free, and full of white chicks in bikinis.  Walking too far down the beach on either side of this Auro patch was a bit risky -- as wild dogs, human waste, and roving gangs of flesh-starved young Indian men abounded.  Signs at the cafe reminded us to mind our manners and remember we weren't "in Kansas anymore!"