I love to read, write and listen. A good story is never wasted on me. But sometimes, I am simply overwhelmed by the truth. That’s when incredulous me sneaks in. And it happened a lot in India. 

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Or perhaps the many truths about the Indian way of life compel me to overthink and digest each and every morsel of truth at times so incongruous with modern times and practices. Like I can’t help feeling pity for the poor Indian widows left at the mercy of parents and inlaws, at times reduced to praying at the temple for a measly sum of 7 rupees. Or dealing with 20,000 rats in a Rat Temple (we didn’t go there, but shrieked just the same at this trivia). Twenty thousand! Must be some maternity hospital for busy, pregnant mice. Our guide said that when one dies in the village, a new mouse is born. Really. Another story goes that a sickly child fully recovered soon after drinking milk from the same milk plate fed to the temple rats. Incredible!

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And how about those burning bodies sent afloat in the Ganges River where many faithful bathe themselves and more? Was the tradition an offshoot of this beautiful lady (Ganga) who threw all her 7 babies (believed to be demons) into the same waters? So many tales. So many traditions. Cultural practices preserved through many generations.

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In a country where eunuchs are commissioned to bless houses, Incredulous Me gaped in misbelief upon learning that some men actually undergo surgery to be a eunuch. Eunuchs NOT by birth, but via surgery? How could anyone even consider chopping off that part of the body, pray tell? Why would someone wish to acquire such unfortunate deformity? Do these eunuchs truly absorb all negative vibes like a magnet for ills and misfortunes? (The idea is for them eunuchs to rid or bless the house free of bad luck)

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Then there’s the Jains. Followers of Jainism believe every living thing has a divine soul. They don’t venture out of the house come nighttime for fear they’d step on a bug or any living thing. When we reached Raknapur’s Jain Temple — marvelous marble temple where no 2 pillars are the same — we had to leave all leather stuff because they come from cattle or some other animal.

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My, so many stories. I’d add more here as I remember more. Meanwhile, let me review my notes on KAMASUTRA. KAMA = love. SUTRA = tied together. Kamasutra = 84 ways to express love. And they say it’s NOT all about SEX. Dim lights. Love sounds. Longer kisses. Think EmperorAkbar with his more than 300 wives. AHEM.

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