Chances

As mentioned in my 1st post, it was really difficult for me to travel to India alone and this was an understatement.  The time between leaving home, my comfort zone, and venturing to the ashram in India took a toll on my mind and body.  I had a lot of time to think on the plane trips to India.   These thoughts included how convenient it would be to meet someone I can share a familiarity with to help ease being alone in a foreign city.  Maybe there’s a Trini or a West Indian enrolled in this yoga course and I would have a friend!  I wondered what the chances would be to meet a Trinidadian here at all in India.  What are the chances that all reasons will be fulfilled for this event to happen?  Trinidad is tiny in geographical size and population, India is large and largely over-populated, that person and myself would have to be in the exact area, exact time and for some odd reason that cannot be explained, we would connect.  After a minute of thinking about this possibility, I got tired.  I figured I might as well consider winning the lottery if this chance was at all possible!

Jain temple.  Patio.  The pic the Trini took.

On my 2^nd to last day in Mumbai, 34 days after arrival in India, Ricardo, Alvarro and myself hired a taxi for 3-4 hours of sightseeing.  We set off at 9am and went to the Jain Temple- a small ornate temple, decorated in marble and gold.  Colourful drawings on walls and words of wisdom painted on the staircase give it a somewhat modern twist.  It is a place where devotees walked backwards after offering prayers and flowers to statues of Gods.  It is considered impolite to turn your backs on the Gods and on the devotees.  While Ricardo and Alvarro were taking pictures, I wandered out into the ‘patio’ where I didn’t have to turn around in circles making sure there was no God or devotee behind me. 🙂 This could be quite a challenge if anyone was paying attention to how incapable tourists are of respecting tradition.   The patio was relatively simple design, a cool, peaceful area with 3 beautiful marbled arches and greenery to greet the tiresome.  Even though inside this Temple was filled with history, culture and tradition, this spot was a much welcomed space.  I felt like taking a picture of myself below the centre arch.  But, I thought how vainly stupid I would look setting up the camera to take a picture of myself.  Just then, (drum roll) a lady bearing a camera backed out of the temple and I asked her if she wouldn’t mind taking my picture.  She agreed.  She said that my camera made a funny sound so she was not sure it worked.  I told her it was just focussing so press it a bit.  I thanked her and was about to let her go, but there was a quiet moment and felt obliged to ask where she’s from.  She said ‘a tiny place in the Caribbean’.  I asked her where and she said ‘Trinidad & Tobago.’  My jaw dropped and thought that the ‘holy shit’ that was about to fall from my lips was inappropriate for this setting.  So, I said ‘Oh my God, me too.’  She gave me a big warm hug as if we knew each other for a long time.  She said she’s from San Fernando, the City I was born.  She explained that she came with a group and apologized for her having to leave so quickly.  Ricardo witnessed this event between us asked who she was since she has similar features to me and that she could’ve been my mother.  We later spotted her and her group in the Hanging Gardens just behind the Temple and I got her email address because I felt this situation was too weird in the 1^st place. She’s due to appear in TO this summer for her brother’s wedding.