MIND TRICKS
- Hannah McDonald
- Feb 10, 2018
- 7 min read
Updated: Jun 10, 2022
Part One: Elephanta Island
Part Two: Rags to Riches
Part One
Do not be deceived: there are no live elephants on Elephanta Island. Given that I really want to see a live elephant, this came as a shock to me. Therefore, I will pause briefly, in case anyone needs to collect themselves. [••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••] Okay, hopefully everyone is good now. Elephanta Island got its name when it became the Portuguese’s island: they saw a colossal stone elephant when they got to the island and, therefore, named it “Elephanta Caves.” The stone elephant has since been removed and can now be found in Mumbai. There seems to be disappointment all around on the elephant front.
Nonetheless, a boat near the Gateway to India took us to Elephanta Island. I could not help but notice the immense amount of plastic floating in the water, and the thick amount of air pollution visible above the city. There was also a great deal of oil pumping and refining being done out in the water, in addition to the building of a large pipeline. From the boat, we could see a heavy weight being dropped down on a long, thick piece of metal, pushing it down into the ocean floor. However, we did not hear the sound of the crash, the weight hitting the metal, until seconds after the contact occurred. It was fascinating how long it took the sound waves to reach our ears. Physics 101–clearly, the classroom has just shifted continents for a few weeks.
Thus far we have had two guides today, one to drive us from the hotel to the port and another to take us on the boat, and now, we are introduced to our third guide, our Elephanta Island guide. From the port to the island, there is a short walk, lined with vendors, which can be walked up or ridden up on a mini train. Surrounding us were mangroves, and as we got closer to the island, we could see the shore lined with trash. Ironically, there was a sign stating, “please keep your Elephanta clean,” but trash covered the shore behind it.
Reaching the island, there is a set of approximately 100 stairs. At the bottom, there are large chairs that men can carry you up in using poles, as Kings and Queens were once carried. As much as I wanted to try a chair, we climbed the stairs. Vendors lined the sides, but I noticed less and less the further up I got, due to the heat and work-out.
Entering the monument area, the monkey population became clear. The island is populated by 1,200 people and 1,000 monkeys. It is safe to say that monkeys are everywhere. We saw one drinking a coke from the garbage and another snatch a water bottle out of someones hand, unscrew the lid, and drink the water from it. That made for a startle and then a laugh. As Joelle said, monkeys are interesting creatures: they are so similar to humans, but they are just different enough that the things they do are funny. A monkey stealing and unscrewing a water bottle is cute and makes one laugh, but if a human did that, it would simply be annoying.
Elephanta Island consists of Saivite cave temples, which the guide gave us a tour of. The main cave is almost 130 square feet and is supported by rows of massive pillars. Throughout the cave, sculptured panels, all hand chiseled, represent Shiva in several ways: as a lord of yogis (Mahayogi Shiva), as the lord of dancers (Natraj Shiva), as both male and female (Ardhanarishwar-Shiva), with consort Parvati (Gangadhara-Shiva), as the Destroyer of the Demon Andhaka (Andhakasura Vadh), and married to Parvati (Kalyanasundara Murti). The cave also has a Shiva shrine and the Mahesh Murti sculpture. This sculpture has three faces–the central face of Shiva, the terrific face of Shiva, and the female face of Shiva. The faces represent GOD–generator, observer, destroyer. Many of the sculpted panels have bullets in them and pieces missing. When the Portuguese landed on the island, they used the sculptures as target practice, leaving them damaged.
Leaving the main cave, we walked through some others, one being a meditation room. The guide made the OM sounds that one makes when meditating, and the echoing sound throughout the room was remarkable. I completely failed when I tried, but Dad did a little better. Stepping out of the meditation room, we heard little hammers clinking. Just below, men and women were chiseling stone to rebuild a wall that had collapsed on the hill.
On our way back down the 100 stairs, we decided to look at some of the vendors’ tables. The first table I went to, I got ripped off because I did not bargain, although I knew I should have. As I started to walk past more tables, I began kicking myself as I realized how much I overpaid. I quickly learned though, and at the next table I purchased from, I got a good deal. Mom tried to convince me that the two combined canceled one another out, but after my Costa Rica bargaining success, I am still kicking myself. In some ways, it was almost difficult to bargain the price because some were not asking much, and you knew they probably needed it. After reaching the bottom of the stairs, we noticed a cow and goats roaming around. I kid you not, the cow chased Joelle, Mom, and I until we got onto the mini train. We could not seem to shake the cow.
The boat ride back to Mumbai was an eventful one. As I sat on the boat with Joelle, I started to notice the man across from me glancing up and staring at me often from his sketch pad. Soon, I picked up on the fact that he was sketching me. This immediately made me uncomfortable, so I began to move around a bunch, preventing him from getting a good look. I was not sure if he was going to draw me and then force me to buy it, or something similar. After a little while, before he finished, he started doing Joelle and then switched back to me. Eventually, I think he picked up on the fact that I felt uneasy, and he asked, “you don’t want your picture?” I said, “no, not really.” Nonetheless, he continued. I noticed that his sketchbook was still full, so he probably was not trying to sell them. My gut still felt uneasy, though. Soon, Joelle engaged him in a conversation. Turns out, he is an art student and wants to leave India to study at some point. He let us look at his sketch book, and it was remarkable the work he has done. All of them were ink sketches, but they were fun to look at. As it turns out, he is simply a friendly art student, but my guard was definitely up. Once he returned to his friends, we began talking to a couple from Whales and a couple from Boston. It was a nice boat ride for getting to talk to others, and we found where all the tourists are–the boat to Elephanta Island.
I did not realize how nice the time away from the city was. The peace and quiet of Elephanta Island was refreshing. However, I did not realize it until we were back in the midst of constant honking and noise. It is quite draining, and after just three days, I am missing the quiet of home.
The driver was kind enough to take us back to Sasson Dock to try and see the ladies shelling the prawns again. As you may imagine, it was not a moment that could be recreated. Women were shelling prawns, but this time, trucks and other objects were blocking the view of them.
Part Two
Tonight, Prerna had a dinner spot in mind that was supposed to be closer than last night. While it was certainly closer, it still took about forty minutes to drive eight and a half miles due to the heavy Mumbai traffic. We drove through what Prerna called “an extension of the slum.” It was similar to what we saw in the market area of the Dharavi slum. There were lots of little shops lined up in “buildings” similar to those in the slum. But, just as we turned the corner and exited our vehicle, we were in a four story, gorgeous mall with high end Indian brand stores and stores that we are more familiar with, such as Forever 21, Aéropostale, H&M, and Sephora. The stark contrast in such a close radius was unbelievable to see.
Dinner was surreal. We walked into the restaurant, and our foreheads were dotted with sandalwood that is used to cool and focus you. Then, we set down in front of a large plate with many small bowls on it. Once we were seated, waiters came out and began dishing us small portions of about fifteen different dishes and four breads. The food seemed to just keep coming. Once it was all there, I did not even know where to began. There were too many decisions to be made for my indecisive self. It was all so good, and at a point, my mouth was filled with spice, although I had no idea which dishes were the spicy ones. As we were eating, even more food came out. I felt as if my plate was growing, not shrinking. By the time I was stuffed, it looked like I had not even made a dent. Having just driven through the slums that are right next door to the mall, it was difficult to see all that extra food go to waste. An Indian family walked in with a baby, who of course I thought was adorable, and while the family ate, the waiters took care of the baby, carrying her around the restaurant to entertain. The baby’s mother was not paying any attention to her baby or the waiter. This was fascinating to watch, since that would be extremely unusual in the United States. On the way out of restaurant, Joelle hit the drum that was in the restaurant, signifying that we enjoyed dinner.
I began to fall asleep in the car on the way back again tonight, but the crazy driving and obnoxious honking prevented it. We felt as if we were on a rollercoaster, getting whiplash, and the honking never ceased. I think the four of us are certainly ready to leave Mumbai tomorrow and fly to Bangalore. Fingers-crossed that it will be a little quieter!
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