We slept
comfortably in a deluxe king suite at this beautiful residence-turned-boutique
hotel. The owner lives on premises, just one floor below our suite, and
was born and raised in this home. He chose to convert it into a hotel
just about a decade ago. Needless to say, we feel pretty guilty staying in such
a nice place after visiting slums and migrant camps; it is impossible to be
human and not feel this way.
Our first
stop of the day was a university where Gandhi was appointed chancellor, Gujarat
Vidyapeeth. We met with graduate students in their large auditorium where each
of us introduced ourselves and were given an opportunity to participate in a
question and answer session with about 60 men and women. Some study economics,
social work, or communications. A lot of them showed interest in teaching abroad.
While we met, each student sat on mats they had crafted themselves, and next to
each student was their own personal spinning wheel that looked much like a
record player in a suitcase. They are required to work on spinning thread from
cotton for at least 45 minutes a day, and they are allowed to do this very
meditative activity during their seminar classes. There are several
"trades" these students learn, above and beyond their specialties at
the university. We toured parts of the campus, which included an example of the
glass blowing studio. Here in India, they do not have the means to simply throw
away test tubes or broken lab equipment; instead, they repair the glass
themselves. One instructor gave a demonstration of how he creates test tubes
from the long glass tubing. He cuts the 4-foot tube to the
correct size using an ebony stone and then heats up the ends.
Everything here is recycled and nothing, absolutely nothing, goes to
waste. It is an entirely "green" campus. They treated us
to a lunch, as most of our organizations do; this time, when we finished our
meals, the uneaten food was scraped into a bin and we collectively did dishes
in a cleaning "trough" shoulder to shoulder with the other
students.
Next was our
visit to Gandhi's ashram that opened in 1915 after his time in South Africa. An
ashram is simply a community that works together and upholds certain standards
of a spiritual lifestyle. Mr. Arun Gandhi was very popular here as he was
recognized by many visitors to the ashram. There were many photo ops and
blessings. A highlight of the trip was watching him work at his
grandfather's spinning wheel. Afterwards, I asked him how long it took
him to learn the art of spinning cotton. He replied that it took him
about 15 to 18 days to master the craft. There is a rhythm and
coordination about this art, and he is very much against the automation of the
process. The evolution of the spinning wheel could be a documentary in and of
itself.
 |
| Arun at his grandfather's spinning wheel |
Our
visit to the ashram was really the first time we'd seen him in full celebrity
status; people stopping and taking photos or asking him questions about his
grandfather. Otherwise, it seems as though he is just another gentle soul,
traveling India. There is a museum on the premises, and after we looked
through the various artifacts, we crossed the street for a visit to the
Gujarat Khadi Mandal organization, which is associated with Gandhi's ashram
here in Ahmedabad. It employs many its workers from the slums adjacent to the
ashram. This was, and always will be, part of Gandhi's vision- to
empower people to sustain themselves and help the community. This
organization repurposes old bits of paper into beautiful gift bags and
journals, among other things. Handmade journals, picture frames made of
colorful handmade paper, handcrafted envelopes-- I may have to buy another
suitcase just to haul all of the ornate purchases I made today.
The day
ended with some time with Arun Gandhi describing the various places we
visited today. There are so many interesting details from his vision that he
shares with all of us, and truly takes the time to personally get to know
everyone he meets. One of the many ideas he shared with us was that "our
physical appearance has been given to us by God, but our spiritual beauty is
something we must cultivate in ourselves. If we want peace, we have to
live that peace. It is not a destination. It is how we live here
and now and how we strive to respect and understand other people. We put
so many labels on ourselves and others that we forget that we are all human
beings. Labels create walls; they don't really matter at all because in the end
I will never be like you and you will never be like me but we can respect each
other for who we are."
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