Orissa (12/9)

Orissa is a state in eastern India that has recently been the subject of religious violence. I arrived on December 6th and was greeted by a lovely government official who spoke little English. I was whisked to the government guest house to freshen up and I promptly fell asleep. My sleep patterns were weird at the beginning of my trip. I didn't think that jet lag was a major problem but I've been having trouble getting more than 6 hours per night and therefore have been tired during the day. I woke up just in time to be greeted by the madam and a friend of hers, this official speaking a bit more English. India has over 3,000 languages I believe (+/-) and most people speak 3 or 4 at least, with English falling somewhere in that mix. These officials were my escorts in Orissa, and we headed out.

Our driver looked really young; if not for his moustache I would have guessed his age to be 12, and he navigated the crumbling roads as a teenager playing a racecar game. The Lord watched over our car, though, and my prayers that we would crash into a tree were answered. Talking to my hosts-- who fed me every moment they got-- I learned that they are involved in NGO work to help rural people who make their meager earnings from the resources gathered from a particular type of tree. Apparently farmers in some parts of rural India make next to nothing-- well below poverty levels-- so many NGOs are trying to change that. It was a long drive and eventually my hosts tired of speaking English, and I fell asleep again, awaking five hours after leaving in a small village government guest house. We met many local government officials and a sharp young man who is a jounralist and runs his own NGO; he was to be our guide for the next day. After more food we went to bed.

The next day we visited the conflict sights, and talked to people involved. In a place where Hindus and Christians had peacefully coexisted, it was so sad to see burned homes and looted churches with the saffrom colored Hindu flag flying above them. It was a sobering and long day, but I gained a really good perspective on the conflict. I'm not going into too much detail here, so I'll talk more about it individually to people when I get home.

The next day was spent touring Hindu temples. Orissa is famous for its temples, and these stone edifices are certainly impressive, gigantic, and intricately carved. These sights were places of worship for Hinduism's thousands upon thousands of gods.

My time in Orissa was incredibly informative, but also mentally draining. Next stop: Goa.