Journey Antodaya

Day 1 to 13

DAY 1 BANARAS

ONCE UPON A TIME, IN BANARAS…

DAY 1

We arrived at Mughal Sarai only late by 4 hrs, on the Magadh Express, and it was indeed a comfortable train journey, courtesy the INDIAN RAILWAYS, one of the world’s largest railways.

We enjoyed home food enroute including Poori Aloo and Thephlaa and made ourselves cosy in our berths. Having tea during the station halts and biting into luscious guavas at Allahabad, is a memory which we will cherish for a long time. Once we reached Mughal Sarai, the largest railway Junction in the country, we found a brand new customised Tempo traveller waiting for us.

We were led to a local Chinese eating joint for a quick lunch. After this, we got into the by-lanes of Banaras, and reached Shivala to see our small but cosy home for the next two nights, Hotel Rivera near Anandamayi Ashram.

We were now in Varanasi, Banaras or Kashi, of which Mark Twain has rightly said, “Banaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together.”

After freshening up, we went to the Harishchandra Ghat and walked up to the Kama Kotishwar temple where we met Mr Shankar Ramana, a Vedic Scholar who gave us an auspicious start by chanting and teaching us a few shlokas and explaining to us the relevance of the right intonation and usage of these powerful words.

He also spoke to us about ‘how we should bring up our children?’ wherein, should shower an infant with all our affection till the age of 5, and bring him/her up with a strict sense of discipline and the sense of right and wrong from the age of 6 to 15, and later when your child grows older, you endear them with your friendship and warmth so that you win their confidence.

We later became small and insignificant bits in a sea of humanity during the auspicious ‘Vaikuntha Ekadashi Ganga Aarti’ at Dashashumedha Ghat. We were thoroughly engrossed in the chants and the enduring resonance of the bells which lasted for an hour.

We were in fact, sighted by the members of the ‘Walk of Hope’ team who saw our school logos on our hoodies and cheered us. And then we took a boat ride along the various Ghats, and the images of the Manikarnika and Harish Chandra Ghats with the burning pyres of dead bodies will take a while to be erased from our minds! Back in our hotel for dinner and soon enough, we were ready to sleep.

It was remarkable that the students of Grade 11 went for a night walk through the lanes of Banaras on the same day, and went back all the way to the Manikarnika Ghat, to get up and close with the goings-on at the ghat.

Indeed, the brave-hearts saw life and death from very close quarters and it sent a chill down their spines! And a great day came to an end, with a refreshing drink, called ‘Thandai’ which was truly relished by the Grade 11 students.

DAY 2 BANARAS

DAY 3 SARNATH STUPA

Banaras Ghats at the crack of dawn, is on the wish list of every mortal on this planet, and we are no lesser mortals! Our morning started before the sun rose, and we were ready to go on a boat ride by the colourful ghats of Ganga in Banaras. We witnessed a breath-taking sunrise as we fed the seagulls who hungrily cawed around us.

We returned feeling peaceful after having some tasty chai from the streets. Following breakfast, we left for Sarnath where we visited the historical ruins and evidences from the Gupta and Maurya dynasty, 5thcentury B.C. Sarnath is well known as the historical place where Buddha had delivered his first sermon. The place was marked by innumerable stupas, which are pillars on which his first disciples had engraved his teachings.

This was followed by a visit to a Digamber Jain temple and a museum which had both Buddhist and Hindu relics. We saw a statue of the Ashoka Chakra and several statues of Buddha.

Our guide explained to us about all the statues and artefacts in the museum. The symbols on the Asoka Chakra which includes the 4 lions who are back to back, the horse on which Siddhartha Gautama renunciated the world, or the Elephant, who came in the dream of Buddha’s mother before he was born were beautiful anecdotes shared with us by our guide, Mr. Pandey.

Following this, we picked up some trinkets and souvenirs from the streets of Sarnath and enjoyed spicy ‘Jhaal Muri’ and tender coconut.

We now entered the campus of the largest residential University Campus of Asia. The BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY which houses more than 125 departments and has a student strength of 20,000 who are taught by 2000 faculty members.

Various departments in BHU includes a large hospital which serves a large catchment area in the states of U.P. and Bihar to Botany, Mining & Engineering and Management Studies are all set to celebrate a 100 years of existence! This temple of learning was founded by Madan Mohan Malviya an eminent Freedom Fighter of India and was inaugurated by the first Vice President of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, in whose memory, we observe TEACHERS’ DAY each year, in India.

Upon returning to the hotel, we sat through a captivating Kathak ensemble which was supported ably by the harmonium and tabla. On the harmonium was a young exponent, Mr Abhishek Maharaj, who is a sixteenth generation musician who has by now travelled to more than 150 countries of the world with his arts.

He was categorical that his own cultural identity and his roots kept him grounded, even though he made an entry into the hearts of various people worldwide because of the appreciation that came his way.

And the evening belonged to a young and petite danseuse, Ms Mandvi Mishra, all of 14! Who has been learning the nuances of Kathak in the Banaras Gharana which has both footwork and facial expressions? ‘Sawaal-Jawaab’ and Raag Marwah and various bits of information truly added to our understanding of the rich heritage of music and dance, which we are endowed as Indians, but sooner or later, forget as we get blinded by the glare of Globalisation. performance.

After that, we left the hotel again for a little night-walk in the chaotic streets of Banaras, which has been wonderfully captured by our fellow students in amazing ‘Time-lapse videos’, we gorged on everything from mouth-watering chaats, hot peanuts with cilantro chatni, refreshing and rich thandai and lip-smacking momos which are Tibetan in origin, but have found a comfortable home in Banaras where they also make ‘Paneer Momos’!

The total number of Meetha Paans which the Pathwazians chewed upon were enough to showcase the ability of each of them, to partake of new flavours and enjoy the local landscape and populace, to the fullest.

Upon return, we enjoyed a steaming meal on the Roof top and polished it off with crunchy ‘Imartis’. De-briefing on Day 3 was brief, as there was work to do. We penned down our reflections for the journal, and sat down to bring out the text for the Banarasi Special Section of Newsflash.

Our dedicated team of grade 9 worked into the wee hours of the morning, doing water testing on the samples collected, which included almost 14 parameter tests. We wound up as late as 0100 am, We slept off knowing very well that Day 4 had an early start. We were headed for BODHGAYA, the land of the BUDDHA and would retire for the day at Patna. We were now beckoned by BIHAR, the second state in our journey, along the Ganges.

We are carrying a bit of BANARAS in our soul, a sharp memory of the fleeting images of the ghats, the beggars on the street, the vibrant street food panorama, the endless stretch of saree shops on Madanpura Road, the bottoms-up of the entire ANTODAYA team which guzzled down all the ‘thandai’ which Banaras had to offer! The crazy rickshaw rides in the by-lanes of Banaras, where we lost our bearing and a bit of our soul…. Banaras, beckons you now and forever, and you will come back to it, someday!

Day-4-Bodhaya

DAY 3 -SARNATH

Banaras Ghats at the crack of dawn, is on the wish list of every mortal on this planet, and we are no lesser mortals! Our morning started before the sun rose, and we were ready to go on a boat ride by the colourful ghats of Ganga in Banaras.

We witnessed a breath-taking sunrise as we fed the seagulls who hungrily cawed around us. We returned feeling peaceful after having some tasty chai from the streets. Following breakfast, we left for Sarnath where we visited the historical ruins and evidences from the Gupta and Maurya dynasty, 5thcentury B.C. Sarnath is well known as the historical place where Buddha had delivered his first sermon.

The place was marked by innumerable stupas, which are pillars on which his first disciples had engraved his teachings. This was followed by a visit to a Digamber Jain temple and a museum which had both Buddhist and Hindu relics. We saw a statue of the Ashoka Chakra and several statues of Buddha. Our guide explained to us about all the statues and artefacts in the museum.

The symbols on the Asoka Chakra which includes the 4 lions who are back to back, the horse on which Siddhartha Gautama renunciated the world, or the Elephant, who came in the dream of Buddha’s mother before he was born were beautiful anecdotes shared with us by our guide, Mr. Pandey.

Following this, we picked up some trinkets and souvenirs from the streets of Sarnath and enjoyed spicy ‘Jhaal Muri’ and tender coconut.

We now entered the campus of the largest residential University Campus of Asia. The BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY which houses more than 125 departments and has a student strength of 20,000 who are taught by 2000 faculty members.

Various departments in BHU includes a large hospital which serves a large catchment area in the states of U.P. and Bihar to Botany, Mining & Engineering and Management Studies are all set to celebrate a 100 years of existence! This temple of learning was founded by Madan Mohan Malviya an eminent Freedom Fighter of India and was inaugurated by the first Vice President of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, in whose memory, we observe TEACHERS’ DAY each year, in India.

Upon returning to the hotel, we sat through a captivating Kathak ensemble which was supported ably by the harmonium and tabla. On the harmonium was a young exponent, Mr Abhishek Maharaj, who is a sixteenth generation musician who has by now travelled to more than 150 countries of the world with his arts. He was categorical that his own cultural identity and his roots kept him grounded, even though he made an entry into the hearts of various people worldwide because of the appreciation that came his way.

And the evening belonged to a young and petite danseuse, Ms Mandvi Mishra, all of 14! Who has been learning the nuances of Kathak in the Banaras Gharana which has both footwork and facial expressions? ‘Sawaal-Jawaab’ and Raag Marwah and various bits of information truly added to our understanding of the rich heritage of music and dance, which we are endowed as Indians, but sooner or later, forget as we get blinded by the glare of Globalisation. performance.

After that, we left the hotel again for a little night-walk in the chaotic streets of Banaras, which has been wonderfully captured by our fellow students in amazing ‘Time-lapse videos’, we gorged on everything from mouth-watering chaats, hot peanuts with cilantro chatni, refreshing and rich thandai and lip-smacking momos which are Tibetan in origin, but have found a comfortable home in Banaras where they also make ‘Paneer Momos’! The total number of Meetha Paans which the Pathwazians chewed upon were enough to showcase the ability of each of them, to partake of new flavours and enjoy the local landscape and populace, to the fullest.

Upon return, we enjoyed a steaming meal on the Roof top and polished it off with crunchy ‘Imartis’. De-briefing on Day 3 was brief, as there was work to do. We penned down our reflections for the journal, and sat down to bring out the text for the Banarasi Special Section of Newsflash.

Our dedicated team of grade 9 worked into the wee hours of the morning, doing water testing on the samples collected, which included almost 14 parameter tests. We wound up as late as 0100 am, as we uploaded pics/videos on our Facebook page named as Pathwazians along the Ganges Antodaya.

We slept off knowing very well that Day 4 had an early start. We were headed for BODHGAYA, the land of the BUDDHA and would retire for the day at Patna. We were now beckoned by BIHAR, the second state in our journey, along the Ganges.

We are carrying a bit of BANARAS in our soul, a sharp memory of the fleeting images of the ghats, the beggars on the street, the vibrant street food panorama, the endless stretch of saree shops on Madanpura Road, the bottoms-up of the entire ANTODAYA team which guzzled down all the ‘thandai’ which Banaras had to offer! The crazy rickshaw rides in the by-lanes of Banaras, where we lost our bearing and a bit of our soul…. Banaras, beckons you now and forever, and you will come back to it, someday!.

Text : Bhagirathy Jhingran
Photographs : Aseem Jain , Aakriti Bhargava & Sanant thukral
Graphic Design :Guru charan kumar\

Day-5-Bhagalpur

Day 5 –ITC Munger Special

Today was Christmas, a special day and we all felt blessed after a comforting night in the ITC guest house. We reached the ITC campus in Munger, as late as 12 p.m. However, we were bowled over by their warmth and care, as we were fed hot food upon arrival. We later moved into the wonderful residences which are part of this mother factory of the Indian Tobacco Company, established by the British in 1907.

Early in the morning, we all went to St. Paul's church at Jamaalpur, where all of us were blessed by the pastor and we lit candles and prayed for a bright future ahead. The church was established in 1896. We participated in the morning mass and were most pleasantly surprised to meet our dorm Parent, Ms Shirin Nathaniel praying in that church!

When we returned back from the St. Paul's Church, we were introduced to Mr Kundan Kumar, the SDM of Munger who was a learned man and discussed the burning issues of administering Munger. He minced no words to tell us that the training that one receives when one qualifies for the Civil Services in India however has to pass the test of fire, when one is actually posted in a small town like Monger, in the back of beyond in India.

The mounting population pressure is the key issue in the allocation and usage of resources. Afterwards, when everyone packed their bags, we were ready to leave the ITC campus. Now, we were lucky enough to visit the mother factories of ITC, the Cigarette Factory and the Packaging Unit.

The present I.T.C. factory, which is popularly known as the Cigarette factory, is one of the biggest tobacco factories of India and its big campus cover an area of 17.38 acres. The factory was built at Basudeopur, 1.5 miles from Munger Station. Presently, this factory is a unit of multinational British-Americo Tobacco Company (BATCOO). ITC, Munger was constructed in 1907 on the banks of Ganges because it provided ITC an efficient medium of Transportation of Tobacco from other places using the river.

We were first briefed about how to move inside the factory and keep safe during our factory visit. We were then explained through a presentation how the oldest plant of ITC has been keeping up with changing times as this factory went from being labour-intensive to machine-intensive in terms of the techniques of production of cigarettes and packaging, which they also do for other multinationals and famous products.

We were then shown how various small components come together to make an 84mm cigarette which an average person will consume in about a minute! We came to know that the standard measurement of 8.4 cms qualifies as ‘King Size’ as we see in product endorsements.

We were happy to note that though the production rate of cigarettes is increasing, to almost 12,000 cpm [cigarettes per minute], the world wide consumption of cigarettes is reducing with awareness campaigns, and that India has a miniscule share in the consumption of cigarettes but leads in ‘Ghutka’ and ‘Khaini’.

After seeing how cigarettes are made, we were shown as to how a cigarette box is printed with a mixture of 10 different colours. No one believed that a simple pack of cigarettes which one buys with such ease, possesses such a rich history and a high level of complexity in its making.

By the evening, when almost everything was settling down, a blanket of fog covered the Ganges at Munger. We arrived at the Kashtaharini Ghat where we were welcomed by the soothing sounds of the evening Ganga Aarti. We slowly made our way down the steps and the quicksand like mud to collect water samples of the holy river.

Just as the evening aarti finished, our teacher Mrs. Bhagirathy Jhingran conducted a short TOK session on the banks, as some of us had raised some queries about their ongoing TOK programme in IBDP Year 1.

We all listened to a melodious Hindustani song: "Ganga Aaye Kahan Se" by Hemant Kumar. We were told to close our eyes and connect to the song. It's experience that we won't forget so easily. All one could hear at that moment was the subtle breeze, the sound of flowing water and the song. She discussed the TOK element of our syllabus and connected it to the experiences that we might have been through on this trip and shared the importance of TOK in our IB education.

We had a treacherous and adventurous night while trying to reach Bhagalpur, as we realised that we had to take a rather long and arduous route to reach our hotel. In the process, we came closer to the actual realities of the region where the Naxalite movement is simmering in the back ground. Deprivation, Poverty, lack of opportunity makes people what they become.

Young recruits are ready to follow this school of thought, because there is not much that there existing life is offering them, in terms of opportunities. Perhaps, the Naxal movement in our country is a reflection of the idle young minds who get swayed by such indoctrination easily, and find a new reason of their existence.

This journey will forever be etched in our memory, as we actually saw how a phenomenon is expressed in films and books and, is reported in the media. But today, we had a close brush with this when we had to take a detour to keep our entire contingent safe, in an alien land.

Text: Karan Chaudhary & Dev Singh
Editing: Bhagirathy Jhingran
Photographs: Aseem,Aakiri &Sanat
Graphic Design : Delisha Mehta

Day-7-Mayapur

Day 7 & 8 –Newsflash -Mayapur, The Spiritual Capital of the World

DAY 7 was a complete day of travel from Sahibganj, Jharkhand to Mayapur, West Bengal. We made our way through the interiors of Jharkhand and West Bengal whereby we realised what actual ‘rural landscapes’ look like. These were remote, hostile and not necessarily what we think of as ‘Incredible India’. Travelling for long hours, skipping a meal at times. Understanding that Development is only a concept out of a textbook. Documenting about godforsaken places where we have realised that we are the first ones to post this on Google!

We could see how resources are being plundered from resource rich rural interiors to satiate the mounting hunger of energy guzzling urban agglomerations. The Disparity of different worlds of the rich and the poor was staring us, in the face.

We enjoyed local fruits and savouries like Lithi with a pungent mustard sauce with endless purvas/kulhads/kuris of tea was refreshing. Eating a late lunch in a local dhaba with Baigun and Aloo Bhaaja and Rui Maach Bhaaja ensured that we tuned our taste buds according to the flavors of Bengal. We arrived late in the night at Mayapur and checked into our hotel where we had a sumptuous and piping hot meal. Now, Mayapur was on our Radar and we are truly looking forward to this visit to the World HQ of ISKCON.
Hence, we have no issue of Newsflash.

Day 8

Today Antondaya team landed in Mayapur to visit the World Headquarters of ISKCON- International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Mayapur is located on the banks of the Bhagirathy River, at the point of its confluence with the Jalangi, near Navadvip, West Bengal, India, and 130 km north of Kolkata (Calcutta). The headquarters of ISKCON are situated in Mayapur and it is considered a holy place by a number of other traditions within Hinduism, but is of special significance to followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism as the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, regarded as a special incarnation of Krishna in the form of Radha. It is visited by over a million pilgrims annually.

The headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has been located in Mayapur since the 1970s. In addition, there are a number of other Gaudiya Vaishnava organisations in Mayapur, such as the Gaudiya Math.

ISKCON known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, and is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organisation.ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada who is worshipped by followers as Guru and spiritual master.

Its core beliefs are based on select traditional Hindu scriptures, particularly the Bhagavad-Gita and the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. The moment we reached, we were greeted with a huge structure coming up in the ISKON campus which will be completed by 2022.

The scion of the Ford Family and top NASA scientists are some of the biggest patrons of this movement and have been devout followers of this faith, which is growing with each passing day.

Keeping this in mind, we first went to an aarti that was happening in the temple and the sheer joy and peace we felt in the presence of imposing 5 feet tall statues of Lord Krishna and Radha with her friends, was mesmerising. We were possessed by the sheer magic of the singing and dancing of the devotees who were simply joyous. Hare Krishna Food for Life is the world's largest vegetarian non-profit food relief organization.

Its efforts span the globe, with projects occupying over 60 countries. Volunteers provide up to 2,000,000 free meals daily. Food for Life does not only tackle only one form of hunger but reaches out to all in need, including; the homeless, disadvantaged children throughout India; and victims of natural disasters around the world

We were now all set to join the long queue for the Prasadam at the ISKCON temple. It was a serpentine one, and seemed like the longest one ever! The number of items, and the dexterity with which the army of the ISKCON members served us will forever be etched in our memories.

We were now ready to take a boat ride to go to Nawadwip, to see the confluence of the Bhagirathy and the Jalangi Rivers. Our budding photographers also took this opportunity to capture some amazing shots. We were chanting ‘ Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ throughout. We ended our exploration of Mayapur, with a visit to a ‘Gaoshala’ where innumerable volunteers worked day in and day out in feeding and taking care of the cows.

This was a new experience for all of us and it was really exciting! Vegetarianism and Volunteerism seemed to be the trademark of these workers who were now completely immersed in the ISKCON movement.

We came back with a copy of the BHAGVADGITA, as it is perhaps the most revered and applied ‘manual for life’ that we can use in these present turbulent times. We enjoyed tender coconut water and pulp and lemon tarts made in the ISKCON campus too.

ISKCON’s goshala at Mayapur is a happy home for more than 400 animals including cows, bulls and calves. They grow up in a natural and peaceful atmosphere and are maintained nicely by a dedicated team of devotees. There are about 30 cows being milked presently, which yields 210 liters of milk daily. Milk is sold to the residents of Mayapur, and also used in the Deity and devotee kitchens.

At the end, we were honoured to be in the presence of Swami Gopijana Vallabha Das who is the Divisional Head of ISKCON of this unit and talked about the main objective of this society, which is to spread awareness about Krishna’s teachings and the supreme lord. Our students also had a debate on whether God actually exists or not, to which Swami ji replied that just like there is man behind every automatic product, be it laptop, mobile or anything else, we continue to wonder who is behind the creation of this planet and all this creation?

Scientific thought processes, rational thinking, blind faith, lack or absence of any faith, as is prevalent amongst the youth today was the core of our discussion. Perhaps, we need more reflection and the need for such stimulating thoughts and discussions in these present times, which are volatile and uncertain. The whole discussion was engaging for all of us.

And now Kolkata, the City of Joy beckons us as we come here on the last leg of ANTODAYA. Kolkata will be our base for the last two excursions to Santiniketan and Sundarbans.

Text: Aakriti Bhargava & Shubhankar Jaiswal
Editing: Bhagirathy Jhingran
Photographs: Aseem, Aakriti & Anirudh
Graphic Design: K.Guru Charan kumar

Day-8-Vikramshila

Day-9--10-Kolkata

Day-11,12--13-Sunderbans

Sunderbans-The Land of Tiger

Today the zeal in the students was quite different, everyone was very anxious to sight the Royal Bengal tiger. On the way many of us were trying to cover up on our lost sleep during all these days of Antodaya. During the onward journey we also had an impromptu Cultural Dance session in the tempo, where everyone was actively involved in singing along, dancing and generally cheering loudly.

After 3hrs of a drive we reached Gothkali. We now took a small private jetty to reach Bali Island and we were now cruising through the waters which separated both human-inhabited islands and the animal-inhabited islands. We were travelling through narrow creeks and the consistent pace of the boat, and the soothing breeze was indeed a very calming experience.

Within 45 mins we were at Bali Island in which we were checking into Tora Resort, which was an Eco-resort which was designed to make the least impact in sensitive areas like these. It was interesting to note that the resort was adjoining WPSI Wildlife Protection Society of India headed by Ms Belinda Wright, who is well known in the field of tiger conservation.

And we were able to interact with Mr Anil Mistry, who is a poacher turned crusader under her wings, and is now into major conservation projects and is able to guide the local tribal population towards earning a decent living with the available resources.

54 human inhabited islands and 48 animal inhabited islands were separated by narrow creeks, and there were safety nets put around the animal islands, which were used as psychological deterrents so that the tiger stays safe in these islands, and doesn’t stray into human territory. It is interesting to note that the Sundarbans is considered a biosphere reserve, sanctuary, and Tiger reserve also.

After having our lunch in the Eco Tora resort we proceeded to our boat to go to the Sajnekhali tiger reserve. We sighted the monitor lizard and also got to know about the biodiversity present in the region by the local tourist guide Mr Mandal.

It was now getting dark and the water level was rising even as the temperature dipped a bit. We had the good fortune a folk song & dance performance by the local Munda tribe. All of us also took part and danced with them. It was crucial for our understanding that tribals in such geographical locations had a tough life, and the revenue generated from tourism came with its own risk factors including the erosion of values of the indigenous cultural system.

After the cultural programe we got to chance to interact with Anil Mistry, who was now working with WPSI. The officer enhanced our knowledge by telling us various facts about the Royal Bengal Tiger including the fact that it truly a beautiful animal which is also an intelligent animal. During the conversation he also told us that they saw a tiger on the Bali island 2 months ago.

The next day, we began with an early morning bird walk through the village adjoining the resort. It was a great refreshing way to start the day, and we sighted atleast 2-3 varieties of Kingfishers, Mynahs, Tree pies and Drongos.

Following this we checked out of Tora Resort. Now, we started on a cruise through the creeks connecting the Sundarban Delta. We were now circling the islands which are completely animal inhabited. We were lucky to spot a couple of Salt Water Crocodiles but the Royal Bengal Tiger was elusive, and the Pathways Contingent had to return without a sighting of the famed Tiger.

However, the entire experience of cruising, and taking exclusive photographs, bonding and having a delicious hot meal with local fish and pulses on board will be a great memory for some time to come.

We then reached Gothkali and drove back to Kolkata, where we had now checked into a new hotel on the Royd road, adjacent to the Park Street. We were delighted to be a part of the Kolkata crowds which had gathered on the Park Street to welcome 2016, in full force!

MY JOURNEY