Monday, February 23, 2009
Half-fast or Half-ass
Today was Maha Shivratri which means that big boom boxes from every direction (literally) have been blasting music, prayer, speeches, or all three at sometime during the day. What is also means is that most religiously-inclined individuals decided to fast.
When I was growing up, I always saw my mom fast on certain day(s) of the week. She would abstain from eating food throughout the day, restricting herself to just water until very late at night, after the moon came out. I never truly understood it but respected it because I felt - and still do feel - that it takes a lot of discipline to put yourself through that. When I arrived in India though, the meaning of fasting took on a variety of meanings that I have yet to even slightly understand.
During my one month orientation back in August, another one of the fellows told me he was fasting throughout the day - all while we were both eating lunch. Later, I saw him at dinner and finally asked what the deal was with him eating while fasting. He told me some story that involved devotion and Lord Krishna but I felt it was more of an excuse than it was anything else (no offense to the person). Unfortunately, I don't fully remember the story but regardless, the point was that he was eating, quite well, when he was supposedly fasting.
Then I arrived in Pabal. Not to be at all offensive but fasting out here is just as odd as it was with my last encounter with the other fellow.
Today, all the students here ate breakfast because it was made of sorghum (called jowar in India). But over half of them canceled their lunch and dinner. I assumed the breakfast incident was perhaps something religious but it became more confusing as the day went on. Some staff members came up to me to let me know that they wouldn't be in my shop buying food - not that I really cared. Later, they were the major cash sales contributors for the day (considering our cash sales are mostly food on days where there are no visitors should tell you something).
The students were equally generous with buying food items from the shop as well. I gathered that they were allowed to eat some foods but no others. But it still made no sense because it seemed like they were indiscriminately picking food. Some of the boys went to the village to eat "Fasting Designated" food which was mostly dry bhel and other snack items. I was, and still am, utterly confused by what is meant by the term "fasting" out here.
To me, it looked like they gave into temptation halfway throughout the day and continued to half-ass their attempts at fasting.
When I was growing up, I always saw my mom fast on certain day(s) of the week. She would abstain from eating food throughout the day, restricting herself to just water until very late at night, after the moon came out. I never truly understood it but respected it because I felt - and still do feel - that it takes a lot of discipline to put yourself through that. When I arrived in India though, the meaning of fasting took on a variety of meanings that I have yet to even slightly understand.
During my one month orientation back in August, another one of the fellows told me he was fasting throughout the day - all while we were both eating lunch. Later, I saw him at dinner and finally asked what the deal was with him eating while fasting. He told me some story that involved devotion and Lord Krishna but I felt it was more of an excuse than it was anything else (no offense to the person). Unfortunately, I don't fully remember the story but regardless, the point was that he was eating, quite well, when he was supposedly fasting.
Then I arrived in Pabal. Not to be at all offensive but fasting out here is just as odd as it was with my last encounter with the other fellow.
Today, all the students here ate breakfast because it was made of sorghum (called jowar in India). But over half of them canceled their lunch and dinner. I assumed the breakfast incident was perhaps something religious but it became more confusing as the day went on. Some staff members came up to me to let me know that they wouldn't be in my shop buying food - not that I really cared. Later, they were the major cash sales contributors for the day (considering our cash sales are mostly food on days where there are no visitors should tell you something).
The students were equally generous with buying food items from the shop as well. I gathered that they were allowed to eat some foods but no others. But it still made no sense because it seemed like they were indiscriminately picking food. Some of the boys went to the village to eat "Fasting Designated" food which was mostly dry bhel and other snack items. I was, and still am, utterly confused by what is meant by the term "fasting" out here.
To me, it looked like they gave into temptation halfway throughout the day and continued to half-ass their attempts at fasting.
