Jan 19; it happened.

Day 14
what i thought wouldn't happened, happened. I shall explain later.

There was no bread in breakfast special at the hotel, but that's okay because breakfast for 4 people cost $6.  I’m loving the cheap food prices.

On our way to Nashik, there were many small groups of individuals who were walking on the unpaved roadside wearing orange. They are on a pilgrimage of some sort to Shirdi Saibaba's Temple.

Why this place is so big? In a sentence, this is a place to worship Sai Baba who is a saint because he helped the poor.

The whole "religious” experience... was kind of intense. No shoes, cell phones, electronics, or purses. Just offerings. Going into the building with the “main attraction” was hectic! All I did was go up 3 flights of stairs, give the offerings and walk out. It was crowded as hell, like no space to move. Like mosh pit crowded but less aggressive. Something worth mentioning, there was a dog just lying on the ground and as people were passing by, they were touching it like the animal was sacred. I can tell you there was nothing sacred about the dog. Just the fact that it was lying in this holy place made it special to some people. kind of strange...

On my way out of the building, I went to go retrieve my sandals. And I can’t believe what happened. it happened. I shit you not, it happened. Someone stole my shoes! IN A RELIGIOUS PLACE. I was furious and cursing and I wished the person who stole it got hit with a rickshaw. And someone had the guts to tell me that if your shoes get stolen, that’s a good sign because all your bad luck is taken away with it. I’M NOT A FREAKIN IDIOT. SO what did I do? I went looking around for a place to buy shoes because if this happens all the time, I figured they would have some sort of store… but nope. So I had to “borrow” someone else’s shoes. I would have walked around bare feet if a) the ground wasn’t so dirty b) there was actually a sidewalk to walk on instead of dusty road c) the walk wasn’t so distant.  I still kind of feel guilty about it though..

I met with a chaka/hirja today. My cousin and gramma told me tales about chakas when I was in northern India. I found it most intriguing, probably because I’m into the who LGBT thing.

 The story behind the chaka

Note: This is what I heard from my cousin, so there are variations and some detail change.

A transvestite who was born a male and raised as a female. Word spreads by mouth when a chaka is born in the community and then chakas, who tend to travel in groups, will then come and take the baby away to raise it as one of their own.  They wear saris, make-up, have long hair, and just generally very feminine. When you encounter one, they clap their hands and ask for money. If you don’t have money, they ask for anything you own like jewellery. If you upset a chaka, they curse you. If they leave happy, they bless you. Apparently their blessings/curses are "powerful". Indians tend to be very superstitious people, so they will always try to satisfy them or leave on a good note. Knowing that the population is pretty superstitious, chakas tend to appear during special occasions where blessings and curses matter most like weddings or birth (especially male birth).

I encountered two today, one before my shoes got stolen and one after my shoes got stolen. The former was kind enough to bless us despite the absence of anything to give. And the latter left us alone because we again, had nothing to offer. 

heading back to mumbai

flower man stealing sugar cane

India's To Do List:

• Not get my shoes stolen (or any belonging actually)

Mosquito Bite Count:  15 + 3