Nepal, Kathmandu 5 (Death, Cannabis and Culture)

November 11, 2010

Carnival back home – sadly, there was no sign of it here.

This morning, once again, we were greeted by the sight of glue-sniffing kids.

Here it’s quite literally a case of “eat or be eaten”.

Anyone who spends a few days in Kathmandu and ventures out will experience and see its true sides, beyond all the tourist hustle and bustle.

Around midday, Thijs and I decided to visit the largest Hindu shrine in Nepal: Pashupatinath. Since the name is hard for tourists to remember, the site is also known as “place, where they burn the dead bodies”. Or, to use the proper technical term: the local crematorium.

After a confusing rickshaw ride followed by a taxi ride, we finally arrived at the right place. We paid the entrance fee, inflated for tourists, and suddenly dozens of tour guides swarmed around us. We let ourselves be talked into one of the offers – which in hindsight turned out to be extremely useful. Right at the start, for instance, we got to see a hidden corner with several Sadhus (“Holy Man”). Our guide explained that the main task of these holy men was to smoke weed and booze from morning till night in order to reach a god-pleasing trance and be able to pray.

If we take a look at the Sadhu on the right of this temple complex, a bit of greenery stands out at the left edge.

On closer inspection it’s clear: hemp is being grown here. Supposedly it serves as an emergency reserve in case no “grass” can be organised for the Sadhus. After all, the higher spheres needed for prayer must be guaranteed at all times…

On the rest of the grounds, you could watch the cremation of the dead in every level of detail.

Taking photos was explicitly encouraged. While the pyres were being built and the dead were finally laid out on them, the family mourned a little way off. The cremation ritual began with fire being placed in the dead person’s mouth. After a while, the whole pyre was ablaze. Was I shocked? Of course! It was really strange to watch this ceremony and see a burning corpse. Here the whole thing was done as a matter of routine, with bodies being sent to their final rest 24/7 on more than a dozen cremation sites. The bigger the fire, the happier the family. Another thing I found strange: during the cremation, some people came up close and took photos with their mobile phones, while newspapers and snacks were being sold in the background. I still vividly remember my singing bowl guru Kesh proudly showing me photos of a friend’s cremation on his phone a few days earlier…
And to top it all off, I experienced something indescribable – and I was not (!) the only one: more or less dumbfounded, we sat there watching the ceremonies. Suddenly I was puzzled. As if selling snacks and newspapers weren’t enough, had somebody now set up a grill and started grilling sausages as well? … … … … So, what are you thinking now? How would you have felt? The realisation of where the barbecue smell was coming from hit me all at once – a definitely unforgettable and surreal moment.

During the cremation, the helpers kept prowling around the pyre and “optimising” the fire ceremony. In fact, as our guide let on, they were on the lookout for gold and jewellery. You see, depending on the family’s wealth, the dead are sent off to their final rest very well equipped. A closer look confirmed this suspicion.

We strolled on downstream, and from a bridge we had a good view of the river, where all the remains end up, and of the cremation sites in the background. You can make out several active cremations by the rising smoke. But at the bottom right of the picture, something else came into view:

Children washing themselves and their clothes in this river and brushing their teeth, while further up a woman was breastfeeding a newborn and another toddler was crawling around. I don’t think this needs any further description from me…

From the children to the elderly: we visited the adjacent “Social Welfare Centre Briddhashram” retirement home. Quite nice to look at from the outside, and…

…inside, too, there are some nice buildings in the forecourt. Our guide led us on into the back…

…past the “central kitchen”…

…all the way to the old people’s living quarters. The picture gives a small glimpse of everyday life. Our guide also took us inside the quarters you can see in the background. … What we saw there was almost indescribable. Out of respect, I didn’t take any photos – but the sight is burned into my memory. On narrow wooden plank beds – no mattresses, no sheets – the old people lay packed side by side, less than half a metre apart. The rooms were overcrowded; some lay on the floor. There were no decorations on the walls and no lights on the ceiling. Instead, you saw people longing for death, heard the pained moaning of many and smelled the acrid stench of decay. Even now, as I think back on it, my stomach turns – it was simply beyond belief to witness.
In return for being granted a glimpse of this tragedy, I wanted to donate something for the old people. Our guide took us to the head of the institution, who pointed out the option of donating several times, too. But something wasn’t right here. The head and our guide were far too chummy. On top of that, my gut feeling was rebelling hard, and although I didn’t know the man, I felt a distinct antipathy. Luckily, I still remembered the heavily secured donation box in the entrance area. I had wondered about its unambiguous label: “Please give donations only into this box and to nobody else! We assure to buy food! Don’t give money to anyone else!” I asked the head about the donation box. Yes, that was fine too, and he would use the money directly for that purpose. So why couldn’t I just put the money into the box myself, I asked. When the head and our guide then grew more nervous and assured me it would be simpler to hand the donation directly to the head, the matter was pretty much settled. “Don’t give money to anyone else” – there’s clearly a good reason that note is on the donation box. I gave the head a contemptuous look and walked out of his office. While his protestations of honesty carried on in the background, in the foreground a dead body was just being carried across the forecourt.

The body was laid down for a few minutes so that some of the old people could say goodbye. Here, death quite literally means release.

On my way out of the retirement home, I noticed the only entertainment on offer. A TV showing a guru, droning the same monotonous words over and over. Mental anaesthesia. I eyed the donation box, read the warning sign once more, shaking my head, then turned around and looked at the old people: this is truly no dignified way to depart this life.

Outside, two old women, completely overloaded, crossed our path. Working really hard your whole life just to survive at all? And then with that retirement home as your prospect?

For those of us in more privileged parts of the world, all I can say is: Don’t waste your time on nonsense. Strive, live life to the full and enjoy your time with your loved ones!

Steering my travel report from these moments towards more cheerful things isn’t all that easy. Lost in thought, we walked on. A few minutes‘ walk later, it turned out that donations don’t only get embezzled.

Free education – the real solution to fundamental problems. With a touch of pride, I had my picture taken in front of the school, which is supported with German money. Well, let’s hope the government back home doesn’t forget that education has to stay affordable/feasible in Germany too…

Our guide led us on through temple complexes occupied by monkeys.

”Can these eyes lie?” :)

Along the outskirts of Kathmandu…

…we finally reached the Boudhanath Stupa, one of the largest stupas in the world. After my recent visit to Tibet, I was still feeling rather saturated with Buddhist sights. Even so, it was a genuinely impressive structure.

Visibly exhausted from the day’s impressions, we made our way back to our accommodation through the chaotic traffic.

Instead of street children, the view from the hotel’s rooftop restaurant, high above the roaring capital, offered an impressive skyline at sunset.

In the evening we went to a cheap restaurant, and I threw one of my most fundamental principles overboard. After today’s experiences, I’m sure that I really want to experience the full force of life. One small step in the restaurant, one giant leap for a new way of thinking: “I eat everything except liquorice” – no more. In the picture you can see me with a spoonful of anise … and I kept it down. ;)

Further reading:

1. Pashupatinath – Temple site where the god Shiva is worshipped as lord of all living beings
2. Crematorium – Place where the “no-longer-living” are cremated
3. Sadhus – Holy men who smoke weed to reach higher spheres
4. Smoking weed – Cannabis as a recreational drug
5. Hemp – Also known as cannabis among biologists and in certain circles
6. 24/7 – Another way of saying “around the clock”
7. Barbecue – A popular way of cooking meat
8. Surrealism – Extending the limited realm of experience into the absurd
9. Antipathy – Spontaneous aversion to something
10. Boudhanath Stupa – One of the largest stupas in the world
11. Stupas – Buddhist monument containing relics