10:30 pm, we finally land in Mumbai. After a journey of almost 24 hours that began the previous night at my friend’s home, I finally set foot on Indian soil. A scent of incense accompanies us along the corridor that will take us out of the airport. The first impact is indescribable. Stimuli of every kind arrive from every direction; sounds, colours, smells mingling together. The chaos is incredible; our taxi has yet to arrive and while we wait I find myself unable to do anything but stand hypnotised by what I see before me. However much you may prepare by reading and reading articles, nothing turns out the way you expected or imagined. The impact is strong, at times overwhelming, and I must be honest — not always pleasant.
Our taxi finally arrives; we get in and I discover they drive on the left as in England. This alone, for those of us accustomed to driving on the other side, creates a certain unease; add to that the fact that Indians drive rather like maniacs and you’re guaranteed a heart attack every other moment. Forget every road rule you know, because here they don’t exist. Absurd overtaking, lanes unmarked, the chances of encountering absolutely anything on the road are extremely high. The other peculiarity is that everyone constantly honks their horn — it’s a delirium! But apparently it is simply their way, so much so that you find written on trucks and buses “Horn Ok Please”.
Pune - Simona FortiWe cross a suburban area where poverty appears naked and raw in its entirety. Small children walking barefoot near piles of rubbish or amid the dust and rubble of construction sites; powerful smells of food and something else not quite identifiable; tiny, vividly coloured temples rising up among shacks of every description. India is not a country that shines for its cleanliness — we know this well — so come to terms with it and go only if you have a great capacity for adaptation. And I’m not just talking about the physical kind.
We finally arrive at our little hotel, “Om Residency”. It corresponds perhaps to our one-star hotels; it is certainly not marvellous, nor does it gleam with cleanliness, but all things considered it is acceptable. After all, we paid 24 euros for a double room — difficult to expect anything more. The sheets are stained, which apparently is “normal” here; but I have my usual sheet and sleeping bag and I don’t make too many issues of it. I open the bathroom door, which is what I care about most. In India the custom is to wash by filling a large bucket with water and then using a smaller one to pour it over yourself. This at first makes me wrinkle my nose a little, to be honest, but then I look up and see the classic showerhead… sorted! I can have a decent shower :D The water is lukewarm; but in the heat it’s actually quite pleasant.
We are exhausted; we go to bed also because tomorrow we have a day ahead of us with at least 4 hours of travel from Mumbai to Pune. And given the way they drive here I have not the faintest idea what to expect. But apart from all this, I already love this country, in all its absurdity and difference. The incredible fragrances, the real Indian food that bears no relation whatsoever to the Indian restaurants back in Italy, all these women dressed in brilliantly coloured saris. I am struck by so many emotions, suggestions and visions that I don’t yet quite know how to describe this country even to myself.
Kumkuma - Simona Forti
The alarm has gone off; we get up, get ready, bags closed, and head out in search of breakfast: we find mango juice and sweets of various kinds. So full of sugar I won’t even bother trying to describe it. Life costs very little here — food and drinks for 6 of us comes to 7 euros in total. Genuinely nothing. The taxi has finally arrived and from this moment our real “journey” begins: it will take us to the Ashram, just outside Pune. Where everything is immersed in a completely different dimension; where we are in the middle of a forest inhabited by monkeys, leopards, wild boar and peacocks! Where peace reigns and calm and relaxation permeate every corner of this stretch of valley, where the air seems to be laden with a particular golden dust that makes this place something truly beyond the ordinary. But that is another story… one that deserves a telling of its own.