Travelling through India for three months ॐ

[An young being]

15 minutes ago, Bazooka Jesus said:

What a funny synchronicity... yesterday, this popped up in my feed:

@An young being

As a Tamil guy, do you know about palm leaf reading?

Yes, they claim that everyone's future is written already in palm leafs ( they used palm leaves instead of papers in ancient times), and they ask you to give money only if they are right about your future. But as far as I know, most of them are scams. They make wild guesses, but some say they are correct about everything. ( But mostly data from the present and not the future.) They also claim to check whether your data is there or not in the palm leaves, and only then they accept to tell your future. ( Or present)

Edited October 11, 2023 by An young being

[Bazooka Jesus]

3 hours ago, An young being said:

Yes, they claim that everyone's future is written already in palm leafs ( they used palm leaves instead of papers in ancient times), and they ask you to give money only if they are right about your future. But as far as I know, most of them are scams. They make wild guesses, but some say they are correct about everything. ( But mostly data from the present and not the future.) They also claim to check whether your data is there or not in the palm leaves, and only then they accept to tell your future. ( Or present)

Yeah, he talks about all of that in the video... I was just curious to hear how known/popular this stuff is among Tamil people. And like I said, I thought that it was an interesting synchronicity so I just wanted to share it. 

Do you know someone personally who has had one of these readings?

[An young being]

2 minutes ago, Bazooka Jesus said:

Yeah, he talks about all of that in the video... I was just curious to hear how known/popular this stuff is among Tamil people. And like I said, I thought that it was an interesting synchronicity so I just wanted to share it. 

Do you know someone personally who has had one of these readings?

Yeah. Funny synchronicities happen all the time. Even the timing of me coming to this forum back and the timing of your posting this India travel idea looks like a synchronicity to me.

I know a person who approached them, but he was told they don't have his record with them after receiving his fingerprint and so they can't tell anything about him.

[An young being]

I even talked to them personally once over phone, they sounded like they don't care about money and only service. That they would receive money only when they are satisfied. I still had doubts about their way of functioning, so I didn't approach them. I think scammers easily can get all the personal data from dark internet using fingerprints. So, this might just be an elaborate scam. But I didn't investigate it further. If you wish to see it for yourself, you can get contact details of lot of such services online, and try it out yourself. But I don't know which is more trustable and which is not.

[An young being]

It's called Nadi jothidam.

[Bazooka Jesus]

44 minutes ago, An young being said:

Even the timing of me coming to this forum back and the timing of your posting this India travel idea looks like a synchronicity to me.

What fascinates me about India is the fact that it has been such an exceptional hotspot for spirituality for millennia upon millennia... they say that even my old buddy Jesus went to India and studied the Yogic traditions there before going back to his own country and pissing off the authorities, lol.

As someone who has been born and raised (?) there, why do you think India of all places has such an incredibly rich spiritual tradition? And are there some major differences between the spiritual/religious tradition of Tamil Nadu vs. other Indian states from your POV?

 

Edited October 11, 2023 by Bazooka Jesus

[An young being]

 

1 hour ago, Bazooka Jesus said:

As someone who has been born and raised (?) there, why do you think India of all places has such an incredibly rich spiritual tradition?

I myself am not an avid believer or practioner of religious practices concerning Hinduism, but still I am considered no different or divided from a Hindu who worships rigorously or follows all religious practices. Hinduism was never a religion for long periods of time, it was simply different people having different philosophical ideas about what is good, what is bad and what I am, what is God etc. That's why we are unable to find any humans represented or claimed as founders of the religion and there are many religions that originated and accepted within India. People were open to all kinds of ideas, that's why there are so many ideologies represented as part of the same religion. And that is what I believe is the driver for spiritual wealth. Also, materialistic welfare was not considered very important. Knowledge and philosophy was given more importance. Kings rewarding spiritual poets with huge loads of money is a good example for that.

But as time passed by, the concepts of idols took popularity among its followers, and humans took advantage of the faith people had in their religion. Caste systems were created and many superstitious practices became regular among followers. People found solace in devotion and rules as the main force of spirituality rather than enquiry. People started fighting over whose god is bigger (within Hinduism) rather than the hidden spiritual meanings behind creation of such idols. They became more materialistic just like the rest of the world. Still, most of the traditional ideas and practices are recorded and maintained ( but modified over the passage of time) and some even followed by a smaller section of people and that serves as food for the curious minds.

1 hour ago, Bazooka Jesus said:

 And also, are there some major differences between the spiritual/religious tradition of Tamil Nadu vs. other Indian states from your POV?

Since Tamilnadu is geographically far away from the center or rest of India, it has entirely different set of religious practices, culture and even idols. Still, caste system exist here. Amman, a woman form of God, is widely worshipped here. Shiva is predominantly worshipped here. His son Murugan, is called a Tamil God and very popular. Tamilnadu has the most temples in India comparing with its population and the architecture is entirely different from northern India, called popularly as Dravidian architecture. Kings here were more open to other religions compared to rest of India, and traditions and architecture were preserved because of a historically stronger kingdom. That's why you will be able to find huge and ancient temples all over Tamilnadu.

When it comes to Spirituality, northern people find southerners to be simple. ( But still money minded. They save a lot). People here love the language more than their religion.( Ask them about their language, and they will tell it's the world's oldest?) You will be able to find a lot of religious and spiritual texts in ancient Tamil, well preserved. There are relatively less religious violence and hatred compared to rest of India because of this unity in language and some other factors. In fact, the current ruling party, which is a Hindu nationalist party, has never set its foot in this state, although the state predominantly consists of Hindus

Edited October 11, 2023 by An young being
Added idol name

[Bazooka Jesus]

@An young being

Thanks for your interesting insights into Tamil culture. 

In fact, you have made me so curious that I am now thinking about taking a train from Goa to Tamil Nadu during my stay down South and explore your state as well... as I am planning to do volunteering jobs in India in order to make the trip more affordable, what do you think would be a good city/place to stay in Tamil Nadu?

[An young being]

2 hours ago, Bazooka Jesus said:

@An young being

Thanks for your interesting insights into Tamil culture. 

In fact, you have made me so curious that I am now thinking about taking a train from Goa to Tamil Nadu during my stay down South and explore your state as well... as I am planning to do volunteering jobs in India in order to make the trip more affordable, what do you think would be a good city/place to stay in Tamil Nadu?

Nice! But I am not sure if volunteering jobs would fetch you good money. ( Although I have little knowledge in that area.). In Tamil Nadu, you have the advantage that even smaller cities are above average in development. Chennai will be the first choice to have a balance between finding work and exploration. Pondicherry and mahabalipuram are popular places to visit nearby. The city is also cheaper to stay compared to other major metro cities. Next to Chennai, Coimbatore is the most developed city ( Isha yoga centre is popular there) , followed by Trichy and Madurai.( which also houses a popular temple). I believe you can easily find some work to do there. You can also check room rent prices in each city using booking.com.  A disadvantage in Tamilnadu is that tourist spots are spread across the state. But if you travel by bus or train, they are very cheap!

Edited October 24, 2023 by An young being

[An young being]

By the way, where are you planning to start your tour? I believe you told it's from South, but we Indians don't consider Goa to be a South city.

Edited October 24, 2023 by An young being

[Bazooka Jesus]

@An young being

Awesome, thx for the tips!

58 minutes ago, An young being said:

Nice! But I am not sure if volunteering jobs would fetch you good money.

Naaaw, it's not about making money.. I am just looking for free accommodation; if I'll get some free food too, then that's a welcome bonus. 

I have a Workaway account an already contacted a whole bunch of hosts in Goa that take on volunteers; it's a great way to travel since a) you get to save some dough, b) you meet lots of cool/interesting people and c) you can learn stuff and make yourself useful, so it's a really cool win-win type of deal.

57 minutes ago, An young being said:

By the way, where are you planning to start your tour? I believe you told it's from South, but we Indians don't consider Goa to be a South city.

It looks like I am going to arrive in Mumbai on November 29! And from there, I plan to take a train to Goa a couple of days later... hence 'going south'.  And then in early/mid January I am probably going to travel up north, roam around Rajasthan and Varanasi and perhaps even spend two or three weeks in Nepal before going back to Europe. Can't wait!

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by Bazooka Jesus

[An young being]

12 minutes ago, Bazooka Jesus said:

@An young being

Awesome, thx for the tips!

Naaaw, it's not about making money.. I am just looking for free accommodation; if I'll get some free food too, then that's a welcome bonus. 

Good, it sounds like couch surfing with added bonuses.

 

13 minutes ago, Bazooka Jesus said:

@An young being

It looks like I am going to arrive in Mumbai on November 29! And from there, I plan to take a train to Goa a couple of days later... hence 'going south'.  And then in early/mid January I am probably going to travel up north, roam around Rajasthan and Varanasi and perhaps even spend two or three weeks in Nepal before going back to Europe. Can't wait!

 

Great! I would suggest you to visit Kerala as well to get a taste of greenery.( but make sure you research the places whether it's the right time to visit though, since there are many hills and some places have lots of rain). Nepal is a great choice to be one with nature, with the mighty Himalayas!

[Bazooka Jesus]

Soooo, after having taken a nightbus to Budapest and having soaked in a bit of faded old European splendor for two days before hopping on my plane towards wild & wondrous Asia, I finally arrived in Mumbai this morning... and man, I am already in love with the place. It's like my beloved old Pakistani neighborhood in Barcelona, only ten times worse!

Seriously though, I really love the atmosphere so far. The people seem very friendly and eager to help; I already had a couple of great interactions with locals... and, in blatant spite of @An young being's warnings, I couldn't resist the temptation to try some of the tasty snacks that they sell at those dingy looking food stalls at the side of the street. Ugh, that stuff is f***ing yummy! Let's see if my digestive track will survive the night - wish me luck, kids.

I also had a rather impressive ride from the airport to my hostel in an inner city train that drives, well, at full train speed with huge gaping doors that are WIDE OPEN during the ride; and the train is of course absolutely packed, so that people just stand casually balanced on the food board, leaning outside and letting the wind blow in their faces. LOL. I swear to God, every German safety inspector would die of an immediate heart attack if he saw half of the shit I've witnessed today, haha!

Anyway, I'll head out now and grab another bite. To be continued!

[An young being]

13 minutes ago, Bazooka Jesus said:

Soooo, after having taken a nightbus to Budapest and having soaked in a bit of faded old European splendor for two days before hopping on my plane towards wild & wondrous Asia, I finally arrived in Mumbai this morning... and man, I am already in love with the place. It's like my beloved old Pakistani neighborhood in Barcelona, only ten times worse!

 

Welcome to India!

14 minutes ago, Bazooka Jesus said:

 in blatant spite of @An young being's warnings, I couldn't resist the temptation to try some of the tasty snacks that they sell at those dingy looking food stalls at the side of the street. Ugh, that stuff is f***ing yummy! Let's see if my digestive track will survive the night - wish me luck, kids. !

As long as you eat hot fresh cooked foods, you will be safe though. Just make sure there is a good crowd waiting to eat those cholestrol heavy foods. You should also avoid juice with ice cubes, better to drink it without ice or you could have the refrigerated packed ones.

18 minutes ago, Bazooka Jesus said:

I also had a rather impressive ride from the airport to my hostel in an inner city train that drives, well, at full train speed with huge gaping doors that are WIDE OPEN during the ride; and the train is of course absolutely packed, so that people just stand casually balanced on the food board, leaning outside and letting the wind blow in their faces. LOL. I swear to God, every German safety inspector would die of an immediate heart attack if he saw half of the shit I've witnessed today, haha

Welcome to the first cultural shock! I pray that you have many more. Even if the trains are not packed, people love to hang out on the foot board. I love to enjoy the view from a distance though.

[Bazooka Jesus]

1 hour ago, An young being said:

Welcome to India!

Thanks! It already feels like home.

1 hour ago, An young being said:

As long as you eat hot fresh cooked foods, you will be safe though. Just make sure there is a good crowd waiting to eat those cholestrol heavy foods. You should also avoid juice with ice cubes, better to drink it without ice or you could have the refrigerated packed ones.

Oh man, I had some delicious fresh juice on the street today... don't ask me what it was  made of (looked kind of like an orange but wasn't), but it was damn good. And without ice, heh.

2 hours ago, An young being said:

Welcome to the first cultural shock! I pray that you have many more.

Oh, I bet I will... today was probably just a little appetizer, lol. But I say bring 'em on; after all, that's what traveling is for! If you don't see and experience a bunch of strange and bewildering shit, you're doing it wrong.

[Javfly33]

Happy travel dude! Keep us updated 

[Salvijus]

Lol. 

Have fun! 

[LSD-Rumi]

@Bazooka Jesus Share some pics, blur your face if you must, enjoy!

[Bazooka Jesus]

@Javfly33 @Salvijus @LSD-Rumi

Thx guys, I'll make sure to post some reports. 🤘

[Kuba Powiertowski]

@Bazooka Jesus good luck😊