Mahatma Ganges.
Warning: This story contains a rather girly ending. So if you want Hellfire and damnation, look elsewhere. Right, you ready? Let's begin...

Do you remember those magic eye posters? The ones where you had to stare for ages before you saw the hidden picture? I do. And I was terrible at them. Never got one for as long as the fad lasted. And that just summed me up beautifully. I always missed the hidden picture of things. Until one day in India.

Recently, I spent some time in India for personal reasons. Now that trip in itself had more than enough stories for a thousand QOTW's! But for this week, I'm going to tell you about my experiences by the Ganges. Now the Ganges, as I'm sure you're aware, is the holy land for all Hindus. People are burned by the side of the river, gathered up and scattered in the river in the name of their religion. But there was another side to these funeral rituals that I wasn't aware of. And learnt in a rather freaky manner.

I decided to take a boat ride across the Ganges. Our guide then rowed us across various areas showing us what was happening and why. These included, why women weren't allowed near the funeral pyre (answer: Because the women have a tendency to throw themselves on there whilst their husband is burning! Hence, it's for their safety. At least that's what he told us!). Whilst our guide was babbling on about some buildings, I could see something out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see. I freaked out.

"What the buggery bollocking arseholes is that?!"

Calm as bloke who's just smoked half a pound of grass, the guide replies "That's a body."

A rotting body, to be precise.

"Erm...why?" I asked.

The guide explained that in Hindu culture bodies are burned in order to purify them. However, certain people and certain deaths maintain a body's purity. These include:

1. Pregnant women.
2. Children under 5 years of age.
3. Holy men.
4. People who died of a snake bite.

There were others, but these were the only ones I could remember. Now if someone falls into one of those categories, you don't get cremated. You merely get tied up, weighed down, and thrown into the Ganges! Which means that the bottom of the Ganges is littered with bodies who fall into those categories stated above. Slightly unnerved, I then started to look around and saw something else which I couldn't believe.

I could see people washing themselves in the river. I mean a full-on bath/shower! Children playing and drinking the water. The same water which is full of rotting bodies! Only one thought sprang to mind:

"How fucking strong are these peoples' immune systems?!"

We starting rowing towards the hotel. On the way we saw bones of bodies freshly cremated and birds pecking away at the bodies which floated to the surface. It was like something out of a horror film. But only to me. It was amazing to see how, even at an early age, these Hindus were comfortable around death. In Western societies, parents wonder how to introduce the concept of death to their children without freaking them out. Not here! You grow up around it.

The closer I looked the more filth and squalor I could see. The bits holiday brochures "leave out". I couldn't believe people still lived like this. I though India was getting richer? Yet people still lived like this?! This is appalling! Anyway, next day, I was due to fly out. The hotel staff had got our suitcases ready but I decided to go outside on the Ghat (a sort of jetty) for one final look. Now I don't know whether it was because of the sun or I had a good night's sleep, but I saw something completely different.

I looked around and saw children playing in the river, men brushing their teeth with the water and women washing their clothes in the Ganges. But everyone seemed happy.

"Water" a voice said in my ear. It was the guide.

"Huh?"

"Water. It's the sustainer of life. At least, that's how I see it..."

Suudenly, I could see the hidden picture in this magic eye poster that was the Ganges. The filth and dirt didn't matter to them. They had a community. They were happy. And for ten seconds I just soaked in that beautiful picture. People who weren't rich and didn't live in an affluent environment, but were happier than I ever could be!

"Yeah. I suppose you're right!" And it was then, I knew what I had to do.

Eventually, our trip came to a close and we flew back to the UK. After a week, I went to my solicitor's and changed my will. I explicitly asked that when died, I wanted my ashes scattered over the Ganges. Not because I'd found religion! I think I've made my feelings perfectly clear about that*! No, it was because that whoever scatters my ashes (hopefully, my children) it will give them a chance to experience what I experienced at the Ganges. Seeing people living together as a community despite the poor living conditions was a testament to the human spirit. It was beautiful...

* = www.b3ta.com/questions/performance/post1326583
(Don Draper is, indeed, mad and a man., Thu 1 Sep 2011, 21:11, 15 replies)

Cool story Craig

( Light In Chains maker of the ikea sofa, Thu 1 Sep 2011, 21:33, closed)

'They had a community. They were happy. And for ten seconds I just soaked in that beautiful picture. People who weren't rich and didn't live in an affluent environment, but were happier than I ever could be!'

I just can't begin to describe how annoying I found that.

Anyway, it is a lovely story. I wish I could share your sentiment but every time I see a picture of anybody going into the Ganges I just shudder inside. Perhaps I need to see it to appreciate it?
(Smysha Tra la la!, Thu 1 Sep 2011, 21:55, closed)

By all means see it....
...but DON'T swim in it! It's far too dangerous! :O)
(Don Draper is, indeed, mad and a man., Thu 1 Sep 2011, 22:03, closed)

Duly noted!
Also, I'd like to explain why I found parts of your story annoying. India is becoming richer as a nation. Its industry is building up and it even has its own space programme. It still has, however, some of the worst poverty in this world. The strife of the working class and poor is bad enough. The lives of beggars is just pitiful. Of course they will find happiness where they can. They are human and humans generally do. To imply that they somehow have it better than you is just an insult to them and their existence. Or at least that's how I see it.
(Smysha Tra la la!, Thu 1 Sep 2011, 22:10, closed)

Oh god no!
I wasn't belittling their poverty in any way shape or form. I just found it amazing that with all the stuff I have, I still can't be happy. Yet these people, with relatively little, had more happiness than I had. If I had the opportunity to lift these people out of poverty, I'd take it in a heartbeat.
(Don Draper is, indeed, mad and a man., Thu 1 Sep 2011, 22:13, closed)

Things don't give you happiness. You find happiness in things. I am sure that if you did take a look at your life then you will realise that there are some things that provide happiness for you. If not then perhaps it's your outlook that needs work on. Take the children for example - there is little in their lives but blight, unfortunately, but they will still find happiness where they can.

I don't mean to belittle you or whatever you are going through. I am going through a rough time and for a while I couldn't find happiness in anything either. It nearly drove me insane. I had to take a step back and realise that it was me that was flawed. Things are shit but things are shit for everyone at some point or other. That doesn't mean that you stop finding happiness.

Sorry, I didn't mean to go off on this tangent and start preaching! In my defence I preach with love. :D
(Smysha Tra la la!, Thu 1 Sep 2011, 22:22, closed)

No problem...
...I like wisdom in all shapes and sizes. :O)
(Don Draper is, indeed, mad and a man., Thu 1 Sep 2011, 22:25, closed)

Ignorance...
..is bliss.
(Vinnie Strokes Got bummed on, Thu 1 Sep 2011, 23:12, closed)

Funny how the reaction to the beauty of poverty
is never to render oneself destitute.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Thu 1 Sep 2011, 22:08, closed)

Eugh. That's even more annoying.

(Smysha Tra la la!, Thu 1 Sep 2011, 22:22, closed)

Annoying?
I was aiming for sanctimonious.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Sun 4 Sep 2011, 18:46, closed)

It's still annoying!

(Smysha Tra la la!, Sun 4 Sep 2011, 22:24, closed)

You hippy.

(Vigilante Man weeps because you're stupid., Thu 1 Sep 2011, 22:55, closed)

Aaaah the Ganges
The same Ganges that made me shit my body weight worth of brown, foul, stinking water out of my burning ass.

Repeatedly. For several weeks.
(mr-lizard Hell's teeth man!, Thu 1 Sep 2011, 23:01, closed)

Wonderfully written...
...have a large click!
(emadex thinks the world will end on, Thu 1 Sep 2011, 23:44, closed)