Category Archives: India

Our family went to the movies this summer to watch The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  We had a good time.  Some of our friends didn’t like the movie.  It was full of stereotypes.  But as I saw it these were … Continue reading →

We arrived in India a year ago now.   Our visit there had a huge impact on all of us.  We had a lot of great experiences there.  Diwali and the jagran, ashrams and Kathakali.  We made friends at the orphanage … Continue reading →

I spent some of my time this last year doubting myself.  Was this trip the right thing to do?  What about the kids and their education?  What about the money?  Am I getting everything I want out of it?  Are … Continue reading →

Just before we arrived in the southern Indian state of Kerala I finished reading the book The God of Small Things.  From this story I learned about Kathakali, a form of dance-drama based on the ancient Indian stories of Rama and … Continue reading →

Less than a kilometer away from Sri Ram Ashram is a small village, Shampyur.  It is so quiet compared with the big city, Haridwar, six kilometers away.  But one night the quiet was disturbed.  A family in the village hosted … Continue reading →

I always thought an ashram would be full of austere gurus meditating for hours with their students then moving into yoga poses for the next several hours all while fasting on thinned cow’s milk.  The word ashram, however, means home … Continue reading →

We’re staying at an orphanage in northern India. For me the word orphanage always brings up images of dirty, unkept, unloved, and malnourished children.  A place where children are begging for attention and scraps with caretakers who only give them chores. … Continue reading →