By ATIBA ROUGIER, 8/05/2015. I went to the neighborhood to get my haircut with a friend. He is Indian but Christian, which is a ‘minority’ group here in Hindu-land. The young man who is the barber is Muslim but speaks Hindi, so they conversed whilst I sat in the chair—stop for a minute and re-read what I just wrote, and if you know your world history, especially the history of India, this will be fascinating for you, as it was/is, for me.
It was an epic experience! It was his first non-Indian/non-Muslim client and he was fascinated by the texture and feel of my hair. He even gave me a design, how hip, haaha. It is by far one of the best haircuts I’ve received and I had to travel across the world! Life is queer. Ah, I feel good…much needed trim and shave…feeling like a new man. There is a lightness one feels upon receiving a fresh cut/shave, like the weight of something has been lifted. It is also a nice feeling to sit for 30 minutes and not have to do anything and be in the presence of someone taking care of you—who doesn’t like to be pampered? I am happy I decided to do it…experience is my teacher. There is something about seeing a new city with someone who is part of the city—born and bred. I am not one to stay in resorts and lounge by the pool when I travel. I like experiencing the place, feeling it, living it….exploring it, seeing parts of it that one will not see/read about in tourist brochures.
Tomorrow morning, I head to Sanchi and I am soooooooo exciiitttteeeeddddd (insert Oprah’s voice here!). I have studied Buddhism, Indian and Chinese Philosophy, and South Asian Cultures for the past fifteen years. Going to a place like Sanchi is the icing on the cake—taking the classroom into the field, literally.
I am all about lived experiences, if it cannot change you from inside out, then don’t bother. Experiences should alchemically alter who you are as an individual, and without those experiences, you will atrophy and regress. I will take a photos, don’t worry.