Welcome to Incredible India where Guest is God. GOLDEN TRIANGLE TOUR: FEBRUARY 20 -­‐ 25 INTERNATIONAL YOGA FESTIVAL: FEBRUARY 25 -­‐ MARCH 9 It is with humble gratitude and thrilling excitement to be traveling to Mother India with you. We are embarking on a journey within. India is a mirror of our heart, and it is our Practice to approach Her with an open mind, accepting diversity with grace and gratitude, respecting cultures and individuals, and holding other travelers softly and lovingly. We are creating a community. Our community is born within our thoughts, words, actions, character, and destiny, and let all be blessed with peace. This is a brief guide to support you in your preparations. Please contact me with further questions. May we be united in heart. May we be united in speech. May we be united in mind. May we perform our duties As did the wise of old. May we be united in our prayer. May we be united in our goal. May we be united in our resolve. May we be united in our understanding. May we be united in our offering. May we be united in our feelings. May we be united in our hearts. May we be united in our thoughts. May there be perfect unity among us. ~ The Rig Veda c. 6000 BCE world’s oldest document, fully preserved Cradle of the human race, birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most constructive materials in the history of man are treasure up in India only. ~ Mark Twain India was the motherland of our race and Sanskrit the mother of Europe’s languages. India was the mother of our philosophy, of much of our mathematics, of the ideals embodied in Christianity… of self-­‐government and democracy. In many ways, Mother India is the mother of us all. ~ Will Durant, American Historian 1 PASSPORT & VISA INFORMATION • Please secure your visa as soon as possible. • You must send in your passport to secure your visa. • Please visit www.in.ckgs.us for full information and necessary procedures. AIRFARE You will purchase all of your flights, and I recommend purchasing travelers insurance. We will be in direct contact so this will be a seamless process. Upon purchase of your ticket, please keep a copy of your itinerary and make a copy to give me. You will need this itinerary to enter the airport on March 9th. DEPARTURE TO INDIA Please use your airline of your choice. However, I will be traveling by United Airlines, from Newark, NY to Delhi, India. If you choose to join my flight from NY to Delhi, please consider possible delays to NY and make arrangements to arrive in NY at least 3 hours before our flight to Delhi. Please note, once you are in the secured portion of the airport in Newark, please immediately visit your final gate to check in again for this international flight. At your gate, you must show your visa and passport to claim your actual ticket. GOLDEN TRIANGLE TOUR • February 19th o FLIGHT UA82 to Delhi o Depart Newark, NY at 8:35pm o Arrive in New Delhi at 9:20pm on February 20st INTERNATIONAL YOGA FESTIVAL • February 24th o FLIGHT UA82 to Delhi o Depart Newark, NY at 8:35pm o Arrive in New Delhi at 9:20pm on February 25th ARRIVAL HOME • March 9th o FLIGHT UA83 to Newark o Depart Delhi at 10:35pm o Arrive in New York at 4:40am on March 10th 2 VACCINES Please consult your doctor to see what is appropriate for you at least two months in advance. Some vaccines may take up to three weeks to be administered. If you live in the Indianapolis area, Dr. Jama Edwards a recommended travel doctor. She is at 55 Brendon Way, Zionsville, (317)873-­‐8065. Advised: • Hepatitis A • Polio • Typhoid • Tetanus • Flu related doctor recommendations • Ciprofloxacin • Motion sickness patch Other considerations: • Cholera • Diphtheria • Hepatitis B • Malaria • Rabies • Sleep aid (Ambien, Xanax) • Treatment for yeast infection -­‐ doctor prescription • Treatment for ‘pinkeye’ -­‐ doctor prescription Over-­‐the-­‐counter considerations: • Emergency-­‐C / Tylenol / etc. • Gentle laxative • Immodium or Pepto Bismol • Neosporin or Bacitracin • Band-­‐aids 3 DAILY COMFORTS & SANITATION I will try to fulfill as many tips as possible, but restrooms in hotels, etc. will be staffed by an attendant whose income may be dependent on tips. Please consider accordingly. It is recommended to have these on your person at all times: • Hand sanitizer • Dry tissues / Wet wipes for personal areas and other body parts • A few baggies kept in your purse (lacking place to put used wipes/toilet paper) • Eye drops • Sealed snacks Recommended for ashram room: • Foldable Swiffer and associated dust cloths • Clorox Wipes PACKING CONSIDERATIONS Go for essentials and please consider all information provided. PACK LIGHT. We’ll travel by train, and at times may be carrying our luggage. o 1 main larger travel bag: (inside, include an empty duffle bag to fill when shopping) o 1 carry-­‐on: consider a backpack that can be used on the plane, while shopping, etc. Consider packing clothing that you don’t mind leaving behind as a donation, returning with new, memorable pieces. Yoga mats are available at the ashram and surrounding shops for $10-­‐$15 USD Weather will approximately be 60-­‐90 degrees, chilly in the mornings /evenings Dress in layers. o Women must cover shoulders and legs. o Wear layers to / from a yoga class Laundry is available and very affordable at the ashram o Laundry bag with name written in sharpie o 2-­‐3 day turn-­‐around o cost out-­‐of-­‐pocket 4 NON-­‐FLEXIBLE PACKING LIST (what can‘t be purchased easily) • Valid passport & Indian visa / Money Belt • Photocopy of passport & visa • Vitamins & medicines • Water bottle (safe drinking water is available at the ashram in designated bins) • Emergency Contact / personal health information / insurance card • Ear plugs / eye pillow • Extra batteries for electronic devices that you bring • Universal adapter and converter kit: convert 220-­‐240 to 110-­‐120 • Sunscreen • Insect repellent • Comfortable walking shoes & cotton socks • Sturdy walking sandals • Shower sandals (not-­‐slippery) / Scrub brush for the feet • Light jacket / sweater • Bathing suit (for hotel facilities) • Flashlight • Lighter/s (for lighting candles and incense at ceremonies) • Hat / Sunglasses • Camera / Alarm clock (or use cell phone) • Women’s sanitary products • Cacoon CoolMax Mummy Travel Sheet for the ashram -­‐ highly recommended • Bra / Underwear (perhaps enough for each day of travel) FLEXIBLE PACKING LIST (what may be purchased easily) • Reading materials / journal / pens • Shampoo / conditioner / soap / wash rag / lotion *however, bring your own razor • Small backpack or shoulder bag (not easily removed from body -­‐ monkeys!) • One nice dinner outfit • Conservative skirts / tops • Yoga clothes (may be worn under wrap skirts or long tops) • Cheap rain poncho NOT ADVISABLE – the ashram does not provide a safe for valuables • Engagement rings / Fancier pieces of jewelry MONEY • Cash machines are available, accepting both debit and credit cards. • DO NOT bring an American Express card. It is NOT honored in India. • Tell your bank and credit card company you are traveling overseas. • Money Belt to hold bulk bills / simple, convenient wallet to hold small bills • Ask your bank if you can buy rupees. Thomas Cook Foreign Exchange will be available in airports with a hearty fee. Keep your exchange receipt. • Bring $200+ worth in rupees. • You will receive a wallet-­‐sized conversion chart of USD to Rupee, compliments of our fellow traveler Nancy and her sweet husband Jay. 5 COMMUNICATION • Check with your phone carrier about overseas packages. • There will be limited access to internet at the ashram. • There will be Internet Cafés available, though, at times you may experience a slow modem and short power outages. ADDITIONAL THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW • Rishikesh is a ‘dry’ city. No alcohol is permitted in the ashram. • Rishikesh is a vegetarian city. • The ashram will provide three meals a day. Meals chosen outside of the ashram are not included in the tour package. • Do not bring candy, etc. as handouts. This promotes drug use, etc. • Men hold hands with each other to show casual affection. • Men and women do not kiss nor hold hands. Indians are proud of their homeland. Withhold shocked or negative opinions. SEND LILY THE FOLLOWING: 12695 Vanderhorst Street, Carmel, IN 46032 • Make five copies of your passport AND visa o Send me 3 copies o Keep one copy in each piece of luggage you travel with • One copy of your air itinerary • Important medical information • Emergency contact information o Please give a copy of the above information to your emergency contacts RECOMMENDED BOOKS • Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts • Taj Mahal by Diana and Michael Preston • The Bhagavad Gita with commentary by Stephen Mitchell • Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda RECOMMENDED MOVIES • Baraka • Water • Slumdog Millionaire • The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel FUN HOMEWORK: INTERESTING PEOPLE WE’LL MEET IN RISHIKESH • H.H. Puja Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji of Parmarth Ashram • Mooji • Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa 6 •
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FACTS India: Officially the Republic of India, of South Asia is the seventh largest country by area, the second-­‐most populous country, and worlds most populous democracy Capital: New Delhi Population: 1.237 billion (2012) Prime minister: Narendra Modi with 417,037,606 voters in the last election Official languages: Hindi Language, English Language India never invaded any country in her last 10,000 years of history. India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta. The place value system, the decimal system, was developed in India in 100 BCE. The method of graduated calculation was documented in the Pancha-­‐Siddhantika (Five Principles) in the 5th Century but the technique is said to be dating from Vedic times circa 2000 BCE. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is now known as the Pythagorean Theorem. In 1999, British scholars officially published that Budhayan’s words date back to the 6th Century, which is long before the European mathematicians Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus come from India. Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th Century The largest numbers the Greeks and Romans used were 10**6 (10 to the power of 6) whereas Indians used numbers as big as 10**53 (10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 50000 BCE during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera 10**12 (10 to the power of 12) The world’s first university was established in Takshila in 700 BCE. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th Century BCE was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education. Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages. According to Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software. Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. Time taken by earth to orbit the sun in the 5th Century India: 365.258756484 days. Ayruveda, Science of Life, is the earliest school of medicine known to humans. Charaka, the father of medicine consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago. Today Ayurveda is fast regaining its rightful place in our civilization. The art of Navigation was born in the river Sindh 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit ‘Nou’. According to the Gemological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds in the world. Chess, Snakes and Ladders, Playing Cards, and Polo was invented in India. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago, he and health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like cesareans, cataract, artificial limbs, fractures, urinary stones, and even plastic surgery and brain surgery. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India. Over 125 surgical tools were used. Deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology, etiology, embryology, digestion, metabolism, genetics, and immunity is also found in many texts. Dentistry was explored. Hygiene was supported through plumbing systems and Ayruvedic studies. 7 •
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The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in India. When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established the Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley; Indus Valley Civilization. In ancient times, commodities like sugar, palm oil, coconut oil, cotton cloth, clarified butter, cast iron, tin sheets, copper vessels, dyes and pigments like indigo and cinnamon, perfumes like sandalwood oil, musk, tamarind, camphor and even crude glass crockery were being exported from India. The earliest recorded use of copperware in India has been around 3000 BCE, found in Mohen-­‐jo-­‐daro and Harappa. The earliest documented observation of smelting of metals in India is by Greek Historians in the 4th Century BCE. Seven meters high, over six tons, the Iron Pillar at Delhi has reminded rust-­‐free for over 1500 years. In India, the first references to astronomy are to be found in the Rig Veda that is dated around 2000 BCE. The Calculation of Eclipses and the Earth’s Circumference and the Heliocentric Theory of Gravitation are given credence by these references. In the 5th Century, the Pancha-­‐Siddhantika (Five Principles) shows how eclipses are to be calculated. This foreshadows what Western Astronomers propounded nearly one thousand years later. 8