Colors and Spices

About the Darkness Stroke in India

Re-edited post from 14 March 2008

Munnar, India, 13 March 2008

I arrived to Munnar town, surrounded all by green; it’s the beautiful tea plantation mountains in Kerala..

Every one that visits India, soon enough finds out that there is a daily electricity run down.
Each day in the morning or in the evening, or in both – the duration can vary from one hour to 3 h = with NO electricity!
Lucky enough for me, in the 3 weeks that I am in India, in all the places I stayed there was a generator that soon replaced the main electricity source.

Now I am writing in the DARK!
I am amazed to discover (only now!) that WE – the people are very adaptable! We can adapt to everything. If we want to or have to!!! After some complaints, after a bit of discomfort, soon enough we adapt the discomfort.

With that kind of power that we have of adaptation, no donut we rule the world, also exploit it to the brim. 🙁

I was lucky to arrive to Munnar yesterday, but to get to The Darkness Stroke on the my FIRST night – was a bit too much!

Every time I arrive to a new place my first night is a bit rigged – I listen to the new night sounds, I look at the creatures in my room, I listen to the dogs barking outside etc. I am a city rat, so the noises I know are of loud Police cars, loud cry of Ambulances cars etc, party music etc.

In my journey to the East, I discovered the sounds of nature.

The ‘music’ in each place is very different. In New Zealand there are a lot of crickets. (Zarzarim = Hebrew) They sit on a tree – in huge colony. When one passes under that kind of tree the chirping is so loud that it can even hurt one’s hears. These crickets are very particular, they choose only certain trees that they like to live on them.
I listened to that huge choir on one tree, and in another tree next to it, it’s a complete silence.
Only then I can hear the birds singing. Thank God the birds can raise their voices also.

I arrived to Munnar from Auroville, a real country side, without nearly any cars, so the voices of nature were loud & proud.

Each night there were adventurous sounds of nature, like ‘symphony’ of the night, it will sound different according to the season.

Even before midnight, after just one loud bark of a dog – a major choir of dog barking will be heard all ever the region. At that same time the jackals are waiting… and they will raise their cry. With their up loud barking-cry it’s like listening to a team of trumpets in a live concert.
Hearing jackals so close to my doorstep, made me lock the door again.
At that moment I realize that I must have a torch…. Ha Ha

Other exciting voices I got to know in Auroville at Ilona & Tony’s house – coming from the attic – the noises of one big happy family of squirrels. I must say, they have a busy life, chasing & running up and down all night.
Also I saw & heard the lizards!!! They have a loud squawky voice when they chase one another probably saying in a romantic voice: “Come to me my love!” 🙂

I am lighting the page with my small torch to see my rough hand writing. But soon enough the Indian buttery will be off…

On top of the Darkness Plague, I have now a strong stomach pain. Eating the Indian food is fine, but it’s pretty HOT, and my stomach have to get used to digest it. (part of the adaptation…)
The buttery is finally dead, and the pain in my stomach increased.

I was so astonished that an hour later, when the electricity came back, the pain in my stomach went away, and I could go to sleep happily with the “soft cry” concert of the jackals.