Date: Fri Oct 6, 2000
Subject: Japanese friends

Namaste folks,

It's been quite a while since I last wrote to y'all - I've been very busy learning and socialising and have been putting off writing due to sheer laziness as well.

Those goddess-worshippers amongst you might like to know that it is currently Durga Puja Navratri (9 nights), from Sept 29 to the morning of Oct 8, so you Brisbane people who are having a festive 4ZZZ Market Day/Boundary St Festival weekend might like to observe puja to Goddess Durga, destroyer of demons and one who transports us across difficult times.

I've settled into a routine of sorts, now, although the last few days this has been interrupted by a strong fever and cold. I hate hot weather colds!

The last month has been a 'settling-in' period for me. I've set up my kitchen in my room, so now I can cook my own delicious food instead of eating in boring restaurants! I brought much special food from Australia - Thai, Italian and Japanese flavourings, so that I can have some variety in my diet. And I've also found that having a good stock of Japanese food is a great way to make new friends!

My house has filled up this last month - a month ago there were only 2 of us there, now there's 12. I'll list them here as it will give you a good idea of my social life, and the type of people who stay long-term in Varanasi. The Munna House residents are:

Me - oldest in the house and most experienced tabla student around, or so it seems (I know that there are people who've been learning longer, but I don't know where they are!) This is my 4th time in India in 6 years, and I will stay in Varanasi for about 8 months.

Misha - German tabla student (and part-time sitar student) with 15 months experience. Misha will stay in Varanasi for 2 years. Misha has dreadlocks and tattoos and formerly played guitar in 'new-wave independent' bands.

Sebastian and Aurelia - very nice French couple who will soon leave Varanasi, having stayed one month. They are followers of a Maharastra-based 'guru-ma' (female spiritual guru) - Sebastian since childhood, following his parents' lead. They spend their time in Varanasi absorbing the spiritual atmosphere, bathing in River Ganga and smoking chillums.

Hans and Stella - Hans is an English tabla student who just started with Misha's guru after having learnt from a 'tourist guru' last year, and then feeling that he had wasted his time - a common problem. Some gurus teach for life, some gurus teach for money. Hans was doing a PhD in Sociology when a friend asked him "What would you REALLY like to be doing now" - "studying tabla in India!" was the reply. He and Stella (his very quiet Greek girlfriend) will stay for about 8 months.

Aki and Yada - very nice Japanese couple. Yada is studying sarod (like a cross between sitar, banjo and violin) and is on his 2nd 3 month trip to India; Aki is a first-timer and just started learning santoor (like a hammered dulcimer) from our Alicia's guru Devi-ji.

Matt - fellow Aussie tabla student who just moved in the other day. Matt is a skinny blond dreadlocked Sydneysider who has spent several years in Japan, and so has the advantage on me in being able to talk fluently with the cute Japanese girls. He's just started tabla and is now looking for a new guru - another victim of the 'tourist guru' phenomenon. He'll stay about a month, having already stayed 8 months in India.

Yasu - talented Japanese tabla student of 3 years' experience, learning from the same guru as Misha and Hans, and also an excellent cook.

Masa - young Japanese first-time tabla student, also learning from Yasu's guru.

Noriko - sweet Japanese girl who's taking in the atmosphere and having a good time.

So as you can see out of 12 people there are 5 Japanese folks and 6 tabla students! Munna House is certainly a musicians' house - walking in you'll straight away hear the sound of tabla practice. I can tell you that when there are many tabla practising, some fast, some slow, some high, some low, it can be a very chaotic sound!

Varanasi is definitely popular with Japanese folks - I would say that the 5 out of 12 figure in our house is representative of the overall tourist population. I've certainly made many new Japanese friends and now MUST go to Japan some time in the next few years. The other night I organised a Japanese feast for the departure of my friend Kazumi - her friend Chie did most of the cooking (with my specially imported ingredients) and oh boy was it a delicious feast! We even had sake thanks to Kazumi's guest house owner Shiva who was given some sake by a tourist once.

So life is good in Varanasi, especially once I get rid of this danged 'flu. Over the next while, I've thought to try and write some messages on different topics each week or month or whatever, eg next week I might write about my daily routine, or my guru-ji, or describe Varanasi or whatever. Any requests?

Enough for now - one last word is that the famous Varanasi ghats are now back above the waterline (or the waterline has dropped below the ghats) and sunset on the ghats is magic (I haven't been up at sunrise for months! but I'm sure it's *more* magic)

Love to all,
Shen

Aum Mani Padme Hum