India Speaks - Part 2 (1933)

Banaras the sacred city on the crest shore of the holy Ganges River I floated slowly up and down alone guru had been taken few on the long journey back a festival of horror villain Buddhist this spot has the same New Jerusalem has for the Christian and the Jew 47 stone Ghats each dedicated to a different God extend for several miles above and below the places with countless pilgrims some well and strong others sick and dying journey thousand in neverending waves in the filthy but purifying water of mother Ganges as they lovingly call the river many chill themselves into death they come here with the actual purpose of diet for death here is preferable to life elsewhere for burn our ease they believe is sixty feet nearer to heaven than any other spot on earth yet there's never contagion or epidemic will they violate every rule of Health and sanitation but that doesn't matter says the devout Hindu for nothing can defile mother Ganges no matter how power she purifies both sin and disease instantly and utterly slowly the knowledge came to me that to these sincere believers this river is a great Cathedral these stone steps are their rules I realize now that the washing of this cool water against their fevered skins is to them more beautiful than any heavenly choir the water ripped in a certain manner and allowed to trickle through the fingers before drinking certain prayers must be said at the same time and nowhere on earth is there a river which so completely justifies the worship and devotion of the people I began to believe that the dirty are a thing is the holier it becomes in India here are seen many vivid demonstrations of the power of mind over matter yet there is here some mysterious force so mighty and powerful that it actually healed the sight of these people bathing and reeking in this scum covered water amid seeping sewage and the charred portions of bodies which float down from the burning Ghats left me in a jumble of computer so I rode my boat shoreward to try and remove the impression from my mind in the picturesque streets of the merchants I came to the shops in the bazaars occupied by workers in gold silver and brass thousands of beautiful objects are made here by hand in the most exquisite designs dama scheme silver and gold inlay is done by a secret process handed down from father to son it was while here that I learned of a tragedy which affected me deeply the old guru who had been my constant companion since the day I engaged him through whose kindly understanding I had learned so much of these people in their gods was dead the messenger quickly led me to the spot for the last rites for my guru were being held the burning ghat on the ganges it is the daily prayer of a hundred million human beings that they be burned on this very spot I saw the ghastly smoke of several corpses rising slowly into the air other bodies wrapped in winding sheets of gauze awaited their turn in the destroying flames this untouchable belongs to a family who for six generations heaven behind him is the well where lepers bathe and where the water is changed but once a year a sickly pall of smoke hung over the entire gap one poignant thought came to my mind the cheapest things in India are the lives of human beings when I came to the place when my dead friend was to be cremated he had already been given his last bath in the Ganges without that the hands of untouchables who must care for him now would convey impurity his nearest relative must sprinkle him with palm oil to hasten the action of the plane in this climate mortal remains must be disposed of at once a man dies an hour later he is ashes as I gazed upon the rigid countenance of my guru I wondered into what reincarnation his kindly soul had passed was he nearer that nirvana which all true Hindus desire to attain the slightest sign of emotion she touched the sacred fire to the guru stroke I knew nothing of the dead man's family or he had never spoken up it was she this young girl the guru's daughter or was she his wife if she was I didn't want to know for the fate of the Hindu widow is a sad one she can never marry again she must spend the rest of her existence in mourning for her Lord and Master she must go through life as the slave of her dead husband's relatives it is only a short time since Hindu wives committed suti hurl themselves into the cremation pyre of their husband go is now forbidden by law it sometimes happened no wonder these little wires would rather die than face the miserable lives that awaited the flames leapt viciously upward envelope' consuming an untouchable used a long pole to make it burn faster behind me I could hear the chant of other funeral processions life existence love what is it all matter you are never so dead as when you die in India this was all earthly that was left of my guru an earthen jar a few poor ashes and mother Ganges performs the final rite herself takes back to her bosom the remains of her son and Hindus bathe and pray and drink so life passes armed in India [Music] the veil of Kashmir is a place of fairy-like loveliness Kashmir there is magic even in the name to me this is the most beautiful spot in all India here is one of the far-flung valleys of the world which has always called to me in my hours of dreams it is here in the principal city Srinagar that the Maharaja has his summer palace Srinagar is often referred to as the Venice of India on account of its many beautiful waterways many Indian families live and carry on their entire existence on the water in great houseboats like this it's a great life when you get tired of living in one spot you simply untie the boat and move some of these boats are floating hotels here in Kashmir is a spot famed in the poems and songs of every people who have a written language Shalimar Gardens this incomparable garden was built by a great mogul Emperor for his beloved wife here was one oriental whose regard for woman transcends that of all his fellow Indians who indeed does not know the Kashmir Assam based upon the poem of Lawrence Hall this is the spot which inspired that undying melody strange how so many of the loveliest things in the world have been made by some man for some woman [Music] [Applause] Shalimar strange exotic lovely passionate put you in that ecstatic frame of mind and in the grove of chena trees which bordered Shalimar I met a lovely little Kashmir e matin perhaps she was lonely just as I was perhaps she was merely curious at any rate she was probably as flattered by the attention of a white man as I was by the beauty in our big brown eyes she wanted to walk toward home but I had a better idea I told her I wanted to look at birds and butterflies and as she couldn't understand me she believed [Music] [Music] if you must go to Delhi my friends warned me wait until the Ramadan is over it'll be safer them so I went to Delhi I arrived there on the first day of Ramadan the holy fast of a month during this long holiday the touches no food between dawn and dark the bazaars are crowded this season corresponds to our own religious holidays mohammedans have come here from all over india for Delhi is the greatest Muslim religious centre of the country I wanted to see the spectacle of Ramadan not as a white man but from the viewpoint there was but one way to do this i disguised myself as a i passed through streets that were rapidly emptying ramadan was about to begin all roads led to the great mosque for fear of being recognized as an infidel I dared not go through the great gate but sought the darker passages through a labyrinth of dim karate I dared not wash in the pool as the others were doing in the first place it wasn't any too clean besides I was afraid the water might remove the stain with which I covered my face and hand I found another passage and noted it carefully in case I should have to get away in a hurry this led me through a vaulted corridor into another part of the court for I thought I would be safer because it was less crowded the Great Mosque at Delhi is one of the most majestic and beautiful temples in the world it was built by Shah Jahan who knew and loved beauty red sandstone and black and white marble offer odd contrasts the faithful had unfurled their prayer rugs and ranged themselves in long roles for the first prayer they waited only the call of the MU ezine on the high balcony of the minaret then came his cry loud and clear as a bell twenty-thousand buddies bowed as one 20,000 foreheads touched the hot stones of the courtyard 20,000 people murmured the reply to the moussine and rose to their feet 20 thousand souls acknowledged the majesty of Allah and the power of His Prophet it was indescribable impressive I'm not of a particularly religious bent of Maya at the sight of that great spectacle through the wish to be nearer God the desire to worship Him the countless prayers of all these people were rising in a mighty Symphony it filled me with a deep and reverent feeling that I shall never forget Allah be praised Allah is the one God and Muhammad is His Prophet that was their simple understandable free [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] I knew if they caught me I haven't a chance paradise is promised to the Muslim who kills an infidel who has committed sacrilege and I was guilty [Laughter] the dress a Buddhist and helped me get away thus I left the mosque by the back door later that evening I discovered that New York and Paris haven't a monopoly on nightclubs the cafe I visited had a flourish oh that wouldn't have looked out of place in any musical comedy I could almost believe that I was back on Broadway or that the entire ensemble of the follies have been imported here that idea was only shattered when I saw the previous all-night resort the place catered to every race and type which makes up the polygon population of an Indian city they shouted encouragement to the dancers and flung coins to the musician the dance is performed by these girls are adapted from the temple dances of the Devi Davos girls of pleasure as they are called beginning with a slow rhythm they reached a climax in a flashing world of speed which left the observer dizzy [Music] the girls then mingled with the patrons at the table I noticed nearby several young Englishmen and their beautiful companion their language seemed to be perfect but they they didn't appear to be English girls I asked my host a wealthy young Hindu about them he said that the girls were half-castes Eurasians the living result of what happens when a love affair occurs between a Hindu woman and a white man most of the dancers were Eurasians also that same white man who sheds tears over the plight of Madame Butterfly ruthlessly deserts a Eurasian gurney turns his back on India and sails for home what becomes of the girls they go on with his life while you flask in the vain hope that they may sometime marry a white man it was well hear that my Indian friend asked me if I would enjoy going on a lion hunt I thought he was joking as I had never heard of Lions in India but he assured me he was in earnest lion still exists in considerable numbers in the Gear forest they are royal game and jealously guarded but an attempt was to be made to capture an Indian lion for the private zoo of a wealthy Raja the night club going in full swing when we left I didn't even stop for equipment as I was told there would be plenty at our destination [Music] next day we travel to the Rodgers hunting lodge by elephant the Raja had a stable of these royal beasts perfectly trained and groomed my friend told me of an ancient proverb which typifies India the poor have no friend but the elephant waits at the rich man's door I was exceedingly thrilled for the lion hunt was to take place on elephants this beast we were riding would be the one we would use in the hunt and the unusual spectacle I was about to witness was to be one I would never forget the people who were to be our beaters in the hunt were religious thieves they are born criminals and sold recorded in state police records at birth as India has more gods than any other country she also has more criminals there are 15 million of them in India they call themselves crows and hope to return to Earth after death in the form of crows they worship that bird of ill omen because they consider him a clever thief wickedness is their only Creed in religion the crow must do his evil deed each day there is only one sin in the eyes of the crow that of getting caught in the act of crime in that case they will can only atone by getting drunk the more he beats his wife the better his chance of absolution