The great white beast rumbled through the village, snagging on power lines and lurching from side to side as it tried to maneuver down tiny streets.
Overgrown rare elephant? Nope, just the St. Olaf Global Semester tour bus navigating the back roads of India.
This past week, we’ve expanded upon our planned coursework on religion and culture in order to gain a deeper understanding of Indian road infrastructure, a topic best explored through long bus rides to often-remote locations. Bring on the Dramamine!
One absolute highlight was our visit to the art ashram of the artist Jyoti Sathi. While he is a Christian whose paintings have intended Christian influence and symbolism, he also consciously incorporates motifs more likely to be interpreted as Hindu or “Indian,” such as geometric designs more commonly found in temples than churches. Jyoti explained this as a desire to embrace the concept of mandala, meaning “circle” in Sanskrit in order to transcend religious differences. He reasons that while images are universal, our interpretations are relative and that all religions “appropriate primordial, archetypal symbols” for their own particular significance.
[Above Photo: Jyoti Sathi’s explanations of the mandala]
For example, he explained that the cross is not exclusively a Christian symbol, but has emerged in art in cultures ranging from Neolithic to Celtic as a geometric pattern of lines emerging from the center of a circle. Another example he cited is the more recent corruption of the ancient Hindu swastika by the Nazis, to the point that a once-auspicious symbol now carries an intensely negative connotation.
This was definitely one of my favorite lectures in India so far. Thought-provoking, enlightening, and all around mind-blowing. Besides painting he also maintains a blog, www.jyotiartashram.blogspot.com, which is worth a look.
[Above Photo: Me, post-priestly blessing at the temple]
Another excursion brought us to the Shravanabalagula Jain temple. Try to say that one five times fast. Visiting this temple was not merely a linguistic exercise, but a 700 step StairMaster workout up stone-cut steps to the top of a mountain. All worth it in the end for a blessing from the priests and an incredible view from the temple perched on the summit.
*Catherine O’Connor ’13 is on Global for first semester and J-term. She majors in Asian Studies with a concentration in Chinese.