[Assam] Canada's extremes: Seal fights, clothing optional beaches; celibate Bahai youth

Wed Sep 6 00:59:47 EDT 2006

Mukul-da,

  why should I not go to a beach next to where I am staying and try to go somewhere far away just becos the local populace find it wise to take of their clothes :-)

  Do Hindus etc stop roaming around Maha Kumbha just becos a few Naga (Nanga) Sadhus are camping there without clothes? Most I can do is not follow their example.

  Umesh

mc mahant <mikemahant at hotmail.com> wrote:
        <I would like to view the scenary once again and see the natural elements of Canadian landscape which perhaps inspired Canada based Deepa Mehta to make sexually charged , extremely controversial (in India) films like Fire, Earth and Water. >
  Umesh , you are tending to go off course.
  Think of how you will blend your Canadian, Ba'hai,Human experience in your Autobiography...
  Are you keeping your diary meticulously.
  Beauty-Scenery-you will find everywhere.
  mm

---------------------------------

From:  umesh sharma <jaipurschool at yahoo.com>
Reply-To:  umesh.sh05 at post.harvard.edu
To:  assam at assamnet.org
Subject:  [Assam] Canada's extremes: Seal fights, clothing optional beaches;celibate Bahai youth
Date:  Tue, 5 Sep 2006 20:48:15 +0100 (BST)

  Hi,

     Yesterday was a holiday in Canada so I wanted to explore the sea front down from the Univ ( www.ubc.ca ) where I am staying and saw the huts of the Native Americans who live on islands in the Pacific Ocean close to here. http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/ubcreports/2004/04sep02/forestry.html Then saw a flight of steps leading down to the ocean front but was curious about two things : One that seal pups are around and that clothing is optional (illegal in USA) . 

     http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/parks/PacificSpirit.htm

     Down below most were dressed somewhat but few were in baby-suits mainly guys strutting their stuff. This is a very gay-firendly city I'm told -so seemed like gays . 

     Thus, Initially after sitting for a few minutes I turned to go back up the steps but seeing the breath-taking view I of the sea I returned to walk about two hours. 

     Damn these chaps - the nature is from others as well. I might be the only South Asian around (I saw lots of them in the Univ swimming pool later) but I am not going to let them cheat me out of the nature. 

     On the map I got down at trail 4 on top left and walked on roacks and sea to the breakwater opp. trail six -and about 200 yards on the breakwater rocks out in the sea -with slippers in my hand clambering over rocks -all alone -  where I saw the seals with fish in their mouth fighting with each other
     http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/parks/maps/Pacificspiritmap.pdf (Trail map) 

      (like 
dogs snatching bread from each other or like kites snatching pakoras in the sky) in the sea -just a few feet from me . Ofcourse, after seeing a few nude females as well (there were children as well) those in bikinis and swim-suits seemed like nuns. Nonetheless it was less dramatic than one sees in pics etc -no illegal activities I mean :-)   

      I did see quite a few East Asians here. Mostly giggling clothed girls avoiding looking at the naked white guys deliberately facing them.

     I stood out like a sore thumb or like James Bond - in full formals -Raymond ("the complete man") tailored  full sleeved white striped shirt , wrinkle resistant cotton gray tailored pants-all from India. Actually these were my last unsoiled clothes since my T-shirts and Jeans had been put in the paid washing machines yesterday. I was wading in the sea -since there were only cliffs in most places and barefoot over rocks going out 
into the sea -like a jetty of sorts.   

     Anyhow an Indian esp a Hindu/Jains can draw solace in the ancient traiditons of India where Naked Sadhus and Naked dieties -both male and female are revered. So a natural place does not necessariliy have to be the haunt of baser people aping the bulls and cows in Indian streets - only in their body language etc no action. Anyhow it is a challenge one has top face -like going to worship the divine in a Khajuraho temple with its erotic imagery on the outside (I have never been to Khajuraho). However, I would like to view the scenary once again and see the natural elements of Canadian landscape which perhaps inspired Canada based Deepa Mehta to make sexually charged , extremely controversial (in India) films like Fire, Earth and Water. 

     I did visit a city based beach/sea front last week with my Harvard classmate , her mother, her husband, their child - where people seemed 
more civilized. It is a like an Indian city with no flyovers, no metro-trams-subways --only cosy rolling roads around the mountain backed sea bay --like Udaipur -the City of Lakes in India.   

     It might surprise many that Bahai followers including my classmate and her husband, and their parents have to take a vow of chastity (till marriage) and abstinence from alchohol and smoking. They met while studying at Vancouver Island's Bahia school
     http://www.maxwell.bc.ca/index.php I did mention my visit later on. Some photos of our city based English Beach later on after uploading from the camera.

     Any comments?

     Umesh

     ----------------------------------------------
     Naked jain sadhus http://www.hermitary.com/articles/digambara.html

     Female Indian sadhus http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/essay-07-05.html
     & http://www.adolphus.nl/sadhus/sadhvi.html

     Indian Sadhus http://www.tomvater.com/sadhu.html

     Naked in Ashes - 2006 movie http://www.frimmin.com/2006/04/30/naked-in-ashes/

     an interesting book online http://www.anandamayi.org/devotees/inthesteps.htm

     Naga Sadhus in Kumbha Mela 2001 -in cold winter
      http://www.stephen-knapp.com/kumbha_mela_photos_group_three.htm
     (I was there.) 

Umesh Sharma
5121 Lackawanna ST
College Park, MD 20740 USA

Current temp. address: 5649 Yalta Place , Vancouver, Canada

1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]
Canada # (607) 221-9433

Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005

weblog: http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/     

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Umesh Sharma
5121 Lackawanna ST
College Park, MD 20740 USA

Current temp. address: 5649 Yalta Place , Vancouver, Canada

 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]
Canada # (607) 221-9433

Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005

weblog: http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/

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