In September 1995, my husband and I were invited to a special presentation of the Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Award. The invitation was made by Yogesh Gandhi, great-grand-nephew of the Mahatma. Yogesh, a friend of ours for many years, wanted us to go as guests of the Gandhi Foundation USA (we've been on the board of Advisors since 1984, and served as their editorial consultants). In fact, my husband was to serve as Master of Ceremonies at the Award Dinner Presentation. The place of the award--Bombay, India. The award was to be given in India for the first time, partly since it was the 125th anniversary of Gandhi's birthday. Wow! What an opportunity.
Day 1 (Friday,Sept. 29):
We flew out of Newark Airport (9:25 p.m.) on Virgin Atlantic. Of course, I was already tired since I had worked all day. Falling asleep was no problem at all. After numerous flights, I know it's very important to sleep whenever possible. This trip really proved that to me, as will become apparent further on in this narrative!
Day 2 (Saturday, Sept. 30):
We arrived in London (9:05 a.m.)...tired (the sleep was sporadic, at best), checked our baggage for the day, and took the Underground into the city. (The next "leg" of our journey wasn't scheduled to leave until Saturday evening at 8:45 p.m..) London is one of my favorite places. Steve and I honeymooned there in 1981, revisited a couple of years later, and always wanted to return. Of course, I figured my next visit would be longer than 6 hours! We "wandered" around Piccadilly, walked to Leicester Square, and visited Covent Gardens. After returning to the airport, we checked in at Emirates Air, and sat down to wait for the next flight.
Day 3 (Sunday, Oct. 1):
The next "leg" was the trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. We arrived at Dubai Airport about 6 a.m. Already 95 degrees! Since we were not visiting U.A.E., we had to remain at the airport. Interestingly enough, we found out that we were entitled to a breakfast at the airport. We sat down, ordered, and waited to be served. Well, I definitely knew I wasn't in the United States anymore. The men were all served first! Oh, well, that's what happens when you visit different cultures. After breakfast, we all napped (on the seats in the waiting area). Every nap helps!
Our next flight (1:30 p.m.)...on to Bombay. Arriving there (5:45 p.m.), again I was aware of the differences one encounters when traveling internationally. We had to wait a couple of hours for the luggage to arrive from the plane. In fact, one of the people we traveled with didn't get his luggage until 2 days later!
Walking outside, we saw a man holding a sign with our names on it. (I've always wanted to have someone meet me that way!) The man drove us in a private car to the Oberoi Hotel. Arriving there, we were met in the lobby by Yogesh's cousin. He told us there was a "private family dinner" going on and, of course, we were invited if we wanted to attend. We dropped off our luggage in our room, washed up, changed, and went upstairs to the Penthouse Floor. Private family dinner...not exactly. There were a few dozen people at a reception for the award recipient. We ate quickly, and then were asked if we wanted to join the group at a Dussehra Festival gathering nearby. Well, I figured I didn't make this trip to sleep. We got into a bus and were driven to an open area where a musical program was going on. I thought we'd just stand in the back, but no...we were led to the front and sat on couch-like seats. There was a fine mist in the air when we arrived and of course, it was hot. Our seats were, however, the best in the house. So I sat down to enjoy the show... and then saw someone motioning us to get up, and the performance came to a halt. To my surprise, we were led to the stage. After removing our shoes (a custom in India) we walked onto the stage, where the local Member of Parliament introduced Yogesh, his family, the award winner, and the entourage. Turning to face the audience, I realized that there were over 20,000 people staring at us! Back to the hotel for a few hours' sleep.
Day 4 (Monday, Oct. 2):
About 6:30 a.m., our group had a private visit at Mani Bhavan, the Mahatma's Bombay residence from 1917-1934 (now a museum and library). We reboarded our bus for a short ride to Chowpatty Beach. Arriving there, we saw crowds of people getting ready for a parade commemorating the Mahatma's birthday. Another surprise...they were waiting for us to lead the parade of thousands through the city! (We followed a float with students dressed as the Mahatma and his wife.) It was sweltering at only 8 a.m.! Fortunately, we wore our Supplex (the best clothing for hot, stifling weather!) so were able to withstand the heat. That afternoon, while Steve met with others involved with preparations for the award dinner, I had a chance to window shop in the hotel. After napping, I joined Steve in the ballroom as final preparations were made for the dinner. One thing that amazed me was that the signs (like most in India) were all handmade (One actually had a spelling error. Correcting that one error involved an army of people...mostly to discuss what "someone" had to do to fix it!)
The presentation was really special. Steve was, as I knew he would be, an excellent MC. The honoree, Hogen Fukunaga, is a Japanese environmentalist. (Dr. Fukunaga needed to have an interpreter with him since he speaks little English.) I videotaped with some difficulty... I couldn't use the tripod, and people (mostly news people) kept standing in my way. I managed to get most of the audio, most faces, and some backs and blurs. (I knew that this experience was one I'd never forget, but having a video record of it will always help us "relive" it.)
Day5(Tuesday,Oct.3):
Our last day in India. We joined Graham, an Australian business associate of Yogesh, on a short taxi ride to the Gateway of India. What a place! I saw a man with a cobra, and wanted a photo and video. (After all, I didn't know if I'd ever get another chance to see something like that!) Of course, the man wanted money. We offered him coins but he said "paper money." (Of course, we paid, probably more than we should have.) The begging was a bit hard to take especially by very small children. India is a country of distinct class differences...the people we saw at that time were quite poor. Begging is their way of earning a living. The worst thing I saw was a boy, hunched over (probably with some birth defect), begging. (It appeared that his deformity was a source of income to his family.) We drank tea at the Taj Hotel, across the street. The view was outstanding. I imagined who had sat where I was...presidents, world leaders, famous writers. Time to shop for something to bring home. (We had to return with some authentic items from this amazing place.)
Later that day I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Fukunaga's interpreter. She told me that this was her first trip abroad. She's been a professional interpreter for a couple of years. (Since she gave me her name and phone number, I'm all set for a future trip to Japan, a place I've always wanted to visit.)
Day 6 (Wednesday, Oct. 4):
Our flight left Bombay International Airport at 4:30 a.m. (arriving in Dubai at 5:45 a.m.) A short wait until our 7:30 a.m. flight to London (arriving at 12 noon). We looked in the shops at the airport while waiting for our flight home. (The flight was supposed to leave at 4 pm. but didn't leave until about 8 p.m.) We arrived at Newark after 10 in the evening. After arriving home, a 2-hour drive from the airport, I realized that we had been traveling for 35 hours (from the time we left the hotel until we opened the door of our house).
Final comments:
This experience was absolutely incredible. The idea of participating in such a momentous event was mind-boggling! The amazing thing was that we traveled to Bombay (actually spent some time there) and back in less than 6 days! The time differences were really confusing. We figured we passed through 9-1/2 time zones. In fact, we arrived home the same day we left! Going to work the next day, Thursday, was an interesting experience. A couple of teachers asked me where I had been since Friday. I told them "India." They thought I was kidding! Telling my students was fun. I pulled down the map, showing them that I went to London, (They knew that one!), on to U.A.E. (No one knew that place at all!) and to India (Everyone knew that location). They had a hard time understanding how I could have traveled so far in such a short time. (So do I!) I have so many memories of this special trip. I often look at the photos, marveling at how I had the opportunity to be part of a historical event, one I will never forget!