INDIA
Words & Photography: Lauren Lindsey
When many people think of India and Nepal, they envision the
Western concept of the third world: dirty, poverty and disease ridden,
where terrorist attacks and natural disasters happen daily and the
only thing you can eat is curry flavored. While part of this can be true,
like with anything in life, if you deem something bad and unsavory
upfront and focus only on that, then that is all you will see and likely
all you will experience. My ex-boyfriend told me that if you go with
an open heart, then India will take care of you. But considering he
is a narcissistic self-righteous tool who admitted he was possibly
possessed by an incubus, and whose few good qualities included one
of his body parts, I scoffed at his trite bit of advice. But he was right.
I approached India with an open and educated heart and mind, and
sure enough, it took care of me. I had been attracted to India since
I was a child, and they say that when one has a strong attraction to
a place they have never been, it is because he or she lived there in
another life. The fact that the concept of reincarnation has its roots in
India is too eerily coincidental for me not to believe in it just a little, as
well as a higher power and the invisible, guiding force of the Universe.
To describe my experience there as “lifechanging” is a vast
understatement. When I made up my mind to go, I was an
unsuccessful actor who was halfway homeless in Los Angeles,
crashing on random couches and even at a friend’s dojo on occasion.
My sister would not let me stay with her. I had about $1,500 to my
name and didn’t want to spend it on another month’s rent. I decided
just to say, “fuck it” and leave the country. When I clicked the
“purchase” button on cheapflights.com for a roundtrip ticket from San
Francisco to New Delhi, I didn’t have a visa, passport, or any of the
required immunizations. I only had a vague idea of where I would
go and what I would do once I got there. Many people discouraged
me from going, especially since I was by myself. They told me it
was too dangerous, and reminded me of my numerous past failures
when I had done things on my own. I too considered cancelling the
trip when I came across a news story of an American tourist who
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