Volunteering at Surya
Bharti: An Enlightening Experience
Day 1:
Arrival in Bodh Gaya
We had
arrived. Over 24 hours after taking off from U.S. soil, we had finally made it
to Bodh Gaya, the holy land where Lord Buddha was enlightened. We learned from
several travelers that this was a special pilgrimage time, when there were
Buddhist celebrations and ceremonies in Bodh Gaya that only occur once a year.
But for us, this trip was not about making a pilgrimage to the Mahabodhi Temple
or witnessing the Dalai Lama (though the significance of these events was not
lost on us). To us, Bodh Gaya was where we were to finally meet the students of
Surya Bharti school.
Yuki-san
and several of the Surya Bharti alumni greeted us at baggage claim with
cheerful smiles and kind eyes. It was a sunny, warm day despite the winter
season. Our greeters’ faces were framed by this sunshine, set against a
backdrop of desert-like dirt and a subtle, yet distinct smell of smoke that
pervaded in every direction. It was surreal to meet the flesh-and-blood
versions of the faces we had encountered several times over Skype: Yuki-san,
Niraj K., Vikram, Sushant, Amane-chan. I’ll admit that it was initially
difficult to put names to the right faces – blurry Skype sessions do not
suffice for a general lack of knowledge of Indian names. Luckily, names and
Hindi words became ever-so-slightly easier to remember over the duration of the
trip.
A short
car ride later, we arrived at Mahamaya Palace, Yuki-san’s family hotel and our
residence for the next five days. We met Niraj Singh, one of the first Surya
Bharti alumni we met on Skype over two years ago. After more cheerful
introductions, we ate a hearty Indian lunch and quickly fell into a
jetlag-induced sleep in our comfortable new room.
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