If you’re happy, then I’m happy

Voir l’article en français sur le blog Humanityy (Humanitaire, Ecologie et Développement Durable).

Gopi, the happy mallah (boat driver) in Varanasi

I have always been deeply convinced (and I even had sometimes arguments with some people about this topic) that the less you’re concerned by material needs the more you’re happy. My experience in India is a good demonstration of this unshared opinion.

Yesterday we had an unforgettable boat trip on the Ganga in the early morning. We woke up at 5 am (again!!) and headed directly to the ghats to negociate a boat excursion with a mallah. We accepted the offer of Gopi, which boat is located in Jain Ghat. During this journey, we did not only discover the beauty of Varanasi from the river side but also the representative life of an Indian man that I will introduce here.

Gopi is 27 and lives in Varanasi, 150km far from his family and girlfriend who still lives in his hometown Allahabad (the city famous for the Kumbha Mela, an important religious event that gathers 2 million pilgrims every 12 years). He only goes back there once a year to visit his relatives and spends the rest of the time in Varanasi to make a living with his boat activity. Every night he roofs his small wood boat with a kind of tent to make a shelter. This is his house. He sleeps there, works there and has his wash in the Ganga like many people in Varanasi (see the picture below). This is not an example of the boat drivers’ reality but also the life of many people in India (taxi and rickshaw drivers, sellers, etc). Everyone has to struggle for a living and for a space in the surpopulated streets. Perhaps because of this indigent life outside, they have developed a rich inner life. What really surprises us, is that Gopi did not want us to pay the excursion when it ended. The trip was so pleasant far all of us that he said: “ If you’re happy, then I’m happy. And this is enough for me ”. We obviously insisted and payed him but I think this amount of money was not even worth the lesson of humility we had. This story is an example of the many similar cases we see every day.

Man having his daily wash on the Ganga River

My intention is to highlight here a side of India that foreigners doesn’t see (or doesn’t want to see maybe). It is true that the constant vision of poverty is hard to bear from western eyes, as well as dirtiness and the insistence of beggars and other people following you for hours to sell you something or simply watch you curiously. Many tourists only keep in mind this aspect of India and come back to their country disappointed with their holidays. The big mistake is to expect western patterns when you discover new cultures. If you really want to enjoy traveling abroad, you have to open your mind. Perhaps this is more difficult in India because you have to put what I call “an anti-prejudice filter” on what you see to really appreciate the culture. Once you overpass this barrier, you will discover an incredibly “rich”country. I am not talking about the wealth in the bank account but the one in the heart. Every day I am so touched by the demonstrations of kindness from people who are economically poor. It seems that many people here are completely detached from the material and money concerns. You obviously have to deeper your relationships and not only stick to the tourist environment, where Indians will try to trick you. But speaking with people in the street or in places not so linked to the tourism industry (even though this is hard sometimes when you are a foreigner in India), you will meet wonderful persons. Many times we buy stuff or take a rickshaw in Assi Ghat (our neighbourhood in Varanasi) and they will tell us “you can pay me later” because they don’t have the change back. Same situation in our hotel. We have been staying and eating for more than a week now in the Ashish guesthouse and they haven’t asked us any money yet. We just have to write down all our expenses (food, internet, ..) and pay them the day we will leave. They trust in people and are not counting any roupie, although the guesthouse is run by a modest family who has struggled to settle this small business.

Coming from a country where money rules and people are innocently governed by an eager vision of life, I am touched by the natural humility and joy of Indian people. I am not saying that we (western people) are monsters without heart, but that we should maybe try to learn a bit from cultures like the Indian one to find wealth deep inside instead of outside (and there fore be more happy and stop taking drugs like prozac..). At least it is encouraging to see that most of the travelers here seem to have understood this challenge. Most of those we met are human orientated. In exchange, perhaps, it would be interesting to teach Indians how to respect the environment because it seems they don’t have any notion about it (this will be the topic of an entry in my blog).

Anyways, I am glad to introduce you to Gopi (the boat driver) and this is my way to thank him for the wonderful sunrise trip that you can discover through these pictures.

To see the full album of Varanasi, click here.

To see examples of the daily life of people in India, see this photo album.

I was listening to Badmarsh & Shri when I wrote this entry.