URI Multiregion

Ektaan CC and Trail of Dreams CC in India Practice Golden Rule

On August 27, 2007, the Trail of Dreams Team --Natalie Scott Williams, Karen Watson, Chandelle  Binns, Dr. Mary Elizabeth Hargrow and I , Audri Scott Williams--traveled to West Bengal where were hosted by the East India's Ektaan CC and  the new Temple of All Religions. A URI regional coordinator named Biswadeb was our gracious host. At the temple we had the opportunity to interact with his family, his father Guru Ji who is a Tantric yogi, a local priest and members of the Panchmura village.

Our time at the Temple, a beautiful and unique place that celebrates all paths to the Divine, gave us an opportunity to participate in ceremonies to which few westerners have been invited such as the  "Fire Ceremony." Every evening we had the privilege of hearing the Temple Chanters as they sang devotional chants to Krishna and the Divine Mother Kali. We joined Biswadeb in walks into the village and through the rice paddies to a very special sacred sight for the village.

I will always cherish the times at the dinner table, where in spite of language barriers, we shared stories with his family and even learned a few words in the Bengal language. Karen was inspired by the plates made of leaves that we ate on and saw them as an alternative to plastic plates. Motivated by this experience, she is now seeking ways to incorporate this eco friendly alternative into her community in Atlanta. We also learned from Biswadeb that there are over 360 types of sweets in Bengal and I think he made sure we tried nearly all of them in just one week! .

We spent time with the children and villagers who were extremely curious about these "strangers in their midst," but it did not take long before relationships began to emerge and a sense of kinship born of open hearts prevailed. Whenever Chandelle ventured onto the path she looked like the "Pied Piper" with the village children following behind her. The Trail of Dreams made a small donation of composition books and pens to the school age youth in the village.

Biswadeb also took us to the Rama Krishna Temple and the Temple of the Divine Mother. For all the Trail of Dreams Team members our experiences with the Ektaan CC in East India were a great way to bring closure to our stay in India. The visit provided an opportunity for us to engage with a village community that touched our hearts.  A closing ceremony, conducted by Guru Ji grounded us in the here and now and together with his counsel prepared us for the continuation of the Trail of Dreams World Peace Walk. See our Web site for more pictures and stories(www.tdworldpeacewalk.org).