pulse

Pulse has a couple of meanings here. Pulses are the beans in dahls, one of the protein staples. I learned since coming here that not all Indians are vegetarians. The brahmin caste is vegetarian, ksatriya's (warrior caste) isn't because they need the strength to fight), the merchant class is often vegetarian, and the shudras (servants) generally are not. I'm sure there are exceptions to all, and different interpretations to be discovered. A couple of Smriti's friends told me they would really miss mutton biryani if they had to be vegetarians.

Pulse diagnosis is the method the vaidyas (doctors) use in Ayurvedic medicine. When the doctor felt my pulse, in just a few seconds, he told me I had the beginning stages of arthritis (also diagnosed in Western medicine close to 20 years ago), and that there is a history of arthritis in my family (true) and a history of diabetes in my family (true) but that I don't have it yet, that I have back and neck problems (ture) due to an injury about 30 years ago (I don't recall a specific event, but 26 years ago was rear-ended, and about 31 years ago I fell badly enough that I wrote a poem about it). A good ayurvedic practitioner can also feel the seeds of future diseases and offer preventive solutions. This is what I'm here for, continuing to keep disease at bay, or remove it if possible. For many years I've been having yearly treatments when I feel my joints start to stiffen a bit, and find that these have kept me flexible and keep stiffness at a minimum.

Everyday in this clinic, the Doctor feels my pulse and will prescribe treatments based on what I need at the time. Today, my third day he said "very good, more relaxed" and answered my questions. Everyone is quite kind. The technicians are trained for 6 months before they get a job here. One of them I met yesterday said her birthday is today, but that her family never celebrated birthdays. She's from a village in Andhra Pradesh and has 2 brothers and 2 sisters. She was surprised to hear the I have 7 brothers and 4 sisters. Many times, language is a difficulty; sometimes even the accent if a barrier. In the massage room, prezir means pressure. Sleep means lie down. Turn sometimes sounds the same as done, but then I realized when we're done they say "finished". Most of the time, it's quiet and I just relax and enjoy.

Today the doorways are decorated colorfully with Happy New Year designs. Last night there were fireworks at midnight and lots of cheering.

The community I'm in now is outside of town and has a lot less traffic and pollution. The students are dressed in uniforms for school and I haven't seen any Western clothes at all being worn, unlike in the big city where there are lots of saris, salvars and kurtis, or is that kurtas - one is short and one is long and I forget which is which - (aka punjabis by some) and lots of Western style clothing: tops, jeans, etc. Another example of the contrasts in India. And I've only seen one city and its surroundings.