Leaving Goa

Were heading to the train station at 5 am this morning to go to Hampi. Planning to get a third class non ac train, as anything else is unavailable at such short notice.

There was another accident in our extended circle, this time nothing serious, but a warning nonetheless. Be cautious with bikes and scooters here, as road conditions and the state of the bikes can be dismal. Scooters might be easy but can give a false sense of confidence, and loose traction easily, plus are much less stable at any speed.

Made an instrument from a clay curd ( yogurt) pot and some bamboo driftwood, held together with epoxy putty. The tone is good, and it is fretless, but still learning to play it. The hardest part was the tuning pegs, and two broke, but have now made them from some hardwood other than bamboo which seems more durable. Still haven't glued the bridge as I need glue and still deciding on its configuration.

Will report back soon.

Learning Hindi and Devenagri

We have been pushing each other to learn Hindi. Also trying to learn Devenagri, the hindi and Sanskrit script, which would be a great help.
I have made flash cards, and both Myles and I got good Hindi books. Also practicing writing the script as often as possible. Hindi is all phonetic, each vowel or consonant is independently pronounceable, making it easy to pronounce written text if I can remember all 12 vowels and 36 consonants. Reading signs in Devenagri is important even of you can't yet understand the words.

Sanskrit uses the same character set, with slightly different rules, so this is another goal to learn. After sitting through a few Bhagavad Gita lectures in sanskrit with Ira and Shyamdas, I am inspired to learn this beautifully concise and philosophical language. Each word seems to contain incredibly deep and profound meaning.

I thought to do a Sesame street style class, as in today is brought to you by the letter प pa, the number १३ तेरह terah and the word बड़ा bara (big). I want to get a small chalkboard for this purpose. I can count to twenty, but still working on larger numbers.

My vocabulary is limited, but expanding. I have been advised Mersin in an area lacking English is the best way to pick it up, which has been experience for other languages.

In memory of Shyamdas

Shyamdas passed away last night after a motorcycle accident shortly after a party.

Alison is currently in a hospital but stable and will hopefully be able to leave soon, she is going to make a full recovery.

Ira mentioned that auspiciously Shyamdas died in Brindavan hospital, Brindavan being the birth place of Krshna, a sacred pilgrimage site, and Sham Das' home in India.

Everyone is in a state of shock and mourning here in Mandrem, there are many here that knew him well and most of us have spent a lot of time with him the past few weeks.

Ira and Shyamdas had been reading through the Gita in Sanskrit, and I was honered to sit quietly through these talks in rapt attention.

Sophia was truly the heroine last night and was critical in the post accident medical treatments, from being the first at the scene to the end, taking charge and coordinating urgent care in addition to first aid and mental support.

Shyamdas was in great spirits and truly went out doing what he loved in devotion to Krshna, surrounded by loved ones and friends. His devotion to Krshna showed in every action, and his mind was in a very peaceful and loving state the preceeding week.

We will all miss a kindred spirit, friend, guru and scholar. this has shocked everyone by it's suddenness.

RIP Shyamdas
अँ Aum (Om) Krshna

-Alex