A group of holy men walk through the streets of Darjeeling, two playing instruments (harmonium, a drum, a cymbal) and singing praises to Shivaya.. Three more go door to door of shops and businesses with ledgers, collecting money. I follow them down the road for about ten minutes - they keep on going, singing and playing...
Darjeeling is a great town and mysterious too.

Sadhus Collecting Money in the Streets of Darjeeling

There is this bird that sounds electric on top of this hill... there is a Monastary with young monks on the roof, blowing horns & or conch shells to initiate death rites for someone who has passed... 
Sikkim is really where I want to be, probably forever.

Khecheoparli Gompa at Night

Three wheel auto-rickshaws make up for a lack of public transportation and work for a cheap alternative to taxis. They are also noisy as hell and have the loving nickname tuk-tuk for this sound their little engines make... 
This recording is from the tuk-tuk stand at the main rail station in Chennai... words can not explain the misery...

Tuk-tuk Stand, Chennai

As far as I understand it is important for the Gods to hear that you are praying... this temple made that certain.
Mount Abu, in Rajasthan 

Puja with bells & drums - Mt Abu

The temple built where Buddha reached enlightenment is a huge attraction for Buddhist pilgrims & monks. In this recording there is a group of monks chanting, an individual Buddhist sits to the right and chants from a small book, and a group of Sri Lankan Buddhist pilgrims walk by with offerings, chanting Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu! 
I could sit at this temple all day...

Chanting at Bodh Gaya Temple

Going from Hyderabad to Kolkata... a blind man sings for coins, chai wallahs try to sell tea, and general hubub noise on the train.

On the train

While being totally overwhelmed with the throngs of people making pujas and washing away sins in the Ganga, we found a spot near some stairs that turned out to be perfect for people watching. There also was a very skinny man sitting on the ground, curled over a yellow plastic bucket, rocking back and forth. Presently, he began to play as the busy noises of Haridwar evening came on...

Bucket Guru in Haridwar

This man was a master of his bucket: holding it between his legs he had complete control, creating different sounds with each different part, and muted the bucket on the ground to create a muffled effect. People filled his pot with coins, bills, cookies, fruit - almost everyone walking by appreciated the talent to the point of stopping at least for a few seconds to listen. The guru played Hindu devotional songs that inspired holy men to break out in dance, and pop songs that had the crowd of young men who had gathered to sing along.


Bucket Guru in Haridwar 2

A small monastic community on the side of the mountain where every household takes turns playing shepherd to the hundreds of local beasts. Around sunset every day, the goats return to the village, and people come to meet them and herd them back home before dark. Windy, too...

Sheep in Dhankar

On the overnight train to Haridwar, an old man sings and uses his collection pot as percussion

spikechuggington

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