Many religions all in one place

Apparently, India has a long-established reputation for welcoming various faith traditions and for finding a place where all can practice their faith in relative peace. This reputation has apparently been threatened of late by terrorist activity and the result is apparent in the security that surrounds all the major hotels and places of worship today.

Every taxi, car and other mode of transportation that seeks to enter the grounds of one of the hotels in this city must first be scrutinized by 'security guards', before the barricades are removed, permitting entrance. One source has ventured to explain that this is actually done for the benefit of the general population in order to show them that 'we are doing something to guarantee their safety'. Whether or not it actually makes a difference is perhaps another story, one which this traveller does not find himself in a position to speculate about.

India's religious tolerance was made abundantly clear today as some of us found time to visit first a Muslim house of prayer, then the Bah'ai Lotus Temple and finally Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Cathedral. Combined with our earlier visits this week to various Hindu ashrams, it was the perfect completion to a wonderful week filled with all kinds of adventures.

The official program for the Conference drew to a close today and some of the delegates and their entourages have already departed. Over the next few days, others will also find their way to the airport, and still others will employ other means of transportation to leave the city we have called 'home' for the past week or so.

Some of us will take away physical treasures and reminders of our stay here, and others will take away abundances of paperwork distributed during the myriad presentations that were made in sessions throughout the Conference. All of us will take with us the memories of friendships old and new, of sights seen (and some we think we saw but weren't too sure because of the ever-present smog), and of a people who are deeply marked by the ravages of over-population and abject poverty. Middle class living is still somewhat of a novelty in this city. The vast majority of the population are either staggeringly rich or destitute in their poverty.

Seeing the faces of adults who must try on a daily basis to eek out a living, and of children who are forced to beg from visitors and other adults who they encounter, it is easy to understand why Blessed Theresa (of Calcutta) had such a love for these forgotten ones. One of my companions remarked today, 'It's the eyes that get to you' as you're sitting in a car and they start tapping on the windows, staring with eyes that speak of pain and of a hopelessness that I'm not sure isn't profoundly real.

A few days still remain before our flight departs and streaks westward. In the meanwhile, we're scheduled to leave Delhi tomorrow morning, and move on toward Agra, the site of the famous Taj Mahal, and Jaipur, famous for (among other things) an abundance of Macac monkies.

Come along for the ride.