Pilgrims in Saris

If the dress makes a woman, these five women from the Pilgrimage of Peace were feeling good about themselves as they came down the stairs properly dressed in saris that our friends from India had provided. They learned not only how to wear a sari but also some of the ritual acts that go with it. The five men present formed the appreciation group.

Our gathering today was at one of the pilgrims’ homes on a lake. Pilgrims in life come from all walks of life, rich and poor, men and women, old and young. One sign that this person was a pilgrim was the fact that, in her heated garage, she had a number of bins where worms were producing castings. Keeping worms in house or garage is a sign that person is grounded in life.

Prasad, our guide from India, was talking today how products like a khardi, hand woven shirt, is a sign of self reliance in the Gandhian way of life. Neem soap and herbal tooth powder are other signs of Gandhi, not the human person but the way of life.

Tomorrow Prassad, Kranthi and I will take some of these Products from the India of Mahatma Gandhi to three local fair trade stores. The products come not only with a story but with an invitation to live in daily life the Gandhian way of life. These products were created to fill a specific need for healthy survival. E.g. black herbal tooth paste with cow dung was developed as an effective way to keep teeth and gums healthy. Kranthi, a dental surgeon, has seen this scientifically confirmed. But every time I use this powder I am reminded where it came from and the style of life it represents.

Gandhi, as all great persons in history, was good at using symbols. When in the struggle for independence in India the British raised the taxes on salt, Gandhi led the people on the march to the sea and picked up a handful of salt as a sign of Indian independence. Good symbols like soap and salt are not only effective symbols but have impact on daily life.

When in 1968 the Milwaukee 14 burned draft records as a symbol of resistance to the draft and Vietnam War, there was a real impact on men that were classified 1A and ready to be drafted. In the destruction of the draft records many were able to avoid being drafted.

The woman today said how special and comfortable they felt in the saris. One woman described as a feeling of dressing on her wedding day except in this case all five women were being dressed for a special event. The saris are symbols but do have real impact on daily life.

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