To India and Back

Dear Family and Friends,

I just returned to Provo from an eight day trip to Varanasi, India where I presented the research Ralph Brown and I did this summer in Thailand. This constitutes my second trip to India, one more page checked off on the passport, 20,000 more miles flown, and an experience never to be forgotten. What follows is a little narrative of my travels.

I left Salt Lake City airport Tuesday morning at 8:45. I underestimated the amount of people who would be traveling on a Tuesday morning, seeing as Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and nearly missed my flight to New York (JFK). I decided to risk the social stigmatization and started walking past people in the security line; all the while apologizing and explaining that if I missed this flight I would miss another four connecting flights. I made it all the way to the front of an incredibly long line, in all of my travels I have never seen one so long… at least state side, before being

stopped by one of the famed TSA guards. Long story short after a brief conversation I was allowed to stay at the front of the security check line. I made it to the gate and found Ralph, who had been wondering if I was going to make it or not, with about 10 minutes to spare. Now that I have used up my one time pass to the front of the line I will most definitely plan more time into my pre-flight check in status, an hour is not enough. To keep you from being completely bored let me simply summarize the rest. From JFK we flew to Amsterdam. Then after a brief layover of a couple of hours we flew from Amsterdam to Mumbai (BomBay). We found a hotel in Mumbai, and after some failed communication we finally had two “beds.” Well, one bed and a mattress on the floor for me; it took me back to the mission days. The next day we got on another plane and finally made it to Varanasi.

After 36 hours of travel we were in Varanasi, the oldest continually inhabited city in the world and one of the holiest of Hindu sites in India. We went to the Ganga gats (the stairs leading to the Ganges river) to what is

called the burning place. According to Hindu custom to die in Varanasi and be cremated on the banks of the Ganges River allows a person to leave the wheel of life, or be omitted from the process of reincarnation forevermore. As I watched the families present prepare wood for their departed loved ones, unwrap the funeral cloth, gently place the body on the stacked wood, light the final flame, and reverently, prayerfully, as the body was consumed by flames I felt the power of their devotion to their faith. No matter where I am, I am always happy to see individuals, communities, and nations live lives of dedication and faith… no matter the faith. It shows me more of their inner being then most any other feature can possible depict.

The next day was the start of the conference. After the opening ceremonies I went to the room assigned for my presentation. I

would be in the second session held in the room. As we waited the speakers for the first session never appeared. The chairman looked around and asked if there was anyone who would be willing to present something on micro-finance. After a minute or so I raised my hand and explained that I could facilitate a discussion of micro-finance using some examples of adapted micro-finance from my own research. With that I took the podium. For the next hour and a half I spoke on the application of micro-finance in the Royal Project Foundation, answered questions from the audience of academics and students, and at one point attempted to calm a heated debate between two professors in the audience. Then, at the end of that session

I sat down for a few minutes before being called to the podium to give my presentation. My presentation lasted for approximately 10 minutes and went fairly well. I fielded a few questions from the audience before we had to proceed.

The next few days at the conference were spent socializing with other academics, practitioners, and students. I met some very interesting people and made a few good contacts. One of my favorite people at the conference was a Man named, Musa

(Moses in Arabic). He is the Deputy Director of a University in Nigeria and was looking for some contacts in the USA to start an exchange program and well as collaborative research projects. This picture is of him.

On the last day of the conference Ralph and I were requested to give our interpretation of the conference at the valedictory ceremonies. Neither of us had received any warning about our impromptu speeches; all the same we took our turns speaking to an audience of 300+. After it all I think the best part of the conference experience was that everywhere I went I was called Dr. David Braudt. The first time it happened I turned to Ralph and said, “Well, it looks like I don’t have to even think about a dissertation.” To which he kindly reminded me that he was the only person who could validate my claim in back in the USA. One day I will be there; it just needs time at this point.

With the conference over Monday was a free day to explore the surrounding area. Ralph and I took a car Sarnath, about 10 kilometers from Varanasi.

Sarnath is the place where the Buddha gave his first lecture after reaching enlightenment. It is amazing to be in places of such significance to one of the world’s largest religion.

Well, the rest of the story is simply the contents of a 40 hour return trip to Provo. I will spare you the details, but just know that it took two consecutive days of 12 hours of sleep to recover. Luckily I don’t get jet lag, my sleeping schedule was normal; I just needed the extra sleep to make up for the long travels. Know that I love you all and am so very grateful for your patients, assistance, and love; without which I would not be where I am now. God bless.