インドふしぎ発見記（菅谷智一）Mystery Discovery in India!– by Tomokazu Sugaya
夢にまで見たガンジス河 –The Ganges River I Had Always Dreamed of Seeing
〜魅惑の国インドの旅〜
〜A Journey to the Fascinating Land of India〜
医学医療系 菅谷智一
2025年2月11日～16日
Tomokazu Sugaya, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba
February 11～16, 2025
「ソーシャルインパクト創出事業（多文化教修プログラム）」のため、インド北部に位置するスワミラマ・ヒマラヤン大学を訪問した。上長から「ヒマラヤの大学だよ、行きたくない？」という一言に背中を押されて参加を決めたが、インドは私にとって未知の国であり、不安と期待が入り混じった出発となった。インドを訪れた人の中には「もう二度と行かない」と語る人もいれば、「人生観が変わる」と語る人もいる。そんな両極端な評判を聞きながら、いよいよ旅が始まった。
As part of the “Social Impact Project” (multicultural co-learning program) , I visited Swami Rama Himalayan University in northern India. My supervisor casually said to me, “It’s a university in the Himalayas — why don’t you go?” That simple suggestion encouraged me to join the program. However, India was a completely unfamiliar country to me, and I departed with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. People who have visited India often describe it in completely opposite ways. Some say, “I never want to go back,” while others claim, “It changed my entire outlook on life.” Hearing these contrasting opinions only heightened my curiosity, and at last, my journey began.
ニューデリーの喧騒 – The Bustle of New Delhi
機内からすでに「インドらしさ」は始まっていた。エア・インディアの機内では、乗客同士が通路に集まって会話を楽しみ、頻繁に席を立つ光景が広がっていた。搭乗中は席に座って静かに過ごすという私の常識が、早くも揺さぶられる。通路はいつも賑やかで、客室乗務員が通るのも一苦労な様子だった。「これがインドの日常なのだろうか」と思いながら、成田からの長いフライトは首都ニューデリーに到着した。
Even before I arrived, I had already begun to experience something that felt unmistakably “Indian.” On the Air India flight, passengers frequently gathered in the aisles chatting with one another, and many stood up from their seats throughout the journey. My assumption that passengers quietly remain seated during a flight was quickly overturned. The aisles were constantly lively, and even the flight attendants seemed to struggle to move through the cabin. As I watched the scene unfold, I found myself wondering, “Is this what everyday life in India is like?” With that thought in mind, my long flight from Narita finally arrived in New Delhi, the capital of India.
ニューデリーでは一泊する予定で、空港からホテルまでタクシーで向かった。事前に「ぼったくりに注意」と助言を受けていたため、教えてもらった方法で手配したタクシーに乗車したが、驚いたのはその運転である。車線変更は自由自在、クラクションはコミュニケーション手段の一部のように鳴り続ける。さらには逆走してくる車まで現れ、これが日常の風景なのかと驚いた。深夜にもかかわらず、ホテルの部屋には絶えずクラクションの音が届き、眠りにつくのに苦労したのも忘れられない思い出である。
I was scheduled to stay one night in New Delhi, so I took a taxi from the airport to my hotel. Before departing, I had been warned to “be careful of scams and overcharging,” so I arranged the taxi using a method I had been advised was reliable. What surprised me most, however, was the driving. Cars changed lanes freely and constantly, while horns seemed to function as a form of communication rather than simply a warning signal. At one point, I even saw a vehicle driving the wrong way toward us. I could hardly believe that this was part of everyday traffic.
Despite arriving late at night, the sound of car horns echoed endlessly outside my hotel room. I still remember struggling to fall asleep amid the nonstop noise of the city.
ニューデリーの粉塵はここから？ 公園で暮らしている牛さん
Is this where New Delhi’s dust comes from? A cow living peacefully in the park
翌朝、ホテル周辺を散歩すると、ニューデリーの空気の粉っぽさに気づいた。解体工事による粉塵が道路に積もり、車やバイクが通るたびに舞い上がる。そんな中、街中で野良牛が歩いている光景に出会い、宗教と日常生活が自然に共存していることを実感した。公園では平日の朝にもかかわらず、多くの人が運動や祈り、休息の時間を過ごしており、人々の生活のリズムの多様さを感じた。
The next morning, as I walked around the area near the hotel, I noticed how dusty the air in New Delhi felt. Dust from demolition and construction work had accumulated along the roads, and every passing car or motorcycle sent clouds of it swirling back into the air. Amid this scene, I encountered stray cows wandering calmly through the streets, which made me realize how naturally religion and everyday life coexist in India. In a nearby park, despite it being a weekday morning, many people were spending time exercising, praying, or simply relaxing. Observing this, I felt the remarkable diversity in the rhythms of daily life around me.
その後、国内線の遅延を何度も経験しながらデヘラドゥーンへ向かった。搭乗時刻が何度も変更され、空港内を行き来することになったが、その間に提供された「遅延フライト用の無料インド料理」は印象的で、空腹だったこともあり格別の美味しさだった。ようやく到着したデヘラドゥーンでは、ニューデリーと比べて空気が澄んでおり、思わず深呼吸したくなるほどだった。
After that, I made my way to Dehradun while experiencing several delays on domestic flights. The boarding time changed repeatedly, forcing passengers to move back and forth throughout the airport. During the delays, however, complimentary Indian meals were provided for stranded passengers. Perhaps because I was so hungry, the food tasted exceptionally good and became one of the most memorable parts of the journey. When I finally arrived in Dehradun, the difference in air quality compared with New Delhi was striking. The air felt noticeably cleaner, and I instinctively wanted to take a deep breath.
デヘラドゥーン空港はとてもきれい – Dehradun Airport Was Surprisingly Modern and Clean
滞在中に訪れたリシュケシュでは、念願のガンジス河を目にした。出発前は「死体が流れているのでは」という極端なイメージを抱いていたが、実際に目の前に広がっていたのは穏やかな流れと、多くの人々が沐浴をする神聖な光景だった。さらに驚いたのは、現地の先生から「対岸には野生のゾウが出ることがある」と聞いたことだ。神聖な河と野生動物が共存するスケールの大きさに、インドという国の奥深さを感じた。
During my stay, I visited Rishikesh, where I finally saw the Ganges River I had long dreamed of visiting. Before leaving Japan, I had carried an extreme image of the river, wondering whether “bodies might be floating in it.” In reality, what spread before my eyes was a calm and sacred scene, with many people peacefully performing ritual bathing along the riverbanks. What surprised me even more was hearing from a local professor that wild elephants sometimes appear on the opposite bank of the river. The sheer scale of a place where a sacred river and wild animals coexist made me realize once again the extraordinary depth and uniqueness of India.
とても素敵なキャンパスでした (左から：柴山 大賀 教授、トゴバタラ ガンチメゲ 助教、菅谷 智一 准教授）
It was a truly beautiful campus. (From left: Professor Taiga Shibayama, Assistant Professor Togoobaatar Ganchimeg, and Associate Professor Tomokazu Sugaya)
大学のキャンパスも印象的だった。朝の散歩では、鮮やかな色の野鳥が飛び交い、インコのような鳥が雀のように日常的に見られる。キャンパス内にはマンゴーの木もあり、時期になると学生が収穫して食べるという。自然と生活が近い距離にある環境は、とても魅力的だった。
The university campus was also deeply impressive. During my morning walks, I saw brightly colored wild birds flying through the trees, and parrot-like birds appeared as commonly as sparrows do in Japan. There were even mango trees growing on campus, and I was told that students harvest and eat the fruit when it is in season. The close connection between nature and everyday life made the environment especially appealing.
電線には野生のインコ – Wild Parakeets Along the Power Lines
大学病院は非常に大規模で、最新機器も充実していた。特に看護学部の演習室は本学以上に整っており、教育環境の充実ぶりに大きな刺激を受けた。また、学内ではアーユルヴェーダも体験した。紙のようなパンツ一枚という少し恥ずかしい格好で、全身スチームバスやオイルマッサージを受けたが、これまで体験したことのない心地よさで、長旅の疲れが一気に癒やされた。
The university hospital was enormous and exceptionally well equipped with advanced medical technology. I was particularly impressed by the nursing school’s training facilities, which were even more extensive than those at our own university. Seeing such a well-developed educational environment was both inspiring and motivating. During my stay, I also had the opportunity to experience Ayurveda on campus. Wearing nothing but paper-like disposable underwear — which felt slightly embarrassing at first — I underwent a full-body steam bath and oil massage. The experience was unlike anything I had ever tried before, and it instantly relieved the fatigue of the long journey.
すがすがしい空気のスワミラマヒマラヤン大学キャンパス
The refreshing atmosphere of the Swami Rama Himalayan University campus
滞在中には、大学外で行われている地域保健の実習も見学する機会をいただいた。大学から車で30分ほどの場所にある地域は、のどかな田園風景が広がる場所で、都市部とはまた違った空気が流れていた。そこで看護学生が地域住民に対して保健衛生に関する指導を行っており、その真剣な姿がとても印象的だった。住民一人ひとりに丁寧に関わり、地道に健康づくりを支える姿に深い感銘を受けた。
During my stay, I was also given the opportunity to observe community health training conducted outside the university. The area, located about 30 minutes from the campus by car, was surrounded by peaceful rural scenery and had a completely different atmosphere from the city. There, nursing students were providing health and hygiene education to local residents, and I was deeply impressed by their sincerity and dedication. Watching them interact carefully with each individual and patiently support community health made a lasting impression on me.
地域実習で活躍する看護学生 – Nursing students actively participating in community health training
最新機器での演習風景 – Simulation training using advanced medical equipment
様々な外傷に対応した演習も可能
Practical exercises covering a wide range of trauma care scenarios
同時に、大学構内の最先端の医療環境と地域の生活環境との違いを目の当たりにし、社会の多様な背景や生活状況が医療・看護と密接に関わっていることを実感した。現地での経験を通して、医療や教育が果たす役割の大きさと、その重要性について改めて考える機会となった。
At the same time, witnessing the contrast between the university’s state-of-the-art medical environment and the living conditions in the surrounding communities made me realize how closely healthcare and nursing are connected to diverse social and economic backgrounds. Through these experiences, I was given a valuable opportunity to reflect once again on the significant role that healthcare and education play in society and the importance they carry.
食事はゲストハウスで毎日提供され、すべてビーガン料理だった。肉や魚、アルコールもない食事であったが、どれも驚くほど美味しく、滞在中に不足を感じることはなかった。香辛料の使い方の奥深さを知り、食文化の豊かさを実感した。
Meals were served daily at the guest house, and all of them were completely vegan. Although the meals contained no meat, fish, or alcohol, every dish was surprisingly delicious, and I never once felt that anything was lacking during my stay. Through these meals, I came to appreciate the remarkable depth of Indian spices and the richness of the local food culture.
インドの駐車場はまるでスズキ車の展示場 – Parking Lots in India Looked Like Suzuki Showrooms
今回のインド滞在では、出発前に抱いていたイメージと現地での体験の違いに何度も驚かされた。騒がしさや混沌の中にも、人々の温かさや自然との近さ、文化の深さが感じられた。実際に訪れることでしか得られない発見の連続であり、まさに「ふしぎ発見記」と呼ぶにふさわしい貴重な経験となった。今回の旅を通して、未知の場所へ一歩踏み出すことの大切さを改めて実感している。
Throughout my stay in India, I was repeatedly surprised by the gap between the image I had before departure and the reality I experienced on site. Amid the noise and apparent chaos, I found warmth in the people, a close connection with nature, and a profound cultural depth. Every day brought discoveries that could only come from actually being there, making the journey feel truly worthy of being called a “journey of wonder and discovery.”
This experience reminded me once again of the importance of stepping beyond familiar surroundings and venturing into the unknown.
行きのフライト遅延のため
空港で無料の食事をゲットしてご満悦
Delighted to receive a complimentary meal at the airport
after our outbound flight was delayed