Ahh the joys of Diwali...the sweets, the lights, the gifts and the crackers.
Diwali Eve (is that official?)
We took one more trek into Ahmedabad. I still wanted to satiate my desire to see the surging sights of the festival preparations.
The main aim of this particular trip was to walk the stretch of
Law Garden, which can be a great shopping experience if one wishes it.
Many of the stalls in Law Garden are filled mirrored skirts, wall hangings (ma-dum?) and bed covers. They also have plenty of other salwar suits, kurti tops, purses and more. This particular evening we were to shop to no avail as the prices had been inflated so much for the holiday, they wouldn't even bargain with mummy.
From inside the safety of the car I enjoyed many of the other festive sights, such as this sweet stall which had been set up...
Why should I say safety you may ask? Well, the crackers were being let off in full force. A number of times I would notice a small fire by the roadside (not an unusual sight) which would then suddenly explode...BOOM! Scared me every time.
Not to alarm any one, but there was an enormous police presence on the main roads entering the city. When I asked Surnish's father about it, he said some of it was for traffic control, but it was more to keep "trouble" from happening.
By "trouble" he meant acts of terrorism. There is a lingering concern that at some point revenge acts of terror will happen in Gujarat as a result of the
riots in 2002. Papa said that it was well known that those in charge politically did little to nothing to stop the indiscriminate killing of Muslims. Hindus were also killed in retaliatory violence at the time. To learn more please read the link above.
For the rest of the ride home I watched the bright flickering dots characteristic of the small clay diyas. They adorned every gate, fence, balcony and drive. As we made it to the stretches of tree lined roads near Gandhinagar, where I often notice small shanties or tents set up by the very poor, I could spot single diyas, sometimes in pairs, brightening the woeful abodes.
Even those with the least reason to hope still believe that they would bring bad fortune on themselves by NOT burning the diya.
Ah, the power of religious faith.
Diwali
The day began like every other one. I lay in bed contemplating how late I could sleep without making myself feel guilty. After I agreed with myself that 7:30am was about right, I got up and joined the folks for morning tea.
After collecting my new Diwali outfit (hey, that's part of the tradition and who am I to argue?), I prepared to create my first rangoli.
While terribly time consuming (being the perfectionist I am), it really is only several simple steps.
Rangoli Step 1: Smear Mud--The moisture from the mud will be absorbed by the mica in the colored sand and subsequently help the two to bond so the rangoli has lasting power.
--Now I don't know that this is really cheating, but sure does help with making the design...by the way, like my new PINK suit?
Rangoli Step 3: Fill in with color--This is the fun part, BUT extremely time consuming. I was out her for several hours. It was a nice experience though. I liked the concentration factor.
Rangoli Step 4: Enjoy--this was the final product of my efforts. Not too shabby for my first Rangoli ever.
After the Rangoli session I ate lunch and napped soundly for a couple of hours. These afternoon naps are another reason I should feel bad about sleeping in so much in the morning...but I don't. Just about everyone naps in the afternoon warmth. Inside houses, under carts, in the shade of roadside trees, everyone seems to rest for some time.
In the early evening I went with papa to the cracker stalls to pick up a few tame items.
My selection was mostly comprised of sparklers, some spinning swastiks and flaming pencils.
But before the fire action we had some more formal ceremonial matters to take care of. First came the pooja. We lit all the diyas and prepared a display of silver items and flowers to please Ganesh-ji and Lakshmi-ji. Then we said a little prayer for prosperity in the new year.
Next comes the placing of the diyas. The best ones were situated around my rangoli. This was sure to get the attention of Lakshmi!
And finally came the crackers.
Mummy and papa seemed to be enjoying themselves...
I tried some of the fiery pencils; you can image the laughter that surrounded me as I squealed about that little sparks coming too close. Apparently I'm quite the wimp...note to self no more than one at the time.
Ahhh, this was more like it. Simple pleasures bring simple joys. The very best kind.
The folks' dog, Jimmy, who is a real character, went insane with the crackers and had to be let inside to hide under the cabinets.
By days' end we were hot, sweaty, well-polluted and happy. Diwali, you gotta love it.
And Neeexxxttt.....We're Off!
Tomorrow morning (the 23rd) we leave for nearly two weeks of travel. First stop will be to
Chennai and
Pondicherry (now Puducherry). We will hopefully be able to join a three-day tour/seminar at
Auroville as well.
Then on the 30th we fly to
Kolkata for five days.
Not sure what my access to internet will be...may be non-picture postings for a while. No worries though, I'll have snaps ready when I get back.
Happy Diwali and much prosperity!
Peace,
A Pink American
