Preparing for Dussera

Dussera time once again. The first year, I was amazed at how cars, buses, and trucks were decorated, as well as bikes, hammers, and even file cabinets -- as folks decorated and prayed for their implements of work. This year, we will help decorate our car too, as our drivers wants to do a proper puja to protect it. So, first step, like in festivals everywhere in the world, involves shopping. Banana leaves, mango leaves, kum kum colored powder, garlands of flowers, coconuts, a type of pumpkin, bananas, lemons/limes, fruit, sweets, puffed rice. Below you can share some of our shopping experience.

Formal markets play a large role, but so do temporary informal markets that spring up along roads in specific areas, often nearby formal markets.

Bangalore has always been known for its flowers, here bound together in huge garlands to adorn vehicles and doorways.

Sweet shops also do a booming business.
Always an afterthought is parking. So, just as the informal markets take over sidewalk and road space, so do parking areas.

And of course, the produce has to be transported to the market.

And then transported home.

In our case, walking the banana leaves to the car as if leading a parade.This picture shows an informal market, and it captures some of the contrasts of India today.

The color. The contrast between the Center for Scientific Research (or at least its sign) with the chaos of the street -- cars, pedestrians (some with no shoes, in a wide array of styles both traditional and less so), and commerce all fighting for space. The sign announcing someone's death with the garland on it it. Woefully inadequate power lines. The solar water heater on the building in the background.

Next posting, our car's puja ceremony.

Happy Holi!

Holi is perhaps the most colorful of Indian festivals, which in general rate high in terms of color. Colored water and water balloons are thrown, friends (and strangers) throw colored powders at each other, folks dance, and drink bhang (a milk-based drink with almonds, cannabis, and sugar). One of our interns said it tasted like chai. And then the worldwide obligatory run to the liquor store for more drinks. These are pictures from our housing complex. The water felt great on a hot day.

You start with relatively clean clothes, preferably white or light colored.
You greet friends with a handful of color to smear on them.
Water is thrown, squirted, and sometimes just dumped.









The unorganized nature of the celebration is hard to convey, but this video (poorly edited, sorry) has moments that capture some of it.


Back at home at the end of the day, before taking showers.

Diwali, part 2

More and more lights. And fireworks, so the air gets cloudy.
Rangoli to welcome Lakshmi, goddess of wealth.
Decorations would not be complete without flowers.
Our Punjabi neighbors have had parties every night for almost a week now -- complete with BBQ, seemingly unlimited fireworks, dinners every night, and even picnics on their lawn, where they eat, drink and play games. Last night the men played cards too. It is a big night for gambling as well.
Last year, Amartya was scared, but this year he kept wanting to buy more and more firecrackers.
Some of the smaller fireworks sales centers -- all the same "Standard" company though.

But even more than the food, and the colors, is the noise. Below I'm posting some video clips where you can't see much, but should get a sense of the noise all around.

Deepavali/Diwali 2009, part 1

While the state government here in Karnataka is hoping that folks will devote some of their money to help victims of floods in the Northern, poorest, part of the state, and everyone says that firecracker sales are well below normal, there is no shortage around us. The government has also been trying to emphasize safety, and many are encouraging "greener" celebrations. Here is a government-sponsored billboard (or "hoarding" as they call it here):
A couple of things to note: it is laughable that they say no crackers between 10 and 6. Amartya was up past midnight last night, I heard the Tamilians bursting them in the 5 a.m. range, and I fully expect to hear them all through the night tonight. Another is the name itself: in the north it is Diwali, but here in the south it is Deepavali. Oddly enough, diwali/diwala means something like "bankrupt" in Kannada here in Karnataka. So here it is Deepavali, although the general term is Diwali. This is yet another example of the complexity of this place, and the contradictions found in such a large country with multiple languages. And then, of course, here is the matter of exactly what we are celebrating. In the north it is the return of Rama and the end of the fiscal year, all over it is the welcoming of lakshmi goddess of wealth, and in general (as in almost all Indian religious festivals) the victory of good over evil.
Our North Indian neighbors started three nights ago. For Tamilians (like Sub's family), the revelry starts early in the morning, with family members taking an oil bath (not really a bath, but an application of oil to keep the skin soft), wearing new clothes and bursting firecrackers before dawn. As our neighbor Viru says, "today's the big day!" here in the south.
Before you can burst firecrackers, however, you must buy them, so here are some shots of that process. These stands are all around town, although the big ones here are set up on the Bangalore Palace Grounds, often used for other large exhibitions and sales (along with cultural events like music concerts and religious gatherings.
Everything seems to be "Standard" here in Bangalore, although some of the boxes say "made with Chinese technology," "no child labour used," and some European ISO 9001 certification.
Sheds have been set up to house and merchandise and provide a store-like atmosphere. Approaching where we bought them.
Here in labor-abundant India, there are many many assistants to help you buy your crackers. Here they have orange t-shirts on.There seem to be unlimited types, and you can buy either single boxes or multipacks.
Products in India have prices printed on them ("MRP") but that represents the maximum that can be charged (maximum retail price) whereas they can be discounted. Given the floods, and concerns about the economy, it is a slow year, so 70% discounts off the MRP seems to be the market price. One would expect that this discount will increase even more if large quantities remain past Sunday night. Below is part of the check out process. In India this inevitably includes multiple people and multiple steps, and this place is no different. The blue plastic bin is where we placed our goods, and now they have to write down each individual piece, with the fully MRP listed, to then take the 70% discount. Then one of these guys takes the receipt with our money to the big boss, who holds the money.The money man.The general discount sign seen around town this year.
Traditional Diwali involves lighting of lamps called diyas. We generally use candles, as it is easier for me than oil.
Modern (and wealthy) India has embraced strings of lights, so that houses are decorated like US houses are at Christmas time. The shot below is the most decorated house in our neighborhood -- non-Indians to boot.