diwali 2010

clay diyas

"Diwali is probably the most well-known of all the Indian festivals; it is celebrated throughout India, as well as in Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities around the world in October or November. It is also considered the Hindu New Year and is either a 3-day or 5-day holiday depending on religious background.  The name of the festival comes from the Sanskrit word dipavali, meaning row of lights, thus Diwali is known as the 'festival of lights' because houses, shops and public places are decorated with small earthenware oil lamps called diyas. These lamps, which look like tiny clay saucers, are traditionally fueled by mustard oil and are placed in rows in windows, doors, courtyards, gardens, as well as on roof-tops and outer walls. The lamps are lit to help the goddess Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth) find her way into people's homes.

no, i did not get shot in the head

Diwali is celebrated with traditional sweets, lots of fireworks and the exchanging of gifts.  In north India, Diwali celebrates Rama's homecoming; in Gujarat, the festival honors Lakshmi, and in Bengal, it is associated with the goddess Kali, the Hindu goddess known for her fierceness, destruction and eternal energy. Regardless of the mythological explanation one prefers, what the festival of lights really stands for today is a reaffirmation of hope, a renewed commitment to friendship and goodwill, and a religiously sanctioned celebration of the simple - and not so simple - joys of life."

busy Diwali night in Alwar

I arrived in Delhi November 3rd, with less cultural shock and overwhelming stimulation of the mind and senses than last December's introduction to the Indian subcontinent. My Irish friend, Justin, whom I met last year in Udaipur, is now living and working here in Delhi for his London-based company and I cannot think of anything more welcoming or accommodating than having him, along with his car and driver, pick me up at the airport in the wee hours of the morning last Tuesday after 24 tiring hours of travel. He has a lovely apartment in south Delhi with hardwood floors, huge windows, a guestroom and private bathroom just for me and cold beer in the fridge. He's Irish. There is always beer in the fridge and whiskey on the counter. But what makes him TRULY Irish isn't his insatiable thirst, boisterous accent or Celtic surname, it is his storytelling ability.  I have heard more stories in the past week than I know what to do with and there will probably be a thousand more before I leave sometime this weekend. Most of the stories are interesting, thankfully, even riveting, but I just don't understand how he has the mental capacity to store all of these long-winded anecdotes and hour-long tales.  Good company though, and that is what traveling is all about. He works long hours, but with the Diwali holiday, I tagged along on his brief escape from the city. Manoj, the driver, was heading a few hours south of Delhi to see his family for the holiday, so Justin and I just caught a ride with him and got dropped in dusty Alwar. We found a decent hotel with huge rooms and a lush courtyard and just sat outside and talked, read books, ate paranthas, drank sweet lassis and relaxed. The weather is perfect now, short sleeve shirts by day, cardigan at night.  We walked through town on the evening of the 5th to check out the Diwali celebrations and were met by groups of children all wanting to shake our hands, "Happy Diwali!", over and over, ate traditional sweets, dodged firecrackers exploding on the sides of the road, received a priest's blessing, got lost, walked in a huge circle, eventually found the hotel. Diwali is such an energetic festival with strings of lights decorating the buildings and fireworks going off for hours and hours.

Humayun's tomb, Delhi India

The next day was much more quiet and we hired a taxi to visit a couple of the sights in this very non-touristy area. An old temple, a run-down fort, the grounds of an old palace where a family of ten still lives- the opium smoking grandfather, conservative newlyweds, a couple kids and various other relatives.  Manoj picked us up in the evening and we fought holiday traffic all the way back to Delhi. I've been a little run down the last few days, maybe a bit of a cold and haven't really done much but "hang out". Delhi isn't the most interesting city, but I visited the Lodhi gardens and Humayun's  tomb, just a day after Mr. Obama got his own private tour.  This life of luxury (and free place to stay) must come to an end soon though...I will just have to pick a direction and go.

little friend on the patio