holi moly!

following a quick trip to kerala for a fabulous fulbright conference (all expenses paid!) i jetted straight off to delhi to spend holi with friends. this was probably the most anticipated festival for me. probably? who am i kidding. it's on my bucket list, for goodness' sake. i was really excited about this. i mean i'd played holi with friends before in the states. but something about being in india where everyone around you is dancing and celebrating and covered in color just seemed fantastic.

i arrived the day before holi, which is actually holi itself - people light bonfires at night; the color part comes the day after. the next morning we rose early to the sounds of drums that seemed to be right outside the window. and, in fact, probably were. we hesitated a bit before going outside, content to enjoy our breakfast before getting totally covered. we managed to hold off for some time but eventually a few of the neighbors came over to play. toto (my friend's dog) was the first to get it: pink water, right on the nose. a few of us began to venture outside, receiving the obligatory cheek smear and 'happy holi' greeting from friends and neighbors. a group of women encircled me and pounced. fresh meat. (imported, even.) and then it was all over. colored powder was in the air, the dhols were out, music was blasting from car stereos, dance circles began, and fried foods were being dished out at the neighborhood celebration in the alley.

beware the small canisters

a friend arrived and, after properly welcoming him with a face full of colors, we ventured out into the city. i should mention here that delhi on holi can be a daunting place. colors aside (which are usually made with some sort of toxic chemicals), there are people who like to play 'dirty' holi, which can include dumping eggs, grease - you name it - on unsuspecting passersby. not to speak of the drunken groping which can happen later in the day. needless to say, we were hoping to avoid these things. but it was still early and the streets were fairly empty. on the way we passed some typical sights - children chasing one another, men pouring out bhang lassis, and of course plenty of stands selling gulal (colors). we stopped at one such stand to stock up on necessities.

then across town to another neighborhood where we found a place to park and walked down into the other friend's neighborhood. on the way we were subject to attacks of projectile colors (mostly in water form) from the kids on upstairs balconies. they were so excited when they got the gori (that would be me, folks). we retrieved our friend, who greeted us with all-natural gulal (fancy!), and we returned to the main road, opening ourselves up to overhead assaults once again. we arrived on the street just in time to greet my friends who had arrived from england just a few days prior. they're pretty fair-skinned even by british standards so you can imagine how white they must have looked next to all of our color. well, naturally we wasted no time in taking care of that. before long they looked like all the other tourists they had been making fun of in their hotel that morning. we had a quick stop at another gulal stand and had a quick bite - samosas and pakoras, with probably a dash of chemicals from our colored hands.

aftermath (this used to be white)

from there it was back to my friend's place (the first one). and, yes, the car had been suitably prepared for the inevitabilities of holi (read: trashbags and old towels on the seats). by the time we got back the main celebrations in the neighborhood were over but it didn't stop us from having our own fun. plenty of color attacks and lots of dancing, accompanied by a little whisky (parading as appy fizz). in the end we were covered head to toe. one friend, in a particularly malicious move, got us with the tiny canister of color concentrate: just add water and you'll be pink for a week. guaranteed!* after we'd had our fun we took our turns in using the bathroom, turning the tiles and towels successively pinker one by one. my hair, neck and parts of my face remained quite pink, even after several scrubbings and even using that horrible green soap that's only used on dishes and, probably, hulls of boats and rusty tanks. that may have been more damaging than the toxic colors, all told. after we were (marginally) cleaned up we met and gathered at a different friend's place across town for a night of food and relaxing.

overall it was a great introduction to holi. while it was pretty tame, i didn't want to go too crazy and venture out into the chaos of the city. although i do regret not taking more pictures (my main camera still has some colors on it; i switched to my little point and shoot for fear of permanent damage) and getting closer to some of the action. i'm sure i'll be back, though. and next time i'll get a little more into the mix. really get my hands dirty.

*i now know this to be true for a fact.
 

pushing off to pushkar

well, we've arrived in november, which means i'm entering my third month here. it's funny, at home november is always my least favorite month. the sky gets bleak and gray, the weather turns from a crisp autumn chill to harsh winds and cold rains, and all those pretty leaves turn to brown crunchiness. in india, of course, i've had none of that. i have to say i've missed the fall - i've never really lived anywhere without one - the scenery, the pumpkins, the candy corn (thankfully i had some help on that front), but i can't say i miss the idea of long nights and winter coats. here, though, november is usually one of people's favorite months. monsoons and hot weather have more or less subsided and winter is setting in. now people can take leisurely walks in the evening or sit out on their terraces and read. it makes sense of course but still i'm always struck by this sort of climatic 180 - looking forward to winter rather than summer is so foreign to me. of course none of this applies much to mumbai, where it stays temperate to hot and humid year-round. maybe it's the hot, monotonous weather that was making me feel restless. whatever the reason, i was anxious for a change of pace and some new scenery.

so, with a hop, skip and a jump - or a plane, auto and a bus - i found myself in pushkar. after seeing the unabashedly jacked-up hotel prices and hearing warnings of overcrowding, i was surprised at being able to find a room the day before i arrived (seems to be how i generally plan my accommodations here..) but the hotel was close to the bus stop, within walking distance to everything (it's a tiny town), and i was able to haggle a good price on my room. so all was well.

offerings ready for the devout

i spent the first few hours wandering around the town by myself. it's your typical touristy little town. although it's an interesting mix of foreigners (there for pushkar fair and to experience general rajasthani glitz)/hippies (in a word, drugs) and hindu pilgrims (to take a dip down by the ghats or to visit one of very few brahma temples for prabodhini ekadashi, a long-named festival). this seems to result in lots of signs in hebrew and restaurants boasting pizza alongside vendors with flower malas and prasad. and of course all manners of typical rajasthani crafts - leather chappals, wide-eyed moustachio'ed puppets, and transparent dupattas lined with shimmering gold.

a sunset worthy of a holy destination

i meandered down to the lake, wandering through alleys with houses and down steps festooned with marigolds. the water is quite peaceful and lovely but the experience is somewhat spoiled by people constantly approaching you to put a flower in the water (no disrespect to the religious aspect but they way they accost tourists has become such a schtick, it feels almost smarmy somehow) or to scold you for taking pictures (of the sky? come on, man). to be fair, though, they do get an awful lot of tourists, many of whom are very disrespectful, i'm sure. and i did enjoy a particularly lovely sunset there.

camel with the desert-ed carnival

i was later joined by two other fulbrighters, an older german/now american(?) spouse of another scholar and a younger professor from new york (an odd couple to say the least). we explored the ghats in the morning light, walked through the familiar lanes of shops and made our way to the fairgrounds. first you wind your way through rows of horse and camel gear - ropes, bridles, bits and decorative flair - and then you arrive on the main street, lined with food vendors of all kinds and families with cookware or shoes laid out on blankets to sell. next comes the carnival portion of the grounds. a jungle of metal bars and dragon heads. i never saw any of the rides in motion, just a few men tinkering here and there. hard to tell if they were setting up or taking down. past this section, at last we see the animals. camels, horses and tents over the rolling dunes as far as the eye can see. some of the men are bringing the camels to the few water troughs, the more industrious ones have carts to tote people and are trolling for tourists to cart along, but most are tending to campfires or squatting near tents smoking beedis. i did see a few transactions going on too. the real pushkar fair. we wound our way through the rows of camels and horses, trying to avoid eye contact with all the various hawkers and dolled-up girls who try to give everyone mehndi (yes, even men). 

leading camels

eventually we made our way to the fairgrounds, a large open space bounded by ropes and seats. we claimed a spot in the shade and watched a rather unsettling pre-show act, a man who touted his children's abilities to contort themselves, shimmy to music, or walk a tightrope (the latter was rather impressive, the rest odd). then the 'main event' began. the main event of the prescribed tourist-approved activities that day being the 'camel dance'. we, and the hundreds of other gawkers, gathered around a tiny pen, leaving the bulk of the seating around the arena empty. not well thought out, this design. the festivities began with a dog jumping through a hoop that was subsequently set on fire. then the camels. each came out one by one, invariably led by a man who proceeded to run it in (very small) circles inside the pen and then performed various tricks. sometimes having the camel lie down and lying on top of it, other times standing up on its back. all the while the camels were making those horrendous noises and it seemed clear from the amount of fight they put up that they weren't too happy. the subsequent horse tricks were a little more palatable. but we left halfway through, tired of sitting cramped behind the biggest dreadlocks i've ever seen (literally) watching tethered animals.

pots for offerings

evidently the more authentic cultural activities began after a few days, coinciding with the religious festival. i spent my last night there eating momos (in india, where there are tourists, there are tibetan shops/restaurants) and practicing two language with jeevan, my new half-french, half-indian friend. (he splits his time between the countries - i've never been so jealous of a 3-year old) i did get a glimpse at the cultural festivities though. the next morning i was strolling around to catch some last glimpses in that beautiful morning light when all of a sudden i found myself in the middle of a procession, with marigolds flying from all directions. (this was all fun and festive until i got splashed with jalebi oil! my poor purple kurta is ruined) there were various 'floats' rolled along on trucks, people marching, drummers, and of course, tons of flowers. it was quite a sight.

the aftermath

while i wish i could (and probably should) have stayed longer in pushkar i was feeling restless and had a family to meet in ajmer by the end of the weekend. such is my life. always pushing off to somewhere.

good golly, diwali

finally! the long-awaited diwali celebrations are upon us. we could tell the holiday season was fast approaching because a) signs and ads all over feature diwali sales and b) it sounded like WWIII outside our window. for those of you who aren't familiar, diwali is the festival of light (it's most often, and aptly, described as christmas and the fourth of july rolled into one) though really it's more like the festival of light and sound.

strands of lights at crawford market

at any rate, i tried to get a feel (look, sound, whatever) for the festival from all angles. i started out down at crawford market, where i had been advised to wander around to see lanterns. upon arriving my roommate and i recalled why we had said we'd never come back here. it's quite crowded - with vehicles and people - which seems to make people think they can elbow you for no good reason. and most of the stuff they sell is, well, crap. and worst of all, no lanterns! at least none to speak of. a few cheap crappy ones with ganesh printed on the side. disappointing. what we did find, though, were lights. every little electrical shop and alley was filled with strands of colored lights of all varieties.

they don't look quite so cheap when it's dark and they're lit up

fortunately, i had better luck when i arrived in thane, a suburb of mumbai that's a pretty good hike (though easily accessible from the train), where my advisor happens to live. after some shopping (believe it or not, we drove all the way back to crawford market) and lunch we went out in the evening for different shopping. this time it included clothes and, luckily for me, some lantern spotting. there are all different varieties, as you can see, but they're virtually all made in china. there are a few that are still made locally but they're hard to find and seem to run out quickly. i've seen options for making your own as well, though i didn't try my hand at it this time around.

apartment complex on diwali-eve

later that evening we also went to a small local fair that had a set of stalls - carnival games, bangle vendors, dried fruit and salted fish - and a stage where a mythological play was being performed by villagers from a town in maharashtra. my advisor took me backstage, where i had very awkward encounters with the actors putting on their makeup (i was assured this was okay!) and tentatively took pictures as they stared back at me blankly. i saw a bit of the play but we didn't stay long. as i couldn't understand a word of the marathi, that was fine with me. the ride back (on the back of my professor's wife's scooter!) was lovely. with the wind in my hair, i had a great view of all the lights of the city.

smoke, crowds and general chaos

and the next day was diwali! we woke up early to take baths with special oils and then, feeling 'fresh', put on our new clothes. sukhada (my advisor's daughter) and i went down to the nearby lake, where all the 'youngsters' gather in the morning to set off crackers (firecrackers, that is. india has this penchant for abbreviating). as expected, it was loud and crowded with scooters, people, and smoke. all over, friends were meeting (or trying to meet) and greeting each other with a hearty handshake and a 'happy diwali'. we met some friends of sukhada's too, who insisted on taking us out for lunch and then (other friends) for coffee. sukhada acquiesced, despite her 1:00 deadline (a journalist never gets to rest). we did also stop to get some crackers, naturally. the roadside stands are very reminiscent of those in the states, with just as much variety but probably fewer safety regulations.

clay diyas - some plain, some painted

from there sukhada headed to the office and i headed back to my 'hood, where shops were open and festivities were in full swing. the area around my house was transformed for diwali too, of course. vegetable vendors had added lanterns to their wares, in front of the sweet shop was a stand with colors for rangolis, and on the ground nearby baskets full of clay diyas, or small oil lamps. i bought myself a variety of small items to get myself in the diwali spirit (and perhaps a few sweets as well..) before heading home.

boys lighting sparklers (after all the big stuff was gone)

that evening i set out for juhu beach, just north of my area. i first stopped at the ymca, to the boys' home that i just started visiting. i was late for the diwali festivities, evidently, but was nevertheless eagerly greeted with many handshakes and 'happy diwalis'. the boys set off firecrackers for quite some time. it's kind of the perfect holiday for boys (and plenty of girls too, i should say) - it's loud, you get to play with fire, and people give you sweets. no wonder my friends have such fond memories. they squeezed every possible bit of entertainment from those firecrackers, even scraping the shrapnel paper strips across the floor for a pop-pop-pop sound. it was nice to see them all so excited.

rocket launch

from there i walked just down the beach a few minutes to an entirely different celebration. our affluent and very well-connected friend 'bullet' (yes, everyone calls him this) had us over and we were greeted by a large table full of indian foods and iranian sweets brought back, no doubt, from someone's recent trip and/or layover. once we had our fill we headed up to the building's roof where we, along with a few other friends and neighbors, set off fireworks for at least two hours. we had a smattering of all varieties - slithering snakes, 'strobe lights', spinners, and of course a host of rockets and loud bombs. i had fun setting them off but even more fun playing around taking pictures. kristen, and the 5 year old neighbor's son, were skeptical at first but eventually got into it, trying to see what and how many they could set off next. in between our own firework fun, of course, there were the sights and sounds of crackers being set off all around us. we were told it was much less than in past years, but to us it still sounded like artillery shells being set off all around us. it's dissipated somewhat, in the days since, but there are still the occasional kabooms that momentarily make us think we're in a civil war zone.

so there you have it! a successful diwali, i would say. may you and your loved ones be blessed with peace and prosperity in the new year. and all that stuff.

mumbai movie mania

well after all this travel it feels really good to get back into the city and stay put for a while. at last i've been able to feel settled in my place - i've found a tailor, got myself a pressure cooker.. things are starting to come together. i was also glad to be back in town in time for the mumbai film festival! at home i'm something of a movie junkie (except in richmond - which has an appalling lack of art theaters, especially for all the art students and hipsters it has) and i try to see interesting ones when time and budget allows.

the mumbai film festival, now in its 13th year, has become pretty big and internationally respected. this year it boasted 200 films from all over the world. and, being in india, it's also probably one of the more affordable film fests to attend (i was able to get a student pass - unlimited movies for 7 days for Rs 700 = $15). also, being in india, it was probably one of the more crowded film festivals. the lines for some of the highly anticipated films were over two hours! but perhaps this is normal at film festivals; i don't have much of a frame of reference here.

i thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this event and tried to make the most of my pass (though it was a pretty busy week). i ended up seeing some wonderful films that i thought i would share. it's true, this is perhaps not very travel-related. buut, it's my blog so too bad. if you're not interested in movies, read no further.

pather panchali (india, bengali)
the film festival had a nice mix of new movies and classics films, both indian and international. i took the chance to see the first of satyajit ray's monumental apu series on a big screen. and in style, i might add. this was in the director's gold theater, which meant everyone sat in their own armchair. i'm talking lazyboy-style recliner here, with a footrest and everything. but i'm getting off track. it is a satyajit ray film, so it's definitively in the category of 'art film'. as such it may often be described as slow or boring. but what he's done with point of view - telling the story through the eyes of little apu - and the subject matter (rural poverty) he brought to the fore, was groundbreaking. a great way to kick off my film fest experience, with a little indian film history.

deool (india, marathi)
the image for this film doesn't do it justice. (i might add, though it should be obvious, that the images here aren't mine. i mention this primarily because i generally like to use only my own images) though i suppose it does portray the dichotomy at work in the town. some people would dismiss this film out of hand because it's in marathi. but i don't think the language was chosen to be regionalistic or exclusionary, but rather for a sense of authenticity. the movie takes place in a village in maharashtra - a setting which contemporary indian films have largely strayed from. the film itself is really about breaking down and subverting typical stereotypes of indian villages as well as exploring the nature of religion and commercialism today. this is particularly poignant in the character of kesha (no dollar sign), a good but simple man who struggles with these ideas within himself. a wonderful film and thoroughly entertaining - with plenty of laughs and even a few item numbers. it releases in november in india - go check it out!

labrador/out of bounds (denmark, danish)
this movie wasn't my first choice. or even my second, actually. the lines for 'the artist' (showing on two screens!) proved too long and 'chinese take out' was rescheduled so i ended up seeing this movie without being entirely sure what to expect. but it was actually about what one might expect from a typical 'artsy' film. slow, pensive and rather bleak in both setting and subject. i think this film could best be encapsulated as an exploration of identity, with each of the three characters isolated on a tiny scandinavian island grappling with themselves and their relationships to one another. it took an odd turn that was sort of unsettling but i'm guessing the director intended this turn of events to startle the viewer and expose the extremes and complexities of human desire.


arranged happiness (germany, kashmiri/english)
there seems to be no end to movies that deal with the notion of arranged marriages. it's a topic that evidently still fascinates the west and this director created a personal documentary in attempts to better understand and explain the phenomenon on a closer level. the film dealt with the proposed marriage of the director's then-boyfriend's (now husband's) sister to a neighboring family in kashmir. it chronicled this entire process while also examining the director's relationship to ashiq, the bride's brother and how their relationship is played out (largely in secret) with the family. it's an interesting and intimate look at the process of marriage and one that is refreshingly apolitical. i didn't find the editing or cinematography of the film particularly outstanding but the story itself unfolds nicely and has some pleasant images.

toast (UK, english)
what a lovely film. and one that further corroborates my theory that all movies starring young british boys are delightful (see also: millions, son of rambow, finding neverland, about a boy, etc etc). the premise itself is charming, a10-year old boy who yearns for all things gourmet but, in the character's own words, 'has never eaten a vegetable that didn't come from a can'. his passion for food plays out throughout the more troubling events in his life (helena bonham carter plays a sort of wicked stepmother) and becomes a source of joy in an increasingly bleak existence. the movie ends on a high note and leaves a good taste in your mouth, so to speak.

stanley ka dabba (india, hindi)
back to back movies about food. warning: don't watch this movie if you're hungry! (and happen to love indian food) every conceivable type of food and snack is represented here (yes even vada pav - it was filmed in mumbai after all). the film was a heartwarming story of stanley, an incredibly adorable child. one of those 'unfortunates with a heart of gold' types. you don't learn stanley's whole story right away, but you're drawn to his good natured ways and clever charm. the film shows one side of the inequalities of society without being over the top dramatic or utterly devastating. this film will certainly put a smile on your face and a growl in your stomach.

breakfast, lunch, dinner (china/ thailand/singapore, mandarin/thai/malay)
this film, oddly, had little to do with food at all. in reality it was three films, all asian in origin, that happened to include different meals. the stories also shared the common thread of marriage, which was addressed in very different ways. the films, having different directors, naturally had individual narrative styles. but they all seemed to share a sense of loneliness - whether it was in a bleak deserted chinese park in winter, or the hauntingly empty streets of singapore by night. i think each film really addressed that notion on a metaphysical level as well - the idea of being alone with someone else and how the concept of marriage fits into that. each of the films made use of very long shots of simple actions (or little action at all) which could have bordered on the tedious but i thought the technique was effective as a means of getting the audience to totally feel a part of that setting. not a power punch of a film but a quiet meditation on what it means to be alone and together.

habemus papum (italy, italian)
i was totally intrigued by the storyline here: a behind-the-scenes look (well, interpretation - it's fictional) at the selection of a new pope. i thought the story would end with the selection itself but in reality that's just where the story began. with moments of humor and little winks of tongue in cheek satire the film addresses the intersection between holy and divine that the pope must necessarily negotiate. i'd love to get some of my catholic friends' perspective on the film as well. tragically, i had to leave this film early to catch the artist (having waited for 30 minutes in line and still missed it before. and i should add that this film screening began 30 minutes late so that threw me off) but i really would love to see the end of it as it seems like the director was building to something particularly poignant.

the artist (france, english)
as i alluded to earlier, this film was probably the cornerstone of the film festival (images of it adorned much of the festival's publications) and easily one of the most - if not the most - highly anticipated film. and it was well worth the wait! like many before it, this film is an homage to the movies themselves. a silent film, it deals with the beginning of the golden age of film and the shift to talkies. think of a cross between 'singin' in the rain' and 'sunset boulevard'. the film was made beautifully and the casting was absolutely spot on. the protagonist, george valentin, seemed to be a mix of (appropriately) rudolph valentino and gene kelly. it was refreshing that this film got the attention it did. in a festival full of movies that try to push boundaries and to, in some cases, be edgy for the sake of being edgy, it was nice to see a sweet, simple film that honored the idea of entertainment itself and reminded us why we were all there in the first place.

pina (germany, various)
along with 'the artist' was perhaps the other most anticipated film showing at the festival (though lars von trier's 'melancholia' was a popular draw as well). and not just because it was in 3D. the film was an homage to the late pina bausch, a monumental german dancer and choreographer who died in 2009. though i hadn't heard of her before this film, the impact of her work was made clear not only through her work but by the devotion and admiration of her dancers. pina herself was evidently somewhat reclusive and so the film unfolds largely through performances interspersed with statements from the dancers themselves. the dances were visually stunning, provocative and cerebral, meditating on ideas of the cycle of life and gender in society (at least that's what i got!) the performances themselves were enhanced with a thoughtful use of 3D technology (not this gratuitous crap we get in hollywood. justin bieber 3D, really?). plus i'm always interested to see how people interpret the seminal 'rite of spring'. though i would have liked to see more of pina herself performing, it's clear that her legacy really lives on in the dancers she's trained and the spirit of the dances she has created. a visually stunning film to end my festival experience.

all in all, despite some issues (technical problems with films, overcrowding and crazy lines) i thoroughly enjoyed the film festival. i wished i could have seen more movies but i think i still made the most of the pass within my means. furthermore, i walked out of every film with that sensation of 'where am i..?', an indication of the transportive (it's a word, i checked) power of the medium itself.

durga puja step by step

i thought i'd give a little breakdown of how things seem to work at durga puja - or what i experienced of it. so here goes.

the deities are created with clay and then painted and adorned..

you can take a traditional rickshaw ride through the old city to get to some of the more traditional pandals

be prepared for crowds! everyone in the city seems to be out pandal-hopping

if you're feeling so inclined.. grab yourself some noisemakers! they're everywhere

priests are often up on the platform with the deities giving offerings

sometimes the priests offer up aarti, and people clamor for the holy fire

after taking darshan, worshipers can receive tikas, as this family does

when it's time to take the deity down for an immersion in the ganges, drums are essential

final offerings given to maa durga, accompanied by drums and a sort of trance-like dance

food offered to the deity

on the final day women's faces are often streaked with vermilion and many of them wear red.

a final touch for maa durga

there's always room for a little dancing!

and then the men carry her and the holy family away

a crowd follows the deity up to the waterfront

splash! into the ganges

one happy camper carts off a used pandal. and the cycle continues...

craziness. chaos. calcutta.

in keeping with my whirlwind traveling style, i headed straight from ahmedabad to calcutta, mid-navratri. in fewer than two hours i had essentially traversed the country from west to east. (by plane, obviously, though i'll bet that's an epic train trip). it occurred to me at some point that morning that i hadn't really made any arrangements at all for this city i was suddenly in. i had a momentary rush of panic, which quickly subsided into dead-to-the-world sleep on the flight.

luckily, things worked out. as they have tended to for me here. i admit this is principally due to the friendly nature of the people here and the few connections i've managed to forge. i luckily found a place to stay that happened to be in the thick of all the activity, way down south near some of the bigger pandals. this was convenient in some ways (walking to pandals) but not in others (traffiiiic). the place itself.. not exactly the ritz but the price was right and it had rooms available. plus, why bring your own sheets if you never get to use them, right?

chai in little clay cups. i love it!

that night i wandered around dazed, confused by all the commotion happening around me and disoriented in this giant new city i found myself in. i wandered in and out of some nearby pandals which, by the way, are structures built to house the deities for the days of worship and veneration. apparently the last three nights of the nine are the biggest here, with elaborate light shows and loud pujas during the night. as the light began to fade i could see i had not been misinformed - the giant light displays (picture giant lite-brites) of faces and flowers lit up the alleys and the crowds got even heavier. as for myself, i popped into a few sari shops (got a beautiful silk one on sale!) and retired to my hotel room with a chicken roll and some sweets. it was a long day, alright?

the next day began the start of my whirlwind pandal-tour in earnest. i was fortunate enough to have a wonderful guide in my friend's brother souvik. he and his friends guided us all over the city, sometimes walking, sometimes jamming ourselves into rickshaws or cabs. and it was hot. i can't remember ever being so thirsty (although i'm sure i have been.. italy in july, rajasthan in may..) - just constantly thinking about when i could get water next and how cold it would be. but i digress.

the pandals! also known as pujas. they. are. humungous. if i thought the ganpati pandals in mumbai were elaborate, these were just over the top insanity. in mumbai, the pandals may have had rather decorated interiors in the immediate area surrounding the deity. but the exteriors themselves were largely just tarps or perhaps even just an opening for a door. not so in calcutta. the exteriors were as enormous as they were elaborate - towering structures that you had to remind yourself were, indeed, just temporary. at times it felt a little like being at disneyworld. all these 'fake' environments created. like walking around epcot. but instead of 'italy' and 'japan' you encountered different types of durgas. very surreal.

over the years the pandals have grown more elaborate - thanks in part to the competitions and prizes that are now awarded - and have developed themes that change from year to year. the themes seemed to range from materials (straw, glass, rope, clay - one made entirely out of aluminum kitchenware) to larger messages. (one of the biggest ones' was 'global warming' - i thought it best not to point out how many trees and bamboo shoots had been sacrificed to get that particular message across). here are just a sampling of the variety we saw:

durga visible through the straw and bamboo

all ceramic durga, quite stylized i must say

typical yellow maa durga in her aluminum foil surroundings

a very trippy prismatic effect at the 'glass puja'

this is just a smattering of the incredible variety of pandals that we saw throughout the city. and of course we only scratched the surface here. there are hundreds (thousands?) of these throughout the city and even three full days was not enough to cover it. it was completely exhausting but incredible to witness.

garba galore..

so the real reason i came to ahmedabad (although buying textiles was pretty high up there..) was for navratri, which is sometimes called the biggest dance festival in the world. it's nine straight nights of dancing - all over the city, on all scales. the dancing ranges from street garba to societies (sort of like gated communities) to the giant clubs that put on all-out productions with live music on stage and expensive lighting. on this trip we tried to hit them all.

first off.. club garba..

twirling

our first introduction to all that is garba was at the rajpath club (read: fancy). this ended up being a crash course. we wore our variously borrowed and purchased chaniya choli and bedecked ourselves in things that glittered and jingled. good thing, too, because we were probably the least adorned people there (as if we don't stand out enough). to say they were decked out does not come close. i'd say the average person there was probably wearing close to 8 pounds of fabric, embroidery, mirrors, bells, sequins, tassles, and let't not forget makeup. all tied together with a few strategic safety pins. but that did not stop them from moving. as soon as our friends (well my friend's friends from garba class. yes, class) arrived they formed circle, put their shoes in the middle, and jumped right in.

so coordinated (in more ways than one)

let me tell you, that was some complicated garba. there were many more than the two steps i had been briefly taught. and then they kept changing them! these people were going pretty fast too, definitely working up a sweat (though, in fairness, not difficult with the lights and 15 pounds of material they were under). kristen and i tried our best not to run into people (did i mention they were constantly switching directions?!) for a while but eventually gave up in favor of watching and documenting. we wandered all over taking pictures and videos of all sorts of groups - the most impressive was probably this one troupe - matching outfits and all - that had all sorts of choreographed routines, including, variously, men balancing umbrellas, little girls dancing on shoulders, and what looked to be mini dance-offs.

even the kids are impressive with the dandiya!

we saw all kinds of dances - with twirling umbrellas, throwing sticks (dandiya is the kind with the sticks, i believe) into the air (and, yes, catching them), and little kids getting into the mix. i think it would best be described as a spectacle. eventually kristen and i meandered back to our group where they themselves had moved on to the sequined umbrellas. we were ceremoniously pushed into the crowd and umbrellas were thrust at us. we were made to do a step that involved minimal twirling and stepping, thankfully something we could handle. we did this in various directions as photos and videos were taken around us. luckily that seemed to be enough to assuage the circle and we slipped out of the spotlight with our dignity more or less intact. we slipped out of the festivities not long after, though our friend did stay to be honored as the 'best foreign dancer' - very sweet. as we were speeding home in our auto afterward, chugging water and glad to be seated, my main thought was 'how do these people do this for nine nights?!'

i got my answer shortly, once we experienced society garba..

the closest i got to street garba. my feet did get pretty dirty!

so many of the neighborhoods in ahmedabad are comprised of societies that seem to vary in size and level of affluence. i'm sure their celebrations vary similarly but i only saw a few examples. in general they seem to be much more tame affairs, with one big circle, a few musicians and pretty slow, simple music. the dress code seems to be much more relaxed - some fully decked out in chaniya choli, others in salwar kameez and some just in western attire. and, best of all, the steps are much more limited. one direction, one half turn, same basic idea throughout. i can handle this! i'm glad to say i caught on to this one rather quickly and quite enjoyed it. i could see myself doing this for nine nights. although going in circles does eventually get tiresome..

street garba..

..it seems, is more of the same, just outside the confines of a society. the dance is done around a pot (society ones seem to be also) and other items for the deity. i've heard talk of women with pots on heads dancing, unfortunately i didn't get to see much of this variety.

but we also experienced what i'm calling university garba..

a variety of attire for this garba affair

as the name may suggest, we experienced this one at one of the local universities. most universities have various events throughout the festival but we were told by several people that the one at CEPT (environmental planning and technology) was particularly good. it must have been because there was quite a clamor to get in. i'm not sure how we did - persistence, maybe - but regardless. here once again the dress and attitude was varied - all kinds of clothing. the dancing seemed to be more or less the same slow, steady pace with half turns every other beat. there were two large circles and what we were first struck by was that no one was really smiling all that much. i mean, i suppose all that going in circles must get to you eventually. although, to be fair, this was punctuated about every 5 minutes by a big 'woooo' that went through the crowd. we're still not sure why. nothing else seemed to happen. probably the best part of this experience for me was the decorations, though i'm sure that had to do more with it being a school for architects. there were all sorts of lanterns made from little more than cut paper or cardboard. really well done.

i'm sure this is by no means an exhaustive list of the types of garba one can see - just what i experienced in a few days. i mean, after all, it was the biggest dance festival in the world.