File under Whacky Indian Traditions

So walking around one evening I came upon a large crowd outside a Shivite temple in Pondicherry. They had brought out the idols and were blowing horns and beating drums. A huge crowd had gathered.
In the street were 3 sheaves of dried palm fronds. The priests were saying prayers over them and shoving things into the sheaves.
Some one came out of the temple carrying a torch and after a few more prayers, lit the sheaves one by one.
They burst into flame on a very crowded street - with no police or barricades or crowd control of any kind. The stuff stuffed in by the priest turned out to be fireworks and crackers which started popping and zooming.

When it was all done the crowd rushed in to get the ash and make caste marks on their foreheads.

Run Away to Goa

Everybody has been telling me how beautiful the beaches are in Goa and how I have to go and see them. So last weekend, I went.
They are truely some of the nicest stretches of sand and sea in the world. Clean pale sand leading down to blue surf of the Arabian Sea and the stretch is for miles.

Loads of people. In Caligute, the village where I stayed, there were loads of British pensioners, who apparently come every year. I met a great Australian and we wandered around together.


The beach is lined with palm roofed open air restaurants/bars and then the padded wooden beach loungers, and then the hawkers (beads, saris, jewelry, sunglasses) and then the surf.

More Pachyderm

This elephant wasn't dressed for temple, I don't think. She was dressed for tourists in Goa.

If I'd taken the picture from the other side of the street, it probably would have cost me 50 ruppees!

Warning: REPTILE PICTURES

My apologies to Sarah and Terry and anybody else who gets the heebie-jeebies from long reptilian slitherers. Obviously they get me excited as well, only in a very different way.

I've been wanting to meet a snake charmer and over the weekend I finally did!!

The cobra is not so big and I never got up the nerve to touch its hood. He struck the charmer a couple of times, which should have made me feel better about fang removal and mouth stitching, but it didn't really. I was too excited to ask about devenom and mouth stitiching and snake root and things.

He put the python around my neck and called me Lord Shiva, which of course made me smile, even though I don't think Shiva bothers with pythons.

Skip in the record

Oh Blogger is being a pain.

I thought I'd get ahead of myself and write a couple of Blogs ahead and then post them when I was on the fly.

So I did. Only the latest one published BEFORE the previous - 'cause that's when I wrote it.

Sigh.

Anyway, fly down an extra post to see the latest bull.

PS. The guy in front is blowing a conch - symbol of victory!

More Scaffolding

So the boys were back at my window at 7 am this morning. My jobsite doesn't start until 9 - maybe that's why nothing gets done.




These shots are from the other day. I asked Kausik about my friend here with the beard.





He had been working contentedly with his lungi tied up around his waist. Then I appeared at the window with my camera and all his friends got excited about having their picture taken.





As he climbed over to join the group photo he made the deft motion that clears the knot and lets the lungi drop full length for the photo.





I asked Kausik why he would do that and it was explained to me that this is a sign of respect. To show your legs is indecent, so you lower your 'skirts' if you meet someone.





I couldn't stop laughing. The thought of 2 million guys wandering around Chennai 'indecent' was too much!





(BTW: during lunch break yesterday I went downstairs with my laptop and showed the guys their photos. Today they arrived in standard issue polo shirts and warm up pants. Maybe the boss figured he had to dress up the image!)

Some Bull

So it seems that each of the major gods have their transport or messenger or ambassador.



Ganesh has his rat,
Vishnu has his eagle: Garuda (more on THAT another time)
Shiva has Nandhi - the bull.


This Nandhi is at Thanjavur Temple (which is ANOTHER topic for another day). It's carved from a single stone, 13' high and growing (!) or so they tell me. Aparently the faithful say that there is a microorganism in the stone which in it's lifecycle leaves behind residue which solidifies into rock.



All I know is that being born under the sign of Taurus, I felt a great affinity with ol' Nandhi. I received a blessing from the guy in the doti behind me.



In Tamil when you want to say thank you you say 'nandri'



Nandri Nandhi.