My Front Row View of Diwali

Deepawali or Diwali is certainly the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It's the festival of lights (deep = light and avali = a row i.e., a row of lights) that's marked by four days of celebration, which literally illumines the country with its brilliance, and dazzles all with its joy.

Dasara

Sweets, flowers and prayers mark the last two days of Dasara, yet another India holiday celebration. More celebrations  more Gods, yep, of course, I'm in India!

Dil, Gods and Muslims

What I've learned about India so far, is that they have over 3 million Gods and Goddesses, have more holidays than you can imagine, and more bare-foot people -- by choice -- walking the streets than any other city I've ever been in.

The First Rule of Travel

I had no expectations of India. But I did have an agenda, and most importantly, forgot the first rule of travel.

Search for an American Breakfast

Marketplace in my neighborhood

From The first night that I confronted a foot-long lizard on the ceiling of my shower room, to cows, goats and roosters roaming the streets,  I've known that this is a different place from any other that I've lived.  

I Almost Forgot Where I Was

So after an all-night-er working, we meet a beautiful sunny morning.  I'm basking in the sun, the easy breeze as I stop in the marketplace to pick up the daily paper. Then ...

Then just as everything was melding together a rooster comes waling out into the street. A few blocks later we turned the corner and there was a herd of goats -- in the middle of the city!  Oh yeah, I'm in India :)

Meanwhile they just ended the 11-day festival for Lord Ganesha -- the God with the elephant head, and now there is another 9-day festival about to start.   More on that soon (as soon as I get caught up on it). 

Don't Be So Serious

In a post by Sadhguru in The Speaking Tree, he talks about the three dimensions of the feminine  and the three basic qualities of the existence: tamas (inertia), rajas (activity), and sattva (breaking of boundaries, dissolution and melting and merging), connected by celestial bodies -- the Earth, Sun and Moon.

A Touch of Autumn

Despite the occasional rain downpours, it has mostly felt like summer since I arrived in July.  But today has a tinge of Autumn in the air;  cool, not cold, a slight breeze, gray skies.  I had to wear shoes instead of sandals; oh, such inconvenience.