Diwali Celebrations at Upasana

Diwali, the festival of light, is the biggest holiday of the year in a country that loves its holidays. Technically, it has Hindu roots — marking the homecoming of Ram after kicking some Sri Lankan booty — and is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains in variations on a theme of the triumph of good over evil. Practically speaking, it is as secularized as Christmas in America — a disappointing trend in both cases (but that’s another story).

It is not only celebrated widely, but poorly as well.

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Pongal-o Pongal!

We awoke this morning in the blackness just short of dawn, to the sound of firecrackers, temple bells, and chanting. Today marks the second day of Pongal, the four-day harvest festival which, after Diwali, is the biggest holdiay in Tamil Nadu. Social celebrations typically commence on the second morning, called Surya Pongal, with prayers offered to Surya, the Sun God.

By my reckoning, they started a tad early.

Stowaways

We knew it was a gamble when we boarded the train without a confirmed ticket. Things always have a way of working out for us, though; and viewed from this naive and trusting perspective, it was a calculated risk. OK, so maybe “calculated” is a bit too flattering a description for our state of mind.