"And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street"...

Diwali holiday (Festival of Lights, Hindu New Year) brought us a week off of school in mid-November.  We took this opportunity to visit Ambar's parents while they were relaxing in the countryside of Suriya/Hazaribagh in the state of Jharkhand (creamy state to the west of yellow West Bengal).

Sitting there on the veranda at the country house with the gate in front of us, 

I watched and listened as many different vehicles, people, sounds passed our way.  The trucks usually pass with a loud blast of Indian Bollywood music and a roof rack full of people.  The bullock carts passing can be spotted by the  up and down movement of their contents.  And then, you hear the cows...it all brought me back to that old Dr. Seuss book (his first), 

"And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street"  

The images often seem like they could have been taken 50 years ago, even hundreds of years ago, when you see the women in their saris carrying the water jugs to the well or sticks from the field.

These are some of the things that I really did see when I went walking on this road - Hazaribagh Road - just outside the gates.  

Dung patties drying

Concrete Mixers and Deliverers

Many deliveries by bicycle

All decked out for Diwali
Cars are often decorated here.  When we first bought our car, they decorated it with a "marigold lei" (sold on almost every street corner).

I think they win the contest of how many people you can fit in a Jeep!

a Tempo

INDIA is really a contrast of the old with the new.

Notice the 3 satellite dishes on the building.  

We thoroughly enjoyed our week of relaxing.  When we did go walking, we had a profound affect on the productivity of the villagers [they stopped, gathered and stared :) ].

Time

TIME 

Your greatest resource is your time. ~Brian Tracy

Time is money. ~Benjamin Franklin

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 Time and 'making good use of it' are often considered together in our Western culture. But, time is a whole different concept here in India.  

There is a new meaning here of IST.  Usually it means Indian Standard Time.  But, many people here, foreigners and locals alike, say it stands for "India Stretchable Time".

In addition, I often hear the phrase "I'll be there in five-ten minutes", repeated rapidly, which usually means "I am aware that you want me there in five-ten minutes, and I am working towards getting there but I'll be there when I get there".  

Waiting is an occupation in India.  There are a huge number of people whose job it is to stand and wait for those who keep them waiting.  Most of them are drivers, but also door openers, security guards, cooks, as well as delivery people and staff in our complex who wait (sometimes up to 15 mins) for the service elevator.  (taken from "A Dead Hand", Paul Theroux).

"Taking time" is an important aspect here of many industries:

• sorting recyclables by hand 
• weaving textiles by hand
• tying knots to create beautiful rugs
• hand-stringing flowers for all the garlands used in weddings, poojas, funerals

I have a lot to learn with regards to IST for special events like weddings...

We went to an Indian Hindu wedding on Sunday (Ambar's cousin's son).  We were told that it would start at 6pm.  This would be just one of the several aspects of the wedding of the bride and groom.   Not surprisingly, we couldn't find the location of the wedding, despite having the address and despite pulling over at least 5 times to ask the whereabouts of the street (including one gentleman who was relieving himself - he turned around to help when the fellows at the corner didn't know).  

We arrived at 6:30, and the bride's father greeted us and took us to a decorated, but empty of people, hall.  

Groom in traditional dress (dhoti) with hat

At 7 or so, an hour after the time we were told, the groom and his family arrived - the father, sister, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents - all except his mother.  Evidently, mothers of grooms do not come for the wedding ceremony!   Pictures were taken, blessings were given.  Typically in Bengali weddings, the groom wears a hat to symbolize the weight and responsibilities that he takes on with marriage.  (pictures below)

The Groom (on the right)

The happy couple after exchanging garlands.
That indicates they have accepted one another.

TWO hours later, at approximately 8pm, the service began in a smaller area where a pandal (temporary structure) had been erected with only about a dozen chairs around.   Obviously not all of the 200 people there would be watching the ceremony!  As the ceremony went on, people milled about, some stopping to watch, some leaving after having eaten dinner, many talking.   I am not sure that the bride's parents watched much of it either.  

We began to understand the process  --- after watching the ceremony for a long time, long past us understanding what they were doing, we went off to eat dinner and then depart, goody bag in hand.   I guess next time i won't push to arrive on time.  

Although sometimes we feel like time is wasted here waiting for the delivery, calling for the nth time to have the gas cylinder delivered, or the chipping paint fixed, there is much to be gained in slowing our the pace of time.   From Mother Teresa:

“In the West we have a tendency to be profit-oriented, where everything is measured according to the results and we get caught up in being more and more active to generate results. In the East -- especially in India -- I find that people are more content to just be, to just sit around under a banyan tree for half a day chatting to each other. We Westerners would probably call that wasting time. But there is value to it. Being with someone, listening without a clock and without anticipation of results, teaches us about love. The success of love is in the loving -- it is not in the result of loving. ” 
― Mother Teresa, A Simple Path: Mother Teresa

All that really belongs to us is time; even he who has nothing else has that. ~Baltasar Gracian

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  (Enjoy your relatively inexpensive turkey - a raw roaster turkey here is being sold for $22/lb! And this, for just a regular Butterball.)

A Stroll through Mumbai

There is no better way - in my eyes - to get to know a place than to take a long walk around.  So, I have been riding in with Ambar to work, then walking home (about a 6-7 km walk).  Half of my walk is along the seaside on Marine Drive where there are many apartment buildings constructed in the Art Deco style.  Evidently, Mumbai is second only to Miami, Florida in Art Deco architecture.  Or, so i have heard.

At 8 am, Marine Drive is fairly quiet because the cars and their honking horns are not in full force yet.  However, it is well-populated with walkers, runners, many meditators (or ones who meditate), romantic young couples, stray dogs as well as some families that have slept on the walkway, or down on the beach.  It's a nice, easy walk because the sidewalks are wide and the pavers are all flat.  But, the real interest, to me, comes when I finish that portion, and walk along the inner roads, passing the shops, the many small shrines set up along the path, the cows eating the grass throw down for them, the people cleaning the sidewalks, various bicyclists loading up their wares to transport around town, the school children in their different uniforms.  So much to see and experience that it is hard to capture with words.

Here are some of the sights along my way home.

Add caption

Women quilting on the pavement in front of a home

YES, there are 6 people on this motorcycle - don't try this at home

shirt reads "Mom's BFF Forever"

Our Cotton Candy Sunset






I am sitting out on our balcony, enjoying the breeze and the slightly cooler night air tonight...I can't complain.

Shave and a Haircut...2 bits

I wanted to give you an idea of costs here in Mumbai.  Over the weekend, Ambar did have a shave and a hair cut (and a bit of a head massage) - all for 80 Rupees.  That, with the rupee hovering around $.02.  Yes, that's right; he  was charged $1.60 for his shave, hair cut, and head massage - and in a barber shop, not in a stall on the side of the road.  He was generous with his tip, he gave 25%,  leaving him with $2.00 less in his wallet.!  Supercuts - watch out!

A few other examples of things that are amazing;y inexpensive here -

• Sam's roller bag - canvas restitched on the length of one side - Rs 25 = 50 cents
• Alter my Indian tunic to make it a bit shorter - cut and hem - Rs 20 = 40 cents
• Having shoes polished - by cobbler on side of the street - Rs 10 = 20 cents
• a 15 minute taxi ride - Rs 100 = $2.00, in an autorickshaw - Rs 50 = $1.00
• made-to-order shirt with covered buttons - Rs 600 = $12.00 for labor
• A dozen bananas - Rs 40 = 80 cents
• Our cook, Tina, bought a nice big head of cauliflower and felt she was overcharged at Rs 40 (you can do the math!)
• Two weeks of 2 newspapers (The Times of India and The Economic Times) - Rs 162 = $3.24
• Today's tour of the dhobi ghat (the clothes and linens washing area here in Mumbai) - Rs 100 for  two of us (picture below)

Dhobi Ghat

These prices exist in the city of Mumbai with one of the highest rental markets in the world, where i might pay:

• Rs 525 = $10.50 for a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
• Rs 31549 = $630 for our electricity bill for August (when we were there for only 2/3 of the month)
• Rs 254,900 = $5098 for an Ekorness leather ecliner (I resisted) for our living room 

The general rule of thumb is that imported items are expensive, labor is cheap.

Another interesting aspect of money and life here is that we pay almost everything in cash.  As one of my acquaintances here said, "when you first arrive, you feel as if you are hemorrhaging cash".  I can certainly relate to that feeling.  We pay our cook and driver in cash.  It is quite common to give cash to your driver to have them go to pay your utilities bills (mobile phone, cable, internet).  

Delivery is quite common here even from the small shops (labour is cheap), so an oft-heard phrase is "Cash on Delivery".  I ordered a printer from a small shop on Lammington Road (a street filled with small technology stores) and they delivered it (probably by bike) to my home.  The delivery person refused the tip that I offered.  

One of the problems i have faced is that some vendors show up announced requesting payment (for bread delivery, newspaper delivery, milk delivery, dry cleaning).  They never carry change, and they never seem to offer to bring back your change, so it is best to have some smaller notes at home to give them the exact amount.  

Another interesting aspect of numbers here is that they break their numbers into Rupees (up to 99,000), then lakhs (100, 000 Rupees) and crore (100 lakhs).  Because of these quantities, they place their commas differently. 

So 354,000 Rupees is usually written Rs 3,54,000, read as 3 lakhs, fifty-four thousand rupees

And 123,000,000 Rupees is written as Rs 12,30,00,000 - 12 crore, 30 lakhs rupees

This isn't a big problem, but it is a problem in my Excel spreadsheets - it just does not understand these extra commas.  Ah well, perhaps I should just give up on using Excel...

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We had a taste of Americana the other day - Ambar set us up to have Monday Night Football - even though it was the Patriots game from Sunday night, and I had pretzels for the first time in over 2 months!   

Looking forward to the debate tomorrow morning (here).

Travel to Hill Station, Goodbye to Ganesh

LONAVALA - Hill Station

Panoramic Photo by Sam and iPhone "Panorama Free"

Last weekend we travelled to Lonavala and Kandala, Maharashtra for a two-day getaway out of the city.  Lonavala and nearby Kandala are "hill stations" in the Western Ghat of India.  A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby valley or plain.  Lonavala is known for the 2000 year-old Buddhist caves.  Cut into the side of the mountain, this monastic community was believed to be built here in Lonavala because it was close to major trade routes.  Buddhists were associated with early traders -  they relied on the donations of merchants for their food, shelter and medicine needs.  

"The main cave features a large, intricately carved chaitya, or prayer hall, dating back to the 1st century BC. This is among the largest rock-cut chaityas in India, measuring 45 metres (148 ft) long and up to 14 metres (46 ft) high. The hall features sculptures of both males and females, as well as animals such as lions and elephants." (Wikipedia)

MAIN CAVE - CHAITYA

We also did a lot
of trekking up the hillside to see this Lohagad Fort (means "Iron Fort").  It has 4 fortified doors, and parts of the fort also date back 2000 years.  It was used up until the 1800s.










We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the greenery of these hill stations.  Evidently this is the time of year (Monsoon, end of Monsoon) to visit them since everything is very lush and green, and there are various waterfalls around.  It was also great to get out and walk/hike up the hills.  As you might expect, there aren't a lot of big stretches of green space to walk in the city of Mumbai.  

GANPATI VISARJAN - The Immersion of the Ganesh Idols into the Sea

GANPATI VISARJAN

One event that I was sorry to miss was the immersion of the Ganesh idols into the sea/pond/lake that occurred on Saturday, Sept 29, 10 days after the celebration of Ganesh's birthday. (see last blog).  Evidently, this year's festival scored the highest decibel level ever.  From 3pm onwards the traffic is basically at a standstill as "floats" of Ganesh idols and their devotees and accompanying drummers journey to the sea to immerse Ganesh.  

For additional pictures of this event, go to 

5m5.in/2012Oct01Album

Ganesh Chaturthi - Festival to celebrate Ganesh's Birthday

GANESH CHATURTHI

Another festival has begun in Mumbai.  This one is loud and exciting and lasts for 10 days.  It is a Hindu festival celebrating the birthday of Ganesh (the elephant god you see above).  The festival began Tuesday night, Sept 18th with lots of music, drum beats, fireworks.  The city was ablaze with noise and activity.   Wednesday morning, the actual festival begins with even more drum beats and music parading around the city, escorting the numerous Ganesh statues to their temporary temples (pandals) for the next 10 days.  I took a drive with my driver to catch some of the excitement.  We went to the  area where the largest Ganesh in Mumbai is located.  I read that it is visited by 1.5 million people daily! Above and below are some of the pictures that i caught driving around the city.

I wish i could have captured some of the music to play for you.  It was like a caribbean drum sound - very exciting.

The Ganesh are all around the city, many in individual homes and many in temporary structures built just for this occasion (see one of these pandals in bottom picture). Ganesh is worshipped for 10 days, and "on the 11th day, the statue is taken through the streets in a procession accompanied with dancing, singing, and fanfare to be immersed in a river or the sea symbolizing a ritual see-off of the Lord in his journey towards his abode in Kailash while taking away with him the misfortunes of his devotees. " (Wikipedia -sorry)  

(One problem with this festival is that the Ganesh statues are left in the water, causing pollution in the waters.  Many Ganesh in the past were made with plaster of paris, but now many are being made with papier-mache, more environmentally friendly. Another note: not all areas in India celebrate this festival to this extent. Our state, Maharastra, puts on one of the more elaborate celebrations.)


A bit about Ganesh, abstracted from 'About.com:Hinduism":

Parvati created Ganesh out of the dirt of her body and gave him the duty of guarding the entrance to her bathroom. When Shiva, her husband, returned he was surprised to find a stranger denying him access, and struck off the boy's head in rage. Parvati broke down in utter grief and to soothe her, Shiva sent out his squad (gana) to fetch the head of any sleeping being who was facing the north. The company found a sleeping elephant and brought back its severed head, which was then attached to the body of the boy. Shiva restored its life and made him the leader (pati) of his troops. Hence his name 'Ganapati'. Shiva also bestowed a boon that people would worship him and invoke his name before undertaking any venture.

Ganesha is one of the five prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga being the other four) 

Actually, the preparations for this event started many weeks ago.  The Ganesh statues are made every year out of clay or papier-mache, the temporary temples are constructed (below) and many poles are erected for hanging lights along the streets and alleys.

Food, Glorious Food

"Food, glorious food,
eat right through the menu..."

Fortunately, unlike Oliver Twist and his fellow orphans who sang that song, we don't have to dream about glorious food - we are having it here in India.  We do have a cook, as is very typical here, and she comes 6 days a week to cook dinner and do some cleaning around the apartment.  (I can tell that i am not going to get much sympathy from you on this point...)  She has been with us for one month. During that time we have eaten exclusively Indian cooking for dinner, and we have loved it!

Tina is incredibly quick, making dal (like a soup made of lentils) and rice in half an hour.  We have had at least 5 different varieties of dal - masoor (red lentils), mung (mung bean), toor (yellow pigeon peas), chana (chickpeas), rajma (kidney beans).   

From Wikipedia: 

"Dal (also spelled Dahl or Daal, or Dhal) is a preparation of pulses (dried lentils, peas or beans).  It has an exceptional nutritional profile. It provides an excellent source of protein for the Indian subcontinent, particularly for those adopting vegetarian diets or diets which do not contain much meat. Dal is typically around 25% protein by weight, giving it a comparable protein content to meats. Dal is also high in carbohydrates whilst being virtually fat free. Dal is also rich in the B vitamins thiamine and folic acid as well as several minerals, notably iron and zinc."

Most every meal for us consists of dal over rice, vegetables and roti (or chapati).  We probably have meats or fish every other meal, if that.  She makes fresh roti for us every meal (the kids love it!). We tear off pieces of the roti and use it to eat the vegetables that are part of the meal - we wrap the piece of roti around a bit of the veggies and pop it in the mouth.   The kids also have requested luchis (or puris) about once a week; these are fried roti that you absolutely must eat hot.  They puff up when they are heated.  Below is a picture of luchis/puris with chana (chickpeas).  Sam (our peanut butter and jelly eater for the first n years of his life) actually requested this meal.  And he loved it - chickpeas and all.  

The kids' favorite meal - puris and chana! 

There are so many different fruits and vegetables here that I don't recall seeing at my local Stop and Shop.  For example, we have had many gourds (squashes), most of which don't look like the zucchini and summer squash that I am used to.  Here is a picture of some of the gourds as well as taro root (arbi) currently sitting in my fridge (bought by Tina, but with my blessing).  

New vegetables in our repertoire 

The  big one is called lau (in Bangoli), dudhi, bottle gourd or calabash.  Evidently, it was one of the first cultivated plants in the world, grown for use as a water container, not as a food.  If you let it mature and dry out, then it can be used as a bottle, utensil or pipe (like the gourds that we think of as decorative items).    The consistency is like a squash, but it's not as bitter as zucchini.

The little green ones are called tendli.  I can't remember when we ate them - probably in a mix with potatoes or other vegetables - but they must have been good.   Lau and tendli do have a very bitter cousin, called karela or bitter gourd.  It is incredibly ridged, so it would be impossible to peel, but it is supposed to have many health benefits.  We won't find out about that because this was one food that we just didn't like - very bitter; edible, but not enjoyable for us.  

The root on the plate above is actually taro root which I have heard of and seen in the States, but I don't think that I have tried it - there or here.  I will let you know after we see it on our plates.  Emma took a picture of our dinner plate a few nights ago.  It is not our typical meal because we didn't have dal that night - we had prawn pulao (rice dish) instead that night, accompanied by cabbage, roti and a tapioca dish called sabudana khichdi (a Maharastran breakfast delicacy).  

DINNER PLATE - Prawn Pulao, Cabbage and Sabudana Khichdi

Some of the fruits we have been enjoying - apples, bananas, pineapple, pomegranates (they are cheap here), and, a new one for me, the custard apple.  It breaks open when ripe to a soft center of black seeds coated in white "pulp".  You spoon out the white custard-y meat, eat it off of the seeds,  and then discard the seeds.   To give you an idea, here it is:

Custard Apple - opened

Tina is here, and we are going to have the taro root tonight, along with dal, rice and roti.  

ENJOY YOUR DINNER!  We are!

Why I don't plan to drive here

Tuesday Morning in India.

A rainy morning after a rainy night, but really, the rains haven't been bad.  More like Florida rains - it's nice for most of the day, then a sudden downpour comes.

The roads are relatively clear right now at 8am because rush hour doesn't start until about 9-9:30.  The shopping mall just down the road from me doesn't open until 11:30.  That's a bit later than most stores (10 am is standard), but the work day is definitely shifted to a later hour. Dinner is normally eaten between 9-10pm.  (We are happy to eat our dinner around 6:30-7:30 because then we have it fresh from our cook Tina.  Tonight, it will be hot luchi (puri) with chana (chickpeas).  Luchi is a flat bread like a tortilla (chapati or roti) that is fried, and then it puffs up.  You have to eat them straight from the stove top!)

Driving in the city is an art, and not one I plan to learn.  Very rarely can you see the line markings, but that is mostly irrelevant because even if there are 3 lanes, there are almost always 1-2 more vehicles on that same spanse.  And by vehicles I mean the following: private cars (mostly driven by drivers), taxis, public buses which appear very wide, trucks, motorcycles, scooters, occasional bullock carts, occasional brave bicyclists - often transporting cylinders for the gas stovetops, as well as auto-rickshaws.

 Auto rickshaws are the standard, very cheap way to get around in the northern half of Mumbai.  They are 3-wheeled, open-air vehicles with a cover over the top, around the back and a tarp kind of curtain on the passengers' sides.  The driver is positioned right in the middle of the front, and you can fit two people easily in the back, but quite often you will see four people wedged in, sometimes five.  In the areas where they are permitted, they comprise about one-fourth, up to one-half of the total vehicles.  Some trips can cost as little as 60 cents, and that's for 3-4 people being transported!  Their engines make a buzzing noise, almost like an amplified locust sound.  Hannah had a great time traveling around in them with friends on Friday after school, going from shop to shop to dinner (shwarmas).  She was astounded by how cheap and plentiful they were.

Of course the motorcycles whip through this maze with what looks like great ease - even with a family of four on board.  (It seems they all have great balance; the woman on back is often riding side-saddle in a sari.)  Add in to the mix the pedestrians walking across the road at any given time.  It's no easier to cross the road at an intersection due to the volume of "vehicles" trying to turn in addition to those cars that are ignoring the traffic signals.

Please know that i write all of this (the waiting, the complications, the traffic) with a smile on my face because it is all part of the amazing experience here in India.  And, of course, as a westerner we are only privy to some of it!

I am attaching a little video to capture the sounds and sights of the roads here.  This video is a somewhat mild one since we are in the northern, less populated half of Mumbai.  What's amazing is that you see or hear very few collisions.

(Well, i wanted to add a video, but I couldn't seem to make it work.  I will try another day.)

One thing you do hear is horns - and often.  Horns are just part of driving here.  In fact, many of the trucks have "Horn OK Please" written on the back.

Luckily, I am saved the danger of hitting a pedestrian, scraping against a car so close you worry about your side mirrors, or doing a three-point turn in the midst of jammed traffic because we have Ranjit, our driver.  He glides us through the busy streets with patience - especially considering he has to answer all of my questions along the way...

Driving Directions

Wednesday Morning ---

Our shipment arrived yesterday, and almost all is intact.  So, we are pleased and feeling a bit more at home in our apartment.  (We finally have coffee mugs!)

Of course, we didn't send much furniture, or at least not much practical, usable furniture for sitting or sleeping.  Hence, we have been doing a lot of shopping - furniture and otherwise.  In the States, the shopping is fairly straight-forward - you head to any number of shopping malls, plazas, large supermarkets, and you buy what you need.  It's not quite that simple here.  Part of the difference is really just due to this being a large city: it's not as easy to get around NYC to go furniture shopping as it is Framingham/Natick.  However, a large part of the complication around here is not just the traffic, but the driving directions and addresses.

Almost all addresses are given as

Place
Building #1
Street Name, only sometimes a block number or letter
Opp Building name #2  (meaning opposite building #2)
Region of Mumbai

But, this is not enough to get you to many of the places.  You also need to know another landmark as well as the two or possible three phone numbers attached with the place.  (Most people have 2 mobile numbers and most businesses seem to have 2 landlines - I guess due to coverage issues.)  In one area, the local landmark is the "KFC Corner".  Well, i don't know what happens when Kentucky Fried is no longer popular here...  Our landmark for our 2 towers (tallest buildings in Mumbai in 2011 - which you would think would be landmark enough) is A/C Market.  It's not because they sell A/Cs there, but i was told it was because it was an air-conditioned market - and advertised that way.

But if landmarks are enough, keep those 2 or 3 phone numbers handy because if your driver can't find the building by its name and street and landmark, then the shop owner will usually ask to speak to your driver to give him directions.  Often it takes 2 or 3 calls to finally find the little alley or road that you drive down to find the furniture shop in the basement of the building.  Some places even advertise their directions as "when you get to X spot, call xxx and we will give directions to your driver".   When you go to coffee at another person's home, quite often they will say "have your driver call my driver to find out where we are".

Thus, me, the map reader, is completely reliant on my driver to get me to many of the tucked-away places where I have enjoyed looking at furniture.  Thank goodness he is a patient and kind man!

We are really enjoying our time here; there has been plenty to experience!

Holidays and Celebrations - lots of them

With reference to my 1st blog:

The headline from Monday's newspaper (our first real monsoon weather):

Mumbai sees season’s wettest 24-hour spell

Evidently, we had about 90-100mm of rain on Monday (almost 4 inches).  Today is going to be rainy as well...maybe now we will get a taste of the monsoon.

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In our 4 short weeks here, we have experienced 5 holidays or festivals - Hindi, National, Parsi, Muslim and Jain.  And a Catholic one is yet to come. India is an amazing convergence of religious traditions.  

On August 10, some Hindus celebrated the birthday of Krishna with a Dahi Handi festival.  Earthen pots were hung all around town on the sides of the roads.  Trucks spilling over with teams of boys and men (sometimes girls) drove around town looking for the hanging clay pots.  They stop, unload from the truck, and form a standing human pyramid, sometimes up to 8 tiers high.  The top tier has to crack the pot and down falls its contents - a mixture of milk, dry fruits and ghee. They are hung around 20-30 feet high in the air with the help of a rope. Silver coins are hung along with the rope, which are later distributed as prize to the winners.  (Lord Krishna was said to have stolen milk and curds as a young child.)

On August 15th the nation celebrated the anniversary of Indian independence from the British in 1947. 

A bit about their independence (not heavily researched):  

After WWII, the British government realized that they didn't have either the forces or the support, internationally and nationally, to control the increasingly restless India.  The date of August 15th was chosen as the date to transfer power to coincide with the 2nd anniversary of  the Japanese surrender from WWII.  The Indian Independence Act 1947 of the Parliament of the United Kingdom partitioned British India into the two new independent dominions of India and Pakistan.  

Saturday, August 18th - Parsi New Year

A small religious community, which exists mostly in Mumbai, is Zoroastrianism. The followers are called Parsi because the religion arrived in India from Persia. This religion was established by Zarathustra in 6^th or 7^th century BC. The followers of this religion exiled from Iran in the 7^th century AD. because of religious persecutions by the Muslims. They arrived in Gujarat region of India.

The Parsis believe in the existence of one invisible God. They believe that there is a continuous war between the good forces (forces of light) and the evil forces (forces of darkness). The good forces will win if people will do good deeds think good and speak well. God is represented in their temples through fire, which symbolizes light. 

For more info, watch this YouTube video (it takes a little while to get to the dialogue) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K83F4URTS9I&feature=related

Monday, August 20th - Muslims celebrated their holiday of Eid ul-Fitr (often abbreviated as Eid), the end of Ramadan, the month-long fasting period for Muslims. The fasting is for both body and soul - no food or drink during the daylight hours as well as no evil actions, thoughts or words.  The following day, Monday, August 20th was the Muslim.  There is a mosque very close to us that is in the sea (called Haji Ali), only reachable during low-tide.  Very fittingly, it was low-tide the night of Aug 19th when the fast breaks, so this mosque and the surrounding, wet sea floor was filled with people celebrating this holiday.  

The walk during lowering tide to Haji Ali

Tuesday, August 21st - a holiday for the Jains, but I do not know what holiday this was.  I do know that the Jain religion is a break-off of Hinduism, and it's a very peaceful religion. 

So, lots of festivals and new things to learn.  

Today,  Friday, August 31st, a Novena for Mother Mary starts - 9 days of praying and Mass - leading up to her birthday on September 8th.  Many of the Catholic churches will hold extra daily masses on these next 9 days of the Novena - sometimes 8 Masses in the day (and these are just the ones in English!). There will be 10 times for Mass in English on her birthday and the following Sunday. 

At Mount Mary Church in Bandra (a region within Mumbai), this is what they have to say about this feast day:

The term Bandra Fair refers to the celebrations that are connected with the annual Feast of Our Lady of the Mount on 8^thSeptember, known as the Feast of the Nativity (Birth) of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The official Feast  is celebrated over an “Octave”, i.e. an eight-day  day period, from the Sunday after the 8^th of September to the next Sunday. And this eight-day celebration is preceded by a nine-day “novena” of prayer directed to the Virgin Mary. That makes the Bandra Feast last a total of 17 days! During the novena, the masses are both in the mornings and evenings; during the octave, masses are only in the mornings, leaving the Basilica free for “darshan” (viewing) especially for those of other faiths.


I can't wait until the next holiday!

Mary

Our First Real Monsoon Rain

Good morning from Mumbai.  We are going to attempt to start blogging.  Please forgive my mistakes as  I learn about blogging.

I can definitely say that we have been very lucky (weather-wise and otherwise) since we have arrived.  Although it was supposedly monsoon season (goes from June - September), the weather was actually very nice for travelling around and taking care of the myriad of things to be done when settling into a new country.  Although it showed on my weather app that we were getting rain every day, it was not much rain and it wasn't really every day.  

Today looks a lot different.  I can't see the other buildings from our balcony due to the downpour.  It has been raining since the kids left for school at 7:30, and I told our driver that he can do his own thing this morning because I didn't need to go out.  It's just not that appealing to bring groceries in on a rainy day.  

As of August 3, 2012, the actual rainfall levels for some of the areas of Mumbai were at 40-50% of normal.  Mumbai receives 96% of its rain during the monsoon.  (91" in June-Sept, 3" rest of year) 

So, where Cincinnati or Boston receives on average anywhere between 2.5 - 5 inches in a month, Mumbai, during June, July, August, receives on average from 23"-34" in the month.  That's a little bit of rain.  

The statistic for this year is that as of 20 August, 2012, there was enough "usable water in Mumbai's 7 lakes for 270 days".  (Let's hope we make it to 365 days...)

for more info on monsoon, go to http://goindia.about.com/od/planningyourtrip/a/indiamonsoon.htm

I hope your day is not quite as wet as ours.  I guess we need to buy another umbrella or so.  

A good day to stay inside and figure out blogging...

As they say in greeting here,

Namaste,

Mary