So, something about India: there is ALWAYS a festival going on. And in India, 'festival' is to say 'holiday'. Many of the main Hindu festivals last 10-30 days - though there will be one main day that is declared the holiday. Then there are village, city, state, and national festivals as well. Just like in the US though, there are a couple of main holidays that get the most attention. In southern India, Dussehra is the first and Diwali (the festival of lights) is celebrated 20 days later.
The children had a few days off for Dussehra, and Cori even had a weekday off. We wanted to take advantage of Cori's vacation day and get out to see something new in Bangalore. The destination: Bannerghatta State Park. We asked Suresh to be to our house by 8:30 so we could get an early start. He reminded us that nothing opens until 10 or 11 (annoying but true). And then told us that he would be to our house at 10. Not amused, we came up a little to a 9:00 departure. He responded that he would "make puja on the car and meet us at 9:30." We then did a little reading about Dussehra and, realizing that it is a big deal, didn't complain about Suresh setting the terms for the day. (He didn't even drive us that day. He celebrated with his family and his young colleague, Chetan, drove us. Which was great. We love Chetan).
There is no way to simply explain these holidays. But, most plainly stated, Dussehra is the celebration of Lord Rama's victory over the ten headed demon Ravana. And the way they celebrate it in Southern India is to give thanks for everything that brings success. Hence the puja. Puja is an act of reverence or worship that comes in the form of lighting incense, painted markings, and offerings of prayers, plants, food, money, or sweets. You will see in addition to the floral offerings, Suresh had offered invocations whilst leaving fingered paint marks around the car (the bringer of his success in life). There are markings around the tires, beneath the headlights, on the windshield, on the back tailgate, and over the engine. Inside there were markings and flowers on the steering wheel and the dash board. Chetan brought us a box of sweets. We gave him an extra tip. It was all very festive. Most of the vehicles and two wheelers we saw that day were decorated like this - even the big trucks.
Eventually we made it to the State Park. Cori jumped in a queue and secured our tickets for a jeep tour. Everyone needed the lou and we quickly found ourselves dealing with our first legit squatty potty experience. Not a western toilet to be found. Of course, this wasn't earth shattering for the boys. And I'm proud to report that the ladies caught on quick. Hands washed and sanitized, we loaded into the jeep to see the lion, tiger, bear and elephant habitats. Grace had a difficult time deciding where she wanted to sit. This was going to be the "best experience of her life."
Even the elephants got a paint job for Dussehra.
I was sure to bring the camera bag stuffed with all manner of camera accoutrement but found about an hour into our drive there that I had left the camera's battery plugged into its charger at home. Alas, we had to do our best with our cell phones. (I was really grumpy about this for a while)
One of many heroic termite mounds spotted along the way.
This was my favorite part of the whole day. A tiger crossed the road in front of us and eased into a muddy pool. As it got into the water it made this sound that was familiar - we've watched our share of nature videos - but altogether unearthly. The resonance of this low, back-of-the-throat growl/purr rattled the jeep as well as the hollow of my chest. Exhilarating!
More Dussehra puja.
Our tour dropped us off at the butterfly house.We saw few butterflies there. The museum had more interesting specimens to offer.
From the Butterfly House we went into the zoo. Of the caged varieties, we saw lots of reptiles and birds. Of the not-caged varieties we saw lots of monkeys and giant spiders. We did not get around to see all of it. Any time we slowed our pace, we were asked by a crowd of people for a photograph. I wish I were exaggerating. It became so tiresome that we opted to leave.
On the way out we got some food from the vendors along the way. We always see these carts where they make fresh lemonade and limeade. Oh boy, how we would love to try it. They grind the sugar cane and citrus right before your eyes. There is no telling where the water comes from however, and so we abstain.
About 15 minutes into our ride home, Eden threw up all over the back seat and then promptly fell asleep. Happy Dussehra!
