Delhi and Diwali

Sharing the sidewalk with monkeys. Note that they do not clean up after themselves. And while we’re on the subject, the public convenience facilities for humans are not terribly inviting either. This one is in Deer Park.

It appeared in active use, but I waited until visiting an over-the-top mall, The Emporium. The mall complex in Vasant Kunj sandwiched in two other large malls as well, The Promenade, slightly less posh, and The Ambience, a mall for people with average incomes, well, actually far above average incomes in Delhi.

If you’ve got more laundry than lines to dry it on, there’s always the median between two dusty roads.

This photo was taken from my backseat of a tuk tuk. My driver was a madman. Traffic here is chaotic anyway with no one recognizing lanes and every vehicle imaginable sharing the road: old bicycles with carts barely holding random items - like thirty foot bars of rebar sticking out of the rear and sides; motorcycles with drivers balancing far too many unwieldy products on their laps - for instance six restaurant-size bags of grain; ambulances with screaming sirens largely ignored; horses draped with marigold necklaces trotting in front of empty carriages; cars, trucks and literally dozens and dozens of green and yellow tuk tuks within eyesight, and even cows resting lazily on the warm pavement allowing everyone to simply navigate around them. As if all of that wasn’t enough, with drivers squeezing in, closing in on a child’s foot hanging from a motorbike, cutting each other off, racing through impossibly small openings only to slam on the brakes, as if all of that wasn’t quite enough peril, my driver had no trepidation about playing chicken while driving full speed on the wrong side of the road head on into fast, heavy oncoming traffic.

Before all of that I found Deer Park peaceful on a Sunday morning, although inordinately populated with males and notably few females. Too, it seemed strange to me that in a big city park, over the course of an hour, only one runner passed me. Here and there sleeping dogs lay in the center of the pavement, oblivious to pedestrian traffic and in fact so relaxed they appeared dead.

A sultan’s tomb built in the 1300s still intact.

Haus Khaz Village

Deer Park rules.

People all over India are preparing for Diwali. Also known as the Festival of Lights, it’s a five day festival celebrating light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, hope over despair. Diyas, small oil lamps are lit symbolizing the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness and remains unwavering throughout the winds of change. Each region has a story emblematic of this victory, based upon the deeds of their favorite god. It is partially celebrated by wearing shiny new colorful clothes, hanging colorful lights and setting off fireworks. Lanterns are lit and floated across lakes and rivers, which is why I am planning to be in Udaipur for the climax, the third day of the festival to watch them on Lake Pichola.

Street markets abound with fresh marigolds which can be strung, placed in bowls, or even on dashboards where their sunny brightness will dispel darkness. A fabric garland will do as well. The goddess Lakshmi reigns front and center during Diwali and lotuses, her sacred flower representing purity of heart and mind are another favorite flower for home alters.