an overdue post:
so on feb 16th or 18th, (or somewhere therabouts) a Hindu festival went down. this one was celebrating the goddess of education, and was quite the party. I had been aware of the impending festival since I arrived a month before, as there were these half-discernible mud statues of a Hindu goddess everywhere I went. I didn’t really understand what they were because they were these mud figures with wavy looking arms and usually just partly-constructed, leaving me très confused. anyway, about a week before, these mud ladies all got painted and overnight transformed into very festive focal points of a celebration — which lasts for about 2 days after the actual holiday itself.
For the first day, the painted goddesses are displayed in temples or makeshift shrines that are colorfully decorated and visited throughout the day by her worshippers. which i’ve noticed for other little minor holidays and such.
but when the real party begins is on day two or three. this is when groups of 20 to 30 teenage’ish boys gather and round up:
1. a generator mounted on a bicycle;
2. these big float type thingies that act as a DJ platform and strobe-light launching pad;
3. another float type cart on wheels to carry the goddess;
4. their blue suede shoes.
They then cruise around their neighborhoods, stopping every few hundred meters for some gyrating and celebrating. I noticed this going on for a couple days as I was driving around the city, but then they made a stop RIGHT in front of my guest house balcony, at which point i rushed out to watch. i think the video can illustrate more aptly than my words can, but theres no doubt there is some sexy dancing going on.
and here are a few pics, a bit blurry as i had to use my tele-creeper zoom lens to get them and it was dark. but you get the point.
I’m already booking my tickets to return for next February 16th…
