Tour of India and Ganesh Chaturti
September 2008
When I was in India in September, Mumbai celebrated one of the most important annual festivals in Maharashtra - Ganesh Chaturti- the
festival of the elephant god, Ganesh. Recognized by Hindus as the remover of obstacles, Ganesh's blessings are invoked for all important
occasions such as the start of a new business, a new job, or a new home. During the 11-day festival, entire communities come together to
erect neighborhood mandaps - tented and decorated stages, at the center of which is a huge clay statue of Ganesh accompanied by offerings.
People of all faiths come in the hundreds to ask for the blessings of this beloved deity. On the last day of the festival the streets of
Mumbai that lead to the ocean, are closed to vehicular traffic to allow throngs of worshippers to carry their idols for immersion in the water.
Singing and dancing accompanies the idols as processions wend their way to the water, adding to the gayety.
The Golden Temple in Amritsar in north India is sacred to all Sikhs. It houses the holy book, the Granth Sahib, and my visit to the temple after
more than 50 years, accompanied by my family and teenage grandchildren was a truly spiritual journey.
Amritsar is well known for it's 'dhabas' serving some of the greasiest but absolutely delicious Punjabi food. Literally, a dhaba is a truck stop
in north India, where the robust Punjabi truck drivers stop to refuel their stomachs. A long established institution, a dhabha is the most basic 1
room structure - the kitchen. A tin roof, 5 or 6 clay burners facing the street, a couple of rickety chairs and a couple of rickety beds with woven
coir rope, known as a charpoy on which truck drivers can take a break. Simple food, usually a chicken curry, spicy garbanzos, rice, a vegetable dish
and tandoori flatbread are prepared fresh every day in these primitive conditions, but they are the tastiest dishes you can eat. The dhabas of Amritsar
are more like chaotic, noisy restaurants, but the food is just as good.
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