Diwali, November 5, 2010

Brad dances around fireworks on Diwali.

We found ourselves in Jodhpur, Rajasthan when the Hindu holiday of Diwali rolled around.  Diwali is one of India’s largest holidays, in which Hindus celebrate and pray to Laxmi, the goddess of money, that their pockets will be filled with riches for the following year.  We woke to the sound of firecrackers in the streets, as well as to car horns and all other noises that fill a typical street in India.  We enjoyed a relaxed breakfast on the rooftop of our guesthouse, Gopal, before hitting the streets to wander the markets and join in the madness of Diwali shopping. 

The market was packed!

The bazaar was packed with people on foot, bicycles, and motorbikes.  Cows wandered without direction looking for food to eat.  People all around bargained for jewelry, spices, blankets, clothes, belts, sunglasses, and so much more.  Pushing to get past others or to get to the counter first was the norm, a fight for oneself.  We were greeted by children and young men asking for their photo to be taken and bidding us a ‘Happy Diwali!’  We were invited into a fabric store where we admired the quilts and blankets that are hand stitched from scraps of old saris and enjoyed chai tea with the owner. 

A closeup of the miniature elephant.

Walking down the street a bit further we found ourselves being invited into an art store.  “No buying, just looking.  It’s a school,” the owner insisted.  He is a master of miniature painting.  We looked around the shop and discovered that he teaches his students for free.  70% of the proceeds from the store go directly to the students and the remainder is used to keep the shop open.  We admired the brushwork and intricacy of the paintings.  “Come and sit,” he said.  “I will make you a gift.”  We watched as he pulled out a split lentil and glued it to his business card.  “Less than one minute, you will see.”  He pulled out a fine tipped paintbrush and paint.  With no hesitation he laid the brush down to the lentil and before our eyes drew a tiny elephant on the lentil!  Amazing!  “The elephant stands for luck,” he explained.  “So I hope you will find luck in all your life."

A closeup of the peacock.

We thanked him and decided to support his shop by purchasing two cards.  “Come sit again, I will make a peacock for you,” he said to me.  “The peacock is the symbol of beauty.  I made the same for Nicole Kidman.”  We watched as he painted a tiny peacock on the lentil.  He then added color to the elephant and the peacock.  He also insisted we sit and have chai with him.  We couldn’t refuse, and so we were treated to more free tea! 

After his shop, we drifted through more streets and got lost in some small alleyways.  We stopped to smell a variety of spices, took photos of several locals that asked us, and simply enjoyed the business of the streets.  Wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of the streets, we headed to a nearby rooftop restaurant that rewards its customers with an amazing view of the fort, Meherangarh as well as the blue buildings that give Jodhpur the nickname ‘Blue City.’

Drawing with my sparkler.

We went back to our guesthouse to have a rest before the night fell and the festival of lights began.  After just a few moments there was a knock at our door.  “Sorry to disturb you,” the owner says, “but it is Diwali and it is our tradition to treat our guests as family and we invite you to dinner on the rooftop.”  We were delightfully surprised by his kind offer.  We quickly dressed and headed to the rooftop.  Several of his family members were present, including his lovely wife and son.  We enjoyed a relaxed dinner, with the cook insisting we eat more and more.  After dinner we went to the prayer room where we asked Laxmi to fill our pockets with money for the year.  After dinner and prayers, the fun began.  A variety of fireworks were purchased and we spent the evening lighting them all and laughing along with the family.  We took turns writing our names with sparklers, danced around a spinning light show and enjoyed watching the children do the same.  It was a truly wonderful day, and we were so lucky to have been invited to join in the celebrations with our host family!

To see more photos of our time in Jodhpur, click here.