Are you ready for some Holi?!?!
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india
Jabalpur 2002
We’ve got less than two weeks until Holi, and I might be getting a little excited.
The religious festival, this year scheduled for March 1, involves people getting a bit out of control and painting each other with colored water and powder and paint and God knows what else. It’s symbolic of spring’s triumph over winter, good over evil, and the open future over bygones past.
More photos after the break. Continue reading this entry » » »
Tags: color, festival, holi, india, photography, pune, shenanigans, terrorism
A year-in-review
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india, kenya, madagascar
2009 kinda kicked ass
This past year pretty much rocked. And the New Year came in fine manner. No kisses, but a bonfire amid the palm trees (above), new friends, lobster, a decent cigar (thanks, C!), champagne and even the Harry Connick, Jr., band playing Auld Lang Syne at midnight (never leave home without the iPod).
I meant to post this sooner, but here’s a little look back at my new life (as chronicled on this blog):
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Tags: andaman and nicobar, antananarivo, beach, beer, circumcision, conservation, delhi, drought, economy, emerging nations, environment, festival, fishing, food, ft dauphin, gear, havelock, health, hiv, holiday, india, island, journalism, kenya, kibera, kisumu, lemur, maasai mara, madagascar, market, motorcycle, multimedia, mumbai, nairobi, ocean, party, photography, port blair, poverty, preparation, scuba diving, shenanigans, shopping, thailand, tourism, wildlife, year-in-review
≤20 Seconds: Delhi’s wonderful chaos
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india
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This is the colorful, chaotic India that is old Delhi. It’s also the antithesis of my slow, island life of the last couple (and next couple) weeks.
Tags: chaos, delhi, festival, gobind singh, guru, holiday, india, less than 20 seconds, multimedia, party, religion, sikh, video short
Get down with your Sikh self
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india
Men and boys show off during the parade
Yesterday adherents to the Sikh faith paraded with pomp and circumstance through Paharganj. They were honoring their 10th guru, they’re spiritual leader, Guru Gobind Singh.
Free food was served from stalls along the lane; Sikh “warriors” put on demonstrations of fighting — Gobind Singh is known as a warrior poet — and dancing.
Sadly, the little Canon point-n-shoot doesn’t do the visual feast justice, but…
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Tags: delhi, festival, fighting, food, guru, guru gobind singh, india, marigolds, paharganj, parade, party, photography, sikh
Dia de los Muertos
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india
I went to a posh club for a Halloween (Dia de los Muertos) party (thankfully things fell into place and I didn’t miss my favorite holiday of the year). The party was somehow connected to the Mexican Embassy.
My costume, last-minute and on the cheap: Twister.
I found a toy store, bought the game for $6.50, cut a hole in the mat, turned it into a poncho/shirt (duct tape and carabiners to hold it together), hung the spinner around my neck with a shoelace and voila!
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Tags: beer, costume, delhi, festival, halloween, holiday, india, party, photography, shenanigans, twister
Season of bright lights
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india
I missed Diwali by a few days, but the neighborhood where my uncle lives still has plenty of decorations.
All the shops are displaying flowers and lanterns and shiny posters and garland.
And at night, the lights. And the fireworks.
It’s a bit like Christmas.
The festival — known as the Festival of Lights — has significance primarily for Hindus, but also Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs. My family, being Christian, doesn’t celebrate.
For Hindus, Diwali, also spelled Divali or Deepawali or variations thereof, marks the return of Lord Rama after he defeated the evil multi-headed demon Ravana who had absconded with Sita to Lanka, as retold in the Ramayana. It is also symbolic of other victories by good over evil, or so I’m told. By Wikipedia.
I’ve read (not on Wikipedia) of mothers telling their children, “we light the lanterns to lead Rama home.”
The holiday spans multiple days and does involve a good amount of ritual partying. I like, especially it for the lights and firecrackers. With any luck, I’ll still be here for it next year.
Tags: beer, culture, diwali, festival, india, partying, photography, tradition
