2 BHK ?

As we flew along on Rajesh's motorbike, I reminded him that I wanted 2 BHK.  "That will be difficult because everything is 3 BHK "!  He admonished.  "And I  would like something semi-furnished", I added - thinking that if the kitchen had a fridge, stove and water purifier,  and the bedroom had bed bases, I could buy the sofa and chairs and put in some finishing touches - something to my taste.  Finally we pulled up outside a huge block of flats.  "This is just what you are looking for - semi furnished in a good area"  Up we went to the second floor - a mild apprehension set in...and then he flung open the door triumphantly....   Each room was completely empty.........!  "But you said it was partly furnished".......  "Yes"  he said......  "it has ceiling fans in every room" !!!

On to the next flat.  A towering block with at least a hundred flats.  The sheer bulk of it against the darkening sky was off-putting - it looked like Al Katraz.  We were joined by a second agent - his jet black hair had been slicked back on either side and he wore very dark sunglasses, even though the stars were out and the moon was appearing.  Up to the second floor..."they'll be gone by the 1st October" he said.    We all took our shoes off before entering - all was chaos as the large family were in the throes of packing up.....from the balcony, you could see the slum dwellers on the other side of the road, beginning to light fires - they sleep under plastic or rude shelters, close to the ground.   By now I had a team of 3 agents - they stared at me quizzically...."no I don't think this one" I said....

"Well"  they said, undeterred by my lack of enthusiasm..."we have just the thing for you - it's fully furnished and in Akota - a very good area"

Perched on the back of Rajesh's motorbike, I felt the warm night air brushing past - we passed the 'Cow Circle',  and the Havali house temple - then we turned left - a road I didn't know.  Flats everywhere, we pulled up outside a brand new block, freshly painted white.  Now this looked promising.... a young man came out to greet us.  He turned to me and asked "Are you vegetarian"?  My heart sank......surely I wasn't expected to sit down to dinner with the family?  After all I was only looking for a 2 BHK and I had planned on going to the local Pizza place to reward myself, when this ordeal was over....I decided to look noncommittal.  He shrugged and led us up to the second floor - and unlocked the door - the interior was painted pink,  it was empty but there were built-in cupboards and two Art Deco bed bases in the bedrooms.....when and how were they going to serve the meal?   I wondered.  Then the owner walked in - a severe looking man dressed entirely in white.  He introduced himself and then told the agents in Hindi, that whoever rented the flat was not to consume any alcohol or cook or consume non-vegetarian food in the flat.... EVER !!  I could feel myself shrinking under his imperious gaze and wondered it he could sense my penchant for boiled eggs ?

I was relieved when Rajesh dropped me outside Pizza Inn - I had clearly asked for the unattainable ..2 BHK, semi-furnished for non-vegetarians, doesn't exist"  "I'll show you some more tomorrow" said Rajesh.....I forced a polite smile....hmmmm perhaps.

9 P.M.

The noise was ear splitting - in the darkness the truck slowly progressed down Jetalpur Road with its loudspeakers blasting out disco music.  The huge statue of Ganesha sat enthroned in the back of the truck, lit up with brilliant spotlights which also illuminated the road behind, where hundreds of revelers were dancing and gyrating to the music.  Every now and then the truck would stop to allow more revelers to join the crowd from the side lines.  They were heading to the river, where the statue of Ganesha would be immersed in water and left to dissolve, bringing this festival to an end....but, this being India, it is just a preparation for another... Ganesha statues from every street and neighbourhood in Vadodara have been progressing, in decorated trucks, down roads all afternoon, bringing traffic to a halt, as well wishers, who have tended him with prayers over the last 10 days, accompany him to his immersion.

The Monsoon is over now and we won't see rain again for another year.  And in this strange sequence of seasons, the coolness brought by the rain, has been followed by hot humid weather which will be followed by the cooler 'winter' months....in a rhythm of hot, cooler, hot, cooler.....it doesn't follow the logical patterns of seasons as we know them in the West, with the gradual change of summer into autumn and winter, blending into spring...The hot nights are accompanied by the sound of crickets and the odd explosion of fireworks....

BREAKFAST CUISINE

That essentially English idea of a 'boiled egg' for breakfast, is a very foreign concept in India - where it is more usual to have a cup of chai and perhaps a bowl of poha (spicy flat rice) or upma, a spicy porridge or dosa, a Southern Indian dish, which looks rather like a Christmas Cracker, only much much bigger and is filled with potato in the middle, served with a number of hot spicy sauces.  Consequently,  egg cups are impossible to find in any Indian shop....so, in desperation I checked my kitchen shelves for an alternative and I found that the top of the Eno's Fruit Salts bottle, was just about the right size to hold the egg, though the height was definitely not right - so high up off the saucer, the egg was separated from both it's cut-off 'lid' and the little pile of salt and pepper below - the disproportionate scale, is not pleasing to the eye nor is it practical !   So I went in search of some more appropriate alternative in the shops of Vadodara.  On a glass shelf in Landmark, the bookshop, I saw one very small mug, with a smiley face on it and an even smaller cup-like object, which consisted of a truncated body and two legs and said 'good pals' - so with a surge of hope, I bought them.

With great anticipation, I unwrapped my parcel when I got home, to see how well an egg would fit into my two new 'would-be' Indian egg cups - but...alas... they are oval and to my profound disappointment, I found that no amount of turning, will make a round object fit into an oval void !  So it's back to the Eno's bottle !

GANESHA CHATURTHI - 11TH SEPTEMBER

The road was unspeakable, washed away by the Monsoon rains, huge craters made the going rough - the distance wasn't that far, but it took at least 45 minutes to get to the factory, called Danke, which made transformers, used locally in India and also for export.   Today was the start of the Ganesha Festival and the statue of Ganesha had been prepared and placed in the factory temple.  It was a special day because the spirit of the god would be invoked and would be invited to enter the statue.

The owner of the factory came out to greet us when we arrived and soon his son and daughter-in-law were ensconced on cushions in front of the idol and the puja ceremony began, with all the workers standing in a semi-circle, having first removed their shoes, ready to watch and offer their prayers too.  Ganesha is one of the most popular gods in India and cuts across caste and sect, for he is the remover of obstacles and is invoked also for the start of new projects.

This was the first day of the ceremony which will culminate in ten days time, when Ganesha will be taken to the river and immersed in water and left to dissolve.   Nandini and her husband, as the chief protagonists in the ceremony, being the son and daughter-in-law of the factory owner, were instructed by the priest in the intensely detailed ritual.  The little representations of the god were bathed in five things - curd, water, milk, honey and ghee.  Each represented a blessing - longevity, purity, nourishment, happiness and prosperity.  Colours too played their part - the rich vibrant orange marigold flower was added to the offering and rice and various spices.  Fruit and sweetmeats were placed within reach of the god. The priest intoned the prayers in a mix of Sanskrit and Hindi.  The ceremony lasted about 40 minutes and culminated in the hanging of a garland of bright marigolds round the shoulders of the statue.  Sweets were handed out to the crowd, everyone smiled and clapped and one could feel the mounting anticipation for the finale of the festival in ten days time, when there will be a good deal of merriment, dancing and music.  

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN EARTH AND HEAVEN

DO NOT DISTURB

THANGKA

What a jewel this was after the rough road and dilapidation of the surroundings - it looked like a little piece of Japan, which had come to land accidentally in Northern India.

The Norbilingka Institute was designed by a Japanese architect and consisted of a collection of buildings, with the Buddhist Temple set at the highest point - the head of a plan based on the body of a many armed Buddhist God.  The Tibetan guide led me up a pathway over a little bridge with ponds, full of fish, on either side - an air of serenity prevailed...the Institute had been established to preserve Tibetan culture.

Climbing some stone stairs, we entered the first workroom where the famous Thangka paintings were being produced.  'The artists come from Tibet - they have escaped over the mountains and we give them 3 years of expert tuition in the art of Thangka painting: tson-tang and go-tang, applique work on fabric, depicting the life of Buddha,'   he explained.

The artists sat on cushions, with a low table in front of them - all were bent upon their work and barely looked up.  The designs are drawn first and then transferred to the canvas, which is prepared, much as a panel was prepared, during the Renaissance.  The designs are then painted onto the surface.

The applique work, in a different workroom, was carried out with painstakingly tiny stitches - even individual jewels for a throne, had been cut from fabric and intricately stitched, to create a shimmering effect.

Downstairs the sculptors were creating designs out of wood or beating copper sheets into huge representations of Buddha.

THIS SEAT IS BOOKED

There was a general air of preparation in the Temple Complex on Friday, HH the Dalai Lama was scheduled to stage a 2-day teaching session and people had come from far and wide to claim a bit of space in preparation for the next day - a patchwork quilt of mats !