KAJU KATLI - DIWALI SWEETS

Kaju Katli, cut into bite size diamond shapes and covered in thinner-than-thin layers of pure silver foil, are the sweets always associated with Diwali.   Made of ground cashew nuts, sugar and ghee - they represent the ultimate indulgence and covering them with silver, adds to their allure !

SHRINES AND SHOPPING

A charming feature of towns in Italy, is the informal shrine dedicated to the Madonna and Child or  Patron Saint, on a street corner, sometimes at head height, low enough for a votive bunch of flowers, to be left by someone in passing.  In India this is taken a step further, every shop has a shrine with burning incense and the shop keeper has a daily ritual of blessing, before opening for business.

With security an ever present necessity, the bigger shops and malls, require a bag check and pat down, for everybody, on entry and on check out, your shopping bags are numbered and bags tied with plastic tags, to prevent shop lifting.  At the exit to the shop, your cash slip is stamped by the uniformed security guard, who checks the number of bags you are carrying.  Another uniformed guard will cut the plastic tag for you as you leave, if requested.

In the general melee of the exit to the large supermarket, I'd never noticed before that in this busy and unlikely place of coming and going, there was a little shrine on the wall.  My attention was drawn to it this time, because a woman stood perfectly still before it, in prayer, with her eyes closed, an aura of quietness surrounded her.  After a few moments, she picked up her shopping and went on her way !

OMG ! BOLLYWOOD COMES TO TOWN !

The crowds were ten rows deep in places, crammed onto traffic islands, standing on every available surface, people carrying others on their shoulders, people at skyline level, giving every tall building a fringe of heads, jammed onto balconies, hanging out of windows, the immense crowd, standing shoulder to shoulder, was intent on one thing.....Hrithik Roshan, the Bollywood star !

Hrithik Roshan had come to Vadodara and was in the main street of the town, R.C. Dutt Road, to open a flagship jewelry shop in Gujarat, for the Indian Billionaire Entrepreneur from Kerala, Joy Alukkas, listed in the 'Forbes List' as one of the wealthiest men in the world.   It's a Dubai based company, owing much of its success to expansion in the Middle East.   Joy Alukkas, based in Kochi, is not worried by the low value of the rupee or the fall in the price of gold - everything comes right in time !

The focus of the huge crowd was on the stage in front of the new Joyalukkas shop, where Hrithik addressed the crowd, looking like a suave, modern day 'Elvis Presley' - balloons, confetti, red carpets, the booms of the TV cameras and the compere shouting to the crowd and whipping up their responses - the air fairly sizzled. The energy and adoration of the crowd focussed on this Bollywood icon, was palpable, as they strained to catch a glimpse of him.  Even if they were too far back in the crowd for a view, they waved and cheered anyway, as the road, which had been closed to traffic, took on the appearance of a football stadium.

Hrithik, is the No 1 heartthrob of the Indian cinema screen, with a string of successful movies to his name.  He's one of the most beautiful Bollywood actors in the business, with soulful eyes, aquiline features and thick dark hair - multi-talented, he's famous for his dancing and singing too.  Apart from being the face of Joyalukkas Jewelry, he was in town to promote his new Sci-fi film, Krrish 3, produced by his film director father, where he plays the role of a 'spider-man' type, action hero with supernatural powers.

Timing is everything - opening a new jewelry shop and promoting a new movie, the weekend before Diwali, sounds like a match made in heaven !

DIWALI DE-LIGHTS !!!

PARTY GEAR IN THE SILLY SEASON !

ALL LIT UP

Dusshera, Eid Al-Adha, Diwali and then Christmas - every religion is in festive mode - it's the season for celebration !  Streets glow with lanterns and lights - boxes of fruit and nuts fill the shops and special sweets, cut into diamond shapes, covered in silver, fill decorative boxes.

DUSSHERA

One Festival follows another, at this time of year....first it was Ganesha, where we celebrated the removal of obstacles and the bringing of good fortune, then it was the Garba, with nine nights of dancing, to celebrate the divine energy, which we all share and the cycle of creation and dissolution.  This is followed by Dusshera, celebrating the triumph of good over evil.  It has its origins of course in Hindu Mythology and the story of Rama falling in love with Sita, who becomes his wife.  She is kidnapped by the Demon King, whom Rama eventually fights and defeats, to free Sita.

Early in the morning mist, women are already out on the road, sitting amongst heaps of marigold flowers, nimbly making garlands for sale.   These will decorate every vehicle with a prayer for good luck and good fortune, from bicycles to motor cars and everything in between......

The owner of the Fitness Studio carefully knelt before each of the exercise bikes, he applied 5 dots of red 'tika' paste on the front of each one, with a little bit of rice and a marigold, dipped in the red paste.  Each piece of gym equipment was given the same benediction.  The intensity of his prayer could be felt - the gym was a new business venture by a group of young trainers.  It had opened at the beginning of the year, but within a week of its inauguration, it had been wiped out by fire and burnt to the ground and the young syndicate had had to bite the bullet and begin all over again !