Karthika
on Koraput Hilary (India), 29/Oct/2009 01:36, 34 days ago
It's Kartik or Karthika masa (month) at the moment, theholiest month for Hindus and devotees worship Lord Shiva to the utmost.  During Karthika masa, women wake up early and have a ceremonial or spiritual bath and perform "Lord Shiva Puja".  Every day, women decorate their house entrances with lighted diyas, devotees believe that performing or observing fast and pujas during the month can bring them salvation after death.  I hear several of my neighbours praying and singing very early in the morning and the smell of incense wafts in through the windows.  My mission over the next few days is to go to the Jagannath Temple here in Koraput to observe the worship and festivities there.  I would love to take some photos as the women are dressed in their best, most beautiful and colourful saris as it is such an auspicious month but will feel a bit conspicuous going there with my camera to stare and 'capture the moment'.  I will need to find a local person happy and willing to escort me there to explain a bit about the rituals.SPREAD bought 2 new motorbikes recently, needed for one of the projects currently in progress.  There is a Hindu custom to perform a puja on new motor vehicles to bring them luck and make them safe from accidents.  This seems to involve cleaning them then decorating them with flowers and symbols using turmeric and other brightly coloured dyes, performing arati (showing a flame) using burning incense sticks while offering prayers. (Apologies to any readers who understand more about the details and spot my mistakes, I'm still trying to understand the culture and faith).A priest from a nearby temple performed the puja on the bikes then came into the office to offer prayers in there as well, scattering turmeric-stained rice over anyone or anything that he found on the way. This is me, post puja with auspicious rice grains sprinkled on my head.  I was a little worried when I found out about the puja as I had already had a couple of pillion rides on one of the bikes the day before the puja.  Fortunately I lived to tell the tale.This is the liquor store in town where bottles of beer and other noxious substances are furtively wrapped in newspaper and handed out through the small gaps in the bars.  I don't drink much alcohol, maybe a can a week with friends but I feel like some sort of criminal when I go up the steps to the shop and can't help looking round wondering who's watching and stuffing any purchases deep into my backpack out of sight.  Drinking is frowned on by many people - probably with very good reason with the problems that can occur with overindulgence and some very poor people using what little cash they have buying alcohol rather than food or medicine for their family.  As for women buying drinks - I suspect that us westerners are the only women that do it.