In other words, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Today was all about celebrating Delhi and the New Year on the Hindu Calendar. Having spent all of our time so far in New Delhi, we had a hankering for a visit to Old Delhi.
Vijay drove us to Chandni Chowk to visit the numerous bazaars in the area. We may as well have been transported into another world and time. Actually it is another world. Throngs of people go about their dialy life selling foods, milk, clothing items, every conceivable thing, and transporting enormous bundles on their heads including stack of bricks. Among all this carts (pulled by men) or motorscooters or autorickshaws (a two-seater conveyance with a man peddling bicycle as your motor) are trying to get through the mob. Horns of every pitch and type are honking incessantly.
As we walked, we somehow agreed to be led through the markets by a one-legged man with a crutch (Abdul), who spoke perfect English and had a soft manner. There is no way we could have walked more than a few blocks on our own in these markets without becomming hopelessly lost, so Abdul was a godsend and a necessity. We simply walked and walked and enjoyed the chaos and timelessness of it all.
Today is Diwali so it seemed as if everyone in the market was either selling or buying decorations or sweets for this evening. Yellow and saffron carnations are the flower of choice. It had not been hot in Delhi until today, I think because today the sun was shining. So after three hours of dodging (did I mention it was chaotic?) and weaving and avoiding being hit or stepping into a unidentifyable mush or worse a hole in the "sidewalk" (there is not a single flat surface to walk on in all of Chandni Chowk), we all were swooning and Abdul, who had grown up in this village, guided us back out again.
We had a quick lunck at the Kahn Market which was closing up early as shopkeepers went home to make preparations for evening and be with their families. Then we dashed back to our hotel to prepare for our own Diwali evening. The general manager of the travel outfitter for our trip, Mr. Sanjay Verman, was kind enough to invite us to his parents' home in a suburb of Delhi to join him and his family for Diwali.
It was about a 45 minute drive from the Imperial Hotel to Sanjay's home in a hyper modern suburb of Delhi. Every home in the neighborhood was decked out with lights (think Christmas) in every possible color and design. As we entered Sanjay's parents' home, small tea lights adorned the family shrine outside. Yellow and saffron flower petals lined either side of the stairs to the second floor. We entered a large living room and his entire extended family greeted us. We also saw that an altar had been set up in the middle of the living floor and a Hindu priest knelt there making preparations. Incense drifted through the air and tea lights flickered. We were presented with garlands of flowers and the priest chanted and put red bindis on each of our forheads.
Sanjay explained that the red color represents (female) energy and is also the third eye through which we can "see". We were asked to sit cross-legged on the floor with the priest to participate in a traditional Diwali ceremony which celebrates the gods Ganesha (the remover of obsticles) and Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth). I'm sure that Cliff will do a much better job of describing the ceremony than I because he was the person actually performing the rites. The priest would chant and every so often he would gesture to Cliff to gently toss flowers at either Ganesha or Lakshmi (actually the ceremony is done in its entirety once for each god), or sprinkle water in each of the four compass directions, or light a tea candle, or place food offerings in front of the gold images of each god, or light more candles. Cliff was a busy guy. And of course Sanjay interpreted the meaning of each gesture for us and helped Cliff to know when and what to do.
Then we went outside for a few minutes to set off small fireworks and light sparklers. The neighborhood sounded like a warzone because families were setting off fireworks and firecrackers at every home.
Then we went outside for a few minutes to set off small fireworks and light sparklers. The neighborhood sounded like a warzone because families were setting off fireworks and firecrackers at every home.
After the fireworks we went back inside and enjoyed a delicious dinner of authentic home-cooked Indian food prepared by Sanjay's mother. I loved all the dishes but my favorites were the potatoes and dahl. We left around 9 and had an hour drive back to the hotel. What a wonderful day and excellent beginning of a new year.
