Im beginning to lose track of the days. I have no idea what date or day or time it is ever. I just keep moving. The good news is I finally bought my first piece of fruit actually pieces I should say- my favorite monkey food - BANANAS !!!! They are mini ones too... YUM.
So today I saw India in a whole new light. The spirit of India was apparent in all walks of life- from the rich to poor... young to old. Today marks the beginning of Navratri - all I know is that it is a time of celebration and devotion. The festival lasts for nine days after which other festivals continue on. Everywhere i walked today there were loud speakers playing various festive songs. Huge trucks drove around full of people singing and laughing and dancing while a statue of the Goddess Durga was place in the center. Work today was amazing. All the kids were happy and excited to hear the music and dance. The community members were excited to attend my meeting and answer questions. Everyone in the streets was pleasant. These kids may have no shoes or shirts but they have hearts worth a million dollars. The spirit was everywhere- in the streets, on the train, in the stores. This is only the beginning. I have never seen such an enormous celebration at least not in the states. I can't wait to see whats next.
FYI:
What is 'Navaratri' all about? Navratri is a festival of worship, dance and music celebrated over a period of nine nights (Nav-nine and Ratri-nights). It is celebrated from the first to ninth date of Ashwin Shukla Paksha of the Hindu Calendar for the worship of the Goddess Durga. Goddess Durga is believed to exist in many forms like Goddess Bhavani, Jagdamba, Mahakali etc. The first nine days of the Ashwin are devoted for worshipping the Divine Mother -'MAA'. These nine days are divided and devoted to the Trinity of God worshipped in a female form - three days for Durga (Goddess of valor) three days for Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth) and three days for Sarswati (Goddess of Knowledge and Art). On the fifth day (Lalita Panchami), it is traditional, to gather all books, light a lamp and invoke Sarswati . The eighth and ninth day, it is traditional to perform Yagna (sacrifice offered to the fire) to honor Divine Mother and bid her farewell.
Now we are all enlightened.
