Joyous Noise

Yesterday was the Ganesh immersion. That’s when the literally thousands of statues of Ganesh are taken to lotus ponds around the area and sunk to celebrate the end of the 10 days that Ganesh gets his due. There was, for the last two nights, singing and drums beating that you could hear from all directions around our apartment.
The Telugu language news stations were carrying the live feeds from various “official” Ganesh immersion sites around the city, the largest being the large lake at the center of Hyderabad. There thousands of men dancing, singing, or just milling around the thousands of vendors who were there, undoubtedly with Ganesh’s blessing, to ply their trade.
But this event reinforced some of my initial observations and information on how important this particular god is to the Hindus. One of the families in our apartment building came back from a ceremony and the father was dressed in a white robe much like you see on priests. He had a multi-colored bindi on his forehead, the meanings of which lies in the sixth chakra which is "command" center right between the eyebrows.
The military and police were out in full force yesterday as they say they will be as well tomorrow. The Kashmir continues to be a problem for BOTH Delhi and Islamabad. The Kashmiris who are under Indian rule want independence and the Kashmiris who are under Pakistani rule have welcomed Chinese troops into their northern region. I believe the Chinese President intimated in a speech to the Central Party in Beijing that the Kashmiris were revolting. I assume from the Chinese military response, he was referring to their stone-throwing, screaming-hissy-fit-running-through-the-streets-fists-raised demonstrations as potential instability. The present day Chinese hate instability, particularly in this area next to the tranquility of Tibet.
And speaking of Pakistan, or Paukeestaan as the US administration and State Department have been training all spokespersons to pronounce it, has been embroiled in a crisis of epic proportions, much to the glee of the Indians. You’ve probably read the entire page one, above the fold articles about the cricket game fixing scandal. Oh, you haven't? Well, at least five members of the Paukeestaaniii cricket team were sent back home after British newspapers published stories of a bookie and these Paukeestaaniii players were caught with their hands firmly placed around money for throwing, or pitching if you like, a game or two. Sticky wicket, what?
Well, of course, India is now being laughed at by the crowds on the Paukeestaan side of the border at Wagah. This is NOT the waga waga that Fozzie Bear used in his stand-up comedy gig on the Muppet Show, but the only legitimate border crossing between India and Paukeestaan. But if you go to this link: http://ishare.rediff.com/video/travel/india-pakistan-wagah-border-ceremony/393964, you’ll see what happens daily on the Paukeestaaniii side of the border. This is what you get when a colonial power leaves a power vacuum. Well, no one I know actually owns a power vacuum in India, but that’s because the floors are all marble. But. . . . . . . I digress.
India has 10 days to get its fecal matter together as the Commonwealth games are to start in Delhi. Leigh e-mailed me this afternoon with four photos of which only one REALLY gave you a picture of the desperate straits the venues and facilities for the games are really in. Below are some shots that the Times of India just published about the athlete housing. Now, all new construction is a little dirty before the facilities get a certificate of occupancy. I wrote to Leigh that our new construction in Raleigh, NC had a lot of construction dust and debris that needed to be cleared and cleaned before we moved in. But this is a little scary since the athletes arrive in the next week. New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, and Britain are all saying they will be delaying sending their participants. The opposition party is calling for the chairman of the games to resign. Now THAT's really going to help. He's had seven years to get ready, that didn't happen (another surprise???) and now the games could just crater and it's Paukeestaan's turn to laugh. But we report, you decide.





Come on! Rome wasn't built in a day. Oh, and Canada, not to be confused with Oh, Canada, is threatening to pull out of the games all together, except for the Quebec attendees who say they will do everything opposite of the rest of the country, just like they've done forever. Viva la Quebec Lib!