From Galicia to Tamil Nadu...

For about 2 weeks now the Ganesha idols (=statues) gathered massively along the roads. Waiting for the Tour de France? Apparently not. Temporary shops are selling all possible sizes of white-pink statues, in all kind of activities : in the traditional sitting position, playing tambora (kind of indian luth) or as "Lord Ganesha" was still young, with its human face before he was beheaded and "fixed" with the head of the first animal going along - which turned out to be an elephant.
Since yesterday (first day of Ganpati festival) it becomes very difficult to find a quiet place in Poona. From 6pm "mandals" (religious "bandas" like in Spain or South-West France) appear in the streets with orchestra members in uniform, camels and a big Ganesha statue pulled by 2 cows. No traditional indian music but heavy drums and improvising keyboard (in a total free & quite delirious way).
It is supposed to last 11 days and will end with the famous immersion of the Ganesha idols by each familly in the river (they are supposed to be soluble). The municipality has recommended to follow streamlines in order to keep the time between the first and the last immersion below 24 hours & to limit the power of the walls of loudspeaker build in the city center! First pictures soon on iDenTiC!

The previous festival had just finished : Gokul Ashtshami celebrating Krishna's birth. Traditionally groups (scholars) are building human pyramids to try to catch a pot full a money, supposed to remind of the efforts of young Krishna to get a butter pot put out of reach by his parents...

Escaping from festivals and city life & I went last sunday to a magic place : Raigad fort (crowning & death place of the national hero Shivaji). The day started by a failed attempt to get some roupies from an ATM not because it was empty but due to a simple electricity breakdown in the city. It took then 5 hours to reach the mountain's foot after 140km of difficult roads. The trip became nice as we reached a pass - home of curious monkeys - where we entered a green paradise : huge panorama of waterfalls, green & deep "can(i)ons". Raigad welcomed us with a heavy shower that made us desperate not even to take the ropeway to reach the summit (only metallic grid around the cabin, no rain protection). Finally a small blue square in the sky encouraged us to go via a nice 1400+ step way (On a water & aquatic plants covered step, I met a snake that went after 10s to its favorite hole, where I decided not to follow it). Once at the top a great feeling : pure air, lemon-green grass, blue sky and dark ruines(see www.freewebs.com/shivaji !) . Rickshaws can go to hell! A few tourists apart, some buffalos were enjoying bathing in small waterpieces and eating the shiny grass ( sound file recording available on request, 30s, absolutly relaxing)...to avoid the slidy stairway, we went down by ropeway through the rising clouds. On our way back we couldn't go through Mahabaleshwar, a traditional hill-station, because the road was closed by the police to prevent hindu extemists to destroy a muslim ("momedian" as says my driver) king's tomb on another Shivaji's fort. So we had to endure the same road like in the morning. Dur-dur (hard-hard).

Quite a lot of tensions between religious communities in India. Not a single day without new signs of tensions between hindus & muslims. In fact India is a really violent society behind the "non-violent" image that we all have in mind. It is an mistake to imagine that all people are "Ghandhis". In the city center, late at night, I saw 2 or 3 real fighting scenes since I arrived here at clubs proximity. One of our favorite ("us" = some cool kashmiri friends - students- & me) is called "leather lounge" (only for couples on friday & saturdays, but there are always exceptions...). A very rich man is going there sometimes, dropped by a white Mercedes S. He never enters without 5 bodygards who don't make efforts to hide their atomatic guns (sic!).

Back to culture, I went to a nice museum, "Dr. Kelkar's collection" in Poona, rich of more than 20,000 piece of traditional art (wooden massive doors, god's statues, lamps, pots, combs, music instruments,...) from everywhere in India and sometimes 7 centuries old. Private visit by a guide as old as the museum who participated himself to a lot of renovations. A lot of stories of gods, demons, families, kings & king's mistresses later I came out delighted and fascinated. It is time to know the touristic places of Poona before the big jump to Chennai in one month & something...

But I hear a mandal coming, I have to go...