Behold, the Elephant Lord approaches

Regal grandeur: This idol was at least a good 8 feet in height, and was accompanied by a smaller version at its base.

It is widely proclaimed that he people of Bombay are a festive lot, and can come together to celebrate at the drop of a hat. However, nothing puts them in a more jubilant mood than the festival of Ganeshotsav, the arrival of the Hindu lord Ganesh on earth. While I am not particularly religious myself, the festival is certainly a spectacle to behold, irrespective of your religion or nationality. Spanning for a duration of 12 days, preparations for the festival begin months in advance. As early as January, sculptors and artists begin to hone their skills and create masterful idols in different postures and sizes. While some may choose to depict the lord in dance, others go big, and create larger-than-life models poised upon huge thrones. It is said that the demand for these idols is so high, some sculptors make their entire year's bread and butter by this one festival. 

While these photographs do very little justice to the sheer extravagance of the festival, I hope they will convey perhaps a small feeling of what it was like to stand among the masses. For much better photographs, you can go here.

The Festival of Lights

Ah, Diwali; the time of year that almost every Indian waits for with bated breath. The magical festival of lights and sounds, that unites people across religions and instills a new vigour for life. Diwali arrives towards the end of the year, and usually creates a buzz well before the actual date, with fireworks dealers setting up shop across the city and sweet stores taking advance orders to ease the population's insatiable demand. when the night sky is set ablaze with rocket trails and the air is pungent with the distinct smell of burning sulfur.

To Infinity and beyond!

Bottle rockets trace long arcs into the sky and delight the young and old alike, eliciting gasps of wonderment as they explode into a shower of sparks.  Meanwhile at street level, bombs send ear-splitting shockwaves in all directions, bringing the faint-hearted a little closer to death’s door. At the end of the night, the roads are a desolate warzone, with the charred remains of burnt fireworks littering the streets and irregular blasts echoing in the distance.

Sunflower

Starburst

This year, festivities were relatively low-key, given the rising awareness of the environmental repercussions of lighting fireworks. Over the last decade, there has been an outcry over the ecological impact along with the alarming noise levels generated during this time of year.

However, this jubilant time of year stands for more than just amateur arson and being a public nuisance. A time for reflection and rejuvenation, Diwali is a festival that celebrates newness and the beginning of a new year. Traders and businessmen clear out their records and start over afresh, while households make large purchases such as new cars or appliances. Still, we should transcend materialism and look away from the past.  On this occasion, let us look to the future, and see how we can better ourselves, so that the new year is lived happier than the one gone by. :)

Here's to a Happy Diwali!