From Lakshmi to Lakme and vice-versa!

It's Lakshmi Puja here in Bengal today - unlike other parts of India where the goddess of wealth and prosperity will grace households on Diwali. On this day of Kojaagori or Sharad (autumn) Poornima, when the full-moon shines forth on a pleasant Ashwin (Sep-Oct) evening, households beam bright to welcome Fortune's footsteps with much fanfare and celebration. It is believed that it was on this day Lakshmi, in her avataar as the goddess of wealth, was born from the depths of the milky-ocean during samdura-manthan. In Bengal legend says that Lakshmi tiptoes into households in the depths of the full-moon night, to make sure, as it were, if householders are awake to welcome her - 'Ko jaagori' she asks, which literally translates to 'who is awake?'. Thus the custom in Bengal to paint her nimble feet at doorsteps - an ironic reminder almost to the fleet-footed and changeable nature of fortune and wealth.

Lakshmi is Lord Vishnu's consort, and among her many virtues are also mentioned beauty, grace, charm, wisdom and lustre. No wonder then that a cosmetic giant chose her name to brand their products which would lend women in India (through usage of their products of course) the much-needed charm and beauty that the goddess herself embodies! But they opted for a French derivative of the Indian name, Lakmé, and not the more hackneyed Lakshmi. So in essence Lakmé (mind you not Laskhmi) stands for all things Indian yet with a French twist - probably to lend some international appeal, which our revered Goddess in her red (often golden) saree so gravely lacks!

Interestingly the name Lakmé, that the famous makers chose to christen their brand of products, was adopted from a legendary French opera of the same name composed by Leo Delibes. The opera celebrates the oriental charm captured through the romance of an Indian girl called Lakshmi and her British paramour Gerald.

Emerald country - snapshots from Assam

Rhythms of Ujjain

Caught in the clamour and joy of Navaratri, the temple-town of Ujjain came alive on the banks of the placid Shipra river. An otherwise quiet town, rapt in quaint traditions, it was dressed for the nine-day celebrations with fluroscent lights and myriad floral decorations. It's ancient temples teeming with pilgrims, tourists and sadhus - making the religious fervour palpable in the autumnal October milieu. Roadside kiosks busy with quick transactions...they had everything on offer, from fresh flowers, toys, picture postcards, idols, clothes, aromatic Indian snacks to bhaang laden lassi.
The Avantika of yore (erstwhile Ujjain of King Ashoka's father), however, seems to exist in fleeting glimpses only - dotted here and there across this small yet legendary town...it comes alive in the Mahakaal temple's exotic yet strikingly imposing architecture; and more so at the Mangalnath and Kaalbhairav temples whose odd stone-idols hurl you back, almost instantly, to an unknown pagan era. Otherwise this ancient town wears the usual chaos and clutter of any old, Indian city, struggling to keep pace with modern sensibilities...no wonder then that an ice-cream joint and a glitzy mall seem so out of place here, at odds almost with the pristine Hindu traditions, that define its character. Strains of an 80's Lata Mangeshkar song - "sheesha ho ya dil ho aakhir toot jaata hain" floats into my ear; while garish posters of Bollywood stars, holy saints and political leaders demand my attention. This is the India that I crave to go back to time and again - a people and a city moving on in its self-created rhythms!

It's Monkey vs Monkey at this CWG event

While Shera, the mascot has been rubbing shoulders with the high & mighty at the Common wealth games; a frivolous snake and some fiddling stray dogs happily entered the plush environs of the games' village meant exclusively for humans! Now, what fate has befallen the snake and the stray dogs for such 'wild' transgressions, I know not - but two more creatures are making waves at certain other parts of our glossy capital-city to make it more 'livable' for humans during these games! I saw them in action near the parliament and also near one of the venues - it was monkey vs monkey at full throttle! A well-fed Langoor versus an army of hungry and unkempt Rhesus monkeys involved in a noisy chase, leaping from tree to tree till the latter vanished from sight. The chase over, the smart langoor leaped onto the backseat of a motorbike - its rider, clad in a white suit and red cap, congratulated the langoor for the marvellous job done and proudly placed a similar red-cap on the animal's small rotund head, as if the red-cap was a badge of honour befitting only the brave. The rider started his bike and the two rode off like conscientious soldiers aiming their next task at hand! A large crowd which had gathered to witness this spectacular event cheered the langoor with applause and noisy whistles. This CWG event managed enough spectators; wonder how many the actual games would at its different venues though!