This just in

Undies For Fundies
Karnataka, India

This just in: Fundies Buckle Under Onslaught Of Undies
Whoo hoooo! Free, nonviolent expression works.

In the pink

the Underwear Underground
News from India

It's time for what has become the annual update on the Great Indian Valentine's Day Controversy.

In case you have only recently joined us, self-styled "defenders of Indian culture" have protested, often violently, against the de facto adoption of Valentine's Day into the calendar of many and varied Indian festivals.

And it's not just "Hindu nationalists" - reports indicate Muslim hardliners as equally incensed. Looks like a great opportunity for interfaith bonding against a mutually recognized "threat."

Mind you, no one in the pro-VD camp is suggesting that VD be an official, government holiday...the cultural curmudgeons just don't want private citizens strolling hand-in-hand or sending valentine cards.

The recent Mangalore pub incident has the Moral Police back in the headlines, major. (As Richard Gere, Shilpa Shetty and Khushboo can tell you, they are not to be trifled with.)

This year, there's a very creative response - the Pink Chaddi Campaign from the Consortium of Loose, Forward & Pub-Going Women. PCC asks participants to send a pair of pink women's undies (any size, style or fabric) to the head office of the Moral Police - mailing address found here.

No, Valentine's Day is not a part of traditional India. Neither are televisions, cell phones, DVD players or cars. Or speaking English, for that matter. Or cricket. What a great idea - let's get rid of all those, too!

Even in America, I personally always found "V D" to be an obnoxious holiday, regardless of one's relationship status. If you are not attached, VD sucks for obvious reasons. Even if you are, it puts insane pressure on the relationship to prove itself visually and materially. Yuck! But if someone chooses to celebrate it in whatever fashion, that is their choice. My anti-Valentine's friends and I used to have an annual "Love Stinks" party, the apex of which was playing the J. Geils anthem at full volume.

One of the Ram Sene's threats is "tie or die" - that any couple found holding hands or "canoodling" on the 14th will be forced (by them) to marry then and there on the spot. OR ELSE.



Now, despite the death threat, let's try to look at this in a positive way. What a great opportunity for all the gay and lesbian Indian couples who otherwise could never marry! Now's their chance!

Subhamoy Das of About.com Hinduism has thoughtfully provided an overview of (shock!) romantic love stories found in the annals of traditional Hinduism. The image at right is one of the more G-rated depictions found in "traditional" art.



Perhaps no other faith glorifies the idea of love between the sexes as Hinduism. This is evident from the amazing variety of mythical love stories that abounds Sanskrit literature, which is undoubtedly one of the richest treasure hoards of exciting love tales.



Let's face it, the western Cupid is just a cheap, cherubic ripoff of the god Kamadeva.

Hindus, Hin-don'ts

Temple of doom
News from Puri

I'm not taking sides in this...I know better. Just stating the obvious; that this is going to keep on till somebody or a bunch of somebodies (probably in south India) holds a referendum to "officially" redefine or define in the first place, since it was never defined in any scripture, what is a "Hindu."

It's not the first time the guardians of Puri's purity have been asleep the switch. Last year an Australian (I think) got in - which precipitated a ritual cleansing of the grounds - and around the same time there was a diplomatic faux pas when some Indonesian (presumably Balinese?) Hindus were not allowed in (guess they did not look Hindu enough...?).

At the time of the Indonesian incident, I read an Indian news report that such a conclave was being held, but never heard results.

Now I read of an incident involving the Thai Princess (--are Buddhists part of Hinduism? depends on who is counting, and why. In my experience, when it's to Hindu advantage, Buddhists are part of the "Om Kar Parivar") and another where a Bhubaneshwar temple was cleansed after a visit by someone - government minister in fact - from a "low caste." (not enough to be Hindu - you need to be the right kind of Hindu.)

The temple cleansing episodes remind me of the old story about Buddy Holly's family. Holly, the Texas rock legend, was very adamant about integration and socializing with Blacks. (It's okay to call them Black again...) This happened in a small town in the 1950s. Holly insisted on inviting some Black musicians in to his parents' house for dinner. After they left, he said, his parents "scrubbed the dishes five times with extra soap."

And why doesn't anyone fuss at the Parsees about the same issue? Well, for one thing, the Parsees are consistent!

Hey Balinese guys, next time "dress like a sadhu."

According to police, the foreign visitor, Sebastian, dressed like a sadhu. That made it difficult for security guards at the entrance to make out whether he is a Hindu or not. “He looked like a sadhu. He was wearing ochre robes of Hindu monks and yellow kurta with a shawl. He had also anointed sindur on forehead,” Singhadwar police station inspector-in-charge Arun Dalai.

Fearing more tension, the policemen escorted Sebastian out of the temple and detained him at the office of the Jagannath temple for hours.

Days of our lives

Calling all culture geeks and India-heads! The new Hindu Festival Calendar 2009 is out, courtesy About.com Hinduism. It's more oriented toward India than Nepal, but is pretty inclusive. Of course there are always myriad celebrations and regional variations that don't make it to the general calendars. But, if you are planning to be in Tiruvannamalai for Shivratri (for example), this is a big help.

There's also an explanation of the calendar and its relation to the English (Gregorian) one.

Here is the January listing.

• Lohri: Tuesday, 13-01-2009
• Makarsankranti / Pongal / Tamil New Year / Magha Bihu: Wednesday, 14-01-2009 (official end of Winter, or when the sun enters Capricorn sign in the Vedic system. It's different from the Western)
  
• Thiruvalluvar Day : Thursday, 15-01-2009 (I think this is only for Tamil Nadu)
  
• Mauni Amavasya: Monday, 26-01-2009 --(Amavasya means Dark Moon or New Moon)
  
• Vasant Panchami / Saraswati Puja: Saturday, 31-01-2009 (aka Sree Panchami, official start of Spring)
  

Of special importance to Nepal visitors will be the Dasain schedule. It's well known how difficult it is to get anything done at this time.

These observances get earlier and earlier every year. I read a few months ago about how the Jyotishis (Joshis in Nepal) are discussing how to adjust the calendar. At the rate the lunar calendar is progressing, or I suppose regressing, pretty soon the harvest-themed festivals such as Dasain will be in August. That just won't do.

• Mahalaya: Friday, 18-09-2009 (beginning of Dasain/Navratri)
  
• Navaratri begins: Saturday, 19-09-2009
• Durga Puja begins (Maha Saptami): Friday, 25-09-2009
• Navaratri ends: Sunday, 27-09-2009
• Vijaya Dashami/Dusshera: Monday, 28-09-2009

Mandala meanderings

Down in the Valley: Another Cultural Minute

Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

I haven't been meandering too much this trip....been in bed with a screaming migraine the past 3 days. But I would like to continue my Power Places of Kathmandu Valley series.

Tantric Hinduism was mostly wiped out or went underground in India, the land of its birth, centuries ago - by a resurgence of Brahmin orthodoxy and religious reforms. But it remained and remains alive and well in Nepal.

This has mixed results; the lovely sensual artwork celebrating human sexuality, along with the many bloody animal sacrifices.

The entire valley (and every city within the valley) is arranged as a mandala; that is, a ritual circular design with "power points" at key positions.

Here are my photos of a few more of the "Power Places of the Valley."

Chobar Adinath at first appears to be just another charming Newar style pagoda temple. But it's sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists, and inside the walls are covered with brass plates, pots, pans and photos of individuals. These are all homages to the deceased. The result feels very intimate; like being in someone's living room with the eyes of their ancestors peering down.

Dakshinakali, a Hindu temple located in a deep dark crevasse near Pharping, is the best known animal sacrifice temple, not only in Nepal but possibly in the world. It's not so much a temple building as a sprawling complex of bridges and platforms. Situated atop a small river, the water literally flows red most days (as you can see in the lower left-hand side of the river photo). Chickens, goats, sheep and so on are sacrificed by the dozens daily. Creates a powerful aura, but be prepared.

The hills and woodlands surrounding the grotto are strangely peaceful, green and beautiful, and if you climb to the hilltop, a quiet, less bloody Goddess temple awaits you. In general Dakshinakali is certainly a powerful antidote to the popular ideas of Hinduism as a nonviolent religion.



Pharping Vajra Yogini is just about the polar opposite, vibrationally, of Dakshinakali. It's a hillside temple to a Buddhist goddess, and unfortunately doesn't allow photos of the main deity figure. But the wooden pagoda structure gives a welcoming, cottage ambience, so that you really feel you are visiting the "house" of the devi. The Vajra Yogini is a very prominent figure in the region so if you are looking for the Vajra Yogini temple, be sure to specify which one - there are several.

I could never get a photo that managed to capture the serenity of Pharping Sesh Narayana, a Vishnu temple which is nearby the Vajrayogini and up the road from Dakshinakali. Again, it feels more like a charming collection of cottages, surrounded by a goldfish pond and placidly grazing cows, than any formal house of worship. It's a very enchanting location. The small waterfalls and pools seem appropriate for a temple dedicated to the reclining "Adi Sesha" (ancient serpent) form of Lord Vishnu.


Time to go eat dinner. I guess there will have to be a Power Places Part 3.

Local colour

Freestyle Flashback
Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh

I was looking through my past year's photos, for pictures to submit to the 50 Million Missing group, and found this. AmmaGaru ("Garu" is a Telugu honorific; they call the Dalai Lama "Dalai LamaGaru") was my across-the-street neighbor during last year's Kalachakra ceremony in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh. She is one of the things (there are so many) that I loved about being a visitor in small-town South India. (Not sure I would want to grow up, raise a family, or have to make a living there, but I loved visiting.)

The eldest woman of the house is always responsible for its spiritual upkeep. She must rise early, during "Brahma Muhurrtam" (hour of the gods) - that is, around four or five. First, the woman must bathe - regardless of how cold it is. Only after bathing, she can do all the household pujas, especially mangal aratik or waving the oil lamp before the gods and in front of the front door, to remove the darkness, and cleanse and protect the house and its occupants.

Then she draws a kollam (also called rangoli, or by many local names) - a geometric design - with chalk powder, directly on the front door step. It's a sort of invocation and invitation to the gods. Kollams are a real art form in and of themselves; every region has its own style, and only women do them.

All these tasks must be completed before sunrise, which signals the end of Brahma Muhurrtam.

I never managed to catch her in the process - she got up in the morning far earlier than I . Amma lived alone in a very tidy, clean-swept semi-hut. Her kollams were, well, unique. They seemed to have no boundaries. Others were happy doing a smallish design right in front of the door, but often Amma would just "go off" and start freestyling all over the sidewalk.

AmmaGaru seemed to be alone in the world. I sometimes caught her talking to herself.

She was always concerned that I was in the house alone and admonished me to lock the gate behind me (all in Telugu, of course, but I understood through her mimetic gestures).

Amma had two beautiful Mangalagiri saris that she wore on alternate days - one maroon, the other forest-green. How did she know they are my two very favourite colours?

Goats' head soup

Dead and kicking
Bhaktapur, Nepal-

Just saw my first goat sacrifice yesterday, and am still recovering.

I was under the naive impression that they held the poor thing down, slit its throat and let the blood drain out while the animal just kind of faded away. Nope. One guy holds it up by the horns and yanks its head back, another guy holds it by its tail, lifting it off the ground. The idea is to get the blood to SPURT and PUMP out onto the vehicle (usually car, tractor or motorbike) that is being .... well, christened is definitely not the right word. ("Inaugurated," maybe.)
Then as the goat screams and kicks in the air they carry it round the bike in a circle to get ALL Corners covered by blood.

If you stand too close you are in danger of getting spurted on, for real. Fresh blood is the reddest red you can imagine, it almost hurts your eyes. I used to have a bright red nail polish that was the same colour but you never see it elsewhere in nature. Not that bright.

Finally they brutally sever the head (at this point the throat is torn wide> open and you can almost see the heart still pumping) and put the head in the front adorning the ground. The body lies kicking and thrashing beside the vehicle.

I love all animals, but goats really have sass and personality, and this really bothered me. According to an American Hindu scholar who was with me, the scriptures say it is not a sin to eat meat as long as it was sacrificed to a god. But does sacrificing it in order to safeguard your vehicle count as religious? or at all spiritual?

Everywhere we went, at literally every corner of Bhaktapur, there were machines and vehicles adorned not just with pools of blood but what looked like clear plastic tubing. These turned out to be the washed strung-up entrails of the animal, draped like a festive garland over the radiator grill or handlebars. I purposely missed the sacrifice of a water buffalo last night in front of Brahmayani Peeth temple, but I did talk to the Navadurga Dancers who were required to drink the blood straight from the animal's neck. Their white ritual gowns were soaked pink like tie-dye. It is still really hot here in the daytime (okay, pretty hot - nothing like India though) so I am tired from walking all over town. Time to go shower. I have loads of photos to download, too.