MUMBAI, INDIA
Happy Diwali, Y'all!!
I have to admit, at first I was crushed to find out that all the celebratory fireworks were not in fact to honor my arrival in Mumbai, as I had first thought. As it turns out, I've been fortunate enough to arrive in Bombay on the first day of the happiest of Hindu holidays, Diwali, the five-day "festival of lights." Err...wait, or is that Hanukkah? :-) Anyway, I'm not sure of all the holiday specifics, but I found out today that a big part of the festivities involves setting off as many REALLY LOUD FIRECRACKERS in the streets as you can. Which on the one hand is pretty fun to be around, but can also be a little unnerving when you're wandering the dark streets of an unfamiliar city. And Mumbai has had its share of recent terrorist bombings, which apparently puts even some of the locals on edge--this year there's been a campaign to do away with all the loud explosions, which evidently has been roundly ignored by the pyrotechnic-loving public.
Besides "bursting crackers," as they put it, Diwali also involves exchanging presents, lighting small lamps, and the usual being-at-home-with-the-family stuff. It's really interesting to see all the parallels with Christmas in the U.S., including the barrage of advertisements for holiday sales mentioning "this festive time of year," lots of "Season's Greetings" signs everywhere, and even articles in the paper about how to avoid gaining those extra five pounds every year at Diwali. Pretty funny.
After arriving today, I attempted to check out Bombay's nightlife by heading to a recommended bar called the Voodoo Pub just down the street from where I'm staying. It was supposed to be rockin' on Saturday nights, but tonight it was totally dead, most likely due to the holiday. I think there were five people there, including myself! But I ended up talking to a local guy there named Jack who was friendly enough, and when the bar closed early we both decided to find somewhere a little more happenin'. Being a local, he knew a couple of possibilities, so we walked first to a trendy club called Red Light where we were both refused entry (snobs!), then to a bar with a live band called Jazz by the Bay, which we decided looked too boring to pay the cover charge for. We ended up at an English pub on Marine Drive where we had a couple of beers and talked for an hour or so. Actually, things were more interesting out on the streets, as the roads were bumper-to-bumper with revelers, even at midnight, and people were setting off all kinds of fireworks by the bay--it was just like New Years' Eve.
Happy Diwali, Y'all!!
I have to admit, at first I was crushed to find out that all the celebratory fireworks were not in fact to honor my arrival in Mumbai, as I had first thought. As it turns out, I've been fortunate enough to arrive in Bombay on the first day of the happiest of Hindu holidays, Diwali, the five-day "festival of lights." Err...wait, or is that Hanukkah? :-) Anyway, I'm not sure of all the holiday specifics, but I found out today that a big part of the festivities involves setting off as many REALLY LOUD FIRECRACKERS in the streets as you can. Which on the one hand is pretty fun to be around, but can also be a little unnerving when you're wandering the dark streets of an unfamiliar city. And Mumbai has had its share of recent terrorist bombings, which apparently puts even some of the locals on edge--this year there's been a campaign to do away with all the loud explosions, which evidently has been roundly ignored by the pyrotechnic-loving public.
Besides "bursting crackers," as they put it, Diwali also involves exchanging presents, lighting small lamps, and the usual being-at-home-with-the-family stuff. It's really interesting to see all the parallels with Christmas in the U.S., including the barrage of advertisements for holiday sales mentioning "this festive time of year," lots of "Season's Greetings" signs everywhere, and even articles in the paper about how to avoid gaining those extra five pounds every year at Diwali. Pretty funny.
After arriving today, I attempted to check out Bombay's nightlife by heading to a recommended bar called the Voodoo Pub just down the street from where I'm staying. It was supposed to be rockin' on Saturday nights, but tonight it was totally dead, most likely due to the holiday. I think there were five people there, including myself! But I ended up talking to a local guy there named Jack who was friendly enough, and when the bar closed early we both decided to find somewhere a little more happenin'. Being a local, he knew a couple of possibilities, so we walked first to a trendy club called Red Light where we were both refused entry (snobs!), then to a bar with a live band called Jazz by the Bay, which we decided looked too boring to pay the cover charge for. We ended up at an English pub on Marine Drive where we had a couple of beers and talked for an hour or so. Actually, things were more interesting out on the streets, as the roads were bumper-to-bumper with revelers, even at midnight, and people were setting off all kinds of fireworks by the bay--it was just like New Years' Eve.
posted by John Kuge at 11:40 PM
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