Let there be light

- Remember Eli, over the dark clouds, the sky is always blue

That is what my grandfather used to say to me. In those moments when the worries seemed unbearable and there was absolutely no light in the horizon whatsoever. 

- There is always light in the end of that tunnel. No matter how long and dark it might seem to be. There is always light at the end of it. 

Was another one. He collected good quotes, my beloved late grandfather, and he never hesitated to shower us with them. Simple words of inspiration. Of encouragement. Of wisdom. Words that could lift you up on that grey day, in that dark moment and when u felt utterly totally in misery. My grandfather would be there and would not leave us alone until that feeling was there. The feeling that Everything Was Going To Be Alright. 

He passed away many years ago, my grandfather, but I still miss him. Missing his wise and comforting words. I feel grateful for the legacy he left behind though - maybe above all - the kindness and curiosity he met other people with. When he listened to you, he listened 100% , and he was there. With one of his quotes. One of his own or one of someone else's.  

- Always be the light in someone else's life, 
he would say, nodding and smiling like he let me in on the world's biggest mystery:
- Always be kind to people. Be generous with your smile. Share a kind word and a question. Show interest - and what do you know - you might be the light in that other person's life that day. 

And speaking of light, dear reader. Diwali, the festival of lights is just around the corner in India. The decorations are coming up, and everyone is getting ready: 

Diwali, the festival of lights. You know, I love the craziness of the Ganesha festival, the fun and women-power-spirit of Dusshera, but Diwali is to me like the Mother of all Indian festivals. The Queen. So vibrant, so powerful, so beautiful, so emotional... It's amazing. This is what I wrote last year: Happy Diwali

And after Diwali, we are heading towards Christmas. Another celebration where lighting candles and light bulbs play a big role. A candle for someone or something. A light for hope and gratitude.

So, dear reader, light a candle if you like. But maybe just as important: try to be the light in someone's life. All it takes is a smile, a kind word and some attention. It may mean more than you know.

Let there be light.

  

1 day and 2 celebrations

First: thank you for all kind comments on my previous post about Geeta. It warmed my heart, and I feel so grateful for all the virtual hugs you sent me. And as I knew it would, the sadness and misery I felt, vanished in a flash of a moment, because who can stay sad when you are surrounded by a group of ladies in colorful clothes who are pushing wooden sticks into your hands and nodding enthusiastically: - dance, dance.... ? Not me...

Oh yes, dear reader, another festival is upon us, and has been here for almost 9 days now. The celebration of the divine mother Shakti in all her 9 forms. The 3 first days is for goddess Durga/Kali, remover of evil, suffering and imperfection, and then goddess of healing, wealth and prosperity, Lakshmi is worshiped, while the last 3 days is for Saraswati, goddess of creativity, wisdom and knowledge. Its a wonderful festival, that I have been so lucky to experience for the third year now. I love the decorations, light pulps in the streets, the flower garlands, the food, sweets, the colorful clothes and the bling bling - feeling about this festival. And the intense-ness of the dandiya dance... Magic days in Mumbai - what can I say...

So, 9 days, 9 nights... and 9 colors: one for each day. So on the blue day, for example, the ladies will dress like this:

Last year I also wrote about this lovely festival - and you can have a look at it here: Navrati festival 

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Today, 2 October, we also celebrate the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi in India.

His home Mani Bhavan is one of my top favorite places to visit here in Mumbai, and the guests we have had from abroad, have all enjoyed their visit there immensely. Like me, they have all heard about Gandhi and how he led India to independence, and then visiting his home brings history alive in a very emotional way at this house.

More than anything, I love the philosophy and the words of Gandhi. I am sure that they will live forever and they will keep being a unique source of inspiration to people all around the world, myself included. 

Here are some of my favorite quotes by Gandhi.

1.

 2.

3. Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.

4. Be the change you want to see in the world.

5. An ounce of practice is worth a thousand words.

- So, dear reader, which one is your favorite quote? 

And as we continue with our celebrations here in Mumbai, I wish you all Happy Navrati and Happy birthday Mahatma Gandhi.

I hope you have a good day wherever you are. Enjoy your moments.

Ta ta from Mumbai!

Ganesha drums and Autumn symphony

I had to smile, when my blogger friend, Arti, My Yatra Diary, asked me to write a guestpost on her blog on the Ganesha festival. That was going to be fun:-) And it was! Thank you for hosting me, dear Arti. 
________________________________________
Ganesh Visarjan: Close up with Ganesha

" It had been 4 years since I had been religiously covering it. 

But not this year. This year, I wanted to pass the baton to someone else. 

I wanted to hear the story but from the other side. 

And... it didn't take me long to circle who that someone else would be. 

How about my dear blogger friend, Eli @ Expat Liv? An expat journalist

and writer from Norway living in Mumbai since the past two years?  

I thought. It would be nice to hear what she feels about the Ganesh 

Chaturthi festival. Being a regular reader of her blog, I already knew 

her love for India and that she connected with the festivals and cultures of 

the country at the same emotional level that I do. Thinking thus, I immediately 

set off to shoot her an e-mail requesting if she would like to be a 

guest on My Yatra Diary... and pen down something on Ganesh Visarjan 

and the festival from an Expat's point of view?

And voila, there she was, in the midst of flying in from Goa and 

flying out to Europe, all excited to make some time and honor 

this little corner of mine. I simply couldn't stop feeling grateful and 

thanking her for this kind gesture of hers.

So on that note, there we go -- sit back, relax and read all that the 

festival of Ganesh Chaturthi means to an expat, from an expat's point 

of view -- rest assured, Eli is the kind of writer who shall leave you 

wanting for more! 

******

When I was invited by dear friend Arti to write about Indian festivals in 

general and Ganesha in particular, I could feel a huge smile spreading 

on my face. Because even long before we moved to India over 2 years ago, 

I had a vision of the Indian festivals. Colorful, noisy, wild, crazy, fun 

and with crowds of happy people drumming and dancing all over, 

all the time. I was not disappointed. The festivals here are all that 

- and so much more. 

I go with the flow, from festival to festival."

You can read the rest of my guest post here: on Arti's amazing blog My Yatra Diary.

____________________________

So, one day I am right there. In the middle of a wild crowd in Mumbai. Surrounded by people who are drumming, dancing, laughing and together we are moving like a human winding train towards the water. I can feel the heavy drum beat. As I stretch back, I feel raindrops on my face. I start to laugh because it all suddenly feels so crazy, loud and intense. And here I am -  right in the middle of it. This enormous crowd of people, all here to follow their Ganesha to His last journey. The immersion. And the drums do not stop. At all.

And then the next day I am somewhere else. I am walking on a path in a green forest. No drums. No people. No cars. No sounds. Just quiet. I can hear my own heartbeat. Lots of trees. The colors are changing. From green to yellow, orange, red-ish and brown. An Autumn symphony. And yet, the drums are with me. Somehow. They do not stop. Not even here.

A short week back in Bergen, but already today I am moving on... To where? Stay tuned...:-)

Ta ta! 

Irumbai and Greening of Auroville - a guestpost

Do you remember our vivid travel around the world in 26 days, dear reader? Since my P was Pondicherry and my urge to travel there has not diminished notably since last April, I figured it was time to feed my urge. So, what could be better than to have one of my favorite bloggers Beloo Mehra take us to her Pondicherry?

I came across Beloo's blog in the same challenge - and followed her 26 posts on Education In India with enthusiasm, curiosity and awe. Since then I have been stuck on her blog LetBeautyBeYourConstantIdeal. I am honored and excited to showcase Beloo here, and hope you will enjoy her writings as much as I do. Thanks for accepting my invitation, dear Beloo: the floor is yours:-)

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Irumbai and Greening of Auroville

Beloo Mehra

 Once upon a time, maybe 500 years ago or more, there lived a highly evolved Siddha, a Yogi (Self-realized person) known as Kaduveli Siddha. He lived in a small village presently known as Irumbai, about 10 kms from Pondicherry, and near Auroville, the international township with a deeper aim to realize the inner unity of humankind.

Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity.

To read more about Auroville, visit: Auroville.org
To read Auroville Charter, click here.

Back to the story...

During a time when the village and nearby areas were not getting any rains and the drought condition was making life difficult for people and other creatures, Kaduvella was busy performing his austerities and spiritual practices (tapasya) sitting under a peepal tree. He was so fully concentrated in his tapasya and the intensity of his physical and spiritual heat (tapas) got so strong that soon an anthill started to rise up around him. People thought that the drought was getting worse because the tapas generated by the Siddha's intense tapasya and austerities. But they didn't know how to break the yogi's concentration, especially when they saw the anthill grow bigger and bigger with every passing day.

Suffering because of the drought and resulting deprivation, the villagers approached the king who agreed that the Kaduvella's ongoing tapasya must be 'broken' in order to bring down the intensity of the 'heat'. But he too didn't know how. A temple dancer, named Valli, a woman of enticing beauty and a devotee of Lord Shiva, decided to do her best to get the attention of the yogi, and to rescue the King and people from the adverse effects of his tapasya (penance).

Valli observed that occasionally Kaduveli would, with his eyes shut, put out his hands to catch and consume the falling, withered leaves from the peepal tree where he was sitting. So she prepared a bunch of thinly fired apalam (a flat salty wafer made out of green gram daal), and started placing them in the yogi's outstretched hands as he tried to catch the falling leaves. He would eat the apalams and slowly got his taste back. In a few days he grew fatter until finally the anthill broke and he was once more exposed to the daylight.

One day finally Kaduveli ended his tapasya and opened his eyes. Valli was extremely happy and convinced him to go to her house where she kept him happy with her dedicated service and dancing talents. Meanwhile, the rain gods were relieved from the torture of the heat of the yogi's tapasya. The village received plenty of rains and the people were once again happy and on way to become prosperous due to abundant crops.

This called for special celebrations and the King arranged a special Puja to be held at Irumbai temple, (also known as Mahakaleshwara Temple). As part of the celebrations, Valli performed the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva, the Nataraja. It so happened that while she was dancing one of her anklets fell off, and she lost her balance and rhythm. Kaduveli, who saw the Lord Shiva in Valli, picked up the anklet and put it back on her feet. The King and other members of the royal court were shocked to see an enlightened Yogi touch the feet of a mere dancing girl. They mocked and ridiculed him and made sneer remarks. Kaduveli got furious and invoked the Lord Shiva to come out of his temple and prove his innocence by causing a rain of stone. Immediately the shivalingam in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple exploded, and wherever its fragments fell became desert. The Siddha cursed that no greenery will grow in that area.

The King was naturally frightened and begged the pardon of the Siddha, bowing down to him with all his entourage and pleading with him to take back his curse. Kaduveli was by now calm enough to realize the devastating impact of his curse. He told the king that the curse couldn't be taken back, but sometime in the future people from far-off lands would come and make the desert land green and fertile again.

Today, there are villagers in Irumbai and many other villages near Auroville who feel that the Aurovilians, many of whom hail from many different countries, are the people from far-off lands mentioned by the Kaduveli Siddha and that the curse is now beginning to leave them. Spending a little time in Auroville and seeing all the "green" around one gets a sense that the legend may indeed be true.

To learn more about the ongoing afforestation and other 'greening' work going on at Auroville, click here and here.

Love of Nature is usually the sign of a pure and healthy being uncorrupted by modern civilisation. It is in the silence of a peaceful mind that one can best commune with Nature.  (The Mother, Collected Works, Vol 16, p. 401)

All pictures are from Irumbai temple, credits: Suhas Mehra

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Aaaahhh, dear reader. I hope you enjoyed the story? I sure did, nature lover as I am... And my urge to visit Pondicherry area, Irumbai temple and Auroville? Oh yes, still there, maybe even more...:-) Thank you dear Beloo for sharing this wonderful story:-)

About Beloo:
Beloo donned the hats of school teacher, university professor and researcher for many years, and is now happy to be doing what she does best – learn. Living in Pondicherry for the last 7 years and working part-time as an online educator for a private university in the US, she devotes most of her time to studying the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo, blogging, reading, gardening and just being. She blogs at http://letbeautybeyourconstantideal.blogspot.in/ and can be reached at beloome@gmail.com

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Have a continuous good week!
Ta ta from Mumbai!  

My 7 top Goa Monsoon Moments

Every time I have been to Goa, the sky has been blue. The sun has been shining and it has been filled up with tourists from all over. Hectic, busy, fun and a bit exhausting.

This week, when I went, the sky was grey. The clouds were dark and rain was pouring constantly. But you know what, dear reader: I totally loved it.

Back in Norway we say: "There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing" - so I put on my monsoon plastic shoes and headed off to explore monsoon Goa. These were my top favorite moments:

1. Nothing beats the vibrant colors and the freshness that the rain brings out. The coconut trees seems taller, the rice fields seems brighter and the nature comes to life again. And as I was strolling around in the fields, mesmerized by the green beauty, clicking away - I just hear my friends going: " - Oh, we are impressed Eli - see you walking around without fear for all the snakes and crocodiles." - Eeeeeeeeeeeeek....

2. Having Chicken Cafreal - and lots of other goodies at the local Florentines restaurant. I like the Goan cuisine for their smart use of spices. The restaurant is great: visited by locals, genuine and clean, cheap prices and most important: very tasty food:

3. Feeling the amazing and including atmosphere at The Miraculous Cross at the Holy Cross church in Bambolim:

4. Shopping the best cashew nuts (in the world ?)- in Sawantwadi. A long drive, but totally worth it. A beautiful place - and back in "my" state - Maharashtra.

5. Being the almost only (playful) tourist in a normally very crowded tourist area. How peaceful and calm to go for a stroll along the sea - feeling the breeze and rain at the beautiful Dona Paula beach area - famous for the myths of the Portugese lady Dona Paula and for shooting of the Bollywood films Ek Duuje Ke Linge and Singham. Usually packed with people, but not this week. Not even possible to buy the Fresh Lime Soda with Singham Masala  and Bombay Masala..:-) Hm - gotta come back here:-)  

6. Being invited to new friends' homes and feel happy when they show me their gardens with blooming flowers, the little birdie that they saved, their new kittens, the newly born calf or their old Portugese home which has been in the family for centuries and that they preserve with love, respect and pride.

7. Just sitting there, watching the rain pour down - feeling relaxed and happy - and knowing that the sun is waiting. Patiently. Because over the dark clouds, the sky is always blue..

Bye for now, dear Goa - see you again:-) 

G for Golden Temple

So, we are leaving the green and peaceful Faroe Islands, and I promised you some glitter and glory today didn't I? Well, I will keep my promise and take you with me to a dream destination of my own. A place I had longed to see long before I moved to India, and the urge to go there has just grown stronger and stronger.. Yes, today we are headed back to India and to the magical Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab.

Living in India has brought me new insight on religions and cultures I knew little about before. One of them is sikhism. The more our sikh friends have shown us about their way of living, the more fascinated I have become. It seems now un-avoidable for me to visit The Golden Temple, Harmandir Sahib, the holiest shrine for the sikhs. I know I just have to go there.

Now, of course, the newly discovered diva in me is beyond excited just by the whole Golden theme idea. Is it really gold? Wonder how it will shine? Must be magnificent.. Huh, can you believe that lady?

On pictures, the temple looks like a pure vision - with white and golden stone walls it is mirroring itself in the water surrounding it. It glitters and sparkles and looks so beautiful (the Diva gets ecstatic..). The temple was built in the 16th century in the unique sikh architecture. The holiest text of sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib, is always present inside the temple which is visited by over 100,000 people daily.

I find our sikh friends to be very inclusive and open, as is their religion. The Golden Temple has four entrances, from all four directions, to show that all people are welcome here. No matter where you come from or what religion or belief you have. So, in a way, the Golden Temple is not only a sacred place for the sikhs, but also a symbol of human sisterhood and brotherhood and equality. Every human being is welcome in the temple to seek spiritual solace and religious fulfillment.

So, dear reader, that is a destination I dream of traveling to. One day... One day....

I hope you enjoyed the journey to the Golden Temple? Tomorrow I will lead the way to a place that I have already visited, but to which I would not at all mind going back to! Anytime! H......... here we come!

Until then!

1-30 April I participate in the A to Z blogger challenge, and this post is written as a part of that challenge. Check out some amazing participating blogs here. My theme for the challenge is Dream Destinations. I hope you had fun coming along? Please stay tuned for a new destination tomorrow. 

Go to a-to-zchallenge.com

B for Banganga

So, yesterday we went all the way up to the Acropolis but today we are not traveling very far, at least I am not. Today I am taking you to one of my favorite places here in Mumbai: the Banganga tank at Malabar Hill.

When I first went there in 2012, it was love at first sight. Walking down some steep stairs and taking in the whole scenery of the narrow streets around the tank, all the temples, the trees, the people, just feeling the peace and quiet... And then sitting down at the stairs, looking at the water, hearing people talk around me, and get this intense feeling....  of both sadness and happiness.

You see, Banganga tank is one of Mumbai's most holy sites. Since it is said that the water here comes from Ganges, it is considered sacred and with healing effect just like the Ganges water. People come here to remember their loved ones who has passed away. You can see groups of people sitting on the edge, dressed in white and often with shaved heads (White is the color for mourning in India) - letting small packets of memories float off on the water or swim themselves in the sacred water of the tank.

(Almost) car-free alleyways surrounding the tank... 

So, the legend says that the spring was created by an arrow shot by Rama (the hero of the epic Ramayana), and the minute the arrow hit the ground, water gushed from the ground, creating a tributary of the Ganges. Therefor the name is Banganga, the Ganga created on a baan (arrow).

To me, this place has a unique atmosphere. Sitting there, getting all dreamy and melancholic while philosophy-ing about life itself is what makes the Banganga tank a dream(y) destination for me. I hope that you enjoyed coming along with me as well? And stay tuned, because tomorrow we have a high up and down below destination when we travel to C....

Until then!

1-30 April I participate in the A to Z blogger challenge, and this post is written as a part of that challenge. Check out some amazing participating blogs here. My theme for the challenge is Dream Destinations. I hope you had fun coming along? Please stay tuned for a new destination tomorrow. 

Go to a-to-zchallenge.com

Once upon an ancient time

1.

The nymph Echo loved to talk. One day, goddess Hera was seeking her husband Zeus who she suspected was having fun with some nymphs... Echo managed to warn them so they could escape. As a punishment, Hera took away Echo's voice, with the exception of the ability to repeat the last word said. The echo..

PS:
Hera said to Echo: You shall forfeit the use of that tongue with which you have betrayed me, except for that one purpose you are so fond of: reply. You shall still have the last word, but no power to speak first!

2.
One day, Echo saw and fell instantly in love with the beautiful young man Narcissus. He felt her presence and yelled "Who's there?" Echo repeated "Who's there?" Repeatedly..... Finally, she went and tried to hug him. "Leave me alone!" he shouted and left. She mourned until nothing more than an echo sound remained of her....

Maybe another day, I will tell you more about Narcissus, a fascinating character...:-) 

Hope you enjoyed the small dive into mythology today. Have a wonderful weekend, dear reader! 

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I am participating in a fun festival of words this week:-) This post is written for The Write Tribe Festival Of Words, which goes on from 2-8.March 

Today, Day 6, we were asked to write a story consisting of 55 words. Oh my, the art of constraining myself has really been tested:-) You can read more about the festival, and enjoy some of the other entries on the website. I am sure there will be a lot of good-reads today too: Day 6, 7. March: 55 on Friday

Happy Diwali!

As I write this, I can barely hear my own thoughts! Mumbai goes crazy tonight! Fireworks in gold, silver, red, green lit up the smokey sky, and we are not talking about a bit of firework around midnight - oh no, here we are talking daaays: hours after hours...  And like my friend said: "the louder the better, because then the bad spirits are scared off"  

Ok. What - a -  festival! The mother of all Indian festivals! Diwali. The festival of lights. Last year, we celebrated in Goa, so this is our first Diwali at home- in Mumbai! And you know, we have been preparing and decorating. We have lit our diyas and put out our rangolis. We have been celebrating with friends and neighbors - and yet we are just in the middle of the festival! About time I popped in to wish you, dear reader, a Happy Diwali as well, I think!

Today is the maybe most important day, the day when goddess Lakshmi is worshiped. A day to gather with loved ones, to enjoy good food and sweets, and to welcome Lakshmi, praying she will bring wealth, health, and good fortune to your home. And send up fireworks - not to forget! That might also have been yesterday by the way - the fireworks:-)  

At Diwali we celebrate that light concur darkness and the victory of good over evil. Hindus have some important events associated with Diwali. One is the return of lord Rama to the kingdom Ayodhya after his 14 years in exile. He was then welcomed with arrays of diyas, the small clay lamps - which we see outside every home, and along the streets during this festival.

Our neighborhood is looking like a fairy-land - all lit up, really beautiful. And what a joy: still some days left for celebrations - you got to love the festivals in India! They just go on and on!

Happy Diwali, dear reader. I wish you the best.

Decorating for Diwali and a Mysterious Wall

She sat outside the hut, looking up at us, as we came closer. She could be maybe 5-6 years old. She smiled and looked down at the little lamp burning next to her - giving a yellowish light to the dark alleyway. - It is for welcoming Lakshmi, my friend said  - that is why they lit the lamps - to welcome the goddess to their home, and hope she will bring prosperity and wealth. 

Diwali is coming up, dear reader. The festival of lights. It is glamorous, almost magical and enthusiastically celebrated by all people (myself included). And I can feel the pre-Diwali spirit over Mumbai now... Expectations, excitement, preparations, joy...Diwali commercials all over - and people are shopping to decorate for the festival. To go with the flow: so did I, and set out for the Bhuleshwar market.

At Diwali, people dress up in their best clothes, and this is the time to appear in a new and impressive creation! It is usual to give clothes and saris as gifts as well, and what a fest of fabric, color and glitter we found at the market:

Rangoli is a beautiful way of decorating for Diwali. Intricate vibrant patterns are being made on the floor, outside your door, using colored powder. If you think it sounds to complicated to make, they also sell large round-rangoli-look-a-like-stickers. 

And with lots of powder, some skills, talent and patience, you might be able to make something like this:

We also found other glittery stickers for decoration - swastika (for good luck) and footsteps to stick on the floor outside your entrance door or outside rooms - to show the gods where to go and welcome them. Remember only to stick them the right way - they should show the way in to your house and not leaving it..

In the most colorful part of the market we found garlands. Big and small garlands to decorate your front door,your car, bicycle - wherever you want basically, for good luck and for welcoming the gods.

And finally the diyas, the small oil lamps. During Diwali found lit outside every house, big or small. Remember, the diya that I had first seen - next to that little girl- in the slumhut. Representing hope and joy.  

So, then I come home, with my decor-Diwali stuff, standing in the elevator thinking how great this will look outside our door. I come out of the elevator. I stop. Is this my floor? When I left that morning, everything was normal, but during the day, a wall has risen in front of our door. Yes, dear reader. A wall. I am speechless. And a bit impressed that they managed to erect a wall during some hours only... But what is going on? Hm - those rangolis might have to wait a bit to go on that floor... 

Stay tuned to follow my mysterious-wall-tale, dear reader... And Diwali is coming up 1-5. November by the way, so still plenty of time..:-) 

Wish you the best, and thanks for following:-)