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! 

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:-) 

Monsooney Mumbai

Rain. Rain. Rain. The rickshaws pull down their raincoat curtains. The roads turn into rivers of brown water. You leave your fancy shoes at home and wander out in plastic flip-flops and jump (as elegantly as you can) over lakes of water gathered in the middle of the street. It doesn't stop. All day. From morning till night. And till morning again. 

And then the joy. The kids playing in the rain. That breeze of freshness in the air. That lovely moment when you see the glimpse of blue sky up there in between the old trees in the deep green forest. The joy of just throwing the umbrella away and feeling your bare toes getting all wet in the green grass. Because it is still warm - all hot and humid in the Mumbai monsoon. (ya ya, we look out for snakes and leopards..:-))

And then the joy of getting back home inside. Dry up, cuddle up on the couch, watch the rain pour down out there, put on some nice music, have a cup of tea and maybe some pakoras - (remember - the onion ring's exotic cousin)?

And then thinking back to when we first arrived in Mumbai, also on a rainy day, over two years ago. How the intensity of the rain and wind blew me away - (literally). And then how months and months without rain made me longing for it... How happy I was when the first raindrops came, and how happy I was when the sky again turned from grey to blue...

And then how happy I am that no matter how grey the sky is, or no matter what for that sake, there is always a cause for celebration over here in India. So also today!

Because if you have a sibling you love - today is the day to show her/him that. Please read more about the celebration on my post from last year.

Happy Raksha Bandhan, dear reader. I wish you all the best.

Happy Friendship Day!

If you have followed my blog for a while, you will know that I am an enthusiastic fan of the many Indian festivals... And what happens after being away for a while? Yeah - my feet has barely touched touched Indian soil - and whup: a celebration is coming up. Of course.

Today we celebrate Friendship Day here in India. A day to tell our friends how much we love them, care for them, and how much they mean to us. And I sit here reading the article  "Friendship Day not so cool anymore" in TOI.  Apparently, the social networks is taking over more of the celebration of Friendship Day, and it is less common now to gather with friends on this day to share a cake, hang out and celebrate their friendship live. Also if you see your friends and appreciate them every day, why make something special out of this day? And yes, maybe it's celebrated more among long distance friends?

I think back to the previous weeks when I was back home, and the time I spent with some of my closest friends. So many good talks. So many valuable moments. Nothing can replace that? On the other hand, what a blessing the social networks are for people like us - who have friends spread all over the world. At least we can keep in touch even though we are on different sides of the planet...

In India, I still get the feeling that celebrating friendship is still pretty cool though.. The first sms' ticked in this morning, and they keep coming:

 Tie

    Dizz

         band

              On

                   Your

                         Hand

                                bcos

                                    i

                                Want

                            To

                       Be 

                1st

           person

     To

 wish

        you

               Happie

                    Frdshp

                           Day

                                 And

                                         pry

                                     To

                                Carry

                           same

                     frdshp

                  Till

              The

          End

       Of 

   Life

∷∶*•*..∷∶*•*..∷∶*•*..

"YEH SUCH"

∷∶*•*..∷∶*•*..∷∶*•*..

"HAI "DOST"

∷∶*•*..∷∶*•*..∷∶*•*..

"AAP JAISA"

∷∶*•*..∷∶*•*..∷∶*•*..

"FRIEND"👬

∷∶*•*..∷∶*•*..∷∶*•*..

"KISMAT WALO"

∷∶*•*..∷∶*•*..∷∶*•*..

"KO MILTA HAI"

∷∶*•*..∷∶*•*..∷∶*•*..

."☩"☩"☩"

" HAPPY  "

".☩."☩."☩"

."☩"☩"☩"

" FRIENDSHIP"

".☩."☩."☩"

."☩"☩"☩"

"  DAY" 

".☩."☩."☩"

∷∶*•*..∷∶*•*..∷∶*•*..

¸¸.•*¨¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨¨*•.¸¸

¸.•*•HAPPY¸.•*•

¸.•*•FRIENDSHIP¸.•*•

¸.•*•DAY¸.•*•

¸¸.•*¨¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨¨*•

.¸¸

So, I grab the opportunity for another celebration (of course). I embrace Friendship Day, and  I am sending warm greetings and thoughts to all my friends: wherever they might be: India, Norway, Greece, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Singapore, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, USA and anywhere else. Now, that can at least never be not cool? The joy and blessings of having good friends in you life, don't you agree? Warm hugs to each and one of you my dear friends: Happy Friendship Day! 

************

• A friend is someone who sees through you, and still enjoys the view.(Wilma Askinas)
   
• Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to forget. (unknown)
   
• The best mirror is an old friend. (George Herbert)
• A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. ( Walter Winchell)