Jharkand

In September I was sent to Jharkand for work. It's a state west of West Bengal (where Kolkata is) that is home to many mining communities and farming areas. I drove with some colleagues from Ranchi to Dhanbad, which is where I was able to take some of the photos in this post. It took about six hours in each direction, partially due to the fog and the late rains. In one photo you can see a bike with large bags being pushed up the side of the hill we are on-- the bags were filled with coal that the men were bringing into town to sell. We saw bicycle after bicycle being pushed probably more than twenty miles over very, very rough roads.

The Monsoon

I always joked about the monsoon. As in, whenever it rained hard, we would refer to it as a monsoon. Then I moved to India. I have been taught a whole new appreciation for what the monsoon means for day-to-day life. I drive around in an Ambassador, which has very high clearance. Thank goodness. The photos from above are rather typical for the rainy season (monsoon), and I'm very, very happy that I have not had to wade through the water thus far. Unfortunately this has also meant that when my driver started testing the brakes after we got out of the flooding and we were still driving home, I was informed, "Madam, I'm just making sure the brake works. Sometimes it doesn't work so well after being in water."

Durga

Small community Durga with a traditional drummer.

This is a nontraditional Durga.

This is the one with Ganesh and his banana tree bride (to the left)

Probably my favorite Durga idol.

Every pandal houses a statue of the goddess, Durga. Every one has a slightly different style. You see the eight armed goddess holding a spear to kill the devil while riding a lion. Her children are on either side of her, including Ganesh (the one that looks like an elephant). One of the photos has a sari on the left with red on it. The red substance is called shindur, and is an indication of being a married woman. The sari has a red border and is wrapped around a banana tree. On one of the first days of the puja, the tree is ceremonially brought to Ganesh as his bride. The photos are primarily of non-traditional Durgas, as I found those the most interesting. Each year there are different types of idols, and I love seeing all of the artistry.

Ashtami and Navami

Huts and figures made completely of jute

Pandal made of clay pots

Kashmiri style pandal

Village of bamboo pandal. This was just the entrance

The buildings around this one were painted to match

Everything in this one was made of tiffins (metal lunchboxes), silverware, or plates.

My colleagues tell me that Tuesday, Ashtami, was the most important day of puja for the communities that surround their pandals (temporary temples erected to house the goddess Durga for puja). I mostly stayed inside, but was honored to participate in a small program in a local pandal that had been made through the participation of everyone on the community. From making jute lamps to putting together the lanterns in the pandal, everyone did something to make the pandal a success. The creator, a young Bengali man, told me about his vision that came to fruition, where the pandal was used to build more of a sense of community and bring together families from all economic backgrounds in the community. Today, on Navami, friends and I went "pandal hopping"-- seeing various pandals that won awards over the past couple of days. Each pandal has a unique theme, using various materials and artisans to construct the structures. The photos above capture a small glimpse of the variety in pandals. I'm going to post about the goddess' idols later this week. Today was the final day before the ceremonies to return the goddess to the Ganga (in Kolkata, the branch of the Ganga is the Hoogley River) begin tomorrow afternoon.

Engineers' Puja

In September, the first of the "puja season" begins with the engineers' puja. This is to honor the god who protects/helps engineers, which is loosely translated to all drivers, mechanics, anyone who works on or with some sort of machine. While driving through the city, most taxis, buses, and cars have flowers, sparkly garlands, or other indications that a puja was performed (puja is a religious ceremony) to bring luck and safety for the next year. I have a 1992 Ambassador, which is a locally made car. It needs all the luck it can get to make it through the next year. My driver agreed with this assessment, and this was the result. Ironically, it broke down four days later on the way back from the airport. *Sigh*

Mahabalipuram

Shore temple.

Carvings.

Men attempting to climb onto the back of a carved cow (look on the right)

I recently was sent to work for Chennai for three weeks and escaped for a delightful afternoon about an hour and a half outside of the city. There is a town called Malibalipuram where they are famous for their stone carvers. Approximately 60 kilometers south of Chennai in southern India, it's full of carvings found on the side of the road as well as some spectacular temples. The most famous is the Shore Temple, which borders the ocean and was supposedly uncovered by the wind moving the sands around. Photos of the carvings are above. The final photo was a scene I found particularly entertaining. The young men on the back of the carved cow were trying to fit as many of them together as they could-- this went on for at least ten minutes. Enjoy!

Murder Mystery Dinner Party Menu

I decided to host a Murder Mystery dinner party last Saturday. And I wanted to make some gold old fashioned American food. Being in India, I quickly realized that finding real custard ice cream, fudge, and other things was going to be a challenge. So I cooked all Saturday (and realistically, my housekeeper did all the main course dishes. Thank goodness for her!)
I decided to share my success. 1. I didn't kill anyone. 2. People actually cleaned their plates. So, for those foodies stuck in places with limited food variety available, please pay attention.

Appetizers: I made bacon wrapped prawns, a cheese platter, homemade French bread, and an olive/pickle tray. We discovered if you satay the prawns while wrapped in bacon, they obtain a level of deliciousness we didn't think was possible. (OMG bacon!) The cheeses were imported and expensive, but worth it. As were the olives. Check out Spencer's gourmet section, but watch expiration and import dates as the cheese will often be old. I used my fabulous new breadmaker to make the French bread. Highly recommend getting one!

Salad: This was simple. We cut up a bunch of fruit (any variety will do) early and made a sauce comprised of orange juice mixed with some sugar. Not only does it taste delicious, but it prevents the apples from turning brown. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Main Course: Baked chicken with mushroom gravy, wild rice, garlic and onion green beans. All made with local ingredients. The mushroom gravy had a splash of sweet white wine.

Dessert: I made home made vanilla ice cream using my friend's ice cream maker, home made kahlua fudge using my Grandma's recipe, and coffee with a little Bailey's Irish cream. Fudge is really easy to make if you have marshmallow fluff. Sounds a little weird, but it tastes delicious.

Hope this provides some inspiration for other foodies! We had a blast.