Hi everyone, I am back in Seattle now. Internet access in Nasik was hit and miss. Even though I am back I will finish this post from last weekend...
Today is Makar Sankranti which celebrates the changing of the seasons. Winter is now over here and we are moving into hotter times. Fittingly it is quite warm today (for us) at 30C (86F). The festival is celebrated with exchanges of a sesame covered sweet called tilgul, music and lots of kite flying. The skies around us are filled with kites being flown by kids. The kids use the string reinforced with glass so that they can have kite battles with each other.
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| Rooftops lined with kids flying kites |
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| Busy day at the ghat |
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| Typical crowded street here |
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| Even the cows join in for the festivals |
We went to some temples this morning and down to the Godavari River which is considered a holy river. Many people come here to bath and wash away their sins. Every 12 years there is a pilgrimage to the river and 2-4 million people make the journey. It was crowded today with only thousands of people and I can't imagine it with millions of people.
In the evening we went to a beautiful farm and flew kites with the kids. We lost most of the battles but I had one victory over an 8-year old that was very satisfying. After the kite battles we headed to a party with some people that are from Punjab. The crowd was mostly Sikh people and they impressed us with their passion for dancing. We ended the night dancing to the popular Bollywood songs with the Sikhs. It was a great moment for all of us.
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