Orissa Appliqué

This weekend I went to a crafts show in which artisans from all over India exhibited their wares. Textiles of all sorts – purses, saris, shirts, rugs, and wall hangings – abounded. While many of the colorful textiles did originate from the Rajasthan area, one booth from Orissa caught my eye. Artisans around the town of Pipli are known for their famous brightly-colored appliqué work.



Originally produced to provide intricately-stitched awnings or covers for religious deities and hangings for festivals, the textiles have now expanded. Today’s purchasers can find garden umbrellas, cushion covers, wall hangings, hanging lantern-like objects, and bags. Amongst the designs were some ornate village scenes on wall hangings, reminding me of the Hmong story cloths. Truly a treat for the eyes.

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Take a Number

Before entering the temple for the Vaikunta Ekadasi festival, everyone had to remove their footwear. Considering the large numbers of people at the event, that's a lot of sandals! To help with the process, numbers were written on the sole of the shoes. Even at that, it must have been a challenge finding your sandals afterwards. Unless you have a standout pair, such as the white flipflops with blue straps in this picture!

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Long Queues

Waiting in line is a common event in India - whether it is for entering the temple for a special event (as pictured above) or for getting fuel at the pump when there are strikes (as just occurred these last few days). Considering all the "practice" they get, I wouldn't necessarily call Indians the best line waiters. Some seem to find it a sport to wiggle their way to the front - perhaps because they feel they're entitled to be there, you're not assertive enough of your spot, or simply because they can.
Nonetheless, patient queuing is important. Panicked crowds can quickly result in mass hysteria and dangerous situations. Stampedes occur on a frequent basis, particularly during pilgrimage events. Another good reason to search out the exits!

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Vaikunta Ekadasi

As I proceeded to enter the street from my apartment yesterday morning, I noticed an unusually number of parked cars. My suspicions about a temple festival were confirmed when I saw my street fenced off and police only allowing pedestrians to enter through. Many of the pedestrians were walking barefoot, all headed towards the temple. Going the opposite way, I continued on with my morning walk in the dark at 5:30 AM. Near the completion of my walk, I was now near the temple. Snaking around the corner was a huge long line of people waiting to get into the temple. Some were buying ceremonial leaves, flowers, and other items. Several young people were collecting sandals from the worshippers, writing a number on the soles with chalk. The temple was draped with small “Christmas” lights cascading down over its façade.

Rushing back to get ready for school, I now arrived with my camera. One young man, seeing me with my camera, asked me if I knew what was going on, to which I replied “no.” He told me that this was the festival of Vaikunta Ekadasi, dedicated to Lord Vishnu in the Tamil month of Margazhi. The Srirangam Sri Rangantha Temple I was standing in front of was one of a few temples around the state that holds this auspicious event. He pointed out the reclining Vishnu above the entryway of the temple, indicating that this temple is dedicated to Vishnu.

According to legend, on this day Lord Vishnu took the form of “Ekadasi” (female energy) to kill the demon Muran. Impressed by this female energy, Vishnu announced that whoever worships him on this day will reach “Vaikunta” – heaven. The young software employee also told me that those who have passed away throughout the year will have the chance to enter heaven on this day and those who die on this day might go to heaven directly. Worshippers say prayers for their dead loved ones in hopes this will happen. On these special temples, a special door is opened for this one day of the year – the “Vaikunta Dwaram.” This is the passage encircling the innermost sanctum of the lord. Masses of people from all over the state lined up as early as 3:30 AM to pass through the Gate of Vaikunta in the temple.

Shortly after that, the software engineer told me to step back, as the large statue of Vishnu was going to be brought out. Adorned in beautiful garlands of flowers, the stern Vishnu was a sight to behold. A moustached sculpture carried him on his shoulders. A priest began performing some rites, including draping an additional garland of jasmine flowers over the outstretched hands of the moustached carrier. A ceremonial umbrella was placed over the entire huge sculpture, shading Vishnu and his carrier. The priest also lit some candles. A double-reed instrument, special drums, and an accordion-like instrument added to the festival’s flair. Alas, it was time to leave for school.

My neighbor also told me that on this day devotees fast and stay awake the entire night. Her mother-in-law already was at the temple at 3:30, observing the poojas occur. Rice is avoided on this day, as it is believed that the demon Mura finds a dwelling place in rice eaten then. Special meals are eaten after the fast is broken.

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Teddy Bear Cactus

When hiking through the desert around Superstition Mountain, I noticed a large number of bushy cacti that looked fuzzy like a teddybear's arms & legs but not tempting to touch. It turns out that this type of cactus, the cholla, has quite a nasty reputation. The version known as the jumping cholla is particularly nasty. Even the most minuscule brush against the spines may result in a hitchiker on you - a spiny segment that seems to have jumped off the plant. Those having the misfortune of having the spines imbedded in their skin described it as similar to a fish-hook, with the barb stubbornly hooking itself under the skin. There are some things better left not experienced...

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Arizona's Saguaro Cactus

This Christmas I went down to Arizona and visited my parents snowbirding in Apache Junction. Around the area, saguaro cacti are prevalent, dotting the valley in place of trees. Along the newly constructed highway, I noticed many saguaros perched up with boards, part of the mandatory relocation process for the protected cactus. Symbols of Arizona (and its state flower), saguaros are a curious species. I learned it takes up to 75 years before the first "arm" to grow. In addition, the rate of saguaro growth is highly dependent on the amount of rainfall. Since the reproductive flowers and fruit are found on the arms, more arms are desirable. Not arriving in the right season, I didn't get to see the pretty flowers and the seed-filled fruits - but I heard it's quite pretty in the area during spring, provided sufficient rain.

I wonder: How long does it take to produce the next arms? Can you tell how old a saguaro is by the number of arms? Another method?

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Missing snow? NOT

For Christmas break I went back to the USA. Landing in Chicago, I took a shuttle bus up to Madison. Due to the snow, it took and hour and a half longer than normal. Snowstorms also played havoc with plans with my sisters, a family party, and then trying to fly out of Chicago. My youngest brother also came down to Arizona, all too eager to escape the frigid temperatures (it was around -50•F windchill or -46•C one day), incessant snowfall, and related joys. The deer statues had only their antlers showing above the snow, with more snow coming after that. His morning flight was the last one out of Milwaukee before it once again closed down.

Capri pants, short sleeves and sandals? I'll take it...

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Happy New Year Kollams

Today’s kollams were larger and more colorful than ones I’d normally find in front of homes in my neighborhood. Although the designs varied, flowers seemed to be a common theme. I even saw one that had yellow cut flowers carefully placed on top of the design. Many of these large kollams had the New Years greeting on them, including a few in the native Tamil script.

Happy New Year!

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Some bright building

Lime green bldg and decorative grillwork, originally uploaded by melissaenderle.

Seeing as many are cooped up indoors with dull grey skies outside, I though this photo would be a booster for color-deprived eyes. This lime green building with red and magenta trim is in the town of Pondicherry, a few hours south of Chennai. It was one of many buildings in the "Tamil" side of the town that had decorative grillwork which included female figures. Definitely a noticable building!

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Christmas in India

Mid-December I began noticing bright decorations hanging in some shops, both in Chennai and then in Pondicherry. Large 3-dimensional colorful stars, garland, fake Christmas trees, lights, and cheap Chinese ornaments could be purchased by the passersby. In Pondicherry vendors around one of the old churches were selling sizeable Nativity sets.

India’s pervasive culture also has managed to intermingle with western Christmas traditions, forming a unique Indian flavor. In some homes people decorate a banana or mango tree instead of a pine tree. Instead of candles, some use the small clay oil lamps commonly used for Diwali. In the highly touristic site of Goa, huge celebrations take place on Christmas. Seen as the cradle of Christianity in India since St. Thomas arrived on the Kerala shores in 52 AD, Christmas is a large celebration throughout the south. Stew and appams (pancakes made of a batter of rice flour and coconut milk) are enjoyed in Kerala. In other south Indian states, murukku (a fried pretzel made of lentils and rice flour) are enjoyed. Rose cookies and other sweets are shared. Christmas services with their sweet hymns and chanting are accompanied with drums. Gift exchange is also common.

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Christianity in India

While in Pondicherry we visited several churches. Like churches around the world, they too were preparing for Christ's birth. In the 1st century AD, St. Thomas ("Doubting Thomas") arrived in Kerala and set up seven churches and then traveled to southeastern India and continued to spread the Gospel. It was in Chennai where he was martyred and now buried within St. Thome Basilica. When the Portuguese arrived after Vasco da Gama discovered a sea route to India, they continued spreading the Christian faith. The cherished Mother Theresa was one such visitor, making India her home. Today India is home to over 25 million Christians - about the entire population of Australia! Over 3/4 of India's Christians (accounting for about 2.3% of the total Indian population) live in southern India.

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India Fleece for sale

When the temps drop below 80F (26C) in south India, it's time for some to get out the fleece. This photo was taken in Pondicherry along a street where one could buy Gap and other American branded clothes (made in India) at cheap prices.

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Kepi Caps

This policeman in Pondicherry is wearing a kepi, a red cap with a circular flat top traditionally worn by the French Army. Such headgear is one of many lasting influences of the French in the southern India town.

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Ecole Francais - in India?

This weekend I went with a friend to Pondicherry, a coastal town about 162 km south of Chennai. Our 200 year-old hotel, once a spacious house with high ceilings, was located within the area once known as the "Ville Blanche," meaning "White Town". When wandering through this French section, one could almost be mistaken in thinking that they were in France. Street signs, the characteristic blue metal background with white letters, are written in French. Names of hotels, restaurants, and even schools also bear French names. A pleasant park is a short walk away from the beach promenade, replete with benches, a central stately white colonnaded government building, and leisurely strollers. Near our hotel was the Ecole Francais d’Extreme Orient, one of many grand French buildings painted in bright hues. Even the streets were cleaner in this area.
Pondicherry was actually one of several French colonial settlements throughout the country, part of a scheme to gain dominance over India and possibly oust the British. In the late 1600’s, the French began building up Pondicherry, transforming it from a small fishing village into a town with a strategic port. The English and French fought for control over the town until 1816 when the French regained control, lasting until 1954 when the French handed over the city. Although the city’s grand buildings were destroyed during the French-English bickering, the French stubbornly rebuilt on top of old foundations.

Today Pondicherry is a popular destination for French tourists. Ties to France continue to be strong.

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Karthigai Deepam

As I was coming up the stairs to my apartment, I saw my neighbor creating a rather large kolam. Asking what the special occasion was, she told me that today was the Karthigai Deepam, a festival of lights celebrated in the Tamil month of Karthigai. In some households, the number of lamps lit are double the amount from the festival of Diwali, with the number of lamps doubled each day until Karthigai Deepam. Unlike Diwali which is celebrated throughout India, Karthigai Deepam is uniquely Tamilian.

After my neighbor deftly transformed the dotted grid of 8 points across on each edge of the hexagonal design and 15 points in the middle using fine rice flour, she placed five small oil lamps on the design. Because the family was in mourning (her father-in-law passed away one year ago), the design wasn’t as large as it normally would have been. In villages, she explained, the creation of the kolams becomes quite an affair, with a sense of competition to see who can create the largest or intricate kolam.

Invited inside her apartment, she gave me a sweet bowl of rice (which looked like Rice Crispies) cooked in jaggery (unrefined sugar made from the sap of palm trees) and shredded coconut. As I enjoyed the sweet treat, she turned on the TV, on which a live special celebration in Thiruvannamalai was taking place. As I had visited this holy place this August, I was particularly fascinated by how the huge temple grounds had been transformed into a near carnival-type atmosphere, illuminated with strings of white lights, fireworks, and mobs of people. My neighbor recalled the time she went to the event, uncomfortable with the sheer number of people. This year security was tighter, in light of the recent events in Mumbai. On the zenith of the hill I had ascended a few months earlier, a large torch was lit. Here it is believed that Shiva’s jothi (light of fire form that Shiva assumed) is visible on this night.

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Steeple Scaffolding

This image is "scaffolded" from the previous construction photo theme. While taking photos of a Kerala-style church building in Trivandrum, I found an old man staring back at me when looking through my lens. Although the steeple was not very tall, the construction scene still looked rather precarious.

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Church construction

Since I’m on the topic of construction, here are some photos of a church that is being built in my neighborhood. Note the rather crude scaffolding. No OSHA standards here!

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Piling on the Bricks

With a population of around 7.5 million, laborers are plentiful in Chennai. You see people sweeping the highways and roads with a broom, cleaning out the road drainage by hand (even during the rain), and conducting a fair amount of the construction with manual labor. This man carefully balanced himself as he proceeded to pile more bricks on top of each other, walking with the load on his head towards the apartment construction site. Watch your step!

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Get out those striped winter hats!

As I went out for my morning walk at 5:30, I actually felt a slight chill in the air. Not that it was cold, but for a place where temperatures rarely dip below 80 F (32 C), the morning temps around 70 (21 C) were a big change. While walking and then on my auto rickshaw ride to school, I noticed more people wearing those striped "hats" - essentially a wide knitted strip with an attached knitted band to tie below the chin. Older ladies with saris, men with shawls draped over their shoulders, children, and the many motorcyclists all donned these fashion headgear.

It reminded me of in Mali where during this time of year I would find the men huddled around the fire, wearing winter jackets and commercially knitted hats. Granted, the humidity during this time of year was very low. I received quizzical stares as I walked past them wearing only a long-sleeved cotton shirt, smiling as I enjoyed the morning air.

Now we'll see how I do when I go back to Wisconsin for Christmas....

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Melissa's artwork of India

I have now posted the paintings I have done of India on my website. Two are done in color pencil, one in watercolor, and the fourth in pastel. Here is a sneak peek:

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