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Burning the ‘old man’ in Bandra + a Canadian connect to ‘Auld Lang Syne’ – Happy New Year!
I wish you all the best for the coming year sharing two traditions:
- From Bombay, the burning of the ‘old man’
- And from Scotland via Canada to the US, the popular ‘Auld Lang Syne‘
Burning the old man
All around Bandra you can see straw stuffed old folks hanging around at street corners. You might just be accosted by youngsters demanding money for the old man. To do what? Well burn him, of course! And the money? Why to have some fun, what else?!
“Aunty! Uncle! Gimoneyferolman!!” (more…)
I’m NOT dreaming of a white Christmas
While I miss family and friends back in Canada, I don’t miss freezing my nether regions! I come from a place where winter can mean -40’c without windchill… factor that in and we’re talking -60’c or worse… Brrrr!!!
Yet there is a perverse pride in surviving and thriving in such conditions and I know one of these years I’ll be back and enjoy it with immense gusto! (Confident a couple of planes later I’ll be home with palm trees and sandals). (more…)
Tis the season to get “marry”ed… again
While tis the season to be merry, winter is also marriage or “shadi” season in India! The temperatures cool and ‘phorun’ (foreign) relatives descend. Peacock bright wedding finery is donned, jewellery polished and coloured envelops stuffed with cash plus one rupee for good luck.
Wedding puja (Photo: Carissa Hickling)
In a true sign of the times, the family wedding we attended on the weekend was 2nd time around for two siblings. All four experienced wedding, divorce and were taking a leap of faith to wed again. The brother and sister decided to tie the knot with their respective loves on the same day, keeping the ceremonies short, sweet and restricted to family. (more…)
Urban Village – I’m not kidding!
There is a delightful contradiction seeing “village” life in the middle of a major metropolis. One of the sister’s from ASK Your Sister was transiting from China to Goa via Mumbai and did a double take:
That guy is walking a goat – it really is a goat not a dog!! Do ya think if I moved back to Nova Scotia I could get a pet goat?? (more…)
“Drive here? Are you nuts!” Cars and re-learning to drive in India
I’m often asked about driving in India… and my response for the longest time was “Drive in India? Are you nuts!?”
My ‘new’ car in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 1997
Like a typical Canadian teenager, I got my driver’s license in high school. However less typically, it was a decade later before I owned a car – a 2nd hand Toyota Corolla which survived more than one blizzard in Winnipeg. I did a great job accumulating Manitoba Driver’s License merit points not because I was a particularly good driver but simply that I drove so rarely it was nearly impossible to be caught speeding or get into an accident! So when I moved back to Delhi in 2003, bought a cheap 2nd hand Maruti 800, I also splurged on a wonderful bonus – HIRED A DRIVER.
A Canadian friend visited us in India and remarked that driving around the world is a bit like a video game – Canada is the super easy, reasonably polite entry-level and India is one of the most challenging. Here you dodge everything from cyclists to beggars, camels to cows (less so now), and during particularly hot summers, high tempers combined with arrogant driving can lead to deadly disasters. (more…)
Jakarta I miss you!!
As they say “all good things come to an end” and alas my time in Indonesia was cut short as the project took a different direction. I get why and how it happened and have perspective enough to recognize these things just are what they are.
Random Jakarta Mall pic (Photo: Carissa Hickling)
I have zero regrets being involved in the project. It was fabulous working with a great bunch of guys and wish nothing but the best to our client too. We just finished the work remotely on the weekend and… as they say “It’s a wrap!”
The real loss is not being able to explore Indonesia more! During my trips to Jakarta from end July, I kept thinking “next time I’ll be sure to make more time to do XYZ.”
I had even made a commitment that the 3 week November trip would include activities OTHER than work! I had dreams of going “glamping” with a fabulous bunch of gals. I had dinners and various catch ups planned for the December trip. I even had high hopes my partner could join the January trip so we could explore outside of Jakarta together.
It all went puuufffttt! No November trip… no more trips at all… sigh… I’m left with scattered random photos of the few things I did do and…
A brilliant reminder – seize the moment when you can!
So, Jakarta, I do miss you! And would like to come back… I really really do! And next time I promise to take full advantage of the opportunity!!!
In the meantime, I have a few more Indonesia posts to come… yesterday’s “Sidewalk adventures… stumbling to work?” is an example of just how utterly random some of my pics are!
Ever have something cut short before you were ready? (more…)
Sidewalk adventures… stumbling to work?
Warning! This post has an utterly ordinary topic – the humble sidewalk. What could be simpler than walking on a sidewalk? After all, that is its purpose – correct? A foot path on the side of the main road… meant for walking… Right?
Growing up in Canada, sidewalks were a place to stroll, skip, walk the dog or jog in the summer. In winters, not only are the road plowed but the sidewalks are also. A good thing too! You try walking in -40’c completely bundled up with fogged-up frozen glasses tramping through unplowed sidewalks. You’d walk on the road and likely get accidentally shmucked by a car unable to stop, tire wheels screaming while sliding into the hapless road walker! Sidewalks are clearly the smart way to go. (more…)
Glenlivet’s “The Guardians Chapter”
Warning! While whisky inspired and definitely fuelled the evening, this post is actually not about whisky tasting. Instead it was a gathering generously hosted by Glenlivet in the gorgeous old Camelot Bungalow at Kemps Corner in Mumbai last month.
Camelot by night (Photo: Carissa Hickling)
The evening’s main feature was the stories of fascinating authors’ and the convivial atmosphere engineered by the gorgeous and talented stage and film actress Lillete Dubey and others. (more…)
Gay for a day (or more!!)
Sex is personal yet becomes political when a nation decides to interfere in acts between consenting adults.
Today’s decision in India by the Supreme Court is such a step backwards… reinforcing a retrograde law from 1860.
Gay Parade (Photo: India Today)
A bit of background – in 2009 the Delhi High Court made a landmark ruling that took a step towards decriminalising sex between two consenting same gendered adults. However noted that this is ultimately a matter for the government decide through legislation. In the interim, the matter made it to the Supreme Court with the ruling out today… re-confirming that homosexuality is criminal in India?!
Wanna learn more? Just read Gay sex, homosexuality is an offence: Supreme Court upholds Section 377. Black day for LGBT community (more…)
Losing the right to vote?
While not always the case, for many of us that chose to embrace the world unfettered by the borders of our birth… we give up a few things along the way… like the right to vote.
Many Manitoba provincial and Canadian federal elections ago I lost the right to exercise my democratic ‘right.’ And while I may have lived a decade + in India, that alone would never bestow any rights to participate in elections here.
Yet if I COULD vote who WOULD I vote for?? (more…)
Everyday Asia 