Let There Be Prayer

Today was strange weather in Delhi, with sudden strong winds circling the city. It was also the beginning of the religious "Navratri Festival" also known as, "The Nine Sacred Nights." People were literally stopping on the streets to pray at temples along the roadside (which is easy to do because temples abound here; you find them at every corner like convenience stores). In the photo below, throngs of devotees tied pieces of red cloth to a "wishing tree", asking for their prayers to be fulfilled.

An old lady stopped in front of a locked gate, praying to a huge statue of "Hanuman," the Hindu Monkey God known for his mischievous powers.

Over breakfast, Nani read me the story behind Navratri from her tattered prayer book: Once upon a time there lived seven beautiful sisters. One day an evil man tried to do "bad things" to them, so the sisters fled to all corners of India. On seeing what was happening, the Gods showered them with all the world's strength. "The snake gave his poison; the sun gave its light; the river, its power; death, its strategies..." And so on and so on. With their new powers, the sisters came out of hiding, united, and not only killed the evil man but also everyone that he knew or came in contact with (his entire village). This killing spree lasted nine days and nights. These nine nights are now called "Navratri" and people from all over India celebrate the sisters and pray to them for strength. (I also found out that there's a temple celebrating the "evil man", where people bring liquor bottles as offering. I'm not making this up).

At night, Navratri makes Delhi beautiful. Temples are strung with lights and religious bhajans blare from speakers; old sadhus sit on the pavement smoking hookahs, watching the floods of people who've come out to pray. The photo above doesn't do justice to the scene at the "Ancient Hanuman Temple" in Connaught Place, one of Delhi's oldest and oddest temples. Here you'll find everyone and everything; every type of story--corrupt businessmen giving food to the poor; con men pick-pocketing the rich; beggars swapping tales; young couples out on dates; the elderly weeping for the lost; children flying contorted balloons; pundits breaking coconuts; pilgrims sitting under trees... garbage, cows, ice-cream, snake-charmers, monkey-dancers, truth, beauty, good, evil... It's a human carnival.