Happy Virawar (Thursday)! I hope this post finds everyone well and enjoying the lovely weather in the states (I won’t tell you the temperature here). Here are a few photos from the Hindu holiday Dushera which is a celebration of the final event of the epic, Ramayana. The effigies you see in the photos are the evil demon/king Ravan and his three brothers who are responsible for kidnapping the beautiful Sita (wife of lord Ram). The holiday celebrates the destruction of Ravan by the monkey/human form Hanuman, a much beloved character in Hindu mythology. It’s hard to describe the evening, which featured the creation and destruction of the effigies (which were filled with firecrackers and bottle rockets), but excitement is the closest I’ve gotten thus far. I’m heading out for a week long excursion Saturday morning but will be sure to take plenty of pictures and collect memories to share once I return.
