Lalitgiri

I think because of our enthusiasm on the first day of Roja, Sue and I were invited by a new friend, Madhubhai, to visit his village outside of Bhubaneswar on Thursday, the final day of Roja. Sure, why not.

Plans in India are made slightly differently to what I am used to. I understood I would be called on Wednesday morning to confirm arrangements and that we'd be picked up on Wednesday evening, stay overnight in the village and have the whole day to participate in the festivities. On Wednesday night I was called about 8.30pm and told to be ready at 6.30am and wait for further instructions then. We were also told to pack bags to stay over Thursday night instead.

It all seemed to work out and by 9am we were on our way, Sue, Madhubai, me and a couple of young university students/volunteers, Mani and Abhilasha. The day was beautifully cool and drizzly and fantastic for a drive although I had a terrible cold that had set in which I was trying to ignore.

On the way to the village we visited two temples, one for Durga and one for Ganesh. In the first we lit candles and received blessings and it was a really special experience.

We arrived in Madhubhai's village in time for lunch and had that at his mum's home. He is a from a joint family so there were aunties and cousins and all sorts of relatives floating around.

The day ended up being pretty busy, visiting his family and friends and the old Buddhist remains at nearby Lalitgiri*.

In the evening we were taken to the centre of the village where there was a stage set up and a performance going on. This was something that occurs each year during Roja and it seems to me it is a cross between street theatre and preaching.

Due to the constant rain we abandoned plans to stay overnight which I was quite happy about as my cold had become worse and I was craving sleeping in my own bed. It was a really wonderful day in the end although very tiring. And of course, Sue and I have a few new friends (or family members)!

*Lalitgiri (also known as Naltigiri) is a Buddhist complex in Orissa comprising major stupas and monasteries, similar to Ratnagiri and, together with Ratnagiri and Udayagiri, part of Puspagiri University. Numerous excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India have been conducted since 1985, and continue to this day.

A museum is to be built to display relic caskets thought to contain bones of Gautama Buddha, and other archaeological finds for public display. The site was extensively excavated by the A.S.I. from 1985-92. The remains of a huge stupa, and relic caskets consisting four containers made of khondalite, steatite, silver and gold were discovered along with other important structure and archaeological remains.

It never rains...

Not a minute too soon, monsoon season arrived in Bhubaneswar this week. In Orissa there is a three day festival called Rajo (or raja, or roja) which celebrates the arrival of monsoon season and freakishly, the weather behaved and monsoon started right on cue with a sudden drop in temperature and heavy rains.

I was invited to attend some festivities in a slum called Salia Sahi which happens to be right next-door to my new apartment complex. It is the biggest slum in Bhubaneswar with up to 50,000 inhabitants, and one of the biggest in India.

My friend Sue who just arrived from Australia (via a month in Assam) came as well. We were decorated by the girls and boys with mehindi, nail polish and the Rajasthani foot-thingy. We were also a magnet for the local media that turned up!

It doesn't take long in Orissa, as a foreigner, until you're thrust into the media spotlight. Sue made it four days which, considering two of those days we were at the beach, is a remarkable achievement.

http://www.orissatv.com/NewsDetail.asp?newsId=NS42996

Some info on Raja:

Raja is an agriculture oriented festival, mostly observed in the coastal districts of Orissa for three days. It also inaugurates the agricultural year all over Orissa which marks the moistening of summer parched soil with the first shower of monsoon making it ready for productivity. To celebrate the advent of monsoon the joyous festival is arranged for three days.  During this festival Mother Earth or "Basu Mata" is considered to be a menstruating woman. Hence digging of soil or tempering it in any way is strictly prohibited. The Mother Earth is said to undergo pollution due to menstruation and given rest just like a woman imposed with several restrictions.

Raja is also considered as one of the chief festivals of unmarried girls or the potential mothers. The women folk, especially the virgins, forbid all kinds of manual works during these three days of Raja-festival. They don't carry water, cut vegetables, sweep the houses, sew clothes, grind grains, comb hair, walk in bare foot etc. So, all kind of restrictions are imposed both for the land and the women-folk.

The unmarried girls or virgins observe the restrictions prescribed for a menstruating woman. On the first day of Raja Sankranti they rise before the dawn, do their coiffure, anoint their bodies with turmeric paste and oil, then take the purification bath in the river or tank. Bathing for the next two days of the festival is strictly prohibited. During these three days girls are seen in the best of their dresses and decorations, eating cakes and rich food at the houses of friends and relatives. They move up and down in the swings rending the village sky with their joyous impromptu songs. The swings are tied to the branches of Mango or Banyan trees and decorated with garlands of different flowers. The virgins of the village gather there on this festive occasion and one of them is elected as Dolo-rani (queen of the swing). When the queen takes her seat on the swing, the virgins move her forward and backward with chorus of charming songs. These songs are full of jolly spirit of girl-hood days and refer to glorious future, happy love and would be marriage with suitable husbands.

After a slow start...

I must admit that things got off to a very slow start for me here in my volunteer life. It has been a bit surreal to be living and working out of a small and hot room, little contact with colleagues and very little to do.

However, finally things seem to be happening.

After moving apartment and just beginning to settle in, I was off for a three-day field visit to some of the RTI coalition partners to see the work they have been doing and talk the people who have used RTI.

RTI is the Right to Information Act, 2005. It is a law passed recently in India to give people the right to access government information. In the past, every government document was a secret and many things are still treated that way. However this new law helps people figure out what their entitlements are and why they aren't receiving them. 

The Odisha RTI Coalition is a group of 24 NGO's here in Orissa (Odisha) who work with the poorer classes. Many of these people are BPL (below poverty line), Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste. Education levels tend to be very low and illiteracy is common, making it difficult for these people to complete an RTI Application Form. 

I'll be posting some of the stories from RTI as the year progresses but in the meantime please enjoy some photos of the lovely folk at Raghupati Colony in Berhampur and the Tumba project community in Ganjam district, just near the border of Andhra Pradesh.

Night Sounds for an Insomniac

Sleep has been a rare commodity on these hot and sticky nights. With daytime temperatures up into the mid forties and humidity around 98%, one ends up in something of a daze most of the time. Of course a whirring fan above the bed does not always do that much to cut through the dense and oppressive air. Constant blackouts remove this one small luxury, usually when it is needed most.

Given the unbearable conditions of my current living arrangement, I have searched for and found a new apartment in a newer part of town. It also comes with an Aussie expat for company. Never know your luck in a big city like Bhubaneswar!

This pictureless film shares some of the nocturnal activities of my old neighbourhood.