Bec (A)broad: Diwali Dinner

Last night I had dinner and Diwali celebrations with Anu, another friend Poornima introduced me to. It was so much fun! Anu and her husband, Baloo, have two little boys ages 7 and about 2. They are beautiful little boys, lively and fun.

I arranged my own cab for the first time, and it all went great. I was so pleased. Every little milestone is so satisfying. Reena had told me that Meru cabs are a little more expensive but are reliable and safe and use the meter, so you don't get cheated. So I called Meru and arranged a cab. The driver parked across Bellary Road from my apartment b/c the landmark I gave him was across the street. Well, Bellary Road is 4 lanes of busy, crazy madness. I stood there with my little bouquet of flowers (for Anu, my dinner hostess) and just stared across the mayhem at the cab. Then that wonderful driver got out, crossed the street, took me by the wrist, and led me across to the cab. Whew. I was so grateful. It turns out that he is a Christian! He's the first Christian I've met (as far as I know). He keeps a Bible on his dashboard, and he told me that there are many Christian churches in Bangalore and that God's church is very powerful. I was so happy and encouraged.

So I arrived at Anu's place, and it was a lovely apartment in a beautiful big building with a paved courtyard. Her home is decorated similarly to Reena's in-laws: shiny tile floor, white walls, and beautiful dark wood furniture and ornate decorations. I really really dig the decorating style here, and the homes are so cool and comfortable. They also had a swing in their living room, and Baloo told me that Indians are sold on swings, that they are very popular. We chatted a while, and then Anu lit deepas (oil lamps) for Diwali and placed them outside the door and on their balcony.

Then we went and lit fireworks and sparklers with all the neighbors and their kids on the paved courtyard. Oh, man, it was fun! Loud, oh, so loud!!! But fun. After a while the smoke was so thick, you could hardly see, and we went up on the terrace on top of the apartment building. You could see fireworks all around and could see people lighting crackers below and hear the pops and bangs. The air was much cleaner on the terrace, and it was a lovely sight.

Then we went in for dinner, which was delicious, and I went home in a taxi. I was able to say "go" in Kannada to the taxi driver when we were on my street and not yet at the apartment, and then I recognized the apartment and said to stop in time when we got to it. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but the apartment is set back behind a wall, and there is not an obvious sign; it's pretty easy to miss. The bad news is that I overpaid the cabbie b/c I didn't have proper change. Argh. That's my next thing to figure out: where to change large bills for a bunch of small ones. Shop keepers and others don't like to give change; it's a big pain for them, and sometimes they don't have change at all. So finding where to change large bills for small is a trick I need to learn...

Enjoy the pics of the Diwali celebration with Anu and Baloo and their boys below!

Below: Anu holds her youngest son while she lights the deepas for Diwali.

Below: The traditional oil lamps with cotton wicks called deepas.

Below: This firecracker was called an earth wheel. It was not too loud and did not chase people all over the courtyard, so I liked it. :-) There was another kind called a butterfly, which would chase people over the courtyard and twice went under a parked car (yipe!!) but caused no explosion, thank goodness.

Below: Here I am with a sparkler, the mildest of the firecrackers. It was super fun!

Below: Anu and Baloo's older son was fearless. He would light crackers with no qualms and had a great time. The pic below is a common sight during the festivities: running after and keeping safe the little ones.

Below: Sidarth, Anu and Baloo's older son, looks on as a firecracker called a flower pot goes off. Flower pots were also among my favorites b/c they were so bright and pretty but not loud.