Parade on Yonge Street (picture ftom CTV website)

“Pride Week is an event held in Toronto, Ontario during the last week of June each year. It is a celebration of the diversity of the LGBT community and is the one of the largest organized Gay Pride festivals in the world, featuring several stages with live performers and DJs, several licensed venues, a large Dyke March, and the Pride Parade. The epicentre of Pride Week is the city’s Church and Wellesley village…” (read more on Wikipedia)

Some pictures from the parade:

I was told that visitors from neighboring districts of Toronto arrive into the city with their families for this event. Indeed there were several kids perched on their dads’ shoulders and armed with water guns that were used on unsuspecting revelers. There were also plenty of foreign tourists (especially Chinese and Indians) who wore a completely baffled look on their faces. But still, they stayed till the end (almost 3 hours). Clearly, everyone was enjoying this carnival.

Church Street, the primary street in the gay village, and the arterial streets were closed for traffic for last three nights. Streets were full people partying and exhibiting their artistic skills and other ass-ets The initial part of the week was dominated by several music, dance, theatre and such cultural events.

I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people out on the streets. I never saw so many people at the same time, it felt like a typical mela, with buskers, street food, chaos, people bumping into each other and an indescribably joyous environment.

People were happy. Simply happy. I have never seen so many happy people ever. It was insane.

Meanwhile, a Pride Parade was held in Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore too. Although the turnout was a modest 600-800 and the event barely made a blip in the news, yet this was a symbolic step towards social equality and an end to discrimination based on sexual orientation for millions of Indians.

Happy Pride

There are many more (and better) pictures in the Pride Parade 2008 Photo gallery.

After a quick puja at a friend’s place, we headed to a Vaishno Devi Temple in Oakville, near Toronto. The place was wayy overcrowded and since I was more excited about fireworks than anything else, I headed straight to the grounds. The smell of gunpowder was lingering all around and I think I got high

Diwali without fireworks? nahh…

Yay! It’s Diwali

Being in Toronto, the ‘yay’ part is missing. I’m carrying some sweets to work today and educate my colleagues there. There is also going to be a little celebration at school. And on the weekend I’m going to some place to watch fireworks – the real thing

इवल्याशा पणतीने
दूर पळतो अंधार;
लढणार्‍या माणसाला
देते शुभेच्छा आधार.
.:दिवाळीच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा:.

Click above thumbnail to view the Diwali e-card.

A Happy Diwali, the best of health,
A happy heart, enough of wealth,
All this and more are wished for you,
For a Happy Diwali and a Prosperous New year too !

English composition by me Graphic also by me, Marathi lines are by Dr. Shrikrishna Raut

– ही कविता स्वप्नाने लिहिली आहे.

Today is “Gudhi Padwa”, the new year celebrated by Maharashtra. It falls on the first day of Chaitra, the first month of the Hindu calendar. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Brahma created the universe today. Gudi’s (Brahmadhwaj – flags of Brahma) are raised by individual houses as a symbol and prayer. It is also said that Lord Rama returned victorious to Ayodhya on this day.

Kannada and Telugu people call this festival Ugadi.

Gudi padwa for me meant a fest of puran polis. Oh, mom used to make me eat neem leaves as part of the ritual before the treat!

Yay! It’s Diwali

झाला आजचा प्रकाश जुना कालचा काळोख,
चांदण्याला किरणांचा सोनसळी अभिषेक,
सारे रोजचे तरीही नवा सुवास सुवास..
शुभेच्छा दिवाळीच्या !

Click above thumbnail to view the Diwali e-card.

A Happy Diwali, the best of health,
A happy heart, enough of wealth,
All this and more are wished for you,
For a Happy Diwali and a Prosperous New year too !

composed by me .

I’m just being very lazy by simply referring information on the internet about this festival, instead of writing the whole thing myself.

Holi
Wikipedia

Holi or Phagwah is an annual Hindu spring festival, predominantly celebrated in North India and Nepal. It takes place over two days around late March or early April. As per the Hindu calendar, it falls on the last day on the month of Phalgun, which is a Purnima (or Pooranmashi, Full Moon), and on the first day of Chaitra. It is a celebration also of the Hindu New Year, as Chaitra is the first month of the Hindu Year. It is also called the Festival of Colour. On the first day, a bonfire is lit at night to signify burning Holika. On the second day, known as Dhulandi, people go around until afternoon throwing coloured powder and water at each other, although the powder stings the eyes. A special drink called ‘thandai’ or bhang is also consumed sometimes, which actually contains small amounts of marijuana(Cannabis sativa). People invite each other to their houses for feasts and celebrations later in the evening. Rangapanchami occurs a few days later on a Panchami (fifth day of the full moon), marking the end of festivities involving colours.
This festival occurs at the onset of spring. This period, during which the weather changes, is prone to cause viral fever and cold. Thus, the playful throwing of the coloured powders has a medicinal significance as the coloured powders are made of Neem, Kumkum, Haldi, Bilva, and other medicinal herbs prescribed by Āyurvedic doctors.

Mythology and History

bawarchi.com

…. The mythological origins of this festival vary in different parts of the country. In South India specially in Tamilnadu and Kerala the legend that is popular is of Kamdev-the Love-god, his bow is of sugarcane having the string of a line of humming bees and his arrow-shafts are topped with passion that pierce the heart. In spring he moves through woodlands and hunts birds, beasts and men. Once in his foolish pride, he aimed his arrow at the mighty Lord Shiv who was in deep meditation. Lord Shiv opened his third eye and burnt him to ashes. Grief-stricken Rati, Kamdev’s wife beseeched Lord Shiv to take pity on her and restore her husband to life. Shiv relented and granted her the boon that she could see her husband but he would remain “anang” that meant without the physical human form. Hence, the songs sung during Holi tell the pathetic tale of Rati and her lamentations. In Tamilnadu Holi is known by three different names – Kamavilas, Kaman Pandigai and Kama-dahanam.

Lord Krishna, the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu is also worshipped during the Holi festival, which is celebrated as a commemoration of a mythological incident. Putana, the she-demon was sent by the cruel king Kamsa to kill the child Krishna. In guise of a beautiful woman, Putana went about in the village of Nandgaon suckling every child to death. But the infant Krishna sucked her breasts till blood started flowing and she succumbed to her death. Hence, on the previous evening of the Holi day, bonfires are lighted to celebrate the victory of Krishna and the death of Putana. Those who attribute the origin of festivals to seasonal cycles maintain that Putana represents winter and her death the cessation and end of winter.
The mighty king Hiranyakashyapu in his stupendous ego ordered his people to worship him as god. His son Prahlad defying his father’s orders continued his worship of Lord Vishnu. The king wanting to kill Prahlad and wipe out the very name of Lord Vishnu sent his sister Holika, who possessed the boom of never being burnt by fire, to destroy Prahlad. She cajoled the young Prahlad to sit in her lap and she herself took her seat in a blazing fire with the full conviction that fire could never touch her. But Holika was devoured by the flames and Prahlad walked out of the fire unscathed and alive. Perhaps this festival got its name from this incident. Certainly it was the victory of good over Evil!

In North India and Uttar Pradesh, this victory is celebrated, effigies of Holika are burnt in the huge bonfires that are lit. This tradition is also followed in Gujarat and Orissa. To render greatfulness to Agni, god of Fire, gram and stalks from the harvest are also offered to Agni with all humility.
In Bengal this festival is known by the name of Dol Jatraor Dol Purnima. On this day the idol of Mahaprabhu Chaitanya, placed in a pictursuqely decorated palanquin is taken round the main streets of the city. The head of the Bengali family observes fast and prays to Lord Krishna and Agnidev. After all the traditional rituals are over, he smears Krishna’s idol with gulal and offers “bhog” to both Krishna and Agnidev.
Krishna’s love-play with gopi’s is known all over the country. Hence, in places like Mathura and Vrindawan where Krishna cult flourished and is followed even to-day, this Holi festival is celebrated with songs, music, plays and dances and of course coloured waters are thrown on each other. In Nandagaon where the young Krishna played all his youthful pranks. Holi is observed for many days and also in Barsana which was the birthplace of Radha Krishna’s beloved. The men-folk of Nandagaon and the women-folk of Barsana come together and play the game of “Huranga” in which men abuse women and in retaliation women beat them with sticks that the men try to avoid with their shields.

This festival of Holi still retains to charm in Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s Shanti Niketan. On the Dol Purnima day in the early morning the students dress up in saffron-coloured clothes and wear garlands of fragrant flowers. They sing and dance to the accompaniment of musical instruments before their teachers and the invited guests, sitting in a colourfully decorated dais. In the end dry gulal powder and the auspicious black abhir is smeared on the foreheads of everyone. Use of liquid colours is fully forbidden.
The Sikh community also celebrates Holi with feasting and merriment and call it Hola Mohalla.
In Maharashtra Holi is commonly known by the name of “Shimga” and is also called Rang panchami. The fisherfolk celebrate it on a large-scale with hilarious singing, dancing and merry-making. To-day this festival retains its significance mostly in middle-class and the poorer sections of the state.
During the Maratha regime this festival was celebrated with great pomp and grandeur. It was on a Holi festival day that five year Jijabhai, daughter of Lakhooji Jadhav innocently splashed coloured water and threw gulal on young shahaji, son of Malajirao Bhowale. Taking it as an auspicious event, the two children’s engagement was announced that very day. Soon they were married. Shivaji, the son born to this couple fought valiantly and shook the very foundation of the powerful Mogul empire. Thus Shivaji established the Maratha empire and changed the course of history.
As years rolled by this age-old festival of Holi acquired a new significance. Besides being a spring festival it also become the harvest festival. The winter crop of Rabi gets ripe and the corns of wheat become golden. So Holi means to the farmers joyful celebration of new harvest and bubbling with joy and excitement at the prospect of prosperity they offer their first crop to Agnidev – the god of Fire – who for centuries has been looked upon with love and esteem by the Aryans. Only after this offering of first harvest to Agnidev, the farmers use the crop for their personal consumption…..

The most favorite snack devored today is the Puran Poli!

Uncopyrighted photos taken from internet, not clicked by me.

Sound Energy ↔ Light Energy

If the news media are to be believed, the cosmopolitan consumer is getting increasingly savvy about environmental damages inflicted by the smoke and noise from these crackers. The manufacturing pattern has seen a marginal shift from noisy crackers to the colorful and bright varieties. However, this change is hardly useful since these fancy fireworks are steeply priced and are therefore beyond the capacity of almost all of the users.

“Louder the better”, on the other hand, appears to be the mantra. The sound generated by the bursting crackers seems to be increasing year after year. There could be another factor. The sound of the exploding firecracker reverberates in the densely populated neighborhood for long duration rather than dissipating away quickly. This causes minor but frequent local vibrations in the structures, something which they might not be designed for. Logically this is bound to weaken the buildings. The coordination committee of our residential apartment passed a resolution banning exploding the firecrackers on terrace or from open galleries of apartments. Such measures will ensure that the noisy crackers are burst only in open areas.

I need not rattle about the harmful effects of the acutely toxic fumes produced by some varieties of firecrackers and the long retention time of the plumes of smoke emerging from them.

However the sound and air pollution apart, the most tormenting experience is bursting of these firecrackers at odd timings – waking up at 2 am or 2 pm (or whatever) by the deafening sound of a firecracker demonstrated the uncivilized attitude of the public.

Perhaps the people would realize this by themselves. I’m not sure if the bright lights could eradicate the dark forces, but the rowdy crackers would surely scare away the tranquil spirits.

झाला आजचा प्रकाश जुना कालचा काळोख,
चांदण्याला किरणांचा सोनसळी अभिषेक,
सारे रोजचे तरीही नवा सुवास सुवास..
शुभेच्छा दिवाळीच्या !

Click above thumbnail to view the Diwali e-card.

A Happy Diwali, the best of health,
A happy heart, enough of wealth,
All this and more are wished for you,
For a Happy Diwali and a Prosperous New year too !

composed by me .