diwali is kind of amazingly beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
at eye level and above, imagine hanging lanterns, lots of lights, fireworks everywhere, crowds of people dressed for the holiday, festival tents at all the major temples.
at street level, more fireworks, dogs running crazy because of the noise, quiet little oil lamps outside of doors, fruit and nuts and sweets to buy, sparklers that spin just a few inches of the pavement, and little kids with noise-maker pistols.
running on marine drive at the beginning of the week was a treat, and a challenge, because while focused on the amazing fireworks all over the sky, i sort of forgot that a lot of them also originate on the pavement, and if not careful, quite close to your feet. also, at least in most places, all the trash is left behind. which makes for some amazing rubbish piles until the rubbish sweeper comes along.
yes, its pretty. but sadly, the air is possibly the worst ive experienced here, and the noise is incredible. for the first time, waking up to daylight was almost scary, because for a moment, it was hardly clear if the light was from the explosions that i fell asleep to, or actually the sun.
it was nice just to stay in.
and also nice to go out in the middle of it all. kind of like running around in a video game.
these ladies went out:
im not sure if its holiday dress, or out to zenzi for ladies night (the picture does not do justice), but the outfits were as glittery as the rockets.
