Shiva's Anniversary

Yesterday marked the anniversary between Lord Shiva and Parvarti, his wife. Temples around Delhi filled with worshippers to pay homage to the great god. A few friends and I visited one of the temples and the experience was chaotic and wonderful. Pushed through a sea of Hindus, we made offerings of fruit and marigolds to icons of Shiva. While inside the temple, a man tied red string around our wrists, a symbol of good fortune.
After being pushed and shoved by the crowd we finally made it outside and headed over to the Lotus Temple, a Ba’hai temple that was erected as a place of worship, prayer, and meditation for all religions. Beautifully constructed with large lawns and pools in the surrounding grounds, the Lotus Temple was a welcome change from the madness of the previous temple.

After visiting the temple, we all decided to head downtown to see a concert of Sufi folk music. At this point, the night began to take a quick downward spiral. It took us thirty minutes to flag down a rickshaw that would even go to where we needed to be. After finally being dropped off at the concert, the rickshaw driver asked for a price that was double what he deserved. So, I decided to just pay him what he deserved, crumpling up bills in my hand and giving them to him as I walked away. He followed us all into a temple and demanded more money. We just wanted him to go away so we gave him an extra 10 rupees (which he clearly was disappointed at) but he did eventually leave. Once we finally arrived at the concert venue, which was supposed to have free admission, we discovered that we apparently needed passes to get in (which were themselves free). Lacking a pass, we were able to get in by offering the gate guard 100 rupees a piece (a ridiculous price… comes to about $2.50… but for India it’s a stiff charge). The concert was, unfortunately, very forgettable. Disappointed at its conclusion, we found rickshaws to take us all back home which charged more exorbitant prices for the trip.
Sometime you get India, and sometimes India gets you. I’ll concede the night to India, but she should know that I, like Michael Scott, am not one to be truffled with.