Tylenol, alcohol, resistance, gulab jamoon
Tylenol
Phagwah this year started off with me waking up shivering with fever.. I took two tylenol and put tumeric in my coffee. When I was little the day used to start with the goolgoola made by my Naanee. As I battled with fever, I questioned the fates.. my karmic engagement..I I do not like Phagwah day because I have not let go of the bad feelings associated with the day.
Life said.. right, ketch your bed.. you did not want to go sing chowtaal today.. then at least you have a truthful answer to say you were sick rather than some complex answer which nobody would understand. Fever in the blasted brain though had me dreaming and thinking of the random thoughts and this blog is a result
Alcohol
Alcohol (and meat for some people) is part of celebrations.. alcohol consumed by Hindus, and briskly sold by Hindus. My memories of alcohol and Phagwah are not good - various incidents including one where a relative was threatening others. There is something sad, and I feel scared about people, who need alcohol to show bonhomie and to let go of their inhibitions.
The last time I played Phagwah on Phagwah day, I was nervous the entire day when some of the guys I was with were drinking.. alcohol bought from Hindu stores. I sit down singing chowtaal in one place while the host sold the Carib and so on for people coming in and felt trapped. A couple of places we sang this year during the season.. the hosts were willing to offer alcohol if there was any suggestion that it was wanted.
Ravi Dev in his Phagwah Day column talks about Indian people and alcohol. The Chowtaal gole history is that the men in the gole were expected to take their tups to keep the voice warm and open.. and every household served a tups. The Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha and others have tried to reduce the alcohol consumption.. others though have found ways to ensure that alcohol is consumed.
Resistance
I remember as a child thinking I did not want to play Phagwah with some of the adults who I did not like and to pretend that I had to like them. I remember resistance.. the drummer from the PPP who refused to go upstairs to the Belfield house of Burnham where my relatives had visited .. and thinking of Burnham's house and how he invited everybody in, regardless of carpet and so on, and played.
I remember the people who put us to sit on their patio.. so no mess in their nice houses.. I used to say no to their offer of food since I felt that was the only way to show that I did not like them. I imagine that the children who would not take food from me now.. some of them probably dislike me.
Other people who welcomed us in to their houses.... 'nah worry wid powder pun de carpet, it gun clean.." - lessons in hospitality.
Gulab Jamun
The sweetmeats.. my belly tends to get this kind of weird feeling of eating too much rich foods and this year , fever be damned, I still indulged - funny how my appetite could be lost but not for the sweet things. Phagwah days have had one or two other good things happen - but I do not know if it was because of Phagwah or just coincidence. While this year I huddled under the blanket and praying - one year I was blessed with visiting Ocho Rios.. beautiful drive through Fern Gully, and then walk around with one of the local guides and talk about life in Jamaica. Another year I was in Boa Vista chilling out and indulging in about 50 of the 80 flavours of the ice cream I found at this shop. The day
Phagwah means different things to different people. For some it is religious.. for other it is not religious, or a mix.
The permission to be dirty and ugly.. so you could dabble in colours and mud and water and let go. Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy has an account of how the Holi Season was the only time when you get a chance for boys to touch girls and girls to touch boys under the pretext of rubbing powder. A woman told me that Holi in some parts of India is not safe for some of the women on the road.
One time I was coming home, and there were two women , one had a Bible in her hand. She said.. boy you play plenty.. and I say.. well it is the season, and ask her if she mind if I throw some powder on her, and she said .. okay , lil bit. And I put lil bit powder on both of them. The kind of connection which should probably last throughout the year.
Phagwah this year started off with me waking up shivering with fever.. I took two tylenol and put tumeric in my coffee. When I was little the day used to start with the goolgoola made by my Naanee. As I battled with fever, I questioned the fates.. my karmic engagement..I I do not like Phagwah day because I have not let go of the bad feelings associated with the day.
Life said.. right, ketch your bed.. you did not want to go sing chowtaal today.. then at least you have a truthful answer to say you were sick rather than some complex answer which nobody would understand. Fever in the blasted brain though had me dreaming and thinking of the random thoughts and this blog is a result
Alcohol
Alcohol (and meat for some people) is part of celebrations.. alcohol consumed by Hindus, and briskly sold by Hindus. My memories of alcohol and Phagwah are not good - various incidents including one where a relative was threatening others. There is something sad, and I feel scared about people, who need alcohol to show bonhomie and to let go of their inhibitions.
The last time I played Phagwah on Phagwah day, I was nervous the entire day when some of the guys I was with were drinking.. alcohol bought from Hindu stores. I sit down singing chowtaal in one place while the host sold the Carib and so on for people coming in and felt trapped. A couple of places we sang this year during the season.. the hosts were willing to offer alcohol if there was any suggestion that it was wanted.
Ravi Dev in his Phagwah Day column talks about Indian people and alcohol. The Chowtaal gole history is that the men in the gole were expected to take their tups to keep the voice warm and open.. and every household served a tups. The Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha and others have tried to reduce the alcohol consumption.. others though have found ways to ensure that alcohol is consumed.
Resistance
I remember as a child thinking I did not want to play Phagwah with some of the adults who I did not like and to pretend that I had to like them. I remember resistance.. the drummer from the PPP who refused to go upstairs to the Belfield house of Burnham where my relatives had visited .. and thinking of Burnham's house and how he invited everybody in, regardless of carpet and so on, and played.
I remember the people who put us to sit on their patio.. so no mess in their nice houses.. I used to say no to their offer of food since I felt that was the only way to show that I did not like them. I imagine that the children who would not take food from me now.. some of them probably dislike me.
Other people who welcomed us in to their houses.... 'nah worry wid powder pun de carpet, it gun clean.." - lessons in hospitality.
Gulab Jamun
The sweetmeats.. my belly tends to get this kind of weird feeling of eating too much rich foods and this year , fever be damned, I still indulged - funny how my appetite could be lost but not for the sweet things. Phagwah days have had one or two other good things happen - but I do not know if it was because of Phagwah or just coincidence. While this year I huddled under the blanket and praying - one year I was blessed with visiting Ocho Rios.. beautiful drive through Fern Gully, and then walk around with one of the local guides and talk about life in Jamaica. Another year I was in Boa Vista chilling out and indulging in about 50 of the 80 flavours of the ice cream I found at this shop. The day
Phagwah means different things to different people. For some it is religious.. for other it is not religious, or a mix.
The permission to be dirty and ugly.. so you could dabble in colours and mud and water and let go. Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy has an account of how the Holi Season was the only time when you get a chance for boys to touch girls and girls to touch boys under the pretext of rubbing powder. A woman told me that Holi in some parts of India is not safe for some of the women on the road.
One time I was coming home, and there were two women , one had a Bible in her hand. She said.. boy you play plenty.. and I say.. well it is the season, and ask her if she mind if I throw some powder on her, and she said .. okay , lil bit. And I put lil bit powder on both of them. The kind of connection which should probably last throughout the year.
Comments
Post a Comment