Saturday, April 04, 2009

Our Pukka Place and Durga Puja


We had very special visitors at our hotel yesterday [well yes everyone that comes through the door is a special visitor- but you know what I mean!]

It was a special day in the Hindu calendar, Durga Puja at the end of the 9 days of Navratan.
On this day it is traditional to invite 9 school age girls from your neighbourhood to your home, welcome them, wash their feet as they enter and then invite the to partake of a special treat- often keer[ rice pudding] and puri [special fried breads], water and a banana after blessing have been performed.
Of course I wanted to invite some of our girls from Shakti; Ramsingh and Surendra helped by ferrying then down on motorbikes [it is about a 15 minute walk through the market]- we had 9 of our girls and a little brother Rajkumar in all.
I was thinking of it as a special treat to have them visit, and had not realised it would be special for them as well, look at lovely Mumta in the pic above, she is a very inquisitive young lady, keen and interested in everything- she loved looking around the hotel, in every nook and crany actually and all she could say was "it is so beautiful" There are so many hotels in Pushkar yet this way of living is far out of her experience....

Everyone had their feet washed upon entering, then waited patiently for the rest,


we sat in the garden for our keer and puri, then poked all around the place.







School is drawing to a close for the year [ and I am off to teach and lead tours for a few months] it will be nice have a little celbration , we can have a picnic on the back lawn and half fill the swimming pool for a pool party- a lot of fun I am sure.


A friend of Praveen's Raju helped us organize everything and he kindly dropped the children home in his car [he is a tourist driver and his clients did not need his assistance ]
another first for many of the children!
Before the children arrived I was taking stock of our place...a lot has changed in 3 weeks, spring has sprung, all the watering and gardening we have beenvdoing is paying off - the lawn is looking green, the trees in the front yead are starting to top the fence and greening up, the flowers and lawn around the swimming pool are looking nice and we have tiles in the swimming pool, just need a ladder and we can fill it to use.

















my only camels, Praveen- could find parking for these ones!



Out on the other side of the pool I have started a vegeatble garden, so far mint, curry trees, beans and ladies fingers are in....then we found out monkeys survey the yard regularly and like bean plants...We now have a cow watch on the front yard- keeping passing cows from eating our trees and a monkey watch on the back garden to keep monkeys away!! And one day when I was away Rabi came into the kitchen to find a Black Faced languer monkey sitting on top of the fridge! More monkeys to contend with- not some thing I have ever had to factor into things before.
Ok stop talking and back to office work....Fiona



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