Eat Pray Pierce

That wud have been the title if Julia Roberts had come to Phuket instead of Bali after praying in India. The Phuket Vegeterian Festival has ended yesterday with the final farewell to Gods in various Chinese temples over here. First I thot Phuket Veg Fest was all about not having non-veg food for 10 days giving countless species a sigh of relief. I was wrong, there was more to it. I was shaken out of my myths when I saw the procession by devotees with the ultimate self mortification on the penultimate day. The cavalcade started from Kathu went towards the marine pier at town and back. Myself, my wife n kid with other local residents were on the street corner early morning to see the march close to our building on the main road.

In my childhood, I was zapped to see for first time, the aesthetic display of ppl piercing vels and trishuls in tounges or cheeks at a temple in Vikhroli-Bombay built by erstwhile Vardharajan Mudaliyar in an annual Thaipusam festival. Later in our native, saw devotees being hung from tractors with thier back stucked with hooks in the local Mariamman Pandigai (festival). Lately, when a friend from Malaysia sent snaps and web links of the Thaipusam festival at Batu Caves Karthikeyan Temple, I was surprised to know ppl there being more adventures then their counterparts in India. But what I saw with my open eyes over here in Phuket was bewildering and very puzzling.

As said earlier, In India had seen simple vels and trishuls (iron rods) been pierced in body, but devotees here were a step ahead, apart from regular spears, one cud see baseball bats, test-tubes, guns, sickles, umbrellas, knives and even bicycles pierced in and around ones mouth, face being the favourite part for piercing. Every alternate devotee was trying out different material to puncture himself with. Adding to the fervour was the continous shower of fire crackers, to wade away evil spirits. Though same concept of hindus, but here Diwali is mixed with Holi. Back in India, where we normally toss them away after igniting to a safer distance, here fire crackers are lit and thrown on each other as if playing holi with colors.

Li'l brief history, way back in 1825, when Phuket was thick with forests (it is still so), one touring opera company from China got seriously sick. They underwent veggy diet and worshipped their Gods to cure them from the unknown fever. The disappearance of the sickness made them put full faith on the powers of their diety and from then on with various modifications and cultures binding it thru the years it has come to the present state of festivity. This is primarily done to keep the evil spirits at bay and bring good luck to community.

One thing that caught me dumbfound was a little team of govt workers/sweepers who kept on cleaning the trail lane, as each unit of devotees passed by throwing flowers among other things and igniting fire crackers resulting in huge paper trashes on the road. After an hour or two, none of the craps were noticed and the road was as clean as always. Had some Indian municipal officer seen this, his face wud have succumbed down with shame, where the wastages are left to take its natural course of dispersal and scatter.

And from the various Chinese dieties that were taken on palkis in the procession, one that was distinguished was a goddess very similar to our own Lord Kaali. Since this happens here same time every year, when in India ppl are celebrating Durga Pooja and Navrathri, with only Bay of Bengal in between, was wondering whether there was some kinship or connection??

JAI MATA DI !