puja season is upon us

We are entering the season of Pujas, folks. Puja means prayer, specifically prayer to the Hindu gods and godesses. It is also what the celebrations for these same dieties are called. Starting with "motor vehicle puja," which isn't its official name, of course. During motor vehicle puja, all the cars were draped with streamers and garlands of marigolds, and offerings of sweets and incense burned under their parked hoods. Pigments marked their metal forms in streaks and dots, as on the foreheads of devotees returning from the temple. Kali Puja and Durga Puja are coming up, along with the festival of lights, with prizes for the best displays. Apparentely the US isn't the only country whose celebrations have become competitions, also. I know the celebration time has come because a few days ago I woke at five am to classic Bollywood Hindi songs blaring from the site of a soon-to-be display outside my window. Overnight the braces for a huge structure have gone up several stories high, and men climb around on these like circus performers to secure the frame with rope. Bamboo structures are going up in different communities across the city. With only poles and canvas, huge replicas will be made of the Taj Mahal, the Victoria Memorial... even the White House has been known to have its very own Puja replica. Trust me, India, one White House is more than enough for all of us.