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| We have a remote for the radio. . .its is just soo far for us to reach! |
It is a Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. http://www.marutisuzuki.com/ertiga.aspx It is like a mini-mini van. Here in India, the cars are all very small. (I need to dedicate a post to all the cute vehicles that I see.) With the amount of traffic that they have here - it is ABSOLUTLY neccessary to go small or go home.
Our driver, maid and gardener are all Hindu. The driver - Murali - and maid-Vijji - together informed me that they wanted to do a Puja for the car. Huh? What's a puja? I thought the puja was the room in my house that is used to worship the gods? (For me it is a storage room.) So Vijji explained to me that a puja is done to bless all things that are used daily in life to make life 'easier'. Alright. I told them that I will go along with this but they will need to pray with ME afterwards. We were all game. (There is that fine line of being interested in the culture and worshiping the gods. I take interest in the culture. It is so different from what I am use to seeing.)
Here is what happened:
First - Murali washed the car and decorated it with flowers - white roses to be exact.
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| Murali with car - he is smiling all the time! |
Next, Vijji and I load up with Murali driving and head to Temple. We get there and they are all doing 'temple' things. Murali orders more flowers - red roses and a coconut. Vijji takes me to wash my feet and hands.
Then we head into this little room with Ganesh. Who is Ganesh? I am not entirely sure but they say he is the remover of obstacles and the god of beginnings and wisdom.
I have no idea what this 'priest' is saying. I am just standing there.
Next we head out to the car. He starts putting symbols on the upper corners of the windshield. One of them looks like a swastika. Seriously. Apparently this is a 'good luck' symbol.
He also drew some other symbols, but as you can imagine, none of them stood out to me like the one mentioned above. Look at the top right of the windshield when you are facing the car.
Then there is sprinkling of 'holy' water and incense sticks.
A coconut was purchased to 'offer'. I am told that since the water is not safe to drink. . .this is a way to offer fresh hydration.
You really need to look at this next picture. If you look under the tire - a lemon was placed right under the wheel. Murali had to get in the car and drive over them. In true Vijji humor - she shout out "Best of luck Murali!" Ha! How hard is it to run over a lemon that is directly under the tire. Their humor is good.
Here is more in depth article of what a car puja is. . http://hinduism.about.com/od/prayersmantras/ss/carpuja.htm#step-heading
Also some more random pictures from the day.
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| He rings a bell to wake up Ganesh |
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| What a blessing I don't have to ring a bell when I pray! |
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| The girls say that the car looks like it has a tongue. |
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| My feet are on FIRE!!! |
Once we are complete with the puja - we head home. . . .to PRAY! They were very willing to see what I do. We got out of the car and just stood in the middle of the drive way. I told them that most people bring their hands together and close their eyes with bowed head. Some people keep eyes open. Everyone talks to God differently. They went with the 'traditional' approach. I lead them in prayer. I thanked God for blessing us with this car and the people he has brought in my life. (Specifically these two) I asked God that we learn to trust one another and thanked Him for them. I asked for safety when we are on the roads. I asked for safety for them as they are traveling to my house. Prayed for their families. During my prayer, Vijji did not miss a beat. You thought she was just use to coming to a prayer meeting. She was just like any other Baptist. She was standing next to me and while I was praying was whispering 'Yes' after every sentence. It just reminded me of home. We all have that friend. The one that says 'Yes', 'Yes Jesus', 'Amen' during someone else's prayer. Vijji was a pro! When we were done she opened her eyes and was all smiles. I hope this little incident plants a little mustard seed/light. :)
Desires:
Jacob - good internet connection
Karen - good cheese
Olivia - to have a good birthday in Hong Kong
Paz - a horse (what!?!?!)
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