The Village People
I love to torture DH by singing "YMCA" by The Village People. Saw this billboard yesterday and burst into song spontaneously (and quietly) on the street - the only bad part - he was at work! Rats! Can't tell who these guys are as the writing is in Tamil but it looks like Village People satire to me!
Tonight we go out to dinner with some of the managers DH works with here in Pondy. I'm wearing my first Salwar Kameez and it fits - just! 'Fraid to have a cup of tea or anything before we go. I feel like a little kid who needs to stay clean for a special event so I'm sitting quietly until we leave. It would probably be smart to sit on my hands for extra security and cleanliness but I can't do that and type too. If you go to this link, it's an eBay auction and you have to scroll down for the pictures as it's already ended. It gives you a pretty good idea of the three pieces of the salwar kameez and how they are all color-coordinated. The one I'm wearing is a Kerala style, meaning from the Kerala region, on the southwest coast of India. There is truly no end to the variety of color and pattern combinations available. If only I'd had that liposuction before we left... And - don't worry, I changed those shoes before going out the door.
A long canal separates the so-called Tamil side of town from the French side of town. The Frenchies have mostly departed so it's all Tamil now, but the French side retains all the large government buildings and the wealthier population. It's amazing to me that most of the population of Seattle is contained in several square miles in the town of Pondicherry. One big difference is that families live together in India, unlike the U.S. On the Tamil side, most apartments are upstairs with verandas on the front to catch the air. Many are up above storefronts. Most have no A.C. Here are some pictures.
Many buildings will have some kind of demon head mounted on the veranda to ward off bad spirits. In the 2nd picture below you can see the head for this building. It's been a bit bleached out by the sun.
This guy is a little fresher...
Very few buildings have garages but some have grilled entrances in front that shelter at least the ubiquitous scooter.
This one is for horsewoman Sister Joan. I'm sure you can find someone in the U.S. to fix your front entrance up like this don't you think?
Without A.C. - many buildings have bars, mesh or a type of metal barrier in front of the windows that has decorative openings for air to pass.
I seem to be turning into a theme blogger don't I? I'll try to break it up a bit tomorrow. We'll be going to a famous temple in a town called Chidambarum. Of course, so will thousands of other people!
posted by Linda 'K' @ 4:12 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
El, In the picture of the "fresh" demon head I wonder if you noted the icon hanging on the back wall. Is this a Hindu icon or a Christian icon? I know that in many cultures, including our own, people often combine traditions. I really love the pictures you have taken of the architecture.
Ancora
Linda, you look so beautiful in your salwar suit. Really amazing. And as for those demon heads, I'd like one or two of those for my own yard. Late yesterday afternoon, for example, a pair of fresh-faced, white-boy Mormon missionaries rang my doorbell. No lights on in my house, and the rain is coming down in buckets, and they still want to save me! I said that I was sorry, I couldn't help them. And one of them asked, oh so innocently, was there anything they could help me with? HELLO?! I have two signs next to the door: "No Solicitors" and "Hedge Witch Hill." AND there's a bleepin' pentagram hanging in the window! Don't they get it? ... Er, on second thought, perhaps they do. But I digress... OK, so maybe if I had one of those demon heads in my yard, they'd leave me alone. Ya think?
El: Sure enough, at knitting today Mary B. flips me all sorts of shite about cheating on the Evelyn A. Clark yahoo knit-along. Seriously, I think it was a huge mistake to invite her into our group; she's nuttin but a trouble-making instigator...heh. On a totally different subject, Sandi and Evelyn are collaborating on a hand-spun shawl to submit to Spin-off Magazine – Sandi to spin and dye, Evelyn to design. They’ll both test knit it. I put in my two cents for GREEN as the dye color, and this is a very important point because Evelyn, that tart, flipped me all sorts of crap about my choice of GREEN. She thinks I need everything in GREEN to match my spinning wheel, but not true: I loved GREEN long before I got my wheel, hence the GREEN-ness of it. Sheesh. Clearly, we’re falling apart without you to mediate. Come home soon. The Friday Knitter’s may implode without you! Love your 'go to dinner' outfit! Snazzy. I would have gone with the shoes, too. Function Over Form, I always say, Girlfriend! Ar
For heaven's sake--we're just fine at Friday knitting! We do miss you, though. Ar has been so busy setting us all straight, though, she hasn't gotten much knitting done. Wait till you see this shawl collaboration, though, it's way cool. I love your pictures--you look smashing in your new duds. Can't wait to see all in person when you return. When DO you return, BTW? Love, Mary B
Also, forgot to add that Ryan gave your blog a plug on Mossy Cottage today--so hopefully more of her readers will be hoppin on over to Dimsphere and checking out the great travelog. I do love that you are doing this blog--your photos are FAB! Love again, Mary B
PS And as you can see, Ar DID indeed straighten me out on the blog commenting protocol.
Dear Ancora - Even if you double-click on the picture to get the bigger version, that icon in the background IS hard to see. It's a Ganesh, so presumably Hindu. However, one of the drivers we've used is Muslim and he has a Ganesh with a fresh flower offering on the dashboard each time. I'm sorry but I also don't recognize your name. Are you a new reader or a person whose nickname I didn't know?
Dear Kimberly, I'm not sure the demon head would work with the Mormon dudes. In fact, you might seem in need of extra perseverance to them. Now if you could play a tape of the sound of a double-gauge shotgun ratcheting back beFORE you open the door, that might speak in a language they could understand?
Dear Ar - you should get mega-credit for all the wonderful Evelyn things you have knit, and Mary B - you leave Ar alone now! Don't make me come down there!!!
El, I have picked Ancora as a handle because it comes from a saying by Michaelangelo when he was in his 80's. The quote is "Ancora Imparo", which means "I am still learning". I think I will sign my paintings that way until I feel like owning up to them. Is that enough of a hint?
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