Opinion The Bangaloring of celebration

Later that afternoon,two dozen ladies of Ozone bedecked in near-bridal finery,many returnees like Dhamija amongst them,gathered at the community centre for the puja. Since a priest who knows the traditions is hard to find in Bangalore,the ladies played a recording for the two-hour puja. Then it was time to return home to cook the sweets,wait for a sighting of the moon and break the fast in a communal,potluck feast.

It was a mixed group at the puja,said Dhamija. In the gathering were a couple of foreigners who were bemused observers,and some south Indians participating with gusto. Bollywood influences and friendships have led to many south Indian friends embracing the tradition too. The festival has morphed from a private ritual to friends,fun and dressing up in Bangalore,she said. “The Karwa Chauth ritual has become as much a friend thing as a husband thing,” Dhamija said.

Later that week on a Friday evening,it was tradition and festivities of another sort. That evening,the US-born Dhamija kids,Arnav,13,and Nikita,8,joined a big crowd of other children at the community amphitheatre to observe the decidedly American ritual of Halloween. Dressed as ghouls,goblins and ghosts,many of the costumes self-created,the kids marched around the 300-home community,knocking on doors and shouting “trick or treat!”

In true American tradition,the fronts of many of the homes in the community were decorated with jack-o-lanterns,spider webs,bats and other spooky props.

Within a half hour of the procession setting off at the amphitheatre,over 200 kids — some with torchlights flashing,others with water bottles slung around their neck — had trooped to the front door of the Dhamija residence. The crowd had unexpectedly swelled bigger than last year so when she ran out of candy,Dhamija started handing out biscuits. Soon,the loot bags of the kids started filling up with an assortment of goodies like doughnuts,chocolate bars and juice

cartons.

“This is so much better than the Halloween we celebrated back in the Bay Area,” said Dhamija. For one,the weather in Bangalore is unbeatable,she declared. Also,the gated community they live in is a safe,kid-friendly environment making the festivities much more relaxed,she said.

Many of the household staff,gardeners and drivers employed by the community — close to 300 families belonging to a variety of nationalities from across the world — come from villages nearby. Many of them have learned to speak fluent English,rustle up authentic enchiladas and bake a mean soufflé. But the traditions of Halloween and Karwa Chauth within a few days of each other could flummox the most global of staff,said Dhamija.

Both the late-October festivities are alien to Bangalore but are growing “bigger and better” each year in the community,residents said. In many such new communities thriving in Bangalore and other Indian cities,traditional India is bumping into customs of faraway places. Like in Ozone,the festivals are celebrated with so much zest and feverish excitement that Dhamija added,“It is now possible to be in Bangalore and enjoy the best of all worlds.”

saritha.rai@expressindia.com