Festive Fervour – India Celebrates!

Kaushiki Roy, Wellington

Teeming crowds, riots of colour, blaring music, excited chatter, religious fervour, mouth-watering delicacies, laughter, gaiety and sheer pandemonium... the festive season in India is here again! Beginning in September with Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra and Onam in the South, followed by Id-ul-Fitr and culminating in Christmas and the New Year, India Inc. positively rocks in the last quarter of the year.

The festivities reach a crescendo with Navratri, the 9 day festival of the Goddess Durga followed by Diwali, the festival of lights.

A nation of diverse cultures, each state celebrates the festive season differently with its own unique customs, rituals and culinary delights. There's the Garba and Dandya Raas in Gin the West, the five day "Durga Puja" in the East and Ram-Lila and Dussehra in Northern India.

And of course there are the royal Dussehra celebrations in Mysore in South India - a visual feast.

Diwali, which marks the end of the season, is celebrated today by almost every community in India, irrespective of religion, caste, creed or region with lamps being lit outside every home, the Rangoli or coloured floor motifs at every doorway, colourful festoons and splendid firework displays in every nook and corner.

Business thrives in India during the festive season. It becomes a shopper's haven at this time, with traders and craftsmen displaying their best creations - be it saris, handicrafts or jewellery. Big brands vie to woo customers with megabuck advertising campaigns. The entertainment industry is in full swing too, with new music albums being released and a host of cultural shows catering to every audience.

It's boom time for the travel industry as well, as people who wish to escape the madding crowd, take time off to tour different bits of this vast and beautiful country with its variety of landscapes. With the entry of private players in the airline industry, quite a few good deals are up for the grabs at this time. The Indian Railways also runs special trains during the season and there are a number of good tour operators to arrange your trips for you.

If one wishes to savour the awesome variety of Indian cuisine, then this is most definitely the time to be there. The long queues outside confectionery shops bear testimony to the fact that the Indian loves his food! And what a mindboggling array of sweets, snacks and savouries! Halwa, laddoos, rosogolla, gulab jamun, rabri, samosas, bhajjia, chaat...the list goes on...

A caveat however - while gustatory temptations abound, it's a good idea to stick to hot food from covered stalls or restaurants and drink bottled mineral water.

But then there's the flip side. Like logistic nightmares. Traffic can practically come to a standstill on festival days because of the large crowds, temporary constructions on the roads. Traffic diversions can take place randomly and a street that you thought was two-way can suddenly become one way without notice!

So it's a good idea to factor in some extra time when you're travelling. Travel and accommodation bookings should be made well in advance as these are busy times.

Health and safety are other areas of concern. Stampedes, fires and thefts are not uncommon at this time so exercising that extra bit of caution helps. Availability of adequate medical care can also be an issue with reduced number of hospital staff.

It's the end of the monsoons and the weather is generally good at this time. However, it can get muggy and the odd thundershower and flooding can happen in parts of the country.

Nevertheless, one thing is for certain - to experience the the essence of India, there's no better season than the festive season.