Popagandhi

Survived a congregation of a million people over a 3km stretch of road, and a considerable number of cows. Danced with Hare Krishnas. Battered and broke many parts of my camera, but it still works. Saw a 60 year old Caucasian Hindu convert in a sari bitchslap a policewoman who wouldn’t let her touch Jagannath’s chariot one more time. Witnessed a Juggernaut of the world’s longest continuously celebrated religious festival.

Did that all for work.

(This is the part where I was supposed to have a picture of the crowd from an aerial perspective with the caption: “if you thought Little India on a Sunday was bad…” but I have a train to catch soon and this PC got no bluetooth!)

Aftermath of the Rath Yatra: the biggest collection of abandoned black and brown slippers that I have ever seen in my life. (When the crowd pushes back, you lose your shoes… and then there’s also how people were throwing their shoes at the police.)

For the first time in backpacking history, the Singaporeans are a clear majority — there are three of us here now, 2 Poles, 2 Koreans, and the rest are various Caucasians who have renounced their Western identities and are now followers of Shiva or Krishna.

Next stop: Hyderabadi briyani!