Cows, Festivals, and Electricians

So it's been raining a lot, whole days at a time. Jamuna devi is the highest she has been for many many years, parts of Delhi are flooded, and the government is delighted it can blame the country's unpreparedness for the Commonwealth Games due to start next month on the rains. And with the dampness as the season changes from the heat of the summer and monsoon to the pleasant coolness of autumn come coughs, colds and fevers. Everyone is sniffling or coughing, and of course I joined in the fun and have been laid up for three days. Today when I went to the Jamuna again she has risen another couple of meters and the old pagoda where I like to sit and chant in the afternoons and was still a little way from the river last time I was there is now right on the water's edge. Presumably as it was centuries ago when it was built.

There was no electricity for a couple of days in the Krsna das Kaviraj Memorial building where I stay, so an electrician was called. I believe "LOL" is the term I am looking for. I let him out onto the roof where he proceeded to yank a couple of bricks out of next door's already crumbling wall to chuck at the monkeys, and then leapt out onto the pole in the street, toolkit in back pocket ( a pair of pliers). Now most of the wires carrying current down the street are thick and super heavy duty; they have to be as monkeys, some of them not small, use them as runways and trampolines all the time. So I was a little disturbed to see the pathetic wire carrying current (or not) into the building; it looked like some third rate speaker wire from the dollar store. Then the man is yelling at me to tell him if the current is now on, which it is but I don't want to tell him in the hope that he will at least give the wire a few extra twists. Anyway, we have power again!

Also we have had several very High, Holy Days in the last couple of weeks, and of course in India generally and Vrindavan Dham especially that means chanting, meditation, introspection, quiet contemplation, large amplifiers and huge, ginormous speakers. This latter equipment is expensive to rent or buy so all knobs need to be turned to their maximum settings so as to ensure value for money, and never mind the distortion. The holy racket usually commences from all ten directions at around 3am, just as the nightly dog barking competition is winding to a close. (Of which I must say our local, Seva Kunj dogs are award winners, being able to set off other dogs right across town by their persistence and determination to succeed). I think I will save the whole Indian preoccupation with extremely loud noise for another post as there is so much to say.

The other morning I was sitting on the temple steps in the dark after Mangal Arati with Sukhananda Prabhu when two beautiful white bulls came thru the gate. One came to each of us just to nuzzle and be affectionate. Such beautiful animals....where but in India would a bull walk in off the street just to give you a kiss?