Bali as a tourist destination is made even more popular because of the easy access through direct international flights from most countries. However, I opted to fly into Denpasar from Jakarta, after breaking journey there for two days. The 30 day free visa on arrival offer makes travelling to Indonesia a breeze and the formalities of the visa stamp at Jakarta airport are over in no time.
The choice of cheap fares to Bali on Lion Air turns out to be a bit irksome, as both on the onward and return journeys, my flight faces inordinate delays. I request to be put on an earlier flight for the journey back to Jakarta, on the plea of a connection back to India and the attendants quickly oblige. The last row that I am assigned is no fun though and on a stormy rain-battered night, I find solace in all the prayers that I can recall!
The reason I decide to set out for (Nyepi Day) is because on this day the whole island falls silent and the airport shuts down. In today’s world of incessant chatter, it is fascinating to learn that for 24 hours, television and radio stations go off the air and that the use of electricity and lighting is forbidden. This is taken seriously; nobody ventures out on the streets and everyone speaks in hushed whispers, whilst physical activity, including cooking is frowned upon. Even stranger to find is that this date coincides with the Balinese Bali a day after what is called Silence Day New Year, which the Hindus there use as a time for self-reflection. On the run-up to Nyepi, Hindus follow cleansing and purification rituals including the Melasti ceremony the day before, which involves throwing offerings into the sea. On my next visit to Bali, I think that I will make sure that I am around to experience this day of silence, as it is a rarity to experience this, except if one were an ascetic who has disappeared into the forests.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2017-Ausgabe von India Currents.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2017-Ausgabe von India Currents.
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Elephant and Donkey Tribes of Politics
The Motorcycle Guru Speaks.
On Feminism
It has been eight months since I started my MFA at Bennington College. In the last eight months I have cooked half a dozen meals. I pack my children lunches and I clean up the kitchen after my husband when he makes dinner for the family after he comes home from working in a Silicon Valley tech company. Cooking has never moved me. Motherhood has—but not the baggage of social dos and don'ts that accompanied it. I have done fewer play dates than the meals I have cooked in the past few months, and I rarely go to a birthday party. My husband takes the children to their social engagements. “But is this fair?” you might ask and I answer, “It is not about fairness, it is about what moves you as a person and how to keep that flame of what keeps you alive, burning within you, while negotiating roles in an adult world that still largely favors men over women.”
Of Wedding Bells And Hospital Bills
Not another invite,” I groaned, picking up a thick cream and red colored envelope.
A New Lease Of Life
How an Indian grandmother started making heart-healthy choices.
A Mother Loses Her Child: Fact And Fiction Coalesce
LUCKY BOY by Shanthi Sekaran. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House, New York. 472 pages. Hardcover. $27.00
From The Hood Without A Loo
TOILET: A LOVE STORY. Director Shree Narayan Singh. Players: Akshay Kumar, Bhumi Padnekar, Anupam Kher, Sudhir Pandey, Divyendu Sharma, Subha Khote. Hindi w/ Eng. Sub-tit. (Viacom).
Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Happiness
A LIFE OF ADVENTURE AND DE- LIGHT by Akhil Sharma. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.: New York. 202 pages. wwnorton.com $24.95 hardcover.
Who Was Enid Blyton?
Raised in and out of India, I don’t remember reading too many Enid Blyton novels—barring those from the Noddy series. I knew, though, they were all the rage among girls—mostly girls. They’d spend hours reading them and like fish in a school, prattle over what they’d read over their lunchboxes.
Victoria And Abdul: It Looks A Lot Like Love
VICTORIA AND ABDUL. Director: Stephen Frears. Screenwriter: Lee Hall, based on book by Shrabani Basu. Cast: Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Eddie Izzard, Adeel Akhtar, Tim Pigott-Smith and Michael Gambon. Focus Features, 2017. MPAA Rating: PG-13
Looters, Schemers And A Curse
Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond.
