March My Band Out

Saturday morning dawned bright as always. The beautiful song of the American Robin chased away the last remnants of sleep. We looked out to see a street lined with policemen - posted at every house exit or walking purposefully in groups.

Shortly afterwards loudspeakers started .... music, talking.... the noise continued for hours. Men dressed in white walked by - a few at first then more and more till the trickle of a stream grew to a river.

The music grew ever louder till finally its source came into view - not the huge band we had anticipated but just a few men with some very loud loudspeakers. A parade!

For several hours we were entertained as the crowds passed by. The good-natured festive spirit was catching. When groups caught sight of us they gave a cheery wave .... a few individuals even blew a kiss. Most of those who passed bore gifts - plates of fruit, sweetmeats, birthday cakes. A feast was being delivered and, at last, we found out why .... this was the Chief Minister's son's birthday. Many participants wore t-shirts depicting the faces of father and son, others bought scarves and rosettes in the party colours. The majority of men wore white so, in comparison, the women shone like rich jewels in their bright saris.

Bands came in all shapes and sizes - larger groups were clad in bright uniforms. Dancing drummers from Kerala followed processional horses and camels. The gods were represented by colourful costumes of peacocks (Parvati), cows and Shiva on a horse.

(Please note: the links take you to the flickr page where, if you scroll down, you can see more of the parade in photos and further links. For detail open large - the link is under the photo.)