Ok, it's been a while...
Some time ago I was
invited by a colleague of mine to celebrate a ritual (puja) with his
family at his village of Bhora Kalan. Today I went there. Some 80km from
Delhi, the drive took me through a mix of crumbling houses, brand-new
developments, spotless highways and pot-holed roads.
The village itself was lovely. The people very friendly. The food very Indian!
 |
| Fried bread being prepared for our lunch at the community center |
So, here is what wikipedia has to say about a puja or pooja, after which some pictures will follow, enjoy!
Pūjā or alternative transliteration Pooja, (Devanagari: पूजा) (Sanskrit: reverence, honour,
adoration, or worship) is a religious ritual performed by Hindus as an offering
to various deities, distinguished persons, or special guests. It is done on a
variety of occasions and settings, from daily puja done in the home, to temple
ceremonies and large festivals, or to begin a new venture. Puja is modeled on
the idea of giving a gift or offering to a deity or important person and
receiving their blessing (Ashirvad). The two main areas where puja is performed
is in the home and at public temples. There are many variations in scale,
offering, and ceremony. Puja is also performed on special occasions such as
Durga Puja and Lakshmi Puja. The puja ritual is performed by Hindus worldwide.
Various poojas are performed at various times of the day and on various
occasions.
 |
| Enjoying lunch with the men! |
 |
| Old houses in this village |
 |
| The courtyard of the community center |
 |
| The roof, where we ate the food |
 |
| The women gather & gossip |
 |
| My colleague Sandeep in the light clothes serving food |
 |
| Entrance to the courtyard |
 |
| My colleague (l) and our driver (r) walking through the village |
 |
| View from the roof... |
 |
| And another view... |
 |
| And another... |
