Goddess Durga, Swayze, Mandela and Asia's Paris

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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/KI19Df01.html


Goddess Durga and odes to Asia's Paris



Durga, the goddess who rides a tiger and whacks evil, has taken over Kolkata this fortnight. This annual conquest churns India's great east coast metropolis into a concoction of colorful lights and creamy sweets.

Mumbai noisily and gaudily celebrates the nationwide Navaratri Festival of Nine Nights, but traditionally Kolkata leads the festivities that end on the 10th Dussara day, September 28. Diwali holidays come next, and then Christmas. During these times, the God of Colorful Light Bulbs appears to have a Kolkata address.

Hollywood star Patrick Swayze, who died on September 14 of pancreatic cancer, had experienced such luminous times in Kolkata, or Calcutta as it was when he was there in 1990 shooting for Roland Joffe's adaptation of French author Dominique Lapierre's best seller, City of Joy.

Both Swayze and I were there in Calcutta, as it shall henceforth be referred to in this story, in an unforgettable winter of 1990. So was South African icon Nelson Mandela, whom I saw while he was addressing Calcutta's packed Eden Gardens cricket stadium, in his first visit to India after being released from South Africa's Robben Island prison on February 11, 1990.
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read on - enjoy

[Vidar]

1. Wonderful move. Thanks for the reminder.

[juno jones]

2. I rec any thread mentioning Durga.

We could use some of that conquering evil and restoring balance right about now.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

3. You should look at my interpretation of Kali Durga.

http://lavidacountry.wordpress.com/2009/03/15/kali-durga-taking-names-and-kicking-ken-lay/

[juno jones]

4. I like it!

Durga is such a strong figure and image. You did a good job portraying her!

Here's mine, It's an image I found but morphed thru a computer and then enhanced manually with colored pencil:




I've become very interested in the continuity of myth in several cultures which each feature a goddess that exsisted before time and the other deities, wear red, defend against evil, and have a feline familiar of some sort. Sekhmet and Freya come to mind immediately as counterparts. The black madonna, dressed as she is in red might also be related.

So many godesses/gods, so little time! :D

[G_j]

6. awesome!

:-)

[juno jones]

7. Thank you!

:hi:

[G_j]

5. wonderful!

:-)