Divali- Festival of Lights

On the 26th of October, Divali (Deepavali) will be celebrated by every Hindu. Even I’m going to celebrate this day, but today, the shop where I work at, started selling Divali-items from India. All those Dia’s (oil lamps) in different models. But I won’t talk about what I sell in the store.

Divali, also known as Deepavali, is the festival for lights which has been celebrated for several reasons, occuring between mid October- mid November. For many Hindus, Divali’s the most important festival . Even in Suriname, Divali is one of the most important festivals. And last year, this day will be a national day for every Surinamese.

Divali is also a day for preparing sweets (if you’re home) and eating vegetarian food on that day. We start eating vegetarian food 3 days before Divali, but some started with Navratrie (which is a month before Divali).

Since the last few years (5years), Divali’s been fun but I also get tired a lot. There’s a lot of work like cleaning the house and also working in the shop till the Divali day. But on every Divali, I make sure that some Divali-shots are taken. I really enjoy doing that! So, I’ll be sharing some of my Divali shots. I don’t have a lot Divali photos anymore, because last year, on Divali-day, my external harddrive crashed, so I lost every photo.  Luckily, I had my photos of that day, saved on my CF-card.

Because I’m really tired today, I have to leave you now, but keep enjoying my photos (and feel free to send me feedback).

Subh Divali (Happy Divali)

This is one of the photos I lost last year when I had a harddrive crash. But I had ;posted this one on of my personal profiles, so I'd save it.

!!!!

Tags: Deepavali, Dia, Divali, Divalie, Diwali, Diwalie, Festival of Lights, Happy Divali, Hinduism, India, Jainism, Kavish Cultural House, lichtjesfeest, oillamps, Paramaribo, Subh Deepavali, Subh Divali, Suriname

New York City Through My Eyes: Long Island Shopping and Time Square

The first day of our vacation, we went to the Tanger outlets in Long Island (Riverhead) which is located in the east of Manhattan. That was our first day of shopping and I must say it was another experience for both of us. I know that New York City is tourist oriented and therefor offers much more. Shopping is a sport in NYC which was a nice way of losing weight (Yes! I lost 4 pounds). I didn’t mind this way of sporting!

I was told that Time Square is a must see , so I was really excited when visiting Manhattan for the first time. It is good. I love Billboards everywhere and all those promising advertisements. The athmosphere is also amazing. There are a lot of tourists hanging in Time Square, so no tourist  can’t feel a outsider there.  And everyone has to check this place by night. If you wanna feel NYC, be in Time Square!

New York City trough my eyes

Tags: Big Aplle, Holidays, Manhattan, New York City, Plane, Skyline, Suriname from the Sky, The Ocean, Travel, United States of America, Vliegtuig

….In the big city

It’s almost time to go to home. I thought I’d be able to share my experiences in New York City. But due lack of time I couldn’t do anything. New York is so big and there’s really so much to do.Two days before going back, I’m writing this blog.

We had a great start. From the flights till now, we enjoyed every day of our vacation. Even the securiy officers at the JFK Airport were polite and helpful to us.
I’m staying in Queens at the place of familymembers. I like it here too.

The first thing I noticed here when I came here is the big diversity of ethnic groups. I’ve read about it, but it was then the moment to see it myself.
At the airport I saw first time in my life a Rabbi..I stopped for a few seconds to observe him.
When I go to shops, from Macy’s to the smallest ones, I get assistance of people of different accents. That must be normal to me as Suriname is multicultural country, but these accents are not ‘daily’ to me. In Holland I could make a difference between the Morroccans,Turks, Antillean, Aftican, but I think the group of foreigners, living in the United States, is bigger. There are Mexicans, Jews, Africans, Indians, Guyanese, Arabics, Africans, Chineses and so on. That’s why I like it here.
Yesterday when I was shopping in Queens, I met two Surinamese women. While my grandmother, cousin and I were talking in Dutch, the shopassistant heard us and finally asked us if we’re from Suriname. While she asked us, there was another Surinamese woman shopping at the same store. So this was our first time to meet Surinamese people in New York.

I’m not sure if I can go back this Sunday to Suriname, because possibly our flight to Port of Spain will be delayed. The Hurricane predictions in New York. According to the weather forecast bad weather may be expected. It’s possibly gonna be a hard weekend for many New Yokers.

I’m not able to post my photos with the blogs, because I’ve to sort and edit them. More will come on the next blogs….

….so check it out!!!!

Tags: foreigners in USA, Holidays, Hurricane Irene, Jews, JFK Airport, Mexicans, New York City, NYC, Queens Village, Rabbi, The Big Apple, Time Square, Travel, Vacation

New York City

And now I’m back. After exactly one week I will be by this time on my way to New YorkCity, the city that never sleeps. I could easily have opted for Miami, whichwould take less time traveling, but I really wanted to see the big city. One year ago, I had planned to go abroad to celebrate my graduation in 2011, but I knew not where I’d go.
A few months ago when my cousin and I talked about travel, we came up with the idea to share a journey to the U.S. We immediately began making plans,but unfortunately it was not with her ​​this far. My cousin had to work. On the other hand, my grandmother and aunt were ready to go. So we made ​​an appointment for the visa. The U.S. Visa was provided to my grandmother and me, but not tomy aunt and her family. Too bad it was, because otherwise it would be party all the time. We both love shopping.

But the purpose of my visit to the city is not just shopping but also to take pictures. Since I started taking pictures, I have not been abroad. So this would be my first foreign pictures in my own photo collection. I also want to see as much as possible in two weeks. When I search the online sites, I discover so many attractions in NYC, so I can’t make an official itinerary, but only a list of places I want to visit.

So I’m waiting for the moment when I’ll be there….

Note: Photos on this blog are not mine, but used from websites.

Lalla Rookh

5th June 1873 was the day on which the  ship, Lalla Rookh, arrived with the first group of laborers from India. After the abolition of slavery in 1863, there was a shortage of cheap labor on the Surinamese plantations so therefore workers were brought from India. Their predecessors, the Chinese and Portuguese labors, did not meet the need. And, therefore, recruitment of settlers, targeting other countries, notably India. The recruitment center was the Indian city, Calcutta, and most of the immigrants were from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. False promised were made to the poor people. They were promised a golden future. But no, they came here as contractors, for 5 years, to work on the various plantations. On arrival in Suriname, the workers were spread throughout the plantations  over the whole country. The amount they earned was not much. They were underpaid. The contractors were often put to work on the sugar plantations and in agriculture field. Gradually, the Hindustani  managed to gain an important place in Suriname. During and after World War II  many of the British Indian immigrants moved to the capital, Paramaribo, for more opportunities to work and study.

  
Culture
Former contract workers were called British Indians, but a descendantsis now called a Hindustani (Hindostani).
Today, the Hindustani are, second, to the largest ethnic groups in Suriname. Also there are approximately 50,000 of them who moved before the independence of the country in 1975, to the Netherlands. According to Wikipedia, there are about 120,000 living descendants of the Surinamese Hindustani in the Netherlands.

The culture is largely preserved. The language, a mixture of Bhojpuri and dialects of Bihar, which is influenced by the Dutch, Sranan Tongo (Surinamese a local dialect) and even English, is called  Sarnami (Sarnami Hindustani). The religions practiced in the Hindustani, are Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. Hinduism has two groups: the Sanatan Dharma and the Arya Samadj. Most Muslims are Sunnis and Ahmediyyas. There are not many Christians among the Hindustanis, but many of them are Catholic and Moravians. Although traditional clothing is not worn everyday, people like to dress in the Indian clothing inspired by Bollywood, for traditional and cultural festivals. There is also a local song and dance form developed, Chutney and Bhaitak, but Bollywood songs are also a favorite. The most popular musical instruments are tabla, harmonium and dhol. Even the Hindustani cuisine is similar, but adjusted to the environment. Roti, rice and masala (curry) are still used, but in addition they have their own snacks. Roti is very popular among the Surinamese.

Today, the 138 years Hindustani Immigration is celebrated. Over these 138 years they have reached a high level. I am one of the descendants of the British Indian immigrants. India is the country where my ancestors come from, but there are now differences in customs and cultural experience. And since I was born and raised in Suriname, I see myself as one … a Surinamese with the Hindustani background.

You must be thinking why I named this blog Lalla Rookh? This, because with the arrival of this ship, the story of the Hindustanis began.

Note: The photos used in this blog are not mine but adapted from Wikipedia

Tags: Ahmeddiya, Ancestors, British Rule, Brits Indie, Colonialism, Dutch Guiana, Hindoestaanse Immigratie, Hindoestanen, Hindostaanse Immigratie, Hindu, Hindustan, Hindustani, Indian Diaspora, Indian Immigration, Indiers in Diaspora, Islam, Sunni, Suriname

Drag Race Suriname

Two weeks ago, I finally experienced drag racing in Suriname.

Many friends have been there and obviously had many good things to say about the drag races. The race was held on the Highway of Suriname and the road was closed that day.

I didn’t see the real race cars that used to be used in foreign races,  but I was proud of the Surinamese racers.  And yes, I did see the beautiful sport cars. There should always be a start and more will come. I especially  loved the race of the motorcycles. There were two girls, participating in this race.

 

The Foundation for the promotion of Motorsport in Suriname (MOTOSUR), founded in 2006, organizes activities on a regular basis. The Motorsport has grown so much over the past few years and even sometimes  there are foreigners who participate. Motorsport in Suriname isn’t a sport where you can earn lots of money, but a hobby for the participants and also another attraction for us in Suriname. Even a place to meet people you didn’t meet in a while..my friends and I were together after a year (check the next picture). After high school we choose to do different courses in different colleges. So being together after a while, made us feel good.  That are the drag races for….

There is no real racetrack in Suriname, but the first one’s is already on its way. But as yet I continue to enjoy the drag racing along the road under a large, colorful umbrella!

Tags: 4MEN Magazine, Drag Race Suriname, Highway, Motorbikes, Motorrace, Motorsport Suriname, MOTOSUR, Paramaribo Zoo, Race

First time…..at The Orphanage

 

 

A personal visit to a local orphanage, I met some children who touched my heart. Though we couldn’t interact much and I couldn’t take many photos, I talked to a few children. It was my first time of visiting an orphanage and I wasn’t really prepared for it. Romana, one of the girls I met there, is a cheerful child and she seemed to be happy with the visitor. She is unable to talk nor to hear. She stole my heart. It is the first time I visited an orphanage, but it is certainly not the first time I’ve met children from an orphanage. Two years ago I met children of another orphanage. Their situation looked much better, well dressed, polite and wasted a lot of food and snacks which was arranged for them (most of them wasn’t living with their parents due financial circumstances). Not that the children of the orphanage where Romana stays, were impolite , but if these children are not taught, they won’t learn it. Because the shock, I didn’t say anything . I saw no bad situation there, but there was a lack of personal attention towards the children. I believe that kids need guidance when they grow up. Especially those who are orphans. These are only things I have noticed during my first visit. I can be wrong, but I thought I’d share this experience with you.

 

Miss Cheerful Romana

Watching T.V

My Corner Girl, another cheerful girl in the orphanage, she’s both mentally and physically unstable.

2011

This is the first blog of this year. We are now in their fifth month of 2011. In this period I was a little focused on writing poetry and trying documentary photography. End of 2010 I lost my files (including a great photo collection) from my external hard disk crash. And so I had a little inspiration to do something. But time is moving so I had to move on also.

I would like to share some of the pictures with you. I will post pictures in the next blog.

One love,

Kavita

2010 in review

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 1,800 times in 2010. That’s about 4 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 9 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 14 posts. There were 123 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 18mb. That’s about 2 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was October 22nd with 99 views. The most popular post that day was Mehndi.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, flickr.com, hyves.nl, fotovita.hyves.nl, and mail.live.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for fotovita, fair & lovely fairness cream, monuments suriname, stairways, and saoto.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Mehndi October 2010
18 comments

2

Fairness creams and bleach… hot or not? November 2009
3 comments

3

Suriname’s celebrating its 35th Independence Day November 2010
36 comments

4

Sis’ Wedding Preparations October 2010
19 comments

5

A day to Paramaribo Zoo September 2010
3 comments