October has started out in spectacular fashion. The 9 day festival of Navratri just came to an end on Monday. During this festival Mumbaikers honor the divine feminine by worshiping a different Hindu Goddess each day. There is a “color of the day” that everyone wears and large neighborhood dances for 9 nights straight.
On the 10th day (after 9 nights of dancing & celebrating), everyone celebrates Dussehra, which marks the triumph of good over evil. It is also on this 10th day that they perform an Ayudha Puja. The focus of this blessing ceremony is worshiping/giving gratitude for the instruments and tools that enable us to do our work and provide for ourselves and our families.
Unlike the United States, religion is actively incorporated into work here. Each of my sections had a puja during which we performed ceremonial rituals and prayed together. It feels strange to be doing at work, but part of me really likes it too, especially this festival, which focuses on the divine feminine and gratitude.
My Motor Pool team invited several Americans out to participate. First a coconut was smashed in front of the car,
then flower petals were sprinkled, then incense was waved over the vehicle.
I didn’t attend the Facility Team’s puja but saw the loving displays they created with their tools (do you see the watering cans, clippers and hedge trimmer??).
Some teams created elaborate displays of flowers and beautiful rangoli designs on the floor.
We even had a puja in the warehouse, complete with coconut smashing,
the blessing of our tools (like forklifts, file cabinets, and water dispensers), a prayer and snacks (of course!).
You may be thinking that the symbol marked on the file cabinet looks an awful lot like a swastika. Well, in fact, it is! Prior to the Nazis choosing it to symbolize German national pride, it had long been used as a symbol of divinity and spirituality in Indian religions. In Hinduism, the symbol is commonly used on doorways of homes or temples, to mark the starting page of financial statements, and in mandalas constructed for rituals such as weddings or welcoming a newborn.
Take a guess what Nick’s Media Team blessed??
Computers, printers, newspapers and cameras, of course! What ‘equipment or tools’ would you give gratitude for today? What enables you to do work you love and/or provide for yourself or your family? Perhaps it’s worth taking a moment and expressing some thanks for the things that make our lives easier. I know I definitely take them for granted and was grateful for this reminder today.
