Army of Gods

India stops in October. Difficult as it may be to believe, the world's second most populous nation grinds to a halt to celebrate the festival of Dasara, a ten day explosion of colour and sound that commemorates the victory of Lord Rama over the demon Ravana. Regional variations may occur, but in general the country unites to rejoice in the triumph of Good over Evil. Hindus do so by dressing up as Gods.

The story goes that Rama's mother Kaikeyee was tricked into exiling him for 14 years. His brother Lakshmana and wife Sita Devi kept him company on the ashram, but word of his identity soon spread and it wasn't long before the demon Shoorpanakha showed up demanding one of the brothers marry her. A disagreement quickly ensued and after she threatened to kill Rama's wife, she was set upon by Lakshmana, who cut off her ears and nose. Shoorpanakha's own brother happened to be the demon King Ravana, who was maddened by his sister's disfiguration and kidnapped Rama's wife as revenge. Thus begins the Ramayana chronicles, which follow Lord Rama's travels and adventures as he searches for his wife and ultimately faces a showdown with Ravana.

Modern day Hindus celebrate Rama's victory in a festival that must seem like madness to an outsider. Crowds that can number in the hundreds of thousands dance to a mixture of classical Indian music to heavy Tamil pop beats. Huge generators spewing black smoke are towed by four-wheel drives to power the spotlights and speakers. Enormous Bollywood-style dance numbers are enacted in town squares, heavily made-up troupes competing fiercely to be the most popular. On the ninth day the use of weapons is celebrated, a concept linked to the legend of the Shami tree, where the Pandavas Gods once hid their divine weaponry. The modern equivalent are the tools used in everyday life, the indispensable objects that earn the average Hindu his livelihood. Laptops and taxis are worshipped on this day, shovels and cellphones. They are decorated with flowers and blessed, ensuring success for the future.

Finally there are the costumes. Men dress as women, women as monkeys, mortals as Gods until the final day of Vijayadashami, which culminates in a ritual burning of Ravana effigies, huge and menacing. Dasara is Burning Man in every town and city of the nation at the same time, ten days when the Gods of old regain their armies.

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