What is god’s gift to mankind? According to some Hindu text, Lord Shiva loves marijuana. One night he was smoking, lost his powerful trident, and woke up surrounded by vast fields of it. So once a year, everyone worships Lord Shiva for a full night, with a lot of people partaking in smoking to celebrate his gift. It is believed that smoking for religious purposes allows people to have a deeper clarity of the gods. I have actually seen it described in an Indian newspaper article as Lord Shiva’s gift to mankind.
A woman worshiping Lord Shiva
Some of my students live in a village that has a temple of Lord Shiva, so they invited me to spend the night and celebrate in their village, which hosts a huge celebration every year on that special night. People come from all the local villages to offer flowers and sacred red powder to the small temple on that night. Afterwards, there is a dinner, where everyone helps cook, and then an all-night party.
I was pretty apprehensive when I showed up at 5pm. My seventh-grade boys already give me a run for my money every day; I’m not sure they need drugs to help them.
The first part of the party was pretty mild. I just watched the women worshiping Lord Shiva and had some of the food (it was a high-caloric cake that aid groups give out to combat malnutrition). Then as more and more of my students showed up, alcohol in hand, the music also seemed to get louder until a full-out party commenced around 9pm.
As many of you know, I do not enjoy parties (of any variety). I often feel overwhelmed by the idea of making small talk with so many people, and I’m very reserved. So what do I do when I am over-socialized?
I present to you: Photos of Corn.
I was tired of small-talk (and high twelve-year-olds), so I walked away from the party, to a single bulb illuminating the drying corn on the outside of a house. I spent the next 40 minutes taking various pictures of corn as it was lit, giving me a nice little break.
Afterwards, I rejoined the party. One of the highlights of the evening was simply spending time with some of my girls and seeing how they interact with their communities. One man drunkenly repeatedly asked me to dance, and when I refused for the second time, my student stood up and yelled at him. “She said no already, so just walk away. Stop bothering us!” I was quite proud of her willingness to intervene and her courage to do so in front of the whole village.
With my student, before the festivities began
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