Bandra Fair — 10 days of madness — September 2006

As soon as Ganpati finished, Bandra Fair set up shop. Beside Carmel Church at the end of my road, a ferris wheel materialized overnight; across the street a merry-go-round emerged; and from the church to the sea, stalls filled with food and handicrafts were erected. The first Sunday of the fair, I spent the afternoon meandering through the mayhem. I browsed the stalls and though I rejected the glittered hat, the bubble-makers, and the furry hand-puppets, I did manage to buy a kurta (blouse) I bargained down from Rps. 500 to Rps. 220. I saw a very cute outfit for my niece, but after looking at about 5 different sizes I suddenly realized I had no idea how tall she has grown in the last few months, so I gave up and made my way back home. For ten days, the streets were closed off, music from the 80’s blared from loudspeakers through the wee hours of the night, and we few teachers trying to get to sleep at a decent hour counted the days until the fair would disappear. I am sure the millions of attendees had a blast, but I wasn’t sad to see the merry-go-round dismantled, the vendors pack up and leave, and the barricades come down at last.