Karwa Chauth Moon

 

Pictures of Karwa Chauth Moon

So like many years this year also the moon of Karwa Chauth decided to get late and make my dear wife wait more before she could break her fast. Though I am pretty sure all Indians know what Karwa Chauth is, but since desi Traveler gets lots of traffic from US, UK, Europe and Australia  ( though I am not sure it is the desi diasporas in these countries or natives who read desi Traveler )  it would not be wrong to give some gyan about Karwa Chauth.

You see in India most of the responsibilities related to family are for the women. Even in modern times, a woman is the foundation on which a whole family stands. Though she rarely gets any credit for it, on top of it as part of some conspiracy a hundred different kind of fasts and even some slows were invented to make sure that women of this country never eat 2 meals in a row. So we have Monday Fast for getting a good husband, once she gets married even to  a lousy husband she keeps Friday Fast for  Mata Rani, then there is Ekadashi upwas, then Navratri and I am sure countless others. I actually sometimes wonder where the customers of all these slimming centers are when all women of this country are in the Fast lane. Anyways the king of Upwasas (Fasts) is the fast of Karwa Chauth; it is the ultimate test of Bhartiya Naree to see if she can endure a whole day of fasting while here kaddu (pumpkin) husband is feasting. The women are still expected to attend office cook for her husband, kids, Sasoo maa jo kabhee Bahu thee, ab to Mantri hain, etc. etc.

The logic or mythology behind the Karwa Chauth Vrat is that if the wife fasts husband will live longer.  If this is true I do sometimes wonder why she does not fast more often?   So leave aside the logic and mythology the fact of the matter is that I have failed to persuade my dear wife that there is no need to fast for me. She continues to fast for my long life and if romantic TV serials are to be believed new age husbands now fast with their wife in a sign of solidarity.

There is no proof that this leads to increase in the life of wife or the benefit of two fasts are canceled by each other like the Arrows of Rama and Ravana canceled each other in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana.  The technology of arrows canceling each other from Ramayana was shamelessly stolen by American Missile Defense Program and cloned to create a missile defenses system that we all hope will never be tested. Anyways what is this entire US missile defense program doing in a post on Karwa Chauth moon? You are right this post is about Karwa Chauth or to be precise about the moon on Karwa Chauth.

So like I said the moon on Karwa Chauth take special pleasure in coming late like Govinda as this is one day bhookee pyasee nariyan are waiting for him eagerly. But Mr. Moon deliberately comes late and a lot of time hides behind clouds. For the last few years, the moon was too late and dear wife was too pale from hunger so I did a little trick I just Googled and showed her moon pictures of Karwa Chauth. Without going to the merits of whether this is the right thing to do and if my age will increase or decrease due to this blasphemy I would say that the hungry missus agreed to get over her fast and gulped some water.

Proud of my smart alec attitude I bookmarked the Karwa Chauth pictures. But this year things were a bit different for some strange reason the moon appeared on time, maybe because I was perched on the terrace of the building since evening waiting for the Karwa Chauth moon to appear. As soon as the moon appeared I screamed from the rooftop (both literally and figuratively) – Janooooooo Moon is here, come quickly. (OK I added Janooooooo for filmy effect but rest is true). But as we do not live on the top floor my voice reached some of the floors above us and within a few minutes, a lot of Janoooos were on the rooftop with their husbands in tow.  Everybody was busy in performing their Karwa Chauth rituals, wife lighting a Diya, looking at the moon from a sieve, touching feet of husband and finally the husband gives her water to drink! Phew!  (Now you get what a Patriarchal conspiracy and Male power play this whole KC thing is and women actually believe in it even today?) .

Well, long story short Missus also appeared and to my full embarrassment did the full Karwa Chauth ritual on the rooftop like a dozen other women and their husbands.

But all this while I was looking at the moon, brightly shining with reflected light from a million diyas across India, in the Karwa Chauth thalis of married Hindu women.

While the missus was still gathering her strength after drinking water I rushed downstairs brought my camera and tripod. To the angry eyes of the other Karwa Chauth celebrators, I set up my tripod and got busy with clicking the Karwa Chauth moon, playing hide and seek with the clouds and the haze all around the lights of the construction cranes.

Well, what do you say? Hopefully next year the moon will again appear on time, otherwise, I have my own moon picture, genuinely clicked on a Karwa Chauth night with the whole neighborhood as the witness.

Feel free to use this picture if you want to use it to break your fast and have dinner. No guarantees  on  the effect on you or your husband/ wife’s age.

Happy Karwa Chauth, long live Patriarchy.

The picture was deliberately clicked at 24 mm to capture the skyline and the light rails on the road , and one of the Diyas in the foreground that one of our neighbors has left on the roof. You can check this post for a close up of a Blue moon.

Glossary: Kawara means a small vessel to hold water

Chauth: Fourth day of any Hindu Calendar month

If you have liked reading the post please feel free to subscribe by email and like it or share it with your friends on Facebook, LinkedIn, twitter and Google+ .

I promise that I will not sell, rent, or donate your email to anybody

🙂 🙂 🙂