India Awaits: A Puja for our New Car

You might think this is a story of Susie and Mike boasting about getting a great new shiny car all at the company's expense. Well you would be very wrong. When we arrived in India we were provided with a car (Toyota Innova) that was used by Chuck and Lisa while they were here in Bangalore. It had a lot of kilomteres on it and the company were willing to get us a new one, so who were we to argue. It's been on order since before we arrvied and it has been quite the process to get it here.

Our driver,Anthony, was more keen and excited than we were - it was really just a way for us to get around, and the roads here are just not worthy of a nice car. With the 4 of us, and Anthony, a people mover is really the only option and everyone seems to have the same car anyway. It is a nightmare to find your car in the supermarket car-park ! Anyway, Anthony has been asking twice daily - 'New car Sir?' desperately hoping for Mike to say 'Yes Anthony, today we get the new car.'

So on Monday we finally took possession of the new car - exactly the same as the last one, just silver instead of bronze. Mike was not impressed that it was delivered with no radio (or number plates), so Tuesday that was all fixed. It's a bit weird how cars are owned/leased here in India, it's sort of privately leased where there is an owner who pays the repayments (or is supposed to, but that's another story involving our Dutch neighbours) and is responsible for registration, insurance etc....

The owner and Anthony were adamant that the new car had to be blessed as soon as possible. In most cases it should be done the day it is purchased but they do give you a bit of leeway. Mike didn't want to have anything to do with it but in the end he handed over the cash for the blessing to be done. This process is supposed to be done for ALL new appliances but in particular, new cars, bikes, and scooters.

So this morning, Anthony busily washed the car to be sparkling for the blessing, and we then went to the local shops to buy the items for the puja (blessing). The items for the blessing and sacrifice were flowers for the car, sweets/candy, bananas, coconuts, and incense. We then went to the temple - there are so many Temples to choose from but Anthony when to the local Ganesh temple which he informs me is the good God - go figure, apparently there must be bad ones that you can pray to. Ganesh is a very common image seen around India and he is often seen as the Remover of Obstacles - quite apt for blessing a car then. Anthony did mention the sacrifice of a chicken or lamb but that is not done at this particular temple - that involves killing the chicken and waving the blood onto the tires etc.......

Ganesh the God

We arrive at the Temple and Anthony informs the Pujari (Hindu Priest) that we are here to have our new car blessed. There is money exchanged and we remove our shoes, which really does my head in, when your out and about because it is so filthy !! Anyway, we move the car to an appropriate spot -directly out the front of the temple for all to see. There was a poor guy trying to get his new motorbike blessed but we were more important because there was a 'white lady' involved !! The pujari then draws a swastika with the third finger of his right hand on the windscreen of the car. This is drawn on the car with turmeric powder mixed with water. It is a good luck symbol meaning 'to be well'. This powdered mush is also placed on the steering wheel, gear stick, radio and mirrors.

Flowers are adorned on the car bonnet and fruits are provided to the pujari to place in the temple at the base of the Ganesh statue. Incense is lit and the chanting and bell ringing commences while he blesses all parts of the car. He then beckons us into the temple (shoeless) for Anthony, Mike, Jack, Max and I to be blessed and be safe on the new car. I wasn't allowed to take photos in there but there are lots of offerings to the God and incense burning. I had to place my right hand (your left is considered dirty) over a platter with 4 bowls on it - a lit candle, uncooked rice, tumeric powder and kumkum powder. He asked all our names and prayed for our ongoing safety. He then took the keys and placed them on the statue for further blessing.

We proceeded out to the car again where he chanted some more and waved a lit candle around the car. Then he smashed a coconut on the ground, chanted a lot more and sprinkled the coconut water on the tyres. Anthony was given the coconut to eat later as good luck. Anthony then had to place a small lemon under each tyre of the car and drive over them to further rid us of bad luck. We then had to eat indian sweets and be very grateful to the Pujari.

It was a wonderful experience and am very happy we didn't have to sacrifice a chicken today - I'm sure there's plenty of time and other festivals for that.