Twelve years ago I slipped out of our hotel room in Chennai at six am, unable to sleep any longer. As I walked through the neighborhood near the hotel I was drawn by the sounds of music near a temple. There, processing through the streets, was a small group of bhajan singers making their way through the neighborhood. I had my video camera with me and captured their singing of these Hindu devotional hymns in the early morning hours. 

This morning Jim and I left the hotel at 5:50am to revisit the same area. Wes topped at one of the neighborhood temples which had recorded music playing, took off our sandals, and entered into the temple precincts. We were warmly greeted and invited to walk among the shrines. People entered in increasing numbers over the next hour, walking clockwise around each shrine. Where a priest was present, people surged forward to receive a blessing. As we watched, the darkness grew lighter and the vibrant colors of the statues emerged. 

As we left the temple we stood outside taking pictures of the temples, of the beautiful kolama on the pavements, and of the awakening street life. (Kolama are geometric patterns made of rice flowers which Indians make outside their homes in the morning to ward off evil spirits) Still looking for our bhajan singers, we asked a man on the street if any groups would be singing. His face lit up and he cordially invited us to follow him into an open room. Here a group of about eight men and women were already seated, singing bhajans. We sat on mats on the floor joining where possible in call and response sections of the singing. 

After about ten minutes, the group rose to head out into the streets singing. We were invite to come along, leaving our sandals behind and heading out barefoot into the streets. Others joined us including a man we both recognized from our video of 1996. As we walked along singing people (mainly women) came out from their houses and apartments to make an offering for the poor. They poured rice into a bag carried by the leader, then walked all around the group of singers back to the leader to receive a small amount of something (coconut?) that he gave them in return. Sometimes they also offered money which he handed back to another singer to take care of. 

People shared greetings as we walked along - clearly they knew each other and looked forward to this ritual. Meanwhile the singing continued throughout, the lead passing from one singer to another in no discernible order. The "sruti box" provided an electronic drone pitch and one singer also played the finger cymbals. Of course bicycles, motorbikese, and cars honked and passed, the group grudingly moving over just enough for the vehicle to drive by. We stopped at three different temples in the neighborhood, chanting as we moved forward to touch the fire, and to receive ghee, coconut milk, herbs and red powder. We were clearly welcome, almost obligated to participate. 

After an hour of wending our way around the block, we re-entered the hall and sta ourselves in front of the shrine. One of the singers, a priest, offered puja as the singing continued. Then the group shared a hot steaming drink (coffee and coconut milk?) and prasad, the food offering. 

We were of course mindful of all the advice to westerners traveling in India and tried to accept the warm hospitality without actually ingesting anything. When the priest pours any of the liquids into the hands of people, they drink some and then put the rest on their hair. We tried to lift it to our lips but not drink and then dump it on our hair. (I did this successfully enough that Jim thought I had actually drunk some but I hadn't!) We returned to the hotel around 9am, our foreheads smudged with red powder and grayish powder, our hair filled with ghee and our feet filthy. The new year has clearly gotten off to an auspicious start!