10/4/2004 » Holidays

New York celebrated Diwali yesterday at the South Street Seaport. It’s one of the most upscale Diwali settings I’ve ever seen, tall ships and a fireworks barge bobbing beneath skyscrapers of robin’s-egg blue.

The sound of the shells ricocheted between concrete canyons on both sides of the East River, and police boats with flashing blue lights stood guard. Ashen wrappers smelling of gunpowder drifted onto the heads of desi elders who had splayed themselves across the wooden pier steps.

A dance troupe on the pier practiced ballroom with shells whistling overhead, a scratchy violin track playing in the background. The dancers had their eyes closed, leaning into each other, intuiting their moves.

Milind the Ladyjane drummer arranged to marry the Air-India lady. After some obligatory desi haggling, he folded her visage in half and carried her home.

Check out the video clips.