By Marshall
I had lunch on the run (tasty samosas from an Indian place near my hotel) and learned that there was a big Indian festival (Ratha Yatra – Jagannath) that afternoon at Place Republic. They were to pull a juggernaut through the streets to a nearby neighbourhood for celebration and a free feast. Imagine my surprise when I got there to find it was a group of European Hare Krishna followers. In fairness, they seemed supported with enthusiasm by Indian, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi peoples (including representatives from the diplomatic services of these countries). It was all great fun with a sense of chaos about it. In India, people are often crushed under the wheels of the juggernauts, but since there were only a couple of hundred people involved and it was all fairly orderly, there were no mishaps.