The Best Car is a Cart
Berbice, Guyana.
It is quite an astounding thing. By 5am there is already a traffic jam in Trinidad on the country’s freeway, as I was boosted to the airport for Guyana. Several people informed me that there are more vehicles per capita in Trinidad than anywhere in the world. I believe it, I was seeing it. And it’s not necessarily a great piece of information. Since when did the automobiles bring jubilation? Perhaps it has become one necessary evil but where do you draw the line between necessity and outright laziness.
Life in Eastern Guyana is somewhat more calm. Here we were set to glorify a different kind of conveyance. With the first of a 5 days Padayatra, festival on foot, a hand pulled light-weight eco-friendly cart was the main visual attraction. Assembled in Canada by an Eastern European man and designed by a Cuban monk, is this snazzy vintage looking cart which facilitates deities of the two foremost propagators of kirtan chanting, Chaitanya and Nityananda from 15th century Bengal. Each night Padayatra, a procession of sorts takes participants to different sections to the Berbice area. Residents come out of their homes, to have darshan, a viewing of the people chanting, the cart and the beautiful deities. They came to hear the sound of voices and drums and receive invitation to the stage show for the evening.
It’s quite a joyful undertaking and I was impressed with the new coastal road, freshly paved to accommodate local cars who share space with our unique-looking spiffy cast. Except for some diversions to side-streets the new road offers very best display for the Padayatra in Guyana 2010.
2 KM
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