Today we celebrated Ayudha Pooja at work.

According to Hindu mythology, a powerful demon king named Mahishasuran thought that it would be impossible for a woman to kill him. He prayed for and received a blessing that only a woman would be able to kill him. As he then considered himself to be immortal, he proceeded to become very cruel to his people. The suffering citizens prayed to goddess Durga to rescue them. After an epic battle that lasted nine days and nights, Mahishasuran was killed by Durga.

To celebrate this mythological freedom from oppression, India observes the festival of Dasera with pomp and glory for nine days and nights.

Dussehra or Dasara is a 10-day festival which ends on Sunday. It’s celebrated by Hindus across the country – celebrating the victory of good over evil. In the South it’s called Ayudha Pooja. In the North it celebrates the victory of Lord Rama over the evil demon Ravana.

At businesses small and large, the eighth day of Dasara is celebrated as Ayudha Pooja. Traditionally all the machines used in the organization are cleaned and smeared with sandalwood paste (Chandanam) and vermilion (KumKum) and adorned with flowers. In India, during Ayudha Pooja people thank the machines for helping them be productive and make a living.

During the Pooja (Puja) we witnessed a Hindu priest chanting and burning incense. At the end of the Pooja, the priest walked around the room with a gathering of burning plant leaves and the Hindus waved the smoke over their heads and bodies. This is considered to be blessing from the gods. When the Pooja was completed, everyone was given a blessed sweet to eat. The ceremony was similar to a Native American Sweetgrass ceremony.

Today, tomorrow and Sunday (the final day of Dasera), many cars will be taken to temple to be blessed, and my driver informs me that the Pooja for his car is taking place on Sunday. When blessed, the cars are decorated with flowers and have banana leaves tied in position close to or in front of the headlights.

— Moment of Silence —

On October 2nd, 2 Canadian Peacekeepers were killed in Afghanistan and 3 others were injured after their Iltis was destroyed by an explosive device. As always, the news hit close to home. Closer still this time, as before joining the Air Force, Drew spent 3 years as a member of 3 RCR.

We often take for granted the work our soldiers, sailors, pilots, and techs do overseas with inferior equipment and overwhelming dedication. They deserve our appreciation, respect, and a similar dedication from the citizens of Canada. After all the work they have done domestically and internationally, it’s definitely time for all Canadians to stand up for our troops – who have done so much with so little for so long – and demand the government re- evaluate their spending and equipment purchases. We owe much to our troops. It’s time we supported them fully, rather than sending them off on mission after mission with little or no decent equipment, and made our voices heard to all members of the Canadian Government.

Should you wish to send a message of support or sympathy to the Canadian troops at home and in theatre, please do.

Soft wind, gentle landings. Pro Patria.

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