Consumer Markets, Ganesh, and Why I Love Elephants

I love elephants; I have for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I wasn’t one who begged for a cat and I was terrified of dogs. Instead, a baby elephant seemed to be a friendlier and much more exciting choice of pet. My parents didn’t take to my proposals of keeping one in the back yard, though, and a stuffed elephant named Charlotte had to suffice.

Still, my fascination with this beautiful animal never really subsided. The first time I happened to cross paths with an elephant in India, when I was coming home from work, I had a hard time not jumping up and down.  The locals, who see elephants all the time, thought I was crazy. But I couldn’t help myself. And so I also couldn’t help but get excited as I prepared to leave for Nepal, when I seemed to be finding elephants seemed to be everywhere – from Wikipedia articles and youtube videos to pajama pants at department stores and calendars at the local printing shop. Although these coincidences probably have more to do with things like the current consumer market and advertising campaigns, I still enjoyed pretending that all of the elephant sightings were a good sign.

But the funny thing is, upon my arrival into Kathmandu, the elephant sightings haven’t stopped. In fact, depictions of the animals are everywhere. Beautiful scarves and purses covered in elephant motifs line the streets and elephants decorate the 1000 rupee bills here. Their silhouettes are spray painted on the sides of buildings and depictions of Ganesh cover some of the most ancient temples. 

Ganesh, one of the most popular gods here in Nepal, is often shown with the head and torso of an elephant and the legs of a man. He is worshipped as the god of auspicious beginnings and the remover of obstacles, both of which I can appreciate on my third day here in Nepal. My arrival two days ago marked the beginning of my year here, and I am quickly realizing that I really cannot fathom what it will bring. I do know that there will be obstacles, but Ganesh and the many other elephants I am seeing are becoming happy reminders that this is part of the reason I am here; to deal with the challenges and to learn. So I can even get excited at the prospect of frustration, the prospect that I might spend ten months without indoor plumbing.

These past couple days have been great. I’ve really loved exploring this vibrant, diverse city. Looking forward to what will come next. And I’ll be posting lots of pictures and stories, about elephants and everything else, soon!