Reading Roars!

The Reading International Festival 2005 has commenced! It is time to report.

On Saturday evening, my friend and I went to one of the more intriguing events of the RIF: the Dussera Festival celebrated by the Thames.

The Festival comprised a funfair, with your usual games and whiteknuckle rides, a large effigy of the evil Rawan, and a line of stalls.

A crowd began to assemble a safe distance in front of the effigy, located away from the funfair. Of crude construction, the effigy looked ugly, almost like a totem pole, with a wing on either side of its head. Both wings seemed to support missiles, aimed squarely at east Reading.

Nothing much was happening, so we joined the food queue, a queue that remained static for a long time. Worse, a speaker was playing bhangra beats very, very loudly in our direction. The music I liked; the sound, however, was too distorted and loud for comfort. No one else appeared to mind, though.

While we waited, there was a mild explosion. But it wasn’t the speaker. This bang was behind us, and was accompanied by a burst of colour. More followed. The fireworks, while not spectacular, were pretty enough. There were the expected oohs and aahs, and clap-clap, from some in the crowd. Then the effigy was set alight. My friend was impressed. I’d been to Las Fallas in Valencia, so I know an inferno when I see one. This was a cute display and the effigy was reduced to a campfire in no time at all.

The food, when it came, was fantastic. I had two samosas for GB£ 1 and a chole bhature for GB£ 1.50. They were excellent. The samosas had a deep, sensual apple taste, as if they were dipped in hot cider. The bread of the chole was warm, puffy and sweet. The rich chick peas lay in the middle, thus allowing a sandwich to be made. It was a top snack - and inexpensive.

To drink, I had a diet cola. It was a shame, I thought, that no alcohol was available. I was looking forward to a crisp Indian lager.

And then a curiosity. I was drawn to the stall staffed by the Evening Post. Were there freebies? There sure were! I was handed a bag containing Friday’s edition of the Evening Post and two tins of condensed milk. Condensed milk? Baffling. Was the condensed milk intended for use as a curry ingredient, like coconut milk? Or was it a joke to suggest that the paper was a condensed read? Whatever - I had yesterday’s news and two tins of condensed milk, and we were now making our way to Reading’s bars…