From a distance, the scene is as colorful as any in India. Men dressed as Hindu deities, with tinsel crowns and tridents, wait for their turn on the stage. Teenagers saunter by trucks carrying effigies of mythological heroes and listen to speeches.
Yet a closer look reveals elements that are less picturesque. The speakers are repeating well-worn slogans common among hard-line elements of India's religious right. The young men are armed, some with ceremonial swords of little use, but others with combat knives and heavy-bladed hatchets.
"This is our tradition," one says. "We are showing that we, too, are strong."
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