Pongo - Kitsch - Chatchki

My friend, Elle, is having a Pongo Party, "pongo" being Spanish for Kitsch (which is German, are you following this?), or something a bit tacky and perfect as a white elephant gift or gathering dust on a shelf at a fleamarket. And after the guilt of having received it as a gift from a co-worker at a Secret Santa party has worn off, you sneak it in the bag for the Goodwill, and in 10 years someone will inevitably sell it on e-bay for several thousand dollars (insert Homer Simpson forehead-slapping sound here).



Since I can't attend her exchange, I've included an example here in my favorite genre of Indian Kitsch: the dashboard idol, frequently Ganesh, but also Mary, Jesus, and local retired-movie-star-turned-politician. Dashboards in India are heavily decorated, no matter what the religion - stickers, mini-banners, sayings, scripture, and a wide variety of statuettes - from traditional wooden or stone carvings to, well, plastic temples with flashing neon lights powered by batteries. This one was in my cab back to the airport as I was leaving New Delhi in November.