I Could Have Danced All Night

Our flat is on the 19th floor. This evening when Frank and I were talking, we had to shout to be heard over the music in the park across the street. This is the 4th night of the Hindu festival of Navratri. The nine day festival is celebrated twice a year to acknowledge the goddess who brings God the energy to proceed with creation and more.

Throughout Mumbai, there are large gatherings where people of all ages are dancing to really loud music. Many are wearing elaborate, brightly colored costumes. We stopped by one of the locations last night and were warmly welcomed. At one point, a woman came up to me, pulled me by my hand, and insisted I dance with the group. We moved pretty fast, then faster, and on and on. So much for keeping a low profile!

Many of the kids danced with what looked like a drumstick in each hand. They slapped their sticks against the sticks of others. At home, we’d be so worried about one kid poking another’s eyes out, this would never work. (Frank got a wonderful video camera from the FTC, and the link below is my first attempt at video. It’s pretty rough, but I’ll do better as I get familiar with it.)

I also was invited to join a group of 35 women yesterday and watched as they sang prayers to honor the same goddess. I couldn’t completely follow what was going on, but before I left my neighbor’s apartment, a bindi had been placed on my forehead, henna had been put on my hand, and lemon water had been splashed on me. I especially enjoyed meeting women from our neighborhood.

Now, here's the video. You'll need to paste it into your browser.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=uKwdBB9eBiI