Dussehra

I had the time of my life on Dussehra dancing the afternoon away! Dussehra is the 10th and final day of Navratri and also the start of Diwali.

Last night I went to Nisha's place at Esquire to dance the garba. I had been on Saturday night and had fun so I figured I would go again. Gabby was supposed to come with me but she canceled at the last minute. I still had tons of fun and was familiar with the crowd this time. I also was more confident not knowing anybody because no one was there to judge my dancing. I jumped right in with the aunties imitating every move they did. They were quite vigorous with their dance moves which surprised me. While I was there, I saw a girl and we both smiled at each other on the sidelines so I figured I would go make friends with her. Funny enough, she had completed high school in the US in Detroit Michigan! We chatted for a while and then eventually she suggested we jump back in with the youngsters so we forced our way into the circle. In the circle of youngsters there were some very good dancers who would decide what move we would do next. One girl in particular even won the best dancer award at some point throughout the night! I danced the whole night away and before I knew it, it was midnight and the music had ended.

I got up late this morning after staying up and talking with Nisha and Vernon last night. They were of course at work today so I spent a couple hours at the Oberoi mall shopping and then at Envi the beauty parlor. My favorite store here has become Global Desi! I love their stuff so much I probably could fill a whole suitcase with clothes from just there! Envi is Nisha's beauty parlor and they know her well there. The lady who cut my hair last December recognised me and came to say hello. I got my nails done as well as my eyebrows and upper lip. Midnight blue with sparkles was the theme for Sonali's bachelorette this weekend.

At Alex Machine Tools, they were having a factory wide puja followed by garba since it was Dussehra. When I arrived, I was surprised to see more women at the factory than expected. Grandma really has been making an effort to increase the number of females working in the factory. All of the females were adorned in gorgeous sarees! I loved all of the gold sparkly work on the outfits. They all had matching gold jhumkas, bangles, and necklaces as well! They were truly dressed in their finest attire. Grandma pointed out that I was slacking since I hadn't brought my jhumkas or bangles with me. The other girls so nicely offered to lend me but I let them keep their stuff. Most of the women worked in the office above in the administrative side of things rather than down below on the factory floor.

The puja was held around the main machines down below on the factory floor. Each of the machines had been decorated with a garland of marigolds because on this auspicious day, everything that has brought success and wealth is worshiped. So in the factory, the machines are worshiped and my grandma had the garlands on her car too since both have contributed to her success in life. For the puja, someone led some chants and my grandma was tasked with breaking the coconut. Grandma held the coconut and gave it one hard whack on a slab on concrete spilling the coconut water everywhere. The breaking of the coconut is a huge tradition in the Hindu puja as it symbolizes good luck and prosperity. It is associated with Lord Ganesha who symbolizes new beginnings.

Hindu words were chanted and the team leads were invited forward to express their gratitude and wish everyone Happy Dussehra. Sweets also went around for the festive occasion. After quick photos with my new friends it was time to dance the garba!

In the backyard of the factory a DJ had been hired and curtains had been hung to decorate the place. The DJ turned up the music and the girls pulled me with them to the dance floor. The girls at the factory were incredibly warm and inviting. They welcomed me from the moment I arrived and wanted to show me how things were done. I felt like they opened their arms to me and so lovingly enveloped me. Sure I was the Ma'ams granddaughter so they had to treat me with respect but I truly also felt a connection that I could become friends with these girls. My favorite girls were Vaishali and Komal who took lots of photos with me and really took care of me the whole time. Vaishali won the award for best female dance which was well deserved as she spent the entire afternoon showing me moves to do.

I fully threw myself into the dance and just went with the flow. Sometimes I copied Vaishali's moves and sometimes Komals but the main thing was that I was having fun! I was having the time of my life going round and round in circles dancing vigorously to the best of the music! Most of all I loved when grandma and Nisha joined in to dance as I know how much grandma just loves to dance! One of the other best dancers was whom the workers referred to as "HR Ma'am". She had moves like there was no tomorrow and looked like she also was having the time of her life. Everyone having so much fun just letting loose has to be one of my highlights of my time in India so far. At times when I felt the music slow I would make my way to the sidelines and Vaishali and Komal would both surround me and drag me back to the center of the circle. They wanted to make sure I was still having fun and not left out. They were both so incredible and significantly contributed to my final garba experience!

The men dancing were wild. Full of energy they jumped and shook their heads and legs to the music. At one point someone grabbed my hands and spun me in a circle so fast I felt like I was flying. I felt like I was at an Indian wedding straight out of a Bollywood film. The boys danced nonstop and since there were so many of them they took turns showing off. My favorite has got to be this old guy whom no one knew how or where he got his energy from. He would stare at you with his eyes full of expression and joy and share that joy with you while dancing.

Towards the end of the garba, Nisha presented awards for the best dancers and best dressed. She had a dance off competition between the top contenders and the floor was alive with energy as everyone competed for the prize! A man whose name was Gordan came up to me and asked if I was Gavin's sister. I was so thrown off that someone would know Gavin who had not been to India since maybe 2013. It has been nearly 10 years and here this man is saying he would come and sit at the factory as a baby. Gordon had also visited my family in the Bay and remembers St. Mary Magdalen. Small world!

The crowd chanted one more dance one more dance as the DJ tried to shut us down so he gave it to us and everyone danced their hearts out! By the end of it we were all drenched in sweat and covered in dust but we're grinning from ear to ear! I collected my two friends' instas in hope to keep in touch with them as grandma handed out boxes of treats to everyone! It was a proper Dussehra box filled with a vegetable cutlet, chip, kochori, and Jalebis.

I was exhausted following the garba so grandma and I went to Nisha's place where she fed us a home cooked meal. Nisha is a very good cook and made fried pomfret with Recheado masala along with pharatas and vegetables. She had even brought me my favorite sweets from Maganlals in Lonavala - rose and pistachio barfi! It was so divine! I love the rose flavor so much.

Today was such an incredible day with so many new friends, experiences, and memories to look back at!