Navratri

Navratri is a 9-day Hindu festival celebrating the divine feminine presence, specifically the goddess Durga. Each of the 9 days has a different color associated with it so I had fun seeing everyone throughout the week dressed in each color. The color of today was grey which I thought was very drab so I didn’t follow it. Navratri consists of puja, fasting, and dancing known as garba. The people who fast for the full 9 days do not wear shoes either and I had seen many people on the Mumbai local barefoot and been quite horrified. I watched one lady as she walked the 15 minute walk from the train station to

Today I was meeting Gabby after not seeing her for more than a week and I invited grandma to come along to see the Toilet paper: Run as Slow as you Can exhibit. Tanvi had shown me the reels on Instagram and it was an interactive museum with photo ops everywhere you looked. Grandma was very excited and we met Gabby at BKC. However, when we arrived we found out it was sold out! We were so disappointed so instead to pass our time we checked out the artwork on display at the cultural center. The venue, the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre was huge! The ceilings were very high with glass pieces hanging and the area was lined with well-designed high-end shops. We stopped at a very unique flower candle shop that were selling floating candles made by blind people. Off in one corner there were also two elephants made of flowers - they were so gorgeous! There were many paintings and sculptures we admired that made the space so interesting and lively.

Grandma returned home and Gabby and I decided to go shopping at Lower Parel at Phoenix Palladium. In my opinion we should have taken the train since a taxi took forever! When we finally arrived we were so hungry that we sat down for lunch at Maharaja Bhog. Maharaja Bhog is a veg Gujarati thali restaurant. I really love thali restaurants for the experience they create and the opportunity to try many different veg foods. They always have unique vegetables I have not tried before! As soon as I sat down the waiters whisked by already filling our cups with 3 different drinks and giving us appetizers. The waiters are all so well dressed up in matching outfits and turbans. Before you know it the next waiter has arrived with the dal or the papad or the basket of roti. Each little bowl on my thali was soon filled to the top and was so aesthetic to look at. I especially loved all of the gold utensils. The food was very good and I felt so accomplished when I had finished everything on my plate when they started bombarding us with more. Gabby and I had been pretty good about saying no to anything more since we are both small eaters but as soon as I finished my kheer the waiter was back and refused to take no as an answer. The manager stood by us and ushered one of the waiters to bring us dal after I had finished my dessert! Eventually they left us alone and we headed out desperately trying to escape them from giving us more and more.

The next stop was Palladium Phoenix which is the mall right next to my office. Considering it is right next to my office I am surprised I have never been to it but I usually just want to go home after work anyways. I told Gabby I wanted to shop at all the Indian stores so she took me to Global Desi first. I immediately found an outfit I liked and it fit me so well I took it without a second thought. I have many occasions where I can wear all my outfits here. We stopped at another one of my favorite stores “W for Women” and it was full of foreigners. The pants I was wearing were actually from the store and the foreigners were commenting on how much they loved my outfit. Of course they loved the Indo Western fusion fit. I didn’t find anything at W this time but I did find a beautiful rani pink jumpsuit from Biba that I picked up. We then stopped for boba as a refreshment from the Mumbai heat.

As I was shopping with Gabby I pointed out that I had some sort of rash from my crop top yesterday. Gabby took one look at it and said it was bedbugs. I have never had bedbugs in my life! She said I got them from the train of all places! I was horrified and disgusted all at once and that was all I could think of going forward. Apparently, they lurk in the corners of the train but also are transported on people's clothing and bags considering there are so many people packed into one compartment. I didn't doubt it was from the train because there are way too many people but I really did not want to bring bedbugs home! Especially not to my grandma's. I have been very good about changing and showering immediately when I get home since I am insanely sweaty after walking 40 minutes and then on the train. I guess I now understand why Maria was so strict about showering and changing out work clothes immediately after coming home.

When I went to change next, I looked at it closer and sent pictures to Anjali. I also looked at pictures of bedbug bites and sure enough it looked exactly the same. Ugh! Everything in India is out to get me - mosquitos, chickenpox, taxi drivers, men, and now bedbugs! I guess I was clearly enjoying the Mumbai local too much so I needed something to round off my experience as a true Mumbaikar.

I talked to Anjali and she was much more calm than either Gabby or I. She reassured me it was probably just a one off incident but I should wash my clothes immediately as I get home. Since we were at Lower Parel I knew exactly how to get home by train. As soon as I got off the train I stopped at the chemist nearby for an inhaler but more importantly Dettol, laundry soap, and these elysian Naphthalene Flakes Napthalene Balls which keep away bugs. I had a whole bedbug starter pack! Gabby informed me of my new routine where I would immediately go home, take off all my clothes, and soak and wash them with Dettol and soap. That is exactly what I did when I returned home.

As soon as I had showered and cleansed myself of all potential bugs, grandma called telling me to come to Goregaon. This meant I would have to jump back on my favorite thing in Mumbai - the train! I was exhausted but I really wanted to experience Navarti so I put on my new outfit I had just bought with Gabby and took a rickshaw back to the station. Returning from Lower Parel the train had been empty but now it was packed with everyone dressed in the Navarati garb - multi-colored outfit sets with large skirts covered in mirrors. The ladies were done up so well I could not help but wish I had my mirror outfit with me!

I arrived to find out Nisha had sent the maid to pick up an authentic Navartri outfit complete with figures doing the dandiya dance on it. It was so sparkly and pretty! The outdoor area where the Navratri celebration was held had been done up very well. There were lights overheard and a live band drumming away while 2 people sang in Hindi. It was a very festive scene and I loved admiring the different outfits people wore. It was so bright and colorful. Everyone was gathered on the dance floor and there were several different circles of dances happening. There was one group of dancers who were younger and clearly had been trained how to dance as they were very good. I initially tried to join that group but they moved so fast I kept getting lost. I learnt that the garba meant that someone in the group comes up with a move and everyone copies that move until the music changes and someone else suggests a move. I tried and tried to keep up but everytime i learned a move, they changed it up on me. I then found a group of aunties dancing and I joined them. You know you are a full aunty when you can’t keep up with the kids and have to join the aunties. At least the aunties' moves were much more simple to follow than the kids. I think it would have been much easier if I had someone there to teach me the moves.

I attempted to dance garba continuously getting lost but at least I was trying. Grandma, Nisha, and Vernon sat on the chairs and just watched before we decided to eat. We had an assortment of chaat for dinner - pani puri, chole batura, paneer bhurji, dahi batata puri, and raj kachori. The raj kachori looked like one massive pani puri so I joked I liked big pani puris.

My first garba was such fun! I wasn’t good at dancing at all but I loved watching everyone dance in their colorful skirts. It was such vigorous dancing they were continuously jumping up and down and moving in a circle. I had a good time and hope to do it again on Monday!