India - you are unforgettable....
After a busy week in Mumbai we returned to our home sweet home Bali, only to be whisked away to a TRADITIONAL RAJPUT WEDDING!!! Can it get much better?
As we came down the corridor of tinsel leading to the home, we were greeted by a marching band. Women painted red dots on our foreheads and fed us jaggery to welcome us. Meena and the other women took one look at us and made it their mission to transform us into beautiful Rajput ladies, despite our white skin. The effect was immediate. We fitted into the circle of colour and weren’t afraid to get up for a dance or two. Some of the ladies even thought our take on their traditional dance was quite good, if not a little enthusiastic.
Right on the dot of 1am, the groom arrived on a decorated horse and was led to the room where his bride was waiting. After an elaborate ceremony, throwing spices into the fire and watching the couple circle it seven times we fell into bed, exhausted and overwhelmed by the night’s revelries. How lucky we are to have been part of something so special and rich in culture.
The hard part of the week was now upon us. On our last walks into market, we remembered how Bali had seemed so foreign at the beginning of the placement. We visited all our friends, hoping not to miss even one goodbye or thank you. Manju was the hardest of these partings. Sitting on the floor of her modest home, she prepared us traditional Dal Bhatti, flashing us a knowing smile every now and then. The next day, as our taxi waited to take us away, the men looked on bemused as we clung to Manju, the three of us sobbing our goodbyes. A few waves and we were gone.
It is strange to think that Bali will go on like it always has and we will return to our friends and family in Australia. It hasn’t quite sunk in that we won’t be going back to Bali again after our holiday.
It’s the end of an unbelievable placement and what a time it has been:
Flying kites with little Nikhil on the rooftops
Curling up together to endure sub zero temperatures on overnight train trips
The domes of the taj mahal glowing in the sunset
Motorbiking through the remote and beautiful tribal belt areas
Meeting girls who face challenges we couldn’t imagine facing ourselves
Finishing a training DVD at 3am in a Mumbai editing studio, with mice visiting every few minutes for updates
Comparing the wedding customs from our countries as we watched Shashi paint elaborate henna on our hands
India: you are unforgettable!
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