Bollywood Dreams

Last night I went to our school's 'South Asian Night'. I had gone the year before and loved it...there had been presentations, dances by pros and dances by the kids. The food was wonderful and it was a whirl of colour.

This year was not as well planned, though there were some very cool things on offer.

Again, the food was great. Smells of curry and spice wafted through the halls even into the upper levels of the school. It drew down students and faculty who hadn't even thought about coming. There were warm breads, vegetarian samosas and lamb biryani as well as a number of other eye watering treats.

It was lovely to see the swirls of design in the parents salwar kameez and the demo of how to wear a sari. Decorations of red, gold and green were in abundance, as was the sound of Hindi and Urdu.

A woman sat the entire 2 hours, painting the hands of adults and kids with flowers and vines. The henna and glitter added to the funky cultural feel of the evening.

This year we were able to see some Bollywood dancers who came from a local troup. The thumping of the bass, twirling arms adorned with red ribbon, projections of India and Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the background. It was almost overwhelming for the senses.

And I was welcomed to this. By parents and students. And as R said, welcome to the family - you are now one of us. Not really...but I can claim a bit of the tradition.