Among the highlights of my month was the Bhangra Diwali Festival, organized by the Friends of India Association, and taking place at the Hilton Hotel. I knew I was going the minute I saw the announcement on Facebook. Bhangra, Diwali, open buffet Indian food… This celebration wasn’t one to be missed out on.
Its announcement also sent my mind whirling onto a memory speedway, because as you see, my fondness of Indian culture has deep roots.
I thought back to the Indian music video top 10 countdowns that I used to watch on cable TV Channel V, back in the day, in the early 1990s as an expat kid in Riyadh. And when leaving Riyadh for good in 1995, we also left behind these videos. “The Indian Top 10,” squeezed in between the Michael Jackson, the Fresh Prince, Metallica, and RHCP. Videos of coy dance moves, rhythms, choreography and drama that confused, baffled, amused and entertained us, the unsuspecting audience. It was tough when I left Riyadh for good in 1995: I had to wait until the advent of Youtube almost two decades later before I could re-unite with these musical escapades. And now, they are just a click away:
The Bhangra Diwali Festival… Would there be Indian guests dressed in saris? Yes, saris. My introduction, and falling in awe of these also dates back to my childhood and adolescence in Riyadh. Red cashmere saris embroidered in golden threads that my parents had purchased a dozen from Al-Akariyah, the then-only shopping mall in town. My Turkish mom did not wear them, but they made such unique decorative table cloths. And they made wonderful presents for friends and relatives. Saris also used to catch my eye at the international dinners held every year at my schools’ gymnasium. Indian moms used to come come draped in all sorts of colors, and delighted both my eyes and cultural inquisitiveness. Last year, in 2018, one of the Turkish TV stations ran an Indian series, which I followed for six months or so. The greatest point of attraction of the movie: The characters wore the greatest saris I had ever laid eyes on. (Yes, I might be slightly obsessed!) And yes, to my delight, the Bhangra Diwali Festival proved to be a delight in also this aspect. Almost every female guest had come clad in a fine sari.
The Bhangra Diwali Festival made my mind flash back to the day I had discovered the Bhangra Dance. The nerd that I am, I had been looking up something totally different on Youtube… something related to one of the Ivy Leagues. And instead of the intended scholarly videos I had in mind, I had instead discovered jolly videos of Harvard’s and the Johns Hopkins’ bright minds funkily hopping around in a jolly dance called BHANGRA. This must have been around 2006… Youtbe and the Bhangra continue to brighten my spirit to this day. And yes, the Bhangra Diwali Festival hosted plenty of Bhangra, as well as other dances, all live on stage, and with the festive spirit, energy and costume and dress and colors that has become synonymous with Indian culture.
Of course I also wondered what the Bhangra Diwali Festival would offer in terms of food. For Indian cuisine has followed me wherever I have traveled. From Riyadh to Rome to Istanbul to Washington, DC. And to Malta, where my Indian flat-mate had been so very pleasantly surprised at my fondness of the curry. I was in high anticipation about this open buffet and was not disappointed. In fact, it had the greatest variety of Indian food I had ever seen, and was the most generously served. There were several hundred guests at the festival. Each and every person ate until their stomach hurt and they could barely breathe. And still, there was food left. Tons of it. I do hope that it did not go to waste and was either donated or shared among the staff and organizers.
Could there be anything more? The Bhangra Diwali Festival satisfied fully my expectation of dance, music, food, and saris. I just have one want left now, and that is for an Indian Movie Festival. For, as much for the saris, and the curry, and the Bhangra grooves, I also want to pay my homage to Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding and to her Kama Sutra (No snickers please! Watch the movie before you judge!). I may also want to watch Kuch Kuch Hota Hai yet just one more time, and cheer up at the sight of Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Salman Khan. And of course, a movie featuring Aishwarya Rai and her marvelous eyes and just overall charisma. Friends of India, hear my call!
Images courtesy of Friends of India Association – Turkey.
