Festival, Dances and Superstar.

Today is a big festival day. Dandiya is today, October 4th, and it is the 2nd day of Navratri. Navratri is celebrated in honor of the Hindu goddess Durga. Durga has nine faces, which is why Navratri lasts nine days. Each day a different color is worn, and fasting is also observed.

All Rotary exchange students were invited today to a girls' college outside of Pune. It was suggested to wear the typical Kulka. At the college, we were welcomed with a big show. (See pictures) After that, we went to the hall where many great dances were performed. Many speeches were also given, and it was very exciting for the students to have exchange students present. Different dances were showcased. You could really feel the joy of dancing and celebrating among the Indians. At the end of the event in the hall, many girls came forward (no idea why) and took photos with me and the other exchange students. I felt a bit like a star. After that, we went to eat, which took place in the meeting room, and the food was served on banana leaves. The way home went quite quickly without traffic😮.

The second festival is Dandiya, which is being celebrated grandly today in my society. At this festival, we dance with 2 Dandiya sticks. With the sticks, you “clap” and hit against the sticks of others. For instance: your own left stick hits your own right stick. Your own right stick hits the right stick of your opponent. Then again, your own left stick hits your own right stick, and then your own left stick hits the left stick of your opponent. This time I wore a light blue Kulka. The place where we danced (see photo) was illuminated with many lights. I was shown many dances, and it was very fun. Late in the evening, we went for burgers for 2€.

PS: Yesterday, I was returning from a Dandiya dance class when the driver (a neighbor) was stopped by the police because her insurance was no longer valid. The police officer showed his card reader and insisted that she pay 2000 rupees (€21.50). After that, they discussed something for 5 minutes, and suddenly the fine dropped to 1000 rupees. In the end, the neighbor pulled out 300 rupees in cash, handed it to the police officer, and was allowed to drive on.