On our way to meet with our local friends, we stopped by a monument to Shiva, rising
out of a part of Delhi that could only be called squalor. The forty
foot high bronze statues, the largest of Shiva, surrounded by flowers
and other gods reigned over a lovely park, where we could buy marigolds
to leave as offerings, but otherwise cost nothing. Our
hindu driver for the day, M, took off his shoes, flattened his palms in
prayer, kissed his hand, and then touched his chest and the earth. He motioned for us to take off our shoes and get a closer look at the statues. Clearly
the place was sacred to him. We didn’t feel the spirituality but it was
really cool. (When we left Delhi the next day, we were amazed to see
similar statues dotting the countryside, behind fields, whatever. There
seemed to be no rhyme nor reason to their location, but they were
beautiful.)
We then met up with the India CEO and his wife to
see the Kingdom of Dreams and the Bollywood style production of
Zangoora, the gypsy prince. There
was no photography allowed inside, and they were very Disney-like… lots
of photo ops where they took the photo and offered it to you after the
show. There is a you tube video that was a preview of the show, here: which gives you a taste. It lasted for three hours. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC2QHQ6juY
Before we went to the show we went through a bit of
Culture Gully… felt a bit like an Indian version of Epcot, with shops
showcasing each of the Indian states, both in food and artisans. We
ate at one from Lucknow, and tried the kabobs, which are not kabobs at
all, but patties of fried mush, whether vegetable or . ick…Mutton. (They
don’t eat beef or pork at all in India as far as I could tell. That was
fine for me, but my poor husband
really missed his red meat!) We were polite and tried everything… it
wasn’t as spicy as I’d expected it to be, but was full of flavor. We also drank Kingfisher beer, which I liked.
The production was a truly amazing feat of light
and dance and special effects like I’ve never seen, and I’ve seen a lot
of live theater. It was completely three dimensional, with side screens that were used to bring the sets all the way around the audience. Of
course most of the action was from the live actors on stage, but they
used many aerial acts as well. Costumes were fantastic, from the belly
dance (which is more hip than belly,) to sparkling sequined swim trunks
and amazing abs. And the music and energy were on fire… I’ve never seen a cast so lit up, especially for a Monday matinee. The production was all in Hindi, and I admit to falling asleep a few times, but I got the gist of it. Interesting
that at the end of the show they performed the same “jai ho” number
that ends slum dog millionaire, with just as much energy and fun. It felt good to watch… all positives.
Also after the show Qutub Minar, the tallest
minaret in India. When we arrived, the entrance near us was already
closed, and there was a large crowd waiting for a popular light show to
begin. We decided to admire it
from afar, and elected to come back to the hotel, our safe haven of
western-ness amid the mess that is Delhi.
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