I attended the first, and most anticipated pre-wedding event yesterday, called Sangeet. In Sanskrit, “sangeet” translates to “sing together.” It was a giant dance party with a total abundance of food, music, color, decorations, and fire. Earlyish in the evening, the bride and groom indicated that there was too much talking and not enough dancing. After all, Sangeet is a celebration so we made our way to the dance floor. Thanks to Neil, I learned some basic Indian dance moves including the “lightbulb” which I was told you could not do too much of and some shoulder moves. We danced to a healthy combination of Indian music, American music, all accompanied by a 3-person drum chorus and psychedelic clippings of music in color on multiple huge screens.
The food was a beautiful buffet of Indian and Asian cuisine. I tried one of every meat and vegetarian option. I was guided through the buffet by staff which was really helpful. I said I would like naan and there was a whole naan bread baking section and my guide arranged for fresh, piping, hot naan for me.
A young server came by our table with a tray of brown liquid (I thought it was red wine or a liquor) and we initially said no thank you but when someone asked what it was, it turned out to be coke which was the perfect accompaniment to my meal!
On another note, the traffic is impressive. Quoted from Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as the group boards a crowded bus, “the first rule of India is that there is always room.” This seems true for traffic too. There’s room for motorists, motorcycles, auto rickshaws, cyclists, horse & buggy, and cows.
