Things

While walking through Jaipur today, I came across some small Republic Day celebration and decided to take a closer look. I stepped into the courtyard and staked out a seemingly hidden position in the back next to a tree. One person casually turned and noticed me. Then another. Then another. Then a wave of them. Oy. Several women waved at me to sit in one of the empty chairs.

I tried to pick an inconspicuous one in the back, only to have two young men immediately approach me and tell me I needed to move. Thinking the jig was up and I was getting booted out, I stood up and prepared to leave. To my surprise, they started leading me forward instead, explaining that I was supposed to go to the front. Kya? Kyaaaa? I nervously tried to escape, but they assured me everything was fine.

Over my nervous protests, they emphatically explained that I had to go up. I weighed my options. I could embarrass myself by making a scene and stubbornly refusing to go up. I could embarrass myself by making a mad dash for the exits. Or I could embarrass myself by going to the front of the stage and having everyone titter, chuckle and guffaw.

In the name of cultural immersion, I decided to brave the bemused stares of the swarms of Indians and head up to the front row. There was indeed much staring and a good deal of chortling, but I survived. Once I sank into one of the cushy front seats everything was fine. The woman who sent her messenger boys to fetch me thanked me for coming and explained that she wanted to make sure I got the full cultural experience (I think). The show, a combination of traditional dances and Hindi speeches, was neat. I did my best to join in at the right time for all the seemingly spontaneous clapping sessions that punctured the show, and think I did a reasonably good job.

All and all it was good times. But it showed me that my usual strategy of invisibility is not going to work in Jaipur. Being white and a woman in India is about as subtle as a jewel encrusted belt that says BLING…and only half as stylish.