St. Brigid Roman Catholic Church
Journal Entry - April 1, 2007 - Bharat Mata: Mother India
Dear friends,
A few weeks ago I was told that the boys at one of the childrens' homes where I work were invited to compete in a national dance competition called "Boogey Woogey" here in Guwahati. As some of you may know, I have a deep-seated passion for almost all kinds of dance and the routine that the boys decided to perform just happened to be in one of my favorite forms: hip-hop!
Needless to say, I was very excited about this tremendous opportunity for the boys and have been attending their evening dance practices almost every night for the past 2 weeks, to offer them encouragement, and a few pointers, here and there! The music and the experience of sharing in the creation of the dance brought us together in a very profound way.
The afternoon before the competition, (which was this past Friday, March 30th), I arrived at the boys home as usual, to watch their final practice before the competion on the 31st (yesterday). One of the lead dancers, and core staff members of the home seemed particularly happy to see me when I arrived, and began chanting "Bharat Mata, Bharat Mata...." I asked him what he was saying and he informed me that "Bharat Mata" means "Mother India" in Hindi and that the boys and other staff members at the home had unanimously decided that I was to dress up as "Mother India" the next day for their competition, and walk on stage, holding the flag of India during their dance performance!
Well, naturally, I refused. (Those of you who know me, know that I'd rather do almost anything else than to be on stage infront of a large crowd of people!) But, the boys insisted, so eventually I gave in, although quite reluctantly! I asked them exactly what dressing up as "Mother India" entailed and the female staff members proceeded to explain that they would dress me up in a sari, with a crown on my head, (yes, a crown!) and I would have to wear all kinds of jewelry including several necklaces, anklets, bangles, a nose ring, etc., and hair extensions Well, the nose ring didnt happen b/c they couldnt find one for me to wear, and they also kindly agreed not to pierce my ears, against my will, so that was nice. I would also have to wear the traditional red dye which is applied to the tips of the fingers and toes and the middle of the hands and feet.
They told me that I would have to arrive the next day by 8am b/c it would take them atleast an hour to do my make up....yes, for the first time in my life, I actually wore lipstick yesterday, can you believe it?? (And I've got pictures to prove it!)
So yesterday was a very exciting day! I was fully dressed as "Mother India" by about 10am. The boys had previously ordered some very groovy, 70's style dance costumes for themselves, so they looked very sharp, kinda like an Indian version of the group "New Edition".
We arrived at the school where the competition was to take place about 10:30 am and then ended up having to wait 6 hours before it was our turn to perform! (There were 300 participants in each category, and we were #244). So, it was a long day of waiting, but my friend Jagriti who came along to take pictures, tirelessly reapplied my make up so it would look "fresh" for the performance, made adjustments to my hair, repinned my sari, etc. etc., pampered me like a queen. It was ridiculous, I felt like a movie star!
Finally, they called our #. We went up to the stage and my heart started pounding. The boys started dancing and I shared the rush of adrenalin that I know they must have been feeling! We had only 3 minutes to impress the judges. The boys were awesome! I waited for my cue and then walked to the front of the stage and struck my "Mother India pose" as instructed (right arm bent, with palm facing the audience, left hand holding the flag of India). I looked straight into the video camera that was in front of the stage.
The video that was filmed will be sent to Mumbai , where someone there will watch it and make the final decision as to who the winners are. The top 5 groups in each category then have to go to Mumbai , to compete again. So we'll see.
Regardless of whether we are among the top 5 or not, this experience will be one that I remember for a lifetime! "Bharat Mata".....and now the boys are affectionately calling me "Mother".
So there's a little bit of news for you! I know its been awhile since I've e-mailed alot of you, but I'm glad this "Boogey Woogey" dance competition has re-inspired me to get back in touch! Blessings and love to you all! Hope you all are well! E-mail when you can!
Namaste,
Tiff
