In the past few weeks I have gotten to partake in some truly authentic Indian activities. Last Friday (4/26) I got to attend my first ever cricket match! Indians are CRAZY about cricket. Seriously. I have never seen people so excited by a sport: not even baseball or football in the States compares. I arrived here 4 months ago not knowing a thing about the sport (what's a wicket?), but after seeing many games on TV and having numerous people explain it to me countless times, I've finally figured it out. (If I'm being honest I understand it better than American football, which I still don't fully get.) Some cricket, like the test matches, are (in my opinion) insufferably long and boring (they go on for literally 4 days), but some, like the Indian Premiere League (or IPL) which is on now, are very exciting! (The difference is that the IPL consists of only 20 overs, ie 120 bowls (which is basically a pitch) whereas test matches have no over limits and just go on until they drop all the wickets.) The IPL is composed of 9 teams from all over India, and there are games every day on TV. The top four teams will go to the finals. Last year, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won the whole tournament. This year they're not doing as well, but that didn't stop me from going to a KKR match with Megnah and Risham and some of their family and friends!
It was KKR versus Kings XI Punjab. Eden Gardens, the cricket stadium, was filled with people, mostly wearing purple (KKR's color) with a few wearing red (KXI's color). I had such a great time. People were cheering and yelling, and someone started a wave that circled the entire stadium 11 times. And the best part was that KKR won! The fans went crazy. Everyone chanted "Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo" which is the KKR motto: it means We will do, we will fight, we will win! in Bengali. After the 3 and a half hour match we made it back home, tired and satisfied.
The following Monday (4/29) I got to participate in another uniquely Indian experience: I got to attend a wedding. A distant relative of Sudha's was getting married, and I got to go along. I put on my nicest Indian outfit and we drove to Salt Lake City, which is part of Kolkata but much farther North than I had been. We arrived at a huge wedding hall, with an outside buffet that featured more food than I have ever seen. The women all looked gorgeous in their saris and lehengas, and I took more than one creepy stalker picture when I saw a particularly beautiful outfit. I watched the bride and groom perform their ceremony, which involved a lot of chanting by the pandit (priest). At one point, people stole the groom's shoes and then demanded money for their return, which I was told is a tradition. (Megnah said that at her sister's wedding they got 5000 rs, $100, to get the shoes back!) The bride and groom took seven oaths and circled the fire seven times. Honestly, though, I was one of the only people engaged in the ceremony. More than anything, the wedding was a social event for the extremely large families to see each other and catch up. While the bride and groom exchanged vows, most people were engaged in conversations or getting food or doing anything but watching the ceremony. It was so different than a Western wedding. The bride and groom both looked great, and I took lots of pictures, which I will upload as soon as I possibly can.
It was KKR versus Kings XI Punjab. Eden Gardens, the cricket stadium, was filled with people, mostly wearing purple (KKR's color) with a few wearing red (KXI's color). I had such a great time. People were cheering and yelling, and someone started a wave that circled the entire stadium 11 times. And the best part was that KKR won! The fans went crazy. Everyone chanted "Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo" which is the KKR motto: it means We will do, we will fight, we will win! in Bengali. After the 3 and a half hour match we made it back home, tired and satisfied.
The following Monday (4/29) I got to participate in another uniquely Indian experience: I got to attend a wedding. A distant relative of Sudha's was getting married, and I got to go along. I put on my nicest Indian outfit and we drove to Salt Lake City, which is part of Kolkata but much farther North than I had been. We arrived at a huge wedding hall, with an outside buffet that featured more food than I have ever seen. The women all looked gorgeous in their saris and lehengas, and I took more than one creepy stalker picture when I saw a particularly beautiful outfit. I watched the bride and groom perform their ceremony, which involved a lot of chanting by the pandit (priest). At one point, people stole the groom's shoes and then demanded money for their return, which I was told is a tradition. (Megnah said that at her sister's wedding they got 5000 rs, $100, to get the shoes back!) The bride and groom took seven oaths and circled the fire seven times. Honestly, though, I was one of the only people engaged in the ceremony. More than anything, the wedding was a social event for the extremely large families to see each other and catch up. While the bride and groom exchanged vows, most people were engaged in conversations or getting food or doing anything but watching the ceremony. It was so different than a Western wedding. The bride and groom both looked great, and I took lots of pictures, which I will upload as soon as I possibly can.
No comments:
Post a Comment