Weather Patterns

I'm tired.

I get back from work, after having been up a bit too late at the groom's farewell the night before. Rajputs know how to celebrate, their logic consisted of having the guests join the party rather than suffer the DJ beats late into the night. Can't complain if you were there right?

As I saunter into my room early, covered in sweat and dust (a peculiar humidity is in the air), fully clothed and filthy; I fall asleep on my bed.

My dreams are more vivid than usual, consisting of colorfully dressed rotating women, interrupted by a crescendo of drums. The beats are growing louder and louder. My eyes open and in a hazy state of confusion I come to grips with the fact that the drumming is real. I hear Govind shouting orders. I carefully get up, open my closed doors, and rubbing my eyes look out to behold the trappings of a grand feast. Large colorful cushions, ornate tables set onto the ground, matkas labeled with the misspelled cautionary "adictive poision, will keep you awake", blue, pink, orange, bright green, and yellow silk sheets flung about any rampart-- truly flamboyant. I spy 4x4 foot speakers set up around the whole affair. Then the moment of tragic realization occurs. This is directly outside of my door.

Cursing under my breath, grumbling from exhaustion, I decide the best plan of action is to find a decent shirt, take a shower and get ready. When in Rome i guess.

A few minutes later, I'm ready for my shower. Stark naked, sweating and dirty I'm standing in the bathroom, the small bucket for my bath poised above my head, ready to relinquish its refreshing, cleansing waterfall. Boom. powercut.

Humored by the irony of the situation, I step out of the bathroom and notice an eerie darkness outside. It's only 6PM, I think to myself. I throw on some clothes and swing open the doors. The sight is unimaginable. Whipping wind, dark as night, a swell of dust scratches my face, and people are running in every direction.

After grabbing my handkerchief I'm up on the roof with guesthouse friends taking in the splendor and savagery of the dust storm. The light slowly returns as we're coated in golden dust. We hold railings as the wind could knock us over. The rain begins with what looks like giant droplets of chocolate milk, spotting our clothes with brown polka dots. After the storm settles a bit, we witness the awesome lightning caused by the static electricity of infinite sand particles rubbing against each other. The streaks of light covered the entire sky, illuminating our meek bodies. Some people prayed and cried. We stood at the railing, staring into the abyss, shoulder to shoulder. It eventually stopped.


(The storm approach as viewed from the guesthouse, 6PM)
[This picture was taken by Eva, another guest]



Needless to say, the dinner did not go as planned. Adjusting, things were shifted, music was on hold until the power returned and we ate by candlelight. It was elegent and subdued. But with the arrival of a generator, things were back on.

Flash forward. I lay in my bed. 2AM. It's very literally jumping up and down from the hard beats of the giant speaker directly facing my window, with no sign of stopping. I feel like I'm in the bathroom of a nightclub, my thoughts pervaded by the pounding music.

I smile.

I remember witnessing the drinking habits of Rajput grandmas. The infiltrating and devastating dust storm. Govind standing under a roof soaked and disappointed. The kaliedoscopic splash of colors. The candlelight and gentle drum and harmonium transforming into the electronic beats of remixed Hindi songs. Dancing in the rain with reckless abandon, overcoming my fear of looking like a fool, after seeing every member of the family begrudgingly expressing themselves on the dancefloor. Sitting in a room, a cellphone our only light source while sharing stories of what we were doing when the storm hit. The ghoomar the young women did which brought tears to my eyes. When I close my eyes I imagine a vibrating bed at a cheap motel and think to myself: people pay for this. Oh yeah. I have work tomorrow.

Only in India.