Mera naam Gina hai

The evening is quiet in Totopara. The sun has set and left the Indian jungle dark. There are no streetlights or headlights on the road. I can only hear distant barking of dogs, betelnut trees vibrating in¬ the fresh breeze coming in from Bhutan, and my own footsteps. Where I come from it would be called spring. Here its called wedding season. Every wedding lasts for days, and everyone is invited.

As I am walking down the gravel road, only guided by the light of the crescent moon, the silence gets increasingly interfered by pulsating bass. As well as the sound, I can now see a festival of colors leading into an archway lavishly decorated with sarees and fairy lights. Walking through, I enter a dance floor, surrounded by red plastic chairs.

Everyone is sitting, observing the few dancers showing off their moves. The boys try to impress with their homespun break moves, followed by girls´ traditional dances. These people are dancing like no one is watching; their whole body is in sync with the rhythm. I get amazed by how they let themselves go, and get lost in the music.

They are wearing their best clothes, but there are no sparkling sarees. Most people here live below the poverty line. It doesn’t matter; their smiles are a winning accessory.

When the music changes, a local man seizes the moment and grabs my hand while I am looking away. I know he will not take no for an answer. The harmonic tunes of Nepali music fills the room. We are the only ones dancing, everyone else is watching intensely. The music captures me, and moves I have observed through Bollywood music videos just come to me. I feel the song throughout my body and forget everything else. I let go of all thoughts, and while the song is on I am in a different place. It’s just the pretty drunk man, the enchanting music, and me.

A local girl I know comes up to me when the spell is broken and the dance is over. “The old ladies are asking. How can a white girl know how to dance Nepali?” I shrug my shoulders. I have no answer. I guess Totopara weddings can do magical things.

(Totopara is located in West Bengal, India. Five hours northeast from Siliguri on the border to Bhutan. You can experience Totopara wedding season from late February to early April. Contact BEGAP (http://begap.org.uk) if you are interested in volunteering or staying in the newly built guesthouse.)