Mackenzie's First Pilgrimage

People (especially business school interviewers) constantly ask me about the differences between India and America, between Indians and Americans.  One of the biggest differences I have noticed here is the level of spirituality in this country.  I think India is one of the only places I have ever been where saying "I am going on a pilgrimage this weekend" will not elicit laughter.  Several of my analysts have taken 20km+ hikes to reach famous shrines with their families, even with their friends, on weekend trips.  It's something I can barely get my head around.

I have been told several times by my friends that I am "the friend most likely to be struck by lightning upon entering a church" so they would be shocked that I agreed to go on a pilgrimage of sorts with my co-workers.  A group of 20 or so of us from work decided to head northwest of Delhi to the Punjab region a few weekends ago.  Our destination: Amritsar.  Amritsar is known for two things: the border ceremony with Pakistan and the Golden Temple.

The border ceremony is an intriguing spectacle-- half sports event, half changing of the guard.  The ceremony takes place in Amritsar on the Indian side and a bit outside of Lahore on the Pakistan side.  People pack the stands on both sides to watch, each country cheering their soldiers on.  Then the soldiers have a mirror-image dance-off.  Okay, it's more of a ceremony with some high steps; but it certainly looks like a dance-off to me.  Dressed in uniforms with flamboyant helmets, they do these crazy marches with their legs flying way high in the air (another thing that is different between our countries: Indians are better dancers than Americans).  Each side sings chants in support of their country and their guards.  I think the Indians won...though I am biased.  I am still debating who would win in a US border dance-off: I think we could out-dance the Canadians, but I am not certain about the Mexicans.

The Golden Temple is the most holy site of the Sikh religion.  It's also the most beautiful man-made site I've seen in India.  That includes the Taj Mahal in case you're wondering.  We visited really late in the evening when they were putting their religious book to bed.  We stepped into the complex (shoes removed and heads properly covered, of course) and there in the middle of a moat stood the temple, gold emanating from its roof and sides, reflecting off the water around it.  It was awe-inspiring.  The worshippers were extremely friendly, welcoming us, sharing the special sweet they give to all worshippers, and teaching us about the holy complex.  I have never felt spirituality more, between the wonder of the temple and the devotion of its worshippers.  Perhaps India really is getting to me....

How to Dress for Success (aka "How to Snag a Maharaja")

I had so much fun at the first wedding I attended in India that I leapt at the chance to go to another.  So when I was invited to two more, I was psyched.  When I found out that they were the same day, I was a little bit less psyched.  Oh well, at least it was efficient!

And like any princess invited to a ball, I needed something fabulous to wear.  Two of the analysts from my previous team volunteered to help me out with the purchase.  Best of all, they brought in a ringer: one of their moms—very helpful for price negotiations.  They declared that nothing but a trendy sari would do for the event and had me meet them at a sari shop in north Delhi one Saturday (yes, my analysts are THAT nice!). 

Now the sari dressing buying process is not like picking up a dress for a formal in the United States.  No, no, no…that would be too simple.  Here’s how it goes:

The first step is going to the dress shop.  The dress shop is completely owned and operated by men (for some reason), but filled with women.  There are hundreds of different fabrics stacked on all the walls and the women sit across from them as the men display them: “yes or no?”  It’s quite an experience, involving tea/coffee/water and some eye for fashion (which I don’t have) and price (which I do).  In the end, my crew chose 4 or so patterns for me to be draped with.  Next step is standing in front of a mirror while the guy wraps the sari fabric around you to see how the color and style go with your complexion.  See below for some of the results.

I voted blue, but was out-voted by my fashion contingent (2 analysts plus 1 smart mother).  Pink is not normally my thing, but it seems very popular in India.  Also popular right now: the sheer fabric of the sari.  Again, not my thing (read: I did sit-ups every morning and evening until the wedding to prepare), but popular in India. 

So I bought the fabric, but the sari shopping experience does not stop there!  Then you need to give the dress shop more time as they dye the material for the petticoat and re-sew and adjust the long piece of fabric.  Following that, you need to take the fabric to a tailor who then makes the top and petticoat for you (I mean cut out a pattern, sew it together, etc.).  Yup, they measure and fit it right to you.  The whole process of buying a sari takes over a week at minimum.  The good news: it still costs the same as a US semi-formal dress despite the extra labor.

The final act in this story was the wedding preparation itself.  My friend Karan’s Aunty took the time to dress me in the sari (can you believe she only used 2 pins) and even stuck a matching bhindi (the “third eye”) on my head.  What do you think?