This year Diwali was amazing. Lena (my roommate) and I spent about a month mentally preparing and a few days navigating the streets of Hubli to buy presents. Durgamba, the wonderful woman who cleans our house, told us we had to buy her presents. When I said, "Yes, and your family too," she very frankly responded, "No! Just me." It is customary for people to buy gifts for those they employ, but last year's fellows set a very high precedent.
Lena and I decided to uphold that precedent, plus we both enjoy gift-giving, so we went all out. Our gifts included a camera phone, three saris, a purse, bangles, shoes, and money. We also bought chocolate and some local sweets for the kids. On the night we were supposed to join her at her house, Lena and I ran around like crazy. We had about fifteen minutes to assemble all of our gifts and I had to dress Lena in her first sari (always a complicated process).
We arrived at Durgamba's on India time (45 minutes late) and everyone was very excited to greet us. Lena had already been there, but it was my first time meeting her family. We gave her the gifts we purchased, participated in their pooja (prayer/prayer offering), ate her delicious dinner, looked through her photos, and somehow chatted away despite our intense language barrier. Nothing about it was unique or out of the ordinary, but I left her house that night completely giddy. I was so happy! To me, the night was very special, and was probably the most fun I've had in Hubli so far.
What consistently amazes me about India is the extent of its hospitality regardless of the family's wealth. I know that much of what I experience of Indian hospitality stems from my race an nationality, but it also stems from the simple fact that I'm a guest and people are unbelievably kind. This is one of my favorite aspects of Indian culture. When it comes time for me and Lena to prepare a meal for Durgamba and her family at Christmas, I can only hope that we are able to reciprocate.
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