Indian Spirit

One thing that I always liked to do when I’m on a bus is watch the people walking on the streets. What are they thinking about? Where are they going? How are their lives? The difference is that I usually have these moments in the traffic at home in Sao Paulo, and this time it was doing a tour in Mumbai, India!
The scenery that I see through the window is almost chaotic, horn noises constantly, and hardly any pavements. I saw a girl dressed in a sari, the traditional Indian costume, without shoes and with her feet deep in a hole of brown water. Our guide explained to us about Karma – a Hindu and Buddhist expression. According to some beliefs karma is a reflection about what a person did in a past life, . The difference is that in Hinduism, the ideal is the total purification and not being born again; and in Buddhism the man shall born as many times it’s necessary for him to achieve the enlightenment – the truth of life. Wow! In Mumbai, which is not a super structured city and I’d hurt my toes lots of times kicking rocks on the streets, something captivated me. I think that what I really liked was the cultural shock. I asked an Indian lady why some women use everyday the sari, while others wear jeans and Western clothes. I thought that had something to do with if the woman is married or not, but I was wrong. She explained to me that it is a question of opinion. Lots of women prefer to maintain the tradition. And that was exactly what I wanted to see around the world. In India I was able to feel the energy of a people that love their history, their religion, their music. On the first night that I went out, I had lots of fun. I was still stunned with the city and I couldn’t believe when I saw this super fashionable club in the middle of the small and disorganized bazaars. Among music from the 80’s, traditional rocks and electro-pop, the DJ played lots of Indian hits. Super uplifting; everybody was singing, jumping and with the arms in the air. Good vibes! By the end of the first song I was already involved by the energy of the crowd. This place is called “Poison”, and that night was a “Bollywood Night”. I’d never heard about this Indian cinema industry, but it seems that they are a huge success in Asia, North America and Europe. Super fun, I loved it. They have lots of unbelievable special effects and dance scenes during all the film. In fact, this is a unique category. Like this country: it’s unique, it’s India.