Republic Day of India

Yesterday (Monday) was a national holiday for everyone so we didn't have any clinical duties. We were, however, required to attend the "flag hoisting" ceremony at 8 am. Little did we expect the performance that was to follow! The entire Kothara campus, including the entire medical staff, the hospital inpatients, and all the schoolchildren and teachers at the Kothara school (K-10) were in attendance. The adorable kids in their blue and red uniforms sat in uniform rows on the playground and the rest of us sat on the sidelines on chairs. Several people spoke, one guy (teacher or student?) recited an impressively long poem that I assume was patriotic or something to do with the Republic of India. It was hard to pay attention since it was in Hindi. The flag was already raised but Dr. Xavier had the honor of unfurling it, upon which flower petals showered out from the flag and we did a salute while the band played the anthem. Then the REAL fun began. Specially chosen kids came out in different dance troupes and performed a variety of dances--ranging from traditional Indian dance (as you would see in a Bollywood film) to hip-hop, performed by a group of preteen boys in baggy pants and baseball caps. Our personal favorite was the "fisherman's dance" performed by a group of beautiful young girls clad in colorful baggy clothes and pirate's cap and using fish baskets as part of their dance. It was definitely an entertaining morning. To conclude the ceremony, the staff handed out chocolates to everyone. We decided that in India, we should learn to expect the unexpected. :)
The potluck lunch was absolutely wonderful--the best food we've had thus far. The Anands (the superintendent of the hospital) grilled chicken kabobs, the Xaviers brought mutton and raita (yogurt dish), Masseys brought chicken curry, the X-ray tech and physiotherapists brought bread and Laurel and I brought our key lime/lemon pie. The pie turned out better than we expected and everyone loved it. Dr. Rashmi even said she dreamed about having more of it last night! :) We'd count that as a sign of success. We ended up mixing the lime and lemon juice and substituting graham cracker crust with some cookies but it turned out great nonetheless. Yay!
Once we get my laptop connected, we'll definitely put some pics up. I can't wait for the next potluck...