Independence Day!

On Saturday, India turned 62 years old. The fun really started Thursday night, when we were all out at the club "Venom" celebrating my 21rst birthday. All of a sudden the DJ stopped the music, and men wearing "traditional" Indian garb complete with turbans came out beating on drums, parting the crowd. The shortest and strangest fashion show I've ever seen followed, with gorgeous Indians parading through the crowd of confused clubbers wearing tunics the colors of the Indian flag (saffron, white and green). The whole commotion ended before we really knew what was going on, but that's India for you. On Friday night we were also in a club, celebrating Amelia's birthday, when the DJ stopped the music at midnight to "wish India a very happy birthday!" Strangely, the Americans in the club seemed to be the only ones really excited about it---we cheered and jumped up and down and shouted, "GO INDIA!!"
The next morning, a few girls and I attended the festivities on campus. It was hard to tell what was going on, but I caught a few snippets of the chancellor's speech--something about how India is rising onto the national scene now, and they need to clean up environmentally (like Michael Jackson?), and now it's survival of the luckiest, not survival of the fittest. It was confusing. Some men in military uniforms came around and handed out ghee desserts and a spicy snack, and some school children did an adorable coordinated dance to that song from Slumdog Millionaire.
The environmental club on campus did a very entertaining skit encouraging people to use the trash cans on campus...rather depressing, if you ask me. Using a trash can is the most simple concept in environmentalism in my point of view, and that's the point that India is stuck on right now, rather than pursuing recycling and alternative energy. After the speeches were over, everyone left their snack baggies on the grass beneath their chairs. I guess they didn't get the point.
After the event, we were so inspired that we joined in on a march across campus, carrying signs in hindi and English calling for a cleaner campus. When we got to the shopping complex, we put on plastic gloves and joined the Indian students in picking up trash. It was a seemingly futile effort, because I'm fairly certain they just dump the trash cans out in the growing trash mountains I see behind buildings (which cows, goats and dogs are constantly munching on), but it felt good anyway.
Happy Birthday, India. But take my advice: USE THE BIN!!! It's a step in the right direction.