One Extreme

the amazing thing about india is extremity. it's a land of extremes. not even close to any so-called extremes you've ever seen, unless you've actually been here. the lows are so low, the highs are so high. and they're right damn next to each other, temporally and spatially. the oscillation, honestly, is quite hard on the nerves.

tonight, a definite high: dinner at the Chowmahalla Palace. Dining where the Nizam used to dine, in the long shadows of Hyderabad's long princely persian history. a local shipping/customs company, celebrating its silver jubilee with a wedding-like dinner, concert and fireworks show. tied to the consulate through business contracts...and one of the local staff members happens to be the daughter of the owner.

a delicious catered dinner, serenaded by the vaguely enchanting wails of a sufi singer. palace wall aglow in a sea of colors and the flash of fireworks. folks of all sorts parading fancy wear. even a long string of flowergirls, somehow prettier than the average andhra girl. even a bar stocked with "foreigner beverages," although it was the locals who were falling over themselves to make the classy set-up look more like a frat party.

a perfect evening temperature, a breeze. a world away from the hustle bustle chaos outside the palace walls, just as its been for four hundred years. princely palatial living, right next door to harrowing slums, minutes removed from crumbling roads and collapsing buildings.


incredible india...